An old gospel song by Wayne Watson tells the story of a battered violin at auction.
Well it was battered and scared,
And the auctioneer felt it was hardly worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile,
Well it sure ain’t much but it’s all we got left I guess we ought to sell it to,
Oh, now who’ll start the bid on this old violin?
Just one more and we’ll be through.
The violin was going to sell for just a few dollars. Until an old man stepped forward, tuned it, and played like the angels sing. The auctioneer changed his offer and the crowd responded.
And then he cried out one give me one thousand,
Who’ll make it two only two thousand who’ll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that’s a good price,
Common who’s gonna to bid for me?
And the people cried out what made the change we don’t understand,
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
It was the touch of the Master’s hand.
A dusty old violin was transformed by the touch of a master’s hand. That is what took place for Peter’s mother-in-law when Jesus stepped in and took her by the hand.
When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him (Matthew 8.14-15).
The Arrival of God’s Kingdom
Jesus said this about God’s kingdom: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1.15).
Dallas Willard reflects on the time when electricity came to rural southern Missouri. His family gladly connected their house to the REA, Rural Electrification Corporation line.
However, down the road, there were a couple of old men who had lived without electricity all their lives. They weren’t interested in having electricity.
When Jesus says that God’s kingdom is present, he is saying something new and unusual is on earth.
Our response is to change our mind about it, believe it, and receive it into our lives, just like Dallas Willard’s family did for electricity in their home.
Peter’s mother-in-law wasn’t the only one eager to be touched by the Master. The entire community flocked to Peter’s house, yearning for Jesus’ touch.
Recognizing the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth, they embraced it with open hearts and faith.
That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and cured all who were sick (Matthew 8.16).
The presence of the Kingdom of God is not as evident today as it was when Jesus was touching people and healing them in Capernaum. However, that doesn’t mean God’s Kingdom is absent; it is still present.
Our response should be the same as when Jesus proclaimed it. We are to repent, to change our minds about its existence, and to believe, despite any other picture in the world, that God’s rule is present.
Isaiah 53
My friend Rudy Ross has written a 300-page book on Isaiah 53. We don’t have to write a long book on the chapter, but we do well to be familiar with Isaiah 53. It provides the backdrop of what Jesus did for us through his life, death, and resurrection.
Matthew notes the connection between healing large numbers of persons and Isaiah’s prophecy.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Matthew 8.17).
Matthew’s account provides only a snippet from Isaiah 53. It is beneficial to read a few more verses, or even the entire chapter, for a better understanding.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases,
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53.4-6)
Someone has rightly said that the cross is God’s solution to our problem. If it took the cross to make us whole, we certainly have a significant problem.
Isaiah highlights our problem. We have infirmities, diseases, transgressions, and iniquities. Jesus has suffered for all of these human problems so that we can be healed and saved by God’s grace.
Jesus’ message about God’s kingdom being present requires repentance, or a change in our thoughts about God. We should all embrace His grace in light of God’s love and mercy.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 