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Chapter 9 -- Forgiveness and Belief
Jesus got into a ship, crossed the sea, and came to the city. People brought him on a bed a man sick with paralysis. Jesus saw their faith and said to the sick man, "Son, cheer up, your sins are forgiven."
Certain of the press said to themselves, "This man blasphemes!"
Jesus knew their thoughts. "Why do you think evil thoughts?" he said. "Which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk? But in order to show you that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" (he turned to the sick man), "Get up, take your bed, and go home."
He got up and went home. When the crowds saw it they marveled and praised God for giving such power to humans.
As Jesus passed from that place, he saw me at my tax collection desk. He said to me, "Follow me."
No question--of course, I got up and followed him.
He came to my house to eat and a lot of my acquaintances, considered lowlife and sinners, came to eat with him and his disciples. When the religious right political leaders saw our festivities, they spoke to us. "Why does your master eat with lowlife and sinners?"
But Jesus heard them and said, "The well need no doctor; the sick do. You need to learn about kindness and not so much about your many sacrifices. I came to call to repentance not 'good people' but sinners."
Then some of John's disciples came to Jesus and said, "We fast often and so do the political leaders, but your disciples do not fast. Why?"
Jesus said, "As long as the bride and groom are present, can the wedding party mourn? But the time will come when the groom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
"If you use new cloth to patch an old garment, the patch will pull and soon make the first hole bigger. If you put new wine into old cartons, the cartons will burst, the wine escape, and the cartons be discarded. Instead, put new wine into new cartons to preserve them both."
While Jesus spoke like this, a ruler came and worshiped him. "My daughter is dead," he said. "Come and touch her and she will live."
Jesus got up and went with him, and so did we. On the way a woman sick with bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his clothing, apparently thinking, "if I can only touch his clothing, I will be well."
Jesus looked around, saw, her, and said, "Daughter, be comforted. Your faith has made you well." She was well from that hour on.
After awhle Jeus came to the ruler's house and saw the minstrels and noisemakers. He said, "Clear out, the girl is not dead; she's sleeping."
The people laughed at him as they were leaving. Then Jesus went in, took the girl by the hand, and she got up. Now this was news! And it traveled into all the lnad.
As Jesus was leaving, two blind men followed him crying out, "Son of David, give us your kindness!"
They followed him into a house, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said.
He touched their eyes and said, "Let it be as you believe," and they could see! "Don't tell anyone," Jesus said rather sternly.
But they went out and spread the news in all the country.
Next, someone brought him a dumb man with a devil. When the devil left, the dumb man could speak. The crowd marveled, "This has never been seen in Israel."
But the religous right leaders said, "He sends away devils thorugh the prince of devils."
All through the cities and villages Jesus traveled, teaching, preaching, and healing every disease among the people. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion because they were weak and scattered like sheep without a shepherd.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, the workers few. So pray that the Lord of the harvest will send in workers."
A large harvest of some sort could be a motive that would stand up in court. I that was the motive for God to come to earth, then I needed to investigagte what was this harvest. Was it money, food, drugs, human organs, or just accolades? Nothing made sense. I decided I would try to discover and tail one of these workers he had mentioned as coming in for the harvest. The I found out I was to be one of them!
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