God's Responsibility

God’s Responsibility

(Luke 5:12-16 NIV) While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." {13} Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. {14} Then Jesus ordered him, "Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." {15} Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. {16} But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Here is a great story of how Jesus made an incredible difference in a man’ s life. The one thing I can tell you for sure tonight is that Jesus has your best interest in mind. Jesus loves you more than you love yourself.

I want us go through this passage of scripture and see how Jesus ministered to this man in need, and I want you to know that Jesus is still doing this today.

Let’s get a little background on this man who was touched by Jesus.

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.

· Leprosy is a generic term applied to a variety of skin disorders. The symptoms ranged from white patches on the skin, to running sores, to the loss of digits on the fingers and the toes.

· For the Hebrews this was a serious illness. For it made the people ceremonially unclean – in there mind it made them unfit to worship God. If that is not bad enough anyone who came in contact with these people were also considered unfit to worship God! What a raw deal.

· Because of this, lepers were isolated from the rest of the community so that the members of the community would not become contaminated, and they could continue to worship God.

· But Jesus did not treat people based on their appearance, the amount of money, their color, or their sickness. He did not go by this clean or unclean deal.

· Jesus knew that our outward appearance does not make one unclean, rather what is in ones heart determines one’s standing with God.

· Because of this Jesus did not hesitate in touching the lepers he came in contact with, and he took it a step further that he commanded his disciples to do the same.

Now that we have the background let’s see what Jesus did for the man.

I.THE MAN WAS REACHED.

(Luke 5:13 NIV) Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.

A. Jesus did the unthinkable for this man.

1. He touched the untouchable. When no one else would help there was a man named Jesus who was not concerned with what the people may say, think, or do – all he knew that there was a man with a terrible disease that needed to be reached

B. Jesus has done the unthinkable for us.

(John 3:16-17) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

One afternoon a bus driver was taking 40 children home from school. As the bus made its way down a steep grade, the brakes failed. The driver was unable to steer the bus to the left because of a high embankment or to the right because of a steep cliff.

As the bus hurtled down the hill, the driver recalled that there was a narrow gate at the bottom which led into a field. He decided to try to steer the bus through the gate and into the field, figuring that it would eventually come to a safe stop. He hoped that no cars or other obstacles would get in his way before he got to the gate.

When the bus driver saw the gate approaching fast. But to his horror, he noticed a small child sitting on the gate, waving at the bus.

It was too late to change plans now. If the driver tried to avoid the gate, 40 children would die. He cried out in anguish as the bus slammed directly into the gate. The innocent child died instantly in the collision, but the bus and all of its passengers were saved. Emergency vehicles were the first to arrive on the scene, followed shortly by relieved parents and grandparents. Many of them wanted to show their appreciation and gratitude to the driver who had kept the bus under control long enough to save their children. But the driver was nowhere to be found. They asked a police officer where he had gone. “They’ve taken him to the hospital,” the officer said. “He’s suffering from severe shock.” “Well, that’s understandable,” they replied. “No, you don’t understand,” said the officer. “You see, that little boy on the fence was his own son.”