1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,160 The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,080 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:13,000 dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place. 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,480 And there he prayed. And Simon and those who were 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,560 with him searched for him. And they phoned him and say to 6 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,000 him, everyone is looking for you. 7 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:29,880 And he say to them, Let us go to the next towns, that I may 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,400 preach there also, for that is why I came out. 9 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,680 And when he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,480 synagogues and casting out demons, and a labour came to 11 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:50,240 him, employing him and needing say to him, if you will, you can 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,480 make me clean. Moved with pity, he stretched 13 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:59,040 out his hand and touched him, and say to him, I will be clean. 14 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:04,160 And immediately the lipros left him, and he was made clean. 15 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,920 And Jesus Stanley charged him, and sent him away at once. 16 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,680 And say to him, so that you say nothing to anyone, but go so 17 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,600 yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what 18 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,600 Moses commanded for a proof to them. 19 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:27,280 But he went out and began to talk freely about it and spread 20 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:32,480 the news so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:37,520 was in was but was out in desolate places and people were 22 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,080 coming to him from every quarter. 23 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:44,920 The go spoke of the Lord. Let us pray. 24 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:52,200 We thank you, Lord, for Your grace even gathering us here, 25 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:58,120 and we pray that out of your gracious mouth and lips you will 26 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,520 speak to us, Lord, through me. We pray with that in the name of 27 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,760 Jesus Christ, Amen. You can have your seats, please. 28 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,320 We live in a world where we are surrounded with very many heroes 29 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,760 and we love them, we cherish them, we admire them. 30 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:22,880 But one of the heroes who captures the essence of Go is 31 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,760 Superman. He acts without delay. 32 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,840 He dives from the skies and rescues those in danger, whether 33 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:36,000 they are in burning buildings or collapsing bridges or from 34 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,720 flaming planes. The heroism of Superman is a 35 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:46,000 heroism of prompt action. In the Gospel according to Mark, 36 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:50,360 we see a similar pattern. Jesus is presented as someone 37 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:54,040 who is very active. He's a doing fast figure. 38 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:58,760 He moves quickly from scene to scene, and he switches between 39 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,880 spectacular encounters from here to another. 40 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,320 Jesus shows us some kind of agency. 41 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,720 Here in Mark, we see a Jesus of agency. 42 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,840 We can ask ourselves a question. Does Mark present to us as 43 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:19,480 Superman Jesus? Certainly not, because Superman 44 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,480 represents the literal sense of go. 45 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:28,520 But Jesus embodies go in a purposeful and deeper sense. 46 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,040 The heroism of Superman is about solving problems, but the 47 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:37,040 heroism of Jesus is not just about problem solving. 48 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:41,520 It is relational and is tied to a wider mission. 49 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,640 I invite you to turn with me to the Gospel reading that we have 50 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,920 taken in Mark chapter one, verse 35 to 45. 51 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,680 And here we are going to see this kind of a relational 52 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,640 admission of driven ministry of Jesus, and we are going to trace 53 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,560 his rhythms of going out. And this is going to be shown to 54 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:06,360 us in his moments of withdrawal, movement, and engagement. 55 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,480 And as we look at these rhythms, we are going to see and 56 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,880 understand who is Jesus and what is his mission. 57 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,680 And as we are doing that, we are going to be invited to come and 58 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,160 follow along in the same rhythms, because Jesus is 59 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,000 calling us to be also people who go out just like him. 60 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:29,280 So the first element of Jesus is going out is his withdrawal. 61 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,920 We can ask ourselves, how does Superman prepare for his 62 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,040 missions? This is how he does so. 63 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,040 He often times begins by pausing, and then he studies the 64 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,720 scene and then he assesses the danger and then he plans his 65 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,520 move. He has a biological father. 66 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:55,720 He even has an adoptive father but really does see stop and ask 67 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,000 them what should I do? And even when he seeks guidance 68 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,400 from them, it comes in form of echoes which are distant and pre 69 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:08,320 recorded messages that sometimes he can go on and follow some of 70 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,520 that guidance. So basically he operates because 71 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,360 of his own understanding and because of his own strength. 