September Archives

September 1

Ezekiel 32:17-33:20

Jeremiah 52:28-30

Psalm 137

1 Chronicles 4:24-5:17

The vivid message to Egypt should have been very convicting because it appealed so rationally to history and I think it should have caused anyone who is thinking clearly to recognize the prophecy as inevitable. In other words, Egypt should have repented as urgently and earnestly as possible.

The message of the watchman’s responsibility and accountability is the most sobering message in the Bible to preachers and teachers. It actually should concern all Christians because we should all feel driven to deliver the Gospel to the lost. But the real problem is how indicted I feel. I wonder how many in my lifetime have been neglected by my silence. May God grant me knowledge, wisdom, courage, and gentleness in presenting the message of His salvation to man.

And finally, the genealogies of Chronicles begin, reminding us of how the course of all the world is changed by both man’s foolishness and man’s faithfulness.

September 2

1 Chronicles 5:18-26

1 Chronicles 6:3b, 49, 4-15

1 Chronicles 7:1-8:28

It looks like we are getting into the famous genealogies of 1 Chronicles. To most people, these are tedious reading. If one were to study them carefully, I am sure it would be fascinating, but to just read through is not very appealing. I observed 2 things as I read through. First, it seemed peculiar that the genealogy of Benjamin was listed twice, apparently emphasizing different descendants in each one. Of course, for someone just reading through, I suppose this would be of minor interest. The other thing I noted was the reference in each listing of how many men were available for military service. This strikes me because it makes me think of when the physical kingdom of Christ is established and it also makes me think of heaven. The reason it makes me think of such things is because military service is only needed in a sinful environment, which means that soon it will no longer be needed!

September 3

1 Chronicles 8:29-9:1a

Daniel 4:1-37

Ezekiel 40:1-37

The genealogies are completed with the family of Saul. The message of Daniel 4 is serious and important. But it is also notable that there appears to be a sense of humor here. You just can’t read about Nebuchadnezzar without some surprise at his passion, his hard heart, his foolishness, and his fickledness. This account of how he was turned into a crazy person who lived and acted like an animal should tell us that if we persist in living as if God did not exist, He will eventually just turn us over to the animal conduct that our flesh gravitates to. God’s mercy is also reflected in this story as we see Nebuchadnezzar restored and praising God. Amazing grace!

The dimensions of the new Temple area are given to Ezekiel in a vision. These types of passages are always interesting to me because of the detail. God shares with us that He is orderly and organized and concerned with precision. We do well to avoid sloppiness and pursue excellence.

September 4

Ezekiel 40:38-43:27

I have tried to “catch a vision of this vision of this vision” of Ezekiel. He writes such detail and his vision is so filled with maneuvering and noting of what the man measures. It seems the vision is much more than just a dream-like state of mind. It is like Ezekiel was transported physically.

Theologians say the Temple is a type or picture of Christ. I would agree, but we are told in the New Testament that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And we are to be holy. We understand that practically we continue to fall short of absolute holiness, but positionally (in Christ) we are holy. And so the analogy of Christ as the Temple seems the more powerful, because it is only through Him that we gain an imputed righteousness by which we gain access to God. He is holy, the Temple is holy – Oh God, may we be holy!

September 5

Ezekiel 44:1-46:24

The prince, the priesthood, the land, offerings, celebrations, the kitchens, holiness, separation, gateways – closed, east – glory of the Lord. Just reading through with loose attention, it could all appear so disjointed, but when you pull back a little in review and see the bigger picture, it all begins to show a pattern.

Overriding everything is the glory of the Lord. It is all (and only) for His glory. But then quickly and painfully emerging is the sinfulness of man. And yet man was made for worshipping the Lord – for lifting His glory. Obviously we have a conflict – a seemingly unsolvable crisis. Nothing sinful can access God’s direct presence. He is holy. He is separate from His creation. We need a Savior, a Hero Who can bridge the impassible gulf. And God has provided His only Son, Jesus Christ, Who made intimacy with God possible for sinners. He has justified the unjust by the blood of Him Who knew no sin and became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!

Come to God. Bring the sacrifice. Bring Jesus. Believe in Him, Who is already with the Father waiting.

