Are You amazed?
Sometimes I think it is hard to amaze me any more. As a kid, I always watched the magician’s hands. Occasionally, I cause them reaching in a pocket or flipping the platter over before the Audience could see the bowl was glued to the surface or the levitating lady was on a firm platform supported behind the curtain.
As a kid I always wanted to know the trick. To be honest more times than not I was fooled by most magicians. In a way I wanted magic to be real. I wanted to be amazed, I wanted to be surprised and wow-ed. However, I spent a lot of tie trying to figure out the trick.
I guess I still am like that. I don’t like to be fooled or taken advantage of, and definitely don’t want to be tricked and made fun of. So I still spent a lot of time looking for the trick in amazing things.
I have a few pictures this morning of some amazing things. All of the images amaze me but I know the trick in every one of them. Some are natural beauty and the trick is that it is just there to be appreciated or ignored as each individual prefers. Some of the other images are based on skill and abilities which I don’t happen to have myself and I am amazed at what some people can do.
Slides
Today I am asking the question, Are You Amazed? Are you amazed about the person of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us? We are going to look at several scriptures where the description of the people involved were astonished or amazed at what they saw and heard from Jesus Christ.
We will start with:
Luke 2:47-48
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
Slide - Boy Jesus
According to Luke the physician, the boy Jesus ends up in the temple instead of heading home. For us this is the one boyhood story about Jesus. This is the section of scripture that we read the first recorded words of Jesus.
In this snapshot of Jesus Life we hear how the scribes, the teachers and other the people present were AMAZED at his understanding of scripture. The depths of his questions were not what a normal boy should be asking. The depth of questions went beyond How and Why and must have sought to get the teachers to explain the deeper meaning of the scriptures. I imagine that he asked about the use and meaning of words.
It is easy for us to think about Jesus growing up and growing physically but, it is difficult for us to imagine Jesus growing spiritually.
Perhaps the reason he stayed in the temple was to learn things in the scriptures about him. Maybe he needs teachers who were objective and who would not avoid interpreting the text about their son’s suffering and death.
Jesus was fully human and grew apparently normal in all ways. He was unique in that his divinity came thought in his living a sinless life. He seems the have been able to surpass others of his age and comprehend more than many.
In a way this scripture gives us a glimpse of God on earth, and amazingly a god that submits to the authority of his parents. Our God lived a natural human life to truly show his understanding of the human condition. The physical, pain pleasure, limits, and emotions.
Slide - Luke 5:8-10
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 1and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Slide – Big Catch
This is the event before the fishermen were called to be fishers of Men. Jesus had asked the men repairing their nets to let him speak to the crowd from the boat, just a little off of shore. When the teaching was over, Jesus instructs them to put out to deep water and let down their nets for a catch.
Peter seemingly agrees only out of respect for the teacher. The words from Peter seem irritated and tested. Peter and the other are tired after a hard night of dropping and pulling in the nets, all by hand. By the time Jesus finished speaking the nets were cleaned of the little trash that would cause damage and rot. IF they drop the nets again they will have to do it all again. I can understand the hesitation of a tired man.
However they do as instructed and they catch not one boat load of fish but two. A catch like this had never been seen. A fish story that will never be believed except by the people that were there.
Peter recognizes that the divine, someone that represents the power of God, has entered his boat. He is a sinful man, unclean by the nature of his work. Not to mention perhaps other unmentioned issues in his lifestyle.
Sometimes it is hard to understand the leading of Jesus on our lives. We have tried that already and it did not work. We are tired and don’t really feel like it.
It is amazing to me to see the grace of the Divine work in my life and in the lives of others. It is humbling to me to be in the presence of God. It is amazing to see lives changed as people recognize Jesus Christ working in their lives.
Matt 12:22-23
Then they brought him a demon possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
Slide – BW – Jesus Healing
Jesus ministry is filled with miracle healings. The stories about what he is doing and teaching have people talking about him and asking questions. But it seems that most do not accept the seemingly obvious answer. These events gave Jesus a popularity wit the people which caused the leadership to become scared for their positions. If forced them to take a stand on the Question - Is this the messiah? It was not long until they made their choice and challenged Jesus at every opportunity.
The crowds are amazed and flock to be where ever he goes. He is a teacher, a healer and entertainment all wrapped up into one package.
I am amazed that people that could see and hear Jesus would get what they wanted, perhaps healing, or a good feeling and go home and live the same life. I believe that many of the people Jesus touched did just that. I wonder if we are any different today. Do some of the leadership challenge the authority of Jesus and do others just enjoy the conveniences and comforts he offers without discipleship?
Slide - Mark 1:21-22
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Slide Jesus Teaching
Jesus had no formal training, no seminary or rabbinical school. He was about 33 and what was different from his teaching is that he claimed authority. He talked as if he understood the deeper meanings of the scriptures. He did not quote famous rabbis that were considered to be experts in the scriptures and the law. He explained the scriptures directly. This was unusual, as most of the rabbis never proclaimed their own understanding of scripture. They were lay people and they were afraid to offend God by misinterpretation so they quoted others without using their own judgment… I suppose so they could explain to God well that is what they taught me….
I sometimes share other opinions from experts. I use illustrations from many sources to help all of our understanding of the scriptures. The amazing part is that I believe the God speaks to us through the scriptures. It is astonishing that text written 2000 or even 3000 years ago can still be connected to our lives. The living word of God is relevant in the time of instant communication and Cable TV, easy transportation and comforts that could not be imagined even 100 years ago.
Slide - Luke 4:36
All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!”
Slide – Casting out daemons
Jesus demonstrated another form of authority, casting out demons. The people were amazed because this was not something that the Rabbis did. Even the priest in the temple did not have the authority to cast out demons or heal sickness. This power that he held was more than anyone could imagine.
It made people talk about him; some were emotionally connected recognizing the grace that the messiah brought with words to the world. Other accused Jesus of being a representative of the devil.
Amazement can lead to different paths of understanding. The ones that attack are not automatically bad people. They just don’t want to be tricked. They let their skepticism lead their emotions for self-defense of themselves and the people of their community.
Matt 15:31
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
The specific detail that is amazing to us in this scripture is the last line. And they praised the God if Israel. The statement is just before the feeding of the 4000. The crowd is different than the crowd at the feeding of the 5000 which were Jews. The feeding of the 4000 takes place on the edge of the wilderness and the people had been there for 3 days attracted by the healing and kept around by the teaching.
All kinds of people are drawn to the Jesus and touched by Jesus. Jew and Gentile alike receive healing of the physical body and teaching of the grace of god. Jesus amazes all the crowds with his availability.
Matt 21
20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
The day before Jesus looked at a fig tree and seemed to be disappointed that it had no fruit. He curses the tree. The next day the disciples were amazed at the seemingly instant decline of the tree.
The commentators give a variety of explanations of this event. The one that sticks wit we is that it is addressed toward hypocrites. They appear the be healthy, lots of new growth. But when examined there is no fruit.
No fruit for the kingdom of God. That would indicate that the tree or person was never really connected to God in the first place. The disciples were amazed at the physical and not at the spiritual meaning.
Matt 22:21-22
And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
The skeptics of Jesus had challenged him with a trick question. There was no right answer. But he gave them one. Man can never exceed the intellect of God. The is no trick question for him. When the church leaders failed again to close their trap. They went away in amazement.
God is never afraid of our questions. He is never afraid of our doubts. It is how we react to his response that is important. If we are amazed by Jesus and What he has done. If we accept that it is not a trick.
I believe that if we keep the feeling of amazement we will always move closer to God