72 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,560 But in contrast, in verse 45, this is what it says. 73 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:26,160 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, 74 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:32,080 went out and made his way to a deserted place, and there he 75 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,640 was, praying. This morning is after the 76 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:40,960 busiest day in Jesus's ministry. The night before, the entire 77 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:46,120 town had gathered around Jesus, seeking for healing from 78 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,880 sicknesses and evil demons. So Jesus must have been 79 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,560 exhausted in this morning. He's a human being like us. 80 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,680 He could have stepped, slept on longer, or if he chose to work, 81 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:03,480 he would have begun immediately. Where he stopped from proceeded 82 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,160 on with healing. Because even Simon tells us that 83 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:11,280 everyone is looking for you. People are still drawing near to 84 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:16,520 see Jesus. But this is what Jesus does. 85 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,560 He withdraws. Instead of continuing on with 86 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:24,240 work or even having a length of sleep, Jesus chooses who we 87 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,840 withdraw to take a retreat. You may understand this retreat 88 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:32,600 in very many ways depending on what you believe Jesus was 89 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,600 seeking during this time of retreat. 90 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,520 If you think that Jesus was seeking for rest. 91 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,120 You might think that this was a Wellness and relaxation retreat. 92 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,800 If you think that Jesus was posing to reflect about his 93 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,520 ministry, you might call this a personal growth retreat. 94 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,760 And if you think that Jesus was tending to his inner life, you 95 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,280 may think maybe Jesus wanted healing. 96 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:02,680 He was on a healing retreat. But Mark makes it very clear 97 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:08,160 this was a spiritual retreat. Jesus withdrew to pray. 98 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:13,120 He was seeking quiet time with the Father, and prayer in this 99 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,880 essence is not just about presenting petitions. 100 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:21,840 He was not going to the Father with a lengthy wish list which 101 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:23,600 he wanted to present to the Father. 102 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,720 Jesus was intending to have a time of conversation and 103 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,800 communion with the Father. It included submission and 104 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,520 confession. He was able to present maybe 105 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,040 supplications and intercessions and praise and Thanksgiving. 106 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,520 In other words, Jesus was aligning to the will of the 107 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:48,400 Father in every possible way. This example of Jesus's 108 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:53,600 withdrawal addresses two kinds of Superman heroism that we can 109 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,000 succumb to. The first aspect of Superman 110 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:02,040 heroism that we can succumb to is hoping endlessly from one 111 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,840 task to another. We may keep moving from one 112 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,240 thing to another, never stopping to breathe. 113 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,720 We may feel that we are very active every day of our life. 114 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,640 Every week we are just hoping from one task to another. 115 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,840 We are rushing and we can even neglect the most important 116 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,480 things of our lives, and that is worship and the prayer. 117 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,920 Perhaps it's a time for us to break that cycle. 118 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,960 We may need to reshape our schedules to allow us to have 119 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,400 room for prayer. What might this look like? 120 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,159 If we are supposed to pause unto our seek God in prayer? 121 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:42,679 It might involve us to break the demands of the day. 122 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,720 It might involve us to set apart sometimes which we keep and we 123 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:48,880 say this is time for prayer for me. 124 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,360 It might also involve us stepping away from some of the 125 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:56,960 things that are demanding and we focus on God in prayer because 126 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:01,280 if prayer was important for Jesus, we it is also important 127 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,200 for us as his followers. We shouldn't be lied to that we 128 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,720 can hop on from one task to another without posing to seek 129 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,920 God and to pray. We are called to imitate Jesus 130 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,760 even in that aspect of prayer. Then the second aspect of the 131 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,760 Superman heroism that this aspect of Jesus is posing to 132 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:26,760 pray addresses is the thing called self reliancy. 133 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:31,520 We live in a culture where independence is celebrated. 134 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:36,280 We praise being in control without needing anyone and 135 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,560 sometimes we think about this as being a responsibility. 136 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:43,960 Yes, it's true, but it can come with some danger if we are very 137 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,320 certain reliant. Because if we saw a lean on our 138 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:52,440 understanding and our strength, we even deny depending on God. 139 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:55,920 If you don't read His guidance, we don't need His strength. 140 00:09:56,560 --> 00:10:00,320 We stop listening because we feel we are wise and we cannot 141 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:04,880 depend on God in any way. We ought to depend on God 142 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:09,280 because we are His followers. We ought depend on Him because 143 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,520 we should trust in Him that we don't have strength that we 144 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:17,000 require for our day, even for our engagement, but we require 145 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,120 to depend on God. What will dependence on God look 146 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,560 like? It involves giving time to 147 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:28,360 listen to Him, to meet Him in prayer, even to read and study 148 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,440 His Word, to rely on His guidance day by day. 149 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:37,680 Many times we think that we are rushing in life, but if we are 150 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:41,200 relying on God, we ought to have those moments of seizing from 151 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,240 our rushing and depending on God. 152 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,240 I will tell you of a certain time when I had to pause in life 153 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:52,720 and rely on God, though I have been doing so many times. 