September 6

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35

Ezekiel 29:17-30:19

2 Kings 25:27-30

Jeremiah 52:31:34

I was not sure how literal to take this River of Healing in Ezekiel 47. Most of it seemed metaphorical to me, but the language concerning the Dead Sea had a literal sense about it. But mainly we must see it as metaphorical because we find ourselves with similarities to both Genesis and Revelation. Genesis with all “the trees with fruit good for food.” And Revelation with “the leaves for healing.”

My first thought when I read the division of the land was, “Why?” I thought all this land was divided long ago. I do not remember the particulars but it seemed like the dividing was different before, maybe because of the tribes in the Trans-Jordan. There does not appear to be any of that here. The dividing is very clean, clear, and equal. It seems to me this can be for one purpose only – for when the Lord’s kingdom comes physically to earth, which should make us all more attentive to Israel.

September 7

Daniel 7:1-8:27

Daniel 5:1-31

Daniel’s vision regarding the end times was exhausting and terrifying (7:28), as well as sickening (8:27). I wish Daniel’s vision and its message with all the implications would affect Christians today similarly. The skeptics dismiss it as having been written later or after the events that are prophesied because they do not believe such things could have been known with such detail in advance of them happening. Of course, the first vision has already been partially fulfilled as far as the succession of world empires – Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. Such knowledge as this should change everything for the hearer, but amazingly one who prefers a life of sin and self-indulgence cannot be persuaded by truth. Take Belshazzar for instance. He knew what his grandfather had gone through before he acknowledged God, but he still did not repent; preferring to live a life of debauchery and blasphemy.

September 8

Daniel 6:1-28

Daniel 9:1-27

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

Ezra 1:1-11

1 Chronicles 3:17-19a

While Daniel in the Lion’s Den is a great object lesson regarding the difficulties we face in this life and how God keeps us through those difficulties, I think it is a mistake to consign it strictly to allegory. Unless clearly directed otherwise, we should accept it as literal, historical truth. It is obviously not as other sections of Daniel in which the prophet himself had to inquire about the meaning. This miraculous delivery appears to have led to the conversion of Darius and probably to many more because of Darius’ decree throughout the kingdom.

Gabriel brings the message of Israel’s future to Daniel and we see both Israel’s future in the First Coming of the Messiah and in the Second Coming of the Messiah, along with the End Time. I like the way the reading today is arranged because right after this prophecy is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah regarding Cyrus and the rebuilding of the Temple.

September 9

Ezra 2:1-4:5

1 Chronicles 3:19b-24

I think the record keeping of Israeli families was more diligent than families of most other nations. We can see, like other nations, there were some Israelites who either did not pay diligent attention to it or lost control during the fall of Jerusalem and the Dispersion. But mostly these records were impressive and I think because of the coming Messiah, God insured that this lineage was carefully recorded and preserved.

The people returned and began to rebuild the Temple and when they finished the foundation they celebrated. But the old-timers wept because they could remember the previous Temple in its former glory. Before all this, however, the people built the altar and made offerings to the Lord, as well as observed the festivals as prescribed by Moses. Hey, at least we aren’t reading about golden calves anymore. It seems a truly repentant Israel has returned from captivity.

September 10

Daniel 10:1-12:13

Ezra 4:24-5:1

Haggai 1:1-15

I have already written much about the power of the prophecies of the Bible. This section joins others as one of the most powerful. But on another subject in Daniel 10 and 11, we are given a window to look through, into the spirit world and the perpetual warfare that goes on continually around us. Our physical eyes cannot see this, but if they could, we would probably be very frightened. The trials, the challenges, the problems are all going on for reasons. We should always remember that “He Who is within us is greater than he who is within the world.” Daniel 12:11-12 reminds us of the staggering precision of Bible prophecy. It’s perfect.

But not all prophecy has to do with foretelling the future. As is in the case of Haggai and Zechariah, often prophets are sent by God to exhort the people to be revived in their work and their commitment. In this case God called the people of Israel to finish building the Temple.

September 11

Haggai 2:1-9

Zechariah 1:1-6

Haggai 2:10-19

Ezra 5:2

Haggai 2:20-23

Zechariah 1:7-5:11

More prophecy of the near future and the far future is presented here. And a rich presentation of God’s heart is revealed in His expressions of love for His people. His care and shepherding are wonderful to observe. God is careful to warn the people to be repentant and committed to Him and then He takes no chances with the people’s understanding regarding His coming blessing. He says to them to mark the day, December 18, while the seed is still in the barn and the crops are yet unproduced or unharvested. God wanted them to be able to clearly identify when, and then why, He was blessing them.

