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Chapter 8 -- If You Will, You Can . . .


Jesus came down from the mountain still followed by huge crowds. A leper came worshiping him and saying, "Lord, if you will, you can cleanse me."

Jesus reached out and touched him. "I will. Be clean," he said. Immediately the leprosy vanished. