On mother’s day we looked at
nameless women from the Bible. Today we look briefly at 5 nameless men from the
Bible, with an important message to fathers and men everywhere …and to the female
population as well!
1. THE WISE MEN FROM THE EAST—( Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in
the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 2:1-2 KJV).
The
virtuous woman of proverbs 31may bring her food from afar but really wise men
will travel far to seek Him who is Greater! It took the wise men a journey of
over a year in duration to find the One they sought!
Why
would men leave the comfort of their homes and culture to travel hundreds of
miles to a little country to find the One they called the King of the Jews?
Never
before has it been recorded that men came seeking a Jewish born king to worship
him! The truly wise will realize that there's always somebody greater.
The
choice to remain in comfort will work against the opportunities to find Him.
One thing: No
sacrifice or effort is too great when the final destination brings me into
worshipping into His presence!
2. THE CENTURION AND HIS SERVANT—(And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a
centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of
the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal
him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest
come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For
I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man,
Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do
this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that
followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in
Israel. Matthew 8:5-10 KJV).
Genuine
concern and great faith do not clash with humility
No
one is too big to be concerned with the welfare of those lesser than
themselves. No one should be too big to acknowledge the greater One! Faith in
Him will result in spectacular results.
Many
men feel threatened when confronted by greatness in another.
Many
will pay respect albeit sometimes reluctantly, when acknowledging the obvious
greatness in another.
But
what happens when the other person does not put on airs, but presents an unpretentious
manner, does not seek the company of the elite of the day but rather hangs out
with sinners, publicans, winebibbers, harlots etc; and befriend and bless
children rather than treating them as humbugs.
And
to crown it all He is a member of that despised Jewish race who are vassals of
the great empire of which you are an officer?
One thing: Real
greatness is always humble enough to reach out a helping hand to those of lower
status, and wise enough to look past outward appearances in recognition of
Spiritual Authority!
3. THE PALSIED MAN AND HIS FOUR BEARERS—(And they come unto
him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they
could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he
was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of
the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy,
Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:3-5 KJV).
It’s
called going the extra mile for a friend in need. Look at the inconvenience!
They could have stopped when they found the house was packed but compassion, friendship
and perseverance find a way. A friend in need is a friend indeed! In his
desperate need this man four real friends. These were friends that do not give
up at the first obstacle but assess and plan accordingly. These men showed
dedicated friendship in reaching out to assist a needy one.
They
showed perseverance because helping was a mission not just an intermission.
They
showed initiative in overcoming the prohibitive.
They
showed unity in working together to accomplish their goal. The result is a man,
a neighbor, a friend was healed and Jesus was glorified.
We
do not know the relationship but we see the result of their resolve.
One thing: Real
friends go beyond the second mile in their efforts to help someone in need.
4. THE MAN BORN BLIND—( Then again
called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we
know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or
no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then
said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He
answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye
hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said,
Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto
Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and
said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence
he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not
sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he
heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of
one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. John
9:24-33 KJV)
Say
what you will the evidence is LITERALLY staring you in the face because he can
SEE! He was born blind but now he can
see because of an encounter with Jesus! A personal encounter with the Master
will produce unshakeable confidence in you and unbeatable faith in Him. Many only encounter a preacher and his
product. Many others just encounter a church life. The faithful and obedient however
move pass the preacher and the church to come face to face with Him and life is
never the same again. May we encounter Him every day.
One thing: No
argument can counter or conquer a genuine encounter and experience with the
Lord!
5. THE TWO THIEVES—(And one of the
malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save
thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear
God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we
receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And
he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in
paradise. Luke 23:39-43 KJV).
Do
not ever count me out even when chances appear zero!
I
was one of two hanging out with the King of the Jews.
That's
what Pilate wrote but Jesus got my vote
While
the other one screamed I thought we were creamed
But
the man in the middle resurrected my dream
What
were my chances? Nil, Nada, Nothing! Honestly! I am the classic example of
redemption where there seemed no hope. I could have behaved like my fellow
partner in crime but I did not. So when wretched circumstances and situations
place you in a position where you want to curse God, remember me, for The Lord
remembered me because of a heartfelt cry of faith in Him when even His position
appeared hopeless !
One thing: Your
position is never as hopeless as it seems once Jesus is hanging around by your
side!
6. THE TEN LEPERS—(And as he entered
into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood
afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy
on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the
priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one
of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice
glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he
was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but
where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God,
save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath
made thee whole. Luke 17:12-19 KJV).
God
notices and acknowledges a grateful heart!
Yes
I know! He said go and show yourselves to the priest. But when I discovered I
was healed who could explain the joy that thrilled my soul? Who could describe
the way that I who was an outcast, physically and socially felt? I just had to
return and thank Him! It turns out that I did the expected thing. That tells me
a lot about the attitude of God! He loves it when we thank and praise Him!
One thing: A
grateful heart always brings complete wholeness
7. THE RICH YOUNG RULER—( And when he was
gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked
him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus
said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is,
God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not
steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my
youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou
lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And
he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:17-22 KJV).
There
will always come a time when we have to choose between that which we count most
precious, and yielding to God. He will always bring us face to face with
choices, and when we arrive at the defining moment, we will all have to answer
the question "What will you do then with this man which is called the
Christ?" Be it fame, fortune, friends or family, we will make the choice,
either immediately or through procrastination. Remember the best of the best
cannot beat being a disciple of the Lord.
One thing: There's
something out of this world that all the money in this world cannot buy...a
personal relationship with the Lord!
8. THE LAD WHO GAVE HIS LUNCH—(There is a lad here,
which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so
many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the
place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the
loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the
disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as
they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the
fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them
together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley
loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. John 6:9-13 KJV)
ONE THING:
YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, UNTIL YOU CHEERFULLY GIVE
IT TO GOD!