One verse that was very interesting to me was Zechariah 1:15, “I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations punished them far beyond my intentions. What an educational (firestorm) debate this verse sparks regarding God’s foreknowledge and His decrees as they relate to His intentions! We see His desires and consents are often different.

September 12

Zechariah 6:1-15

Ezra 5:3-6:14a

Zechariah 7:1-8:23

The vision of the four chariots is a window into heavenly places and into the language of God. I suppose it could be argued that God is speaking in anthropomorphisms (deliberate condescension to human terms) so that we would understand better, but I am not sure that is really necessary here. And it could certainly be argued that much of what we see in the physical realm has parallels in the spiritual, only without the fallen condition. This vision basically illustrates to us that God, operating from what we might call “the East” (simply because He sends out to the other three directions), is also operating (through His Spirit) throughout His creation.

The situation with Tattenai and his cohorts should teach us all to pay attention to our own business rather than the business of others, or at least to consider all the possibilities before we barrel forth. There are many other notes in my heart regarding this section, but I have to stop with the neat photograph of the crowning of Jeshua. It speaks so wonderfully without any help from me.

September 13

Zechariah 9:1-14:21

So much of this section concerns Israel (as a land and as a people) in the last days. I still think it is wrong to permanently replace Israel with the Church. I think the prophecy in this section brings out with some clarity that a portion of those Israelis living at the Day of the Lord will see Jesus as He really is and will mourn greatly over their mistake. They will of course convert, but I do not think there has ever been or will ever be such mourning as that. We should all mourn over our sins but the greatest mourning is always when one has recognized his rejection of the Son of God, the Lamb slain for the sins of the world. May such rejection be repented of before eternity.

It is interesting to read that the conditions in the millennium reign will apparently include some rebellion and foolish behavior toward the Lord, but in that day people will see the consequences of such behavior right away.

September 14

Ezra 6:14b-22

Ezra 4:6

Esther 1:1-4:17

The Temple was finally completed and the celebration was understandably great. There was joy throughout the land. It is interesting that the author chose to call Xerxes, the king of Assyria. Of course, that is true, but he is generally known as the king of Persia which conquered Assyria. Assyria is merely one of the several conquered kingdoms under Persia.

I was a little surprised that Mordecai had told the palace officials at the gate that he was a Jew, since he had continued to instruct Esther to not tell anyone that she was. But this was all orchestrated by God. I suppose I was just a little humored that after all that counsel to Esther, it is his blabber mouth that nearly causes the Jews to be wiped out.

This Haman fellow was a pistol, but he doesn’t seem too smart, or else he just let his ego run away from good sense. Nevertheless, Esther met the challenge.

September 15

Esther 5:1-10:3

The surface lessons contained in this section are numerous and it tends to have a “Hollywood potential” about it. The characters are developed strongly in a very short space like is done in movies. It really seems like a screenplay.

Much has been made of the fact that God is never mentioned even once in the book of Esther, but it has also been well-noted that the Divine hand of Providence toward His chosen people is seen everywhere in the book.

Again, this reads like a movie, because early on several things happen that seem insignificant but you just know they are going to resurface later in the story as critical to the whole story line. We are brought to the edge of our seats as the wicked Haman develops his evil plan, and the clear intervention of God in Xerxes’ inability to sleep. It is a powerful lesson in trusting God as you move forward – into the storm.

September 16

Ezra 4:7-23

Ezra 7:1-8:36

The first thing that comes to mind after reading this is what about the lost years? I mean the years between Artaxerxes stopping the Temple work and then “many years later” commissioning Ezra to resume and complete the work. What a strong story those “many years” must tell. And actually we get a few hints about those years in our text. We are told that Ezra committed himself to studying and obeying God’s Law. We also know by the words in Artaxerxes’ decree that he was very impressed with Ezra and his vocation. This decree clearly proves that Artaxerxes believed in “the God of Jerusalem.” Now whether or not that constituted a genuine conversion is not known but the text at least indicates a strong possibility. What a powerful ministry Ezra must have had. How could he gain such a captive audience before the king that way? He must have ministered to great crowds.

