Let Them Talk.

Then He ordered the man to tell no one, but commanded him, “Go and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But the news about Him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering together to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses. (Luke 5:14-15)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Andy shared commentary on the above verses. Let’s reflect on some of those comments today.

v  Go and show yourself to a priest. In biblical times, the priest was the only person in the community who could make an official pronouncement of healing. Jesus told the man to remain in obedience to the community’s protocol for determining whether healing had taken place.

v  Bring the offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded. The role of tithes and offerings was to ensure there was “food in God’s house” (see Malachi 3:10), God’s designated means of supporting the priesthood and maintaining the physical plant in which His presence resided.

v  A testimony to them. Jesus knew the man was healed. The man knew that he was healed. Yet Jesus, though Lord and King of all the earth, encouraged the man to continue in submission to the earthly authorities and structures that were set into place. It was not enough that the man have a private awareness of his healing; there had to be witnesses to this testimony of healing. The priest, in seeing the man’s healed body and receiving his offering, would stand as witness to the miraculous power of God (see Deuteronomy 19:15).

v  The news about Him spread even more. Pastor Andy succinctly said, “News spreads.” Indeed. It is the nature of news, good or bad, false or true, to travel quickly. Though Jesus had told the man to be discreet and not talk about the healing, the community quickly became aware that something amazing had happened.

v  Large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses. Our pastor shared the heart-narrative of the person who has heard of a miracle occurring in their midst: If Jesus healed that man’s leprosy, then He can heal my depression; He can heal my cancer. Let me go to this Jesus.

At Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, we are blessed to be witnesses to the testimonies of healing in our local faith community. Some of us have even been blessed to be the recipients of God’s healing of our bodies and minds. We do not intend disrespect to those of the faith who believe Diving healing ended with the first-century church. However, we bear the testimony: we assert that our God is our Healer. He has not changed. His abilities have not vanished. We are witnesses of these things. We are spreading the news.