I’m a man of little faith, most of the time. I’ve increasingly grown less confident of my own ability to do anything, and yet instead of realizing this displacement is God’s strategy to shift my focus inevitably toward His all-sufficing provision, capability, and resurrection power, usually I see things as falling into an awkward state of limbo from which there seems no proximate remedy. Over the years God has been developing in me, through adverse circumstances and loving discipline, an awareness to His sufficiency and my minute mortality.
One of the stories of Jesus’ steps on our planet that has most intrigued me goes like this [end of Matthew 8]: two dudes have so many demons they’re uncountable, thus called ‘legion,’ demons recognize Jesus as having power over them and they ask to be sent into farm animals, Jesus sends them into some pigs [thus honoring their request…odd], economic loss of pigs ensues when pigs run off the cliffs, townspeople have entirely inverted priorities of the universe and prize economic value over supernatural visitation of the Lord God Almighty in their town and kick him out of town….
…which leads to Jesus showing up and mind-reading the religious dudes who are looking down on him for healing a previously lame person, which sets up Matthew 9:8-9:
“But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him”
That’s quite a turn of events. Let’s be honest: what would you do if you turned on the evening news to see pigs running off a cliff due to being recently possessed by demons – demons who had just had a conversation with some dude who claimed to be the Son of God, who everyone has been talking about, and then after you turn off the news your buddy who’s been lame his entire life walks up to your house claiming this Son of God dude just healed him? Oh, and your neighbor’s cousin’s wife’s friend Matthew just up and left his cushy job and started following this guy right afterwards?! But wait, do you even think that some of the causes of events in our world and/or actions of people are directly attributable to demon possession or God’s direct healing hand on someone’s life? [but I digress, as that is another conversation…]
We have a perspective today which, I believe, does not truly account for the power of God. Or at least, I don’t. Sure, we acknowledge the saving power of God over our sins, etc., but do we contemplate that it is power over EVERYTHING. Over life, over death, over demons, over disease or deformity?! We might claim we believe the Bible is true, but when’s the last time you overheard someone in church say: ‘so, I was having an argument with this demon the other day…’ or ‘my daughter was recently raised from the dead’? I’m overstating to make my point, but overall I believe we down-size God to match the parameters of our current problems.issues.wants.wishlist.mood. If we contemplate God’s power, we see God as being all-powerful over our job search, our upcoming final, our relational drama, our income taxes, etc. We see something like the tragedy in Japan and…is our first thought of God’s omnipotent power or Him or the destruction and how devastating it must be? I know what my first inclination is.
And yet, the Scripture says that God had ‘given such power unto men.’ A friend who is much smarter than I believes this passage shows that God’s design is to give us power, and cites how the apostles healed others, cast out demons, etc. when Jesus sent them out. And I do get his point, and I haven’t studied the Scriptures to the degree he has, but I would agree with him thus far that a general construct goes like this: God is all-powerful. That means He has power over EVERYTHING. Our God is not diffracted and does not report to someone else. He gave this power to men. Jesus and the apostles, to name a few. We are made in His image and are built to become ‘little Christs’ and thus replicate Jesus with our very lives. Thus, His design is for us to wield His power as well…why? The Scripture says the result of Jesus using God’s power is that when the multitudes of people saw Jesus do it “they marveled” and “GLORIFIED GOD.”
When I ask God why I’m weak the answer is usually that I’m not glorifying Him. Every time, now that I think about it, that I’ve ever been powerful, channeling God’s power through me, it’s been synonymous with my life glorifying His.
And, Lest we think this is a one-time thing, or something Matthew blew out of proportion to justify him leaving his job to follow a random stranger, consider the very last instruction of Jesus to his disciples before ascending into heaven [talk about a sight to behold!]
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Then in Acts 1:8 Jesus instructs them that “you will receive power” and be His witnesses…to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Main takeaway: There is one Being with all the power in all Heaven and earth given to Him. And He says we will receive power. Why? To be His witness, and to glorify God, that’s what His power’s for.
--Matthew
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