The answer (of course) is the sovereign grace of God.

September 17

Ezra 9:1-10:44

Nehemiah 1:1-2:20

This section could be entitled “Two Prayers.” The reason – contained here are two of the most important prayers to a Christian’s devotional studies in the entire Bible. One prayer is spoken by Ezra and recorded in Ezra 9. The other is spoken by Nehemiah and recorded in Nehemiah chapter one.

The most striking element in both prayers is the words of repentance. They are first person plural for the most part, although at certain points become even more personal. We see the essence of the Beatitudes in these prayers. The broken, impoverished spirit, the mournfulness for sin, the meekness in approaching God for change, the conversion into hunger for righteousness, the emergence into a merciful inclination, purity, and evangelistic fervor. And in both cases we see that persecution is an inevitable result. For those who struggle with how to pray, they would do well to study and emulate the style of these two prayers.

September 18

Nehemiah 3:1-7:3

The rebuilding of the wall seems like such a wonderful miracle to me. The hand of God is so evident even to the enemies who watched with anger. But what was so wonderful about it?

The wonder was the way God worked in the hearts of people. God could have dropped the rocks into place without anyone, but He doesn’t usually operate that way. He simply gave Nehemiah faith to believe and to act, to accomplish what any sane person would have concluded was impossible and crazy. And Nehemiah chose to employ that gift of faith. This faith is a wonderful and amazing energy because its Object of belief is our wonderful, glorious God. It is just so obviously miraculous how the people began to believe and build. It all starts with the first stone moved – the first moment worked. From the Sheep Gate and around the wall back to the Sheep Gate, the testimony of the Name of the Lord shined in the trust of the hardworking people. Father, please help me get this message. Amen.

September 19

Nehemiah 7:4-8:12

People who read the Bible often wonder “why” regarding the listings of people such as we find here. They wonder why that would be important to them to read or at least to ponder. I have been one of those people. But I have come to understand that it is important to consider because God inspired it to be written. And I believe He wants me to read it. But there are other reasons “why” that we can consider?

When God stirred the hearts of the captives in Babylon to return home, most of them were enjoying abundance. They had adjusted to the Babylonian culture and were happy. And so most of them suppressed the stirring in their hearts (for various reasons) and stayed in Babylon. But some of them did not stay. They obeyed the stirring, packed up, left their homes forever, and went to reclaim the homes of their ancestors. And God blessed by recording their names into posterity. Like Hebrews 11, it is a listing of the faithful. They turned their lives upside down just to obey God. There are other reasons also, but I can’t contain them here. Suffice to say, the most important is protecting the integrity of the genealogies of Joseph and Mary.

September 20

Nehemiah 8:13-10:39

Nehemiah and the Priests and Levites have succeeded in bringing the people together. I love the verse 8:14, “As they studied the Law, they discovered…” That is what always happens when the Word of God is studied with diligence, prayerfully, and with heart opened. The people discovered an interesting thing about the Feast of Tabernacles, and then they dared to believe they could duplicate it! God blessed them, and they did observe the celebration, and they were filled with joy.

At the end of the month they had a solemn observation in which they read God’s Word for 3 hours and then confessed their sins and repented for another 3 hours. We find recorded here what is possibly the most powerful prayer of confession, repentance, and covenant in the entire Bible. Careful study and responsive prayer of this section could solve a lot of problems.

September 21

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

1 Chronicles 9:1b-34

We have mostly genealogies and listings of assignments in this section. There are several observations. Judah and Benjamin always seem to be treated as one unit even in previous verses. I was also wondering if the people who agreed to move into Jerusalem got to keep their other family lands. Another random observation in 11:14 is the sudden use of the word “outstanding” to describe the associates of Amashsai. There were 128 of them. I think I would gladly forego having my name listed if I could just be included in the group with that adjective. God inspired the writer to call this group unlike any other group, “outstanding.”

There was careful attention in the case of the singers to follow the format laid out by King David and they were careful to not give any other duties to the singers because of the relentless nature of their duties and the need to assure the perception of their importance never lessens.

