“The Context” Luke 5:17-19)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/29/2026 11:22 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                        Focus:  “The Context”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 5:17-19

            Message of the verses:  ““17 One day He was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.”

            This will be some verses that we will be looking at for a few days, and these verses will set the context of what Jesus will be doing, that is the healing of this paralyzed man, and how Jesus first saw him as his friends will put this man right in front of Jesus as He was teaching, as they take the tiles off the roof and send him down right in front of Jesus. 

            MacArthur writes “In keeping with the constant pattern of His ministry, the opening of this section finds Jesus teaching.  He was not in a synagogue, but in a house, undoubtedly a big one since it accommodated the large crowd that had gathered (cf. Mark 2:2).”

(cf. Mark 2:2)

“2  And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.”

            “Luke focused his attention in particular on the “Pharisees and teachers of the Law” who were sitting there in the crowd.  This is the first reference in Luke’s gospel to the Pharisees, one of the four main Jewish sects along with their archrivals the Sadducees (the wealth, elite priests), the Zealots (political revolutionaries who sought independence from Rome), and the Essenes (ascetic monastics).  Their name likely derives from a Hebrew verb meaning ‘to separate.’  The pharisees were the ‘separated ones’ in terms of their zeal for the Mosaic law (and their own traditions, which they added to it [cf. Matt. 15:2-6; Mark 7:8-13]).”

(cf. Matt. 15:2-6; Mark 7:8-13”

2  “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3  He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4  For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5  But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6  he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.

Mark 7:8-13

“8  You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." 9  And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10  For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11  But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban’” (that is, given to God)— 12  then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13  thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.’”

            “The Pharisees originated during the intertestamental period, likely as an offshoot of the Hasidim (the ‘pious ones,’ who opposed the Hellenizing of Jewish culture under the notoriously evil Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes).  Unlike the Sadducees, who tended to be wealthy priest or Levites, the Pharisees generally came from the middle class.  Therefore, although few in number (there were about 6,000 at the time of Herod the Great, according the first-century Jewish historian Josephus), their theology and tradition had great influence with the common people (who, ironically, the Pharisees often viewed with proud, self-righteous contempt [cf. John 7:49]).  Despite being the minority party in the Sanhedrin, their popularity with the people gave them significant influence (cf. Acts 5:34-40).”  Ok that is as far as I will go this morning, and Lord willing will pick up this evening to continue to look at this section.

(cf. John 7:49)

“49  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."”

(cf. Acts 5:34-40)

“34  But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35  And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36  For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37  After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38  So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" So they took his advice, 40  and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  It is my desire not to be like these sects that I am going over this morning, but trust the Lord to cause me to continue to grow in grace so that I can learn and grow.

My Steps of Faith for Today: “¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.” (James 5:16 NASB)

5/29/2026 12:21 PM

 

 

 

           

“Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man: His Authority to Forgive Sin” (Luke 5:17-26)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/28/2026 7:07 PM

My Worship Time Focus:              “Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man: His Authority to Forgive Sin”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 5:17-26

            Message of the verses: “ Man Lowered Through a Roof”

 “17 One day He was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21The scribes and the Pharisees began thinking of the implications, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22But Jesus,  aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26And they were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God. They were also filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”

            Now what I am about to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary is an introduction to the verses from above, and then, Lord willing I will begin to look at these verses in small numbers to better understand what they have to say. 

            “As was the case with the account of Christ’s healing of the leper, the time of this event is not known.  Luke merely notes that it happened one day when He was teaching.  It most likely took place after one of the Lord’s journeys around the lake area (Mark 1:39) when He was able to return to return to Capernaum (Matt. 9:1).”

(Mark 1:39)

“39  And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

(Matt. 9:1)

1 ¶  And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.”

“The Lord’s healing of the paralyzed man once again demonstrated His supernatural power over disease.  But even more significantly, it revealed His authority to forgive sin—which is the prerogative of God alone, and the greatest need of man, so as to escape eternal judgment.  Luke’s account of this event explains the context, the claim, the confrontation, and the consequences.”