154 00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:57,440 I am a student and at one time I realized that the aspect I 155 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,280 wanted to study for my dissertation, I couldn't proceed 156 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,440 with it because I didn't have a dissertation committee that was 157 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:09,800 committed to my work and it was in the middle of the semester 158 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,320 and I had to switch to something. 159 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,080 I had thought about this idea for a long while. 160 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:20,480 I was deeply saturated in this idea, but now I had met the the 161 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,320 dead end. I couldn't figure out the 162 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,560 dissertation committee around me for this idea. 163 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:29,400 I needed to switch to another idea in the middle of a 164 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:31,240 semester. I was stuck. 165 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:35,560 I continued on speaking to faculty and discussing and 166 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,520 reading around and reflecting, but I was stuck. 167 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,520 This is what I did. I withdrew from my bed. 168 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,960 I couldn't withdraw totally because it was in the middle of 169 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,160 the semester to take a retreat, but I retreated from my bed and 170 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,120 I decided to sleep on the floor in the nights, crying to God in 171 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,160 prayer. And you cannot know what 172 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,680 happened. God answered me, responded, He 173 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:02,040 gave me a wonderful idea. This is how I realized that it 174 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:05,480 was a wonderful idea. When I presented the idea to a 175 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,240 professor was a speciality in the book of Job in the class, I 176 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,760 saw his eyes dancing. I knew I had an idea, but it 177 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,400 came from prayer because I sought God. 178 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,360 I sought the mentorship around me from faculty I was reading, 179 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,920 but I prayed and now the idea that I have, I need where it 180 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,120 came from God because I paused and sought him. 181 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,920 So when we depend on God, prayer ceases to just be something that 182 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:36,080 we always say at certain times or at specific places. 183 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,600 It even flows into our everyday activities of life, even in our 184 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:44,640 meeting rooms, in classrooms and in boards and wherever we are, 185 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,320 prayer goes with us because we know we are not depending on 186 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:51,200 ourselves. Even as a student, I depend on 187 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,840 God in all the things that we do. 188 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,720 So dependence on God turns ordinary places into sacred 189 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:03,640 places where we can pray. Now let's stand to the second 190 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:07,160 element of Jesus's going ministry. 191 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:11,640 And this is Jesus's movement. In Uganda, where I come from, 192 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:16,720 Anglican Khadia, often appointed by bishops to lead specific 193 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,560 missions or to lead specific ministries. 194 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,120 And usually you are transferred from one ministry to another 195 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,400 after a time. It usually happens at the end of 196 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,000 the year. During such seasons, a Bishop 197 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,120 can appoint you that next year you are going to lead another 198 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,400 church, another parish. In fact, last week I looked at 199 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:39,480 one of the such transfers that you are going to lead now from 200 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,360 here to another place. I have gone through many of 201 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,720 those transfers in my ministerial carrier. 202 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:49,040 I'll not go through the details of how the discernment process 203 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,320 operates, but let me tell you how it feels like to be 204 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,320 transferred from one ministry place to another. 205 00:13:55,840 --> 00:14:00,320 Oftentimes it's difficult, some kind of feel difficult to move, 206 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,960 especially living a place where ministry has been flourishing. 207 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:09,200 But also parishioners like you will not leave a pastor to go. 208 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,160 Some of them will cry. If the pastor has been serving 209 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:15,040 them well, they will cry. Some of them will even petition 210 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,200 the Bishop. Don't transfer our credit. 211 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:22,160 Let him stay for one more year. Because several times when we 212 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,920 have success, we look at the success and we begin identifying 213 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,160 ourselves because of that success. 214 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,360 We look out, we look at growth and we don't want to live where 215 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:37,400 growth has been happening. We don't want to let go where 216 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,760 there is success. Oftentimes it feels very painful 217 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,680 to step away where there is success, want to build around 218 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:47,760 there. We want to continue holding on 219 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,960 to the successful moments that we have had in our encounters, 220 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,000 even in work, not just in ministry. 221 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,960 Sometimes we fear, we feel that if I go to a new place, they 222 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,160 have been loving me here, what would happen when I go to 223 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,280 another place? We want to keep on the circles 224 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,400 we have been having because of fear. 225 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,400 However, this is what Jesus does. 226 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,120 The people around him, they are praising him, they are looking 227 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:18,080 for him. But Jesus says in verse 38, let 228 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,760 us go to the neighboring villages so that I may preach 229 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,760 there also. This is why I came. 230 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:29,280 Jesus did not rise on ride on his fame. 231 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,840 The fame was around him, but who could stay? 232 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,680 But instead he chose to leave and go to another place. 