September 22

Nehemiah 12:27-13:6

Nehemiah 5:14-19

Nehemiah 13:7-31

Malachi 1:1-2:9

Nehemiah was a clear and simple thinker. He did not consider any other way. He did not compromise nor tolerate it from others. He could clearly see: entertainment from little sins always leads to enslavement from big sins. When you see what went on with Eliashib and Tobiah while Nehemiah was out of town, doesn’t it just make you want to shout at the pages! – “Whoa boys! Big mistake! The boss ain’t gonna like this one bit! And you ain’t gonna like what he does to you! Get a clue!”

The final verse of this section (Malachi 2:9) speaks of those who show partiality in the interpretation of the Law. (This reminds me of our courts today.) Nehemiah showed no partiality. He would gather offenders, beat them, pull out their hair, and call down curses on them. It makes you wonder how he survived. But he was blessed by God, sanctioned by Artaxerxes, and surrounded by devoted leadership (150). Not to mention, he was supported by powerful God-ordained preachers like Malachi.

September 23

Malachi 2:10-4:6

Joel 1:1-3:21

Today I finish the Old Testament.

And it seems somehow appropriate to mention that last night a terrible storm raged furiously for hours, but this morning the sun shines brightly and peacefully through the East window.

Some say that the Old Testament ends with a curse, and if they mean that it ends with those two words, “a curse,” they are correct. But if they mean that it ends with the issuance of a curse, they are quite wrong. On the contrary it ends with both the promise of a blessing and the warning of a curse. But the warning is only issued to those who might reject the blessing. And ironically, this all refers to the family unit.

Besides, if it is as suggested by this chronological (NLT) Bible that I am reading, then the Bible should actually end with the book of Joel, which by the way, ends with one of the most powerful blessings promised anywhere; and Judah and Jerusalem and God’s people are the center of God’s focus. I rejoice this morning in the God of my salvation! And oh, how I look forward to the New Testament of my Lord Jesus Christ!

September 24

Mark 1:1

Luke 1:1-4

John 1:1-18

Matthew 1:1-17

Luke 3:23b-38

Luke 1:5-38

Who could imagine what these two ladies must have felt? Perhaps Sarah or Rebecca could. Mary must have had a special grace from God just so her mind would not short-circuit from the unimaginable news.

All of this section represents what Mark called “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” We have the deeply mystical (but somehow apprehensible) introduction by John, explaining the entrance of God into humanity. We have the genealogies reflecting divine promises, curses, miracles, and graces; but mostly reflecting the entrance of God into human history and into human flesh. Gabriel tells Mary of her Son’s name, His kingdom, His throne, etc.

But what is most amazing to me is that all this is recorded knowing the outcome to be death by crucifixion and resurrection. This is just the first of many examples that we have found the one religion that man could never invent.

September 25

Luke 1:39-80

Matthew 1:18-25

Luke 2:1-40

It seems that Jesus even filled people with the Holy Spirit when He was in the womb. Perhaps that stretches these verses just a bit – but perhaps not.

Mary’s beautiful exclamation of praise is wonderfully poetic and brilliantly revealing of God’s attributes. It has been labeled The Magnificat. In this section, there are 2 more “songs of praise” that could have been labeled with an equally dramatic title. The first common feature of all three that jumps out is how they all begin with praise. The second – all three refer to the Savior. And a third note is that they all are more or less prophetic; referring to God in the past, present, and future.

I love how evangelistic the 84-year-old Anna became when she heard and saw the praising from Simeon, and then the Savior lifted up. It is interesting that there was such an intense watching for the coming of the Messiah, when most of the nation of Israel was apparently spiritually asleep.

September 26

Matthew 2:1-23

Luke 2:41-52

Mark 1:2-8

Matthew 3:1-12

Luke 3:1-18

Mark 1:9-11

Matthew 3:13-17

Luke 3:21-22

Taking all this in, in one setting, is impossible enough; but to think I could do any justice to it on a single small page is just silly. It seems that dreams were used by God in those days to communicate to people. And the people were apparently tuned in to that fact.

I was struck by John the Baptist’s message of repentance. It seems it was very popular in those days to say “I have repented, I am a Jew,” but John challenged that. He told them that words mean nothing without actions to prove the words. This should be our message today in America, because so many who are not Christians claim to be. But there should be no verbal claim without the lifestyle. Also John spoke of One coming. This is what our message should also include, because Jesus is coming soon. I thought it interesting that there was widespread expectancy in those days regarding the coming of the Messiah (Luke 3:15).