            These highlighted words are the outline for what we will be looking at, Lord willing, in the next days.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  I have written in an earlier SD what a friend of mine told me one day when I was a very young believer and kind of struggling with trying to understand about what some people in the Church had to say about healing.  My friend who was mentoring me when I was a young believer told me that God heals you every time except the last time.  Knowing that set me free from what some believers believe and that is God is obligated to heal every sickness that His children have. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to help my wife get through the experience that she’s going through with cancer, helping her to get through some treatment that she is to begin tomorrow afternoon.

5/28/2026 7:29 PM

           

 

“The Divine Compassion” (Luke 5:13-16)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/28/2026 9:17 AM

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  “The Divine Compassion”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 5:13-16

            Message of the verses:  “And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”  And immediately the leprosy left him.  And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”  But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

            “41  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” This is from Mark’s gospel 1:41 and shows us that Jesus was moved with compassion, or pity as it is translated in this verse, and this leper was a very helpless man as his plight was desperate.  Jesus, disregarding the prescription of Leviticus 5:3 which says “3  or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realizes his guilt;” stretched out His hand and touched him.  The gospels tell us that Jesus would frequently heal with a touch (cf. 4:40; 7:14; 13:13; 22:51; Mark 6:5), but to touch a leper was really shocking and unprecedented, but this was not the case for the Son of God.  No one in Israel—least of all a rabbi—would have defiled himself by touching a leper.  But sovereign love responded with sovereign power.  Jesus said, “I am willing; be cleansed,” and immediately the leprosy left him.”  As was the case with all of Jesus’ healings, the leper was healed instantly, and completely.  There was no lingering recovery period while the leprosy gradually got better.  This was seen earlier in the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, as after the healing she got up and waited on the people who were in her house.  MacArthur writes “Modern medical treatment can cure leprosy, but cannot completely reverse the disfigurement and damage the disease causes to the human body.  But the disfigurement caused by this man’s leprosy was also healed by Jesus’ creative power, leaving no trace of the disease or its effects on his body.  He was healed restored, and physically fit to take immediately a long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.”  I have to believe that this long journey he took did not feel that long to him as he would have been rejoicing in the fact that his leprosy was not completely gone.

            Now after Jesus healed this man He ordered him to tell no one, for the moment.  There was something that now cleansed leper needed to do at once, so the Lord commanded him, “Go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded.”  MacArthur says “The process by which a cleansed leper was readmitted to society involved going to the temple for an examination by a priest, shaving, bathing, washing his clothes, offering multiple animal sacrifices, along with and offering of grain and oil (Lev. 14:1-20).  The entire procedure lasted for eight days (Lev. 14:10).  If he obeyed and went to recount to the priests how Jesus had healed him, it would be a powerful testimony to them that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and Son of God.  This testimony would be either convincing to the priests so that they would acknowledge the claims of Christ, or if they rejected Him self-indicting, since they had personally examined the miraculously healed leper.  Further, it would buy time for Jesus, since a miracle of that magnitude would surely swell the already large crowds that followed Him—crowds so huge that they had forced Him off the shore of the Sea of Galilee and into Peter’s boat.

            “But selfishly overjoyed at his remarkable, miraculous healing, the man ignored Jesus’ command and instead ‘went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around’ (Mark 1:45), forfeiting the opportunity for such a powerful testimony.  As a result, the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  So vast were the crowds that Jesus ‘could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere’ (Mark 1:45).  The disobedience of the cleansed leper had put limitations on Jesus’ ministry and forced Him into the countryside away from the populated towns.  The ones who could find Him in the wilderness dis do, but surely many of the most disabled in the towns were not able to experience His healing word and touch.  To maintain His focus on preaching the word and sustain the power of His ministry Jesus, in His humanity, needed communion with the Father.  Therefore, even in the unpopulated areas He would often slip away deeper into the wilderness and pray (cf. Luke 4:42).  Prayer was an integral and essential aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry.”  I wrote about this when studying Luke 3:21 in an earlier SD.