233 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,680 He was admired. But he says even though I am 234 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,480 admired here, I am choosing to go. 235 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,520 He left the comfort and the admiration and the success and 236 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:49,120 he said it is time to go. Why? 237 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,080 Even though the cries of the people wanted him to stay, Jesus 238 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:57,000 knew that it was not the will of the Father for me to be at this 239 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,600 place at this time. He chose to go and live. 240 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,920 We might think that Jesus only wanted to to preach because 241 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,560 verse the verse 38 says that I want to preach there also. 242 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,520 We shouldn't be tempted to think that Jesus was only intending to 243 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,280 go preaching. He was not interested in healing 244 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,400 ministry. What was going on here? 245 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,040 Because the next verse tells us that Jesus continued on to 246 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:25,760 preach and heal even where he went. 247 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:30,120 In verse 39, he says he went into all Galilee preaching in 248 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,320 their synagogues and driving out demons. 249 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,840 So Jesus was also going to continue on the same ministry 250 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,120 where he was going. So he's preaching and healing 251 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:41,560 ministry were intertwined together. 252 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,400 So he left this place. He was going to continue with 253 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,960 the same ministry where he was going. 254 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:52,040 But Jesus was moving because he was prioritizing the will of the 255 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:56,800 Father over the expectations of the people or even his own 256 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:01,360 expectation as a person. He chose to follow the will of 257 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,440 the Father. The Father wanted him to go to 258 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:09,160 another place for ministry. And Jesus says, yes, I choose to 259 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,560 go. What can it look like if we are 260 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:16,359 to follow the same pattern of Jesus choosing to do the will of 261 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:21,000 the Father even over our expectations, we should be able 262 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,359 to seek God is guidance. I want to emphasize this again. 263 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,920 Spending time to listen to God in prayer, reading scripture, 264 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:31,880 listen to God is guidance. Even asking questions. 265 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,800 Personally, I have understood that even we should come to God 266 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,520 with all sorts of questions, ask Him. 267 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,920 I am. I am someone who has been cast 268 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,160 accustomed to asking God questions in my prayer and 269 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,680 sometimes the answers me mysteriously, sometimes even 270 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,280 through scripture, but sometimes even mysteriously because of 271 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,400 trusting in God's guidance. If we are to be people who are 272 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:00,080 relying on God's guidance, we should approach him day by day, 273 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,400 seek guidance, but also trusting the guidance that is around us 274 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,800 in the people of God. As we approaching discernment. 275 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,640 The people of God are also a good way how we should know what 276 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,240 we are to do so if we are to know that this is what is God's 277 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,280 will for us. Sometimes it involves seeking 278 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:24,280 God is guidance in many ways, but also if we are to know where 279 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,720 God wants us to be, we should be willing to say no. 280 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:33,440 Sometimes not everything that appears to be good is of God is 281 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,120 intent for us. Sometimes it should turn away 282 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:40,400 from the things that are good wonderful opportunities because 283 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,440 want to be aligned to God's purposes. 284 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,040 We must learn how to decline some of those wonderful and 285 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,320 glorious opportunities if at all we know that they are 286 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,400 distracting us from the weed of God. 287 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:55,040 This is what Jesus did. It was glorious to stay, but he 288 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,080 said now it's time to go to another place. 289 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:03,040 But also we should trust in God is timing stepping away from 290 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,800 things that are attractive. It is because we know that now 291 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,440 God is timing for me is to be at another place even though it's 292 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:13,920 glorious here. God wants me to another place. 293 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:19,280 God is timing is always perfect and his will is always the best 294 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,040 for us. We should be able to try that 295 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:26,240 and to trust in that because that is his will is good and 296 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,600 it's perfect for us. And if it's God is will, then we 297 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:34,680 move just as Jesus was able to move trusting the Father that he 298 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,960 has the best and the surest path for him and he was able to trust 299 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:43,600 him faithfully. Now I move to the third element 300 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:48,760 of Jesus is going out ministry and this is is seen in Jesus's 301 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,520 engagements. And I would love to look at 2 302 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:53,840 aspects of Jesus's engagements here. 303 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,880 And the first aspect is Jesus's transformative engagements. 