September 27

Mark 1:12-13

Matthew 4:1-11

Luke 4:1-15

John 1:19-2:25

We begin here with the temptation of Jesus. I am inclined here to the verse after the temptation that says the devil left Him until the next opportunity came. We need only read the book of Job to understand that such opportunity comes only through the allowance of God. We know God is not the author of evil and yet we know He is Sovereign over all. And we know that everything that God allows into the lives of His children is intended for their ultimate good. God is faithful. He will not put more on us than we can bear, and with every temptation, there is a way to escape. Father, help me grasp this when I feel overwhelmed. May this truth be Your means of loving deliverance to me.

While the Gospels are somewhat abbreviated and busy, we should take care to notice the verses (i.e., John 2:12) in which Jesus would rest and spend time with His family while teaching His disciples.

September 28

John 3:1-4:45

Luke 3:19-20

In this section there are two meetings with Jesus with two breaks to note the closing of John the Baptist’s ministry. One meeting was with Nicodemus and one with a Samaritan woman. The contrast is astonishing. Jesus testifies to both and the evidence indicates this led both to conversion. The text does not show that Nicodemus responded with a decision to believe in Christ, but later verses do. The testimony of Jesus takes a different approach but the heart of each message is the same. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the Word of Christ. If we believe His Word, we will discover that God is true. I think the essence of this statement is found in the fact that the villagers believed in Jesus because of what the woman said, but when they heard the message of Jesus, they believed because of what He said. This tells us that to really insure a new convert becomes rooted in the Gospel of Christ, we must lead him into the Word.

September 29

Mark 1:14-15

Matthew 4:12-17

Luke 3:23a

John 4:46-54

Luke 4:16-30

Mark 1:16-20

Matthew 4:18-22

Mark 1:21-28

Luke 4:31-37

Mark 1:29-34

Matthew 8:14-17

Luke 4:38-41

Mark 1:35-39

Luke 4:42-44

Matthew 4:23-25

We start with the nutshell of the preaching message of Jesus Christ.

1) The time has come.

2) The Kingdom of God has arrived.

3) Repent.

4) Believe the Gospel.

John the Baptist preached that Jesus was coming soon and that people should repent and be baptized. We also should preach that Jesus is coming soon and that people should repent and be baptized.

Everywhere Jesus went He preached the Gospel and healed people. People were drawn to the healing more than to the message. Ironically though, it was the message that would ultimately keep the serious followers, and it was the message that the pretenders used as their excuse to leave. But when Jesus finished delivering the message in a particular town, it did not matter if there were people still needing healed, He left anyway because His primary goal was to preach. While compassionate motivation for healing was genuine, the eternal needs always took priority. Healing was a validation of the authority of the Lord’s message (His claims). While in certain areas today Jesus may still validate His message with healing, in general it is not needed, because today we have the validation of proven prophecy, archaeology, and the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, genuine healing miracles within God’s compassionate plan continue to occur today in the context of faith.

September 30

Luke 5:1-11

Mark 1:40-45

Matthew 8:1-4

Luke 5:12-16

Mark 2:1-12

Matthew 9:1-8

Luke 5:17-26

Mark 2:13-17

Matthew 9:9-13

Luke 5:27-32

Mark 2:18-22

Matthew 9:14-17

Luke 5:33-39

The illustration that this section concludes with (re: new patch on old cloth; new wine in old wineskin) was the philosophy of Jesus’ ministry. That was to start from scratch – deprogram the secular thought before flooding with the deeper knowledge of God.

Jesus teaches the fisherman how to fish for men and he teaches the tax collector how to collect souls. He calls Simon, James, and John, who all were apparent business associates and whose business was apparently suffering before Jesus arrived.

Jesus heals a leper, not because the leper was willing, but because Jesus was willing. Is Jesus always willing? Not necessarily in this life. His focus was on spiritual well being. He makes that clear with the account of the healing of the paralytic who was lowered through the ceiling. The only reason Jesus healed him physically was to show His authority to heal spiritually (to forgive sins), and that was His focus. Thank God!

Ó 2004 C. E. Briggs