5/28/2026 10:08 AM

 

“The Desperate Victim” (Luke 5:12c)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/27/2026 8:13 AM

My Worship Time                                                                         Focus:  “The Desperate Victim”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                    Reference:  Luke 5:12c

Message of the verse: “and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

            We are talking this evening about a man who had leprosy and the Bible has much to say about this disease.  Moses wrote about rules to follow for someone who has leprosy way back when Israel was coming out of Egypt, so we can assume that this disease was in Egypt, but where it started the Bible does not tell us.  People with this disease had no hope, humanly speaking.  This man’s disease was incurable, socially stigmatizing, and viewed as God’s punishment for his sins.  Having heard about Jesus, he came looking for Him (cf. Matt. 8:2) where Matthew talks about this too.  So when he saw Jesus, he approached Him.  That was inappropriate behavior on his part, because lepers were strictly forbidden to come near other people.  “12  And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance” (Luke 17:12).  Lepers were not to interact with anyone except other lepers.  So great was the fear of contagion that lepers were barred from Jerusalem or any other walled city (cf. 2 Kings 7:3).  They were forbidden to come within six feet of a healthy person (one hundred and fifty feet if the wind was blowing from the direction of the leper) and were restricted to a special compartment in the synagogue.  One rabbi refused to eat and egg bought on a street where there was a leper.  Another advocated throwing stones at lepers to force them to keep their distance.  “(cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974], 1:494, 95).”

            John MacArthur then writes: “It is not known that leprosy (Hansen’s disease) is not highly contagious, since 90-95 percent of the human race is immune to it.  Exactly how the disease is transmitted is not known for certain, but people living in close contact with those with untreated leprosy had a higher risk of becoming infected.  But lepers in biblical times were isolated not only due to fear of infection, but also because they were ceremonially unclean (Lev. 13:45-46).  In rabbinic teaching, leprosy was second only to contact with a dead body in terms of defilement.  ‘Not merely actual contact with the leper, but even his entrance defiled a habitation, and everything in it, to the beams of the roof….If he even put his head into a place, it became unclean.’ (Edersheim, Life and Times, 1:494, 95).

            “That the leper approached Jesus in violation of rabbinic law reveals his desperation.  He was past fear, past shame, and heedless of the danger to himself or others; he literally had nothing to lose.

            “Coming to Jesus, the leper fell on his face in a posture of reverent worship.  Matthew 8:2 says he ‘bowed down’ (proskuneo; better translated ‘worship.’  This term is usually used in the New Testament of worshiping God.)  Whatever his understanding of Jesus was, he was convinced that He was sent by God and called Him Lord.

            “That he implored or begged Jesus for help reveals the leper’s sense of urgency.  He was a sinful outcast, wretched and miserable, with nowhere else to turn. 

            “The leper also approached the Lord in complete humility.  He did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal him, but acutely aware of his own unworthiness, he wondered if He was willing to do so, thus acknowledging the Lord’s prerogative.

            “Finally, he approached Jesus in faith, affirming his confidence that Jesus had clearly displayed many times the power to heal him and make him clean.

            “The leper’s approach to Jesus graphically illustrates penitent sinners’ approach to Him.  They come in desperation, casting aside their self-righteous efforts to save themselves as the filthy garments that they are (Isa. 64:6).  They come in reverence, affirming Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9), God (John 8:24), and the only Savior (Acts 4:12).  They come with a sense of urgency, knowing  that ‘now is the acceptable time…now is the day of salvation’ (2 Cor. 6:2).  They come in humility, poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3), deserving nothing from the sovereign and knowing they have nothing to commend themselves.  Finally, they come in faith, because ‘to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness’ (Rom. 4:5).  Now if you are not a true believer in Jesus Christ and desire to be then reread this paragraph.

5/27/2026 9:12 PM

“The Dreaded Disease” (Luke 5:12b)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/27/2026 10:42 AM

My Worship Time                                                                         Focus:  “The Dreaded Disease”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 5:12b

            Message of the verse:  “behold, there was a man covered with leprosy”

            MacArthur writes “Like its Old Testament counterpart lepras (leprosy) is a general term for a number of skin conditions.  The most severe of these was Hansen’s disease, which is leprosy as it is known today.  Luke’s description of the man as being covered with leprosy suggests that he in fact had leprosy in the most extreme sense of the term.  His desire for cleansing connects it to the familiar diseas because it reflects the designation o the leper as unclean in Leviticus 13:45-46.

