“In All the world”

“Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’” –Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)

Joseph had just spent two years in prison, for being wrongly accused of trying to seduce Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). He had been lied to, lied about, rejected, and forgotten. I think the natural reaction here would be to “brown-nose” or “suck up” to Pharaoh. I wouldn’t want to disrespect the king of Egypt and risk being thrown in jail again, or even killed. Yet, Joseph never let his faith waver and he never changed or was ashamed of who he was in God. And God covered that and also covered Pharaoh’s response:

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is not one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’” –Gen. 41:40 (NIV)

Joseph didn’t try to earn respect from Pharaoh, and yet he got it, and then some! Joseph “stuck to his guns” and trusted God and was greatly rewarded for that. By that last line Pharaoh says, I think Pharaoh would have been willing to step under Joseph’s command and authority, were it not for the law, regulations, and traditions of Egypt. Lastly, God used and blessed Joseph so much more than Joseph ever expected. God had given him a little insight of his future in his own dream, many years earlier (Gen. 37). While he was a slave and prisoner, Joseph probably never forgot that, and probably questioned God as to what he was doing there? (Have you ever questioned God? “Why in the world am I here?”) From his dreams, he was expecting to just be above his brothers and parents, yet God had the whole world turn and look to him:

“And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.” –Gen. 41:57 (NIV)

In the presence of all the people…

“As Jesus went on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding around and pressing against You.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. Then He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’” –Luke 8:42b-48 (NIV)

 

There are so many things to break down in this passage, but too often we read over it, acknowledge it as a great miracle, and move on with our day. The first thing I notice, is the amount of people in this crowd. Jesus was on His way to the house of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter was dying (vs. 40-42a). However, people had gotten wind of who this Jesus guy was and the incredible things He could do, so they started to follow Him; in verse 40 it says, “Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed Him, for they were all expecting Him.” This crowd was keeping tabs on Jesus and wanting to be around Him as much as possible. Also, this was a huge crowd–so large that they “almost crushed” Jesus. The next thing in this verse, is how the woman made her way through the crowd to even reach Jesus. Because of this woman’s condition, she was considered “unclean” and unwanted by those who lived in the town. I would assume that she was constricted to the confines of her house, or maybe even outside the city limits, because people didn’t want to be anywhere near her. If this was the case, this crowd would not have willingly let her push through and easily make her way to Jesus, because that would require her to touch them. When I read this verse, the picture I have in my head is this woman crawling on her hands and knees, dodging the people in the crowd, and probably getting stepped on a few times. I believe that she was just barely able to touch Him as well, for the passage says she “touched the edge of His cloak.” That alone, tells me that she probably didn’t stand behind Him and tap His shoulder to receive her healing; she had to work for it. More than likely, she was on her knees, at His feet, and she touched the edge of His cloak that hung near the ground. I have a very visual mind and big imagination, and I picture her on her knees, barely grasping at His robe, frantically trying to get it into her hands before her chance was gone. The next part of this verse, maybe the part we don’t stop to think about most of all: her healing! After 12 years of suffering, this woman was free. No strings attached, just instant healing. Why? Because she pushed through the crowd, past all the rules and judgments, and let her faith lead her to what she knew was right. Maybe this was a last resort for this woman; maybe she had tried tons of home remedies to try to heal herself, tried seeing other people, but nothing worked. Or maybe this was what came to her mind first, and she knew that she had to see Jesus as soon as He came to her town. I can’t imagine what she felt in that moment of healing. But after such a joyous moment, she was instantly struck with guilt for Jesus said, “Who touched me?” In that split second, she was probably debating whether to run for it while she still had the chance, before having to admit to what she had done. However, she knew she couldn’t go “unnoticed” and she came and “fell at His feet.” This is my favorite part of the verse. There is no pride. No feeling of  self-satisfaction or self accomplishment. This woman had been lower than low because of her issue, prior to her healing. But after her healing, there was no sense of self-pride, and rather than proudly admit to what she had done… she fell at His feet, and put herself in her most humble position. Not only that, but she did so in the “presence of all the people.” With everything stopped, because of her…with every eye on her…she told Jesus not only that she had touched him, but why she had touched Him…she told Him of her humiliating need for His healing. I’m sure that in that moment, she imagined He would reprimand her and take back the power that had gone out from Him. But in His gentle, loving way, He said, “Your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Humble Willingness…

   “One day…Jesus…saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.
   When he had finished speaking [to the crowds] he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.‘ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
   …Simon Peter…and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken…
   Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men. So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed Him.”
–Luke 5: 1a, 2b, 4-7, 9, 10b-11–

Nowhere in this verse does it say, “They took the fish to the market, sold them, made a year’s wages, and then followed Jesus.” This passage never tells what happens to the many fish that were caught; however, it does emphasize how much was caught. We can read over this verse so quickly and not give it a second thought, but to experience such a huge harvest, instantly, baffled the fishermen to the point of fear of Jesus. Imagine in your workplace, the environment where you invest in your passions, what if a year’s work was granted to you instantly? More than likely, the enemy was tempting them to be greedy, take the fish and run. Take a minute to stop and mentally picture, not one boat, but two, so full of fish that they start to sink! We need to grasp how incredible of a catch this was. And to leave that all behind, to follow Jesus, is such an incredible sacrifice! They didn’t just leave a great catch, they left everything: financial security, a normal life, and a steady home (during the length of Jesus’ ministry, and for some, after his resurrection and ascension to Heaven again). Today, so many people get sidetracked from what God wants them to do because of the temptation of a great job or big money. Many of us, myself included, need to learn how to have a humble willingness, like these fishermen, and follow Jesus. Because of their faith, these men went down in history and their lives are still setting an example thousands of years later–that was not because they chose the route of temporary fame, success, or acknowledgement.

-Ash