304 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,560 You know, let me go back to Superman. 305 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:07,840 Although Superman does all these wonderful things of saving 306 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:14,480 people and doing things that are are spectacular, but here's the 307 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:19,040 limitation. He cannot restore the human 308 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:22,240 heart. He can restore safety, but He 309 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:26,760 cannot restore the human heart. We have a longing as human 310 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,840 beings. We need a Redeemer who can do 311 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,960 things that are just surpassed, the physical things to even 312 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,200 things that are deeper and spiritual. 313 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:42,200 Jesus restore us to transform. It doesn't just rescue us from 314 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,480 danger, but He rescuers us to transform us. 315 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,520 In verse 40, we are given a vivid picture of Jesus's 316 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:54,760 preaching and healing ministry. Jesus encounters this man who 317 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:58,840 had leprosy. His body was decaying, but also 318 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:03,800 his spirit was broken because leprosy in those days symbolized 319 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:08,360 being gladdened with sin. And in the Jewish community, 320 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,120 someone who was repro was looked at in two aspects. 321 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,120 He was almost dead. You were dead if you had repro 322 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:17,160 say. Even though you were alive, you 323 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,680 were dead in the eyes of the people. 324 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,680 But also we undergo this punishment because it was a 325 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:27,000 disease that was looked at as being a sign of sin. 326 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,760 And according to Jewish custom, no one could come near a leper. 327 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:33,720 A leper was someone who was kept away. 328 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,400 One of the rabbis, the Jewish rabbis says, said that I cannot 329 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,160 even buy an egg on a street where I have seen a leper. 330 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:46,240 If there is a leper around this street, a Jewish rabbi couldn't 331 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:50,400 even stop to buy an egg. Another Jewish rabbi said if I 332 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,760 meet a leper, I would throw rocks at him, hit him to go away 333 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,520 so no one could come near. This, someone like this, a 334 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,760 leper, he was always shunned by the community. 335 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:08,040 No one could touch him. But this slipper now finds a way 336 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:10,680 of approaching Jesus, not maybe in a synagogue. 337 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,160 We have seen Jesus was preaching in the synagogue. 338 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,680 This slapper couldn't come to such a synagogue. 339 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,760 But in one way or another he sold out to Jesus. 340 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:23,280 And when he found him somewhere, we are not told somewhere, maybe 341 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:28,800 in privacy, he kneels down and pleads with Jesus and says, if 342 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:32,640 you're willing, you can make me clean in verse 30. 343 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:36,320 And then the next verse, verse 41, this is what it says. 344 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,520 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hands and 345 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,120 touched him. I am willing, He told him, be 346 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:47,880 made clean. This was a touch that was 347 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,800 breaking all forms of social rules. 348 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:55,240 No one can touch a leper. But here we see Jesus doing so, 349 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:59,640 touching the leper. In that touch the man was 350 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:03,680 healed. Yes, yes, the man was instantly 351 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:07,360 healed. Immediately the leprous left him 352 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,560 and he was made clean. We are told that in verse 42, 353 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:15,200 instantly the man was healed. But something even greater had 354 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,680 happened in the life of this man. 355 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,760 His dignity was restored, his place in the community was 356 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,760 renewed, and then Jesus sends him to the priest. 357 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:29,680 The priest where the guardians of the community, the communal 358 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:34,240 gates, he sends him to go and testify about this healing 359 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,400 because leprosy was more than a disease. 360 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,280 It was a physical sign of inner corruption. 361 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,080 So it was not just something that this was not just a 362 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:48,200 physical healing, it was a ritual cleansing as well. 363 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:53,280 But also it was a restoration in the eyes of the spiritual and 364 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,760 the moral community. It was the restoration that this 365 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,480 man had been spiritually and morally restored. 366 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:05,880 What should we do? We are called to touch like 367 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:08,120 Jesus. There are many people who are 368 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:11,200 hurting. They need a touch, not just a 369 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,360 physical touch. They need our presence. 370 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:17,600 There are many people who need who are looked at as being 371 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:19,560 outcast. No one wants to associate with 372 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,680 them. We are called to reach out to 373 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,800 such people. But also there are many people 374 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:27,200 who is dignity is is is in suspense. 375 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,400 We are called to reach out to restore the dignity of such 376 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,800 people. Because if Jesus touched and 377 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,520 they touched was miraculous, we can also touch, we can also 378 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,400 encounter people in a way that transforms them from being 379 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,600 outcasts and being hurting to another state. 