            “Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is known from ancient writings (c. 600 B.C.) from China, India, and Egypt, and from mummified remains from Egypt.  It was common enough in Israel to warrant extensive regulation in the Mosaic law of those suffering from it and related skin diseases (Lev. 13-14).  The disease is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, discovered by the Norwegian scientist G. H. A Hansen in 1873 (It was the first bacterium to be identified as the cause of a human disease).  The bacterium was communicable through touch and breath.

            “Leprosy attacks the skin, peripheral nerves (especially near the wrists, elbows, and knees), and mucus membrane.  It forms lesions on the skin, and can disfigure the face by collapsing the nose and causing folding of the skin (Leading some to call it ‘lion’s disease’ due to the resulting lionlike appearance of the face).  Contrary to popular belief, leprosy does not eat away the flesh.  Due to the loss of feeling (especially in the hands and feet), people with the disease wear away their extremities and faces unknowingly.  The horrible disfigurement called by leprosy made it greatly feared, and caused lepers to be outcasts, cut off from all healthy society, for protection.

            And God had cursed people by giving them leprosy, such as Gehazi (2 Kings 5:25-27) and Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:16-23).  Thus, people with this disease were viewed as cursed by God—a familiar notion in ancient concepts of sin (cf. Lob 4:7-9; John 9:1-3).  The man likely saw his won disease in this way.”  Now if you want further details about leprosy, see Matthew 8-15 in the MacArthur New Testament Commentary.  I have written commentaries on Matthew earlier as it took me five years to get through that great gospel.

5/27/2026 11:11 AM

Intro to "“The Healing, Forgiving Savior” (Luke 5:12-26)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/26/2026 8:45 PM

My Worship Time                                               Focus: Intro to “The Healing, Forgiving Savior”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 5:12-26

            Message of the verses:  “12While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14And He ordered him to tell no one, saying, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

A Man Lowered Through a Roof

17 One day He was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21The scribes and the Pharisees began thinking of the implications, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22But Jesus,  aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26And they were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God. They were also filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”

            In this evening’s SD I will quote from the introduction to John MacArthur’s commentary from the 27^th chapter of his first commentary on Luke’s gospel, a commentary that covers the first five chapters of the gospel of Luke.  This will be a short introduction.

            “As we have seen, this section of Luke’s gospel reveals Jesus Christ’s absolute and total power over everyone and everything.  In 4:1-13, He defeated every temptation hurled at Him by the devil, and further demonstrated His power over Satan’s realm by casting out demons (4:33-35, 41).  His healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and many others (4:38-40) displayed Christ’s power over disease, while the miraculous catch of fish (5:1-11) demonstrated His power over the realm of nature.  The miracles He performed are critical testimony in the biblical record of Jesus’ life, since they offer proof of His divine nature.

            “This passage records two more examples of Jesus’ supernatural power over disease.  He healed two conditions, leprosy and paralysis, whose cure was far beyond the limited medical knowledge of that day.  But these healings do more than reveal Jesus’ divine power and compassion.  The story of His healing the leper provides an analogy of the penitent sinner’s approach to Him, and the account of His healing the paralyzed man contains the revelation of His authority to forgive sin.”

            Now as I look ahead into this section that we will be looking at I can see that the outline is a bit different that the ones we have been looking at lately, but have seen this outline form in earlier chapters of MacArthur’s commentaries.  I will go ahead and quote this next section from MacArthur’s commentary in order to not make tomorrow morning’s SD too short.

“JESUS HEALS A LEPER:

THE PENITENT SINNER’S APPROACH TO HIM

“12While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14And He ordered him to tell no one, saying, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 15But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

            “The exact time and location of the Lord’s encounter with this leper is not known.  It occurred during His Galilean ministry in one of the cities or villages near the Sea of Galilee.  The encounter may be discussed under three headings:  the dreaded disease, the desperate victim, and divine compassion.”  Now these are the three sections that I will begin to look at in tomorrow morning’s SD, Lord willing.

5/26/2026 9:04 PM

 

 

“Jesus Is Merciful” (Luke 5:10b-11)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/26/2026 9:59 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                Focus:  “Jesus Is Merciful”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 5:10b-11

            Message of the verses:  “Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”  When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

            This morning I will be looking at the last section in chapter 26 of John MacArthur’s first commentary on the gospel of Luke, and I think that he has written four books on his commentary of Luke, so that means once we get through chapter five of Luke, which ends this first commentary, that we will have three more books to look at.  They go like this Book on, Luke 1-5; book 2, Luke 6-10; book three, 11-17; book 4, 18-24.