380 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:47,400 Then the second aspect of Jesus's engagement is that his 381 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,560 engagements. We are divinely oriented. 382 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,000 You know, Superman has this way of being things. 383 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:59,440 He does things in ways that are dramatic and public, full of 384 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,440 spectacle. His aspect of heroism is a 385 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:07,160 heroism that leads to uploads. Yet when Jesus heals this man, 386 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:11,480 this is what he tells him. He tells him in verse 44, see 387 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:16,160 that you say nothing to anyone. He wanted the work to be quiet. 388 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:20,640 He was not focused on the glory of men but on the praise of God. 389 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,800 Jesus did not perform all his crowds with this miracles 390 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,800 because He wanted to attract the crowds. 391 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,480 Even many times that just as we are seeing Him, He was 392 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:34,200 withdrawing from the crowds. He didn't want to pull the 393 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,840 crowds himself. That's why he stepped away from 394 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:39,560 that place. He said let me go to another 395 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:43,800 place because even we see at the end of the reading, He within 396 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,600 draws into the wilderness because He didn't want all these 397 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:49,080 crowds around him. He was not looking for the 398 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,680 praise of the people. That is why when he was this 399 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:57,360 man, he tells him to be silent. He instructs him instead of 400 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:01,320 being all over the place speaking to the people, go and 401 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:04,280 speak to the priest. That is the only person he sends 402 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,080 him to. Don't speak to the people, go 403 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,240 and speak to the priest. Why? 404 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:12,400 Because we have already seen that the priests, we are the 405 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,920 guardians of the community in a sense that they were they want 406 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:21,160 to know who is the right person to socialize in our community in 407 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,920 a rich role in a in a way that is pure. 408 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:28,200 So these are stating him to go to the priest was saying that 409 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:34,480 you go and be confirmed that you belong to the community instead 410 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,480 of speaking to the community first to go and you'll be 411 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,000 confirmed that you now belong to the community. 412 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:46,520 You have been healed. Jesus wanted this man to be 413 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:51,520 declared that now he has been restored, he can belong to the 414 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,280 community. So Jesus was not looking for 415 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:56,960 performance. That is why he said don't speak 416 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,160 to anyone, speak to the right people. 417 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,040 Don't just speak around to anyone. 418 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,360 Even though the man went out and began speaking to the other 419 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:06,600 people. But Jesus was not looking for 420 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,600 the praise of the people. His was just a ministry of 421 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:13,520 kindness. It was the ministry of aligning 422 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,600 to the weed of God. It was the ministry of not 423 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,160 seeking the praise of men, but the praise of God. 424 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,400 What does this look like for us? If we are to seek the praise of 425 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:28,840 God, it means that sometimes we should do things not because the 426 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,520 cameras are there to watch us, not because we are taking this 427 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:36,240 picture to post all over social media for the people to see that 428 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,640 have done this, but because we are doing this because it's the 429 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,760 weed of God. Not looking for the praise of 430 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:47,000 men, but for the praise of God. There are four friends. 431 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:51,760 The world around us still looks for people who are ready to give 432 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,280 a hand of rescue. It longs for people who are 433 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:59,160 ready to share hope and healing. Of course, we are not like 434 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,280 Superman. We cannot come and fly over and 435 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:05,120 save the people. Yet we can still touch people 436 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:08,720 like Jesus. We can restore humanity like us 437 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,720 Jesus. This involves us seeking for the 438 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:15,560 guidance of God day by day. It involves us seeking for God 439 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,080 is strength because we cannot do it on our own. 440 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:23,040 So we are called day by day to seek God, to rely on him even in 441 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:27,000 our business schedules, to rely on God in this ministry that God 442 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,240 is calling us for. God is calling us to cross all 443 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:35,000 forms of barriers, barriers of fear and stigma and prejudice. 444 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,320 God is calling us to cross such barriers. 445 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,480 He's calling us to serve, not because we are looking for the 446 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,800 praise of men, but because we are looking for the praise of 447 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,120 God. We cannot be like the Man of 448 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,760 Steel, but we can be like the Man of Sorrows who bought our 449 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,960 pain and gave us our life again. Therefore, I would love to 450 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:58,680 invite you to go out and serve with courage and with 451 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:02,920 compassion, not serving because of fame, but serving because of 452 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,720 the glory of God, the name of the Father, the Son, and the 453 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:08,800 Holy Spirit. Amen.