            He begins his commentary on this section by writing “In the terror of the recognition of his sinfulness, Peter wanted to send the Lord away, but Jesus wanted to draw Peter closer.  The very point at which the sinner feels the most alienation is the point at which the Savior seeks reconciliation.  In Psalm 51:17 David wrote, ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.’” Just a reminder that this Psalm, along with Psalm 32 were written by David after his sin with Bathsheba, where afterwards David made sure that her husband was killed so he could marry her.  One more thing we see in the Word of God that it speaks of this sin as David sinned, but when he numbered the tribes of Israel for his own pride was involved in that we see that the Bible says David sinned greatly.  Ok back to MacArthur’s comments “Through the prophet Isaiah God declared, ‘For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’’(Isa. 57:15; cf. 66:2).”  Isaiah 66:2 “2  All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”  Back to MacArthur’s commentary: “At their moment of deepest alienation when, overwhelmed by their sinfulness, Peter, James, and John sought to flee, Jesus reached out to pull them to Himself.  This is the glorious moment of their repentance.  He did the same with Isaiah who, in the presence of God, cursed his own sinfulness and deemed himself unworthy to be in the presence of the Holy One.  But the Lord sought to cleans him and use him as His instrument (Isa. 6:5-9).”

(Isa. 6:5-9)

“5 ¶  And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" 6  Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7  And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." 8  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."  9 ¶  And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "’Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’”

            “Seeking to calm and reassure him, Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear.”  There was no need for him and his companions to be terrified.  There is a proper, healthy fear of God, expressed for instance in Deuteronomy 13:4: ‘You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him and cling to Him.’  That reverential fear is different from the terror of the demons or the sinner, who fears the judgment of God and seeks to flee from His presence (cf. Rev. 6:15-17); it is the fear of love, awe, and adoration that causes the believer to cling to the ‘Father of mercies’ (2 Cor. 1:3) and serve and obey Him (cf. Deut. 10:12-13; 1 Sam. 12:24).  The proper fear of the Lord results in wisdom (Ps. 111:10; Prov. 9:10) and worship (Ps. 2:11).

(cf. Rev. 6:15-17)

15  Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16  calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17  for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

            “Mercy would take them from cowering in fear to catching men (zogreo) which literally means, ‘to capture alive.’  They had spent their lives catching fish for the purpose of killing them; now they would spend the rest of their lives catching men to give them life.  Isaiah feared he would be destroyed, but instead was called to preach (Isa. 6:8-11).  John feared that he would be destroyed, but instead was called to write (Rev. 1:19).”

(Rev. 1:19)

“19  Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.”

“Divine grace and mercy moved Peter, James, and John from cringing fear of judgment to evangelizing the lost, laying the groundwork for the great commission.

            “This was Jesus’ formal and permanent call of these three men to full-time discipleship, so when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him (cf. vv. 27, 28; 9:23, 49, 57, 59, 61; 18:22, 28, 43).  At the very pinnacle of their earthly careers, having just made the greatest catch of fish ever seen on that lake, they abandoned their boats, turned their backs on their fishing business, left everything, and followed Jesus (cf. Luke 9:23-25).”

(cf. Luke 9:23-25)

“23  And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

            “Those who recognize their sinful unworthiness and embrace Jesus as the truthful, omniscient, omnipotent, holy, and merciful God are the ones He reconciles to Himself.  He forgives their sin, takes away their fear of judgment that sin causes, and commissions them to the great task of evangelization, of catching men alive for the kingdom of God.”

Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  Evangelization is one of the reasons that I spend time studying, and writing my Spiritual Diaries each and everyday.  It is my desire when I get to heaven, hopefully alive at the rapture of the Church, that I will meet many people who surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, as their Savior and Lord after the Holy Spirit uses some of these Spiritual Diaries to call them to the Lord.  That surely will be a great day!

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting that the Lord will show us the way to get help for Sandy’s cancer as we now have two options, along with some new meds that I pray will help her.

5/26/2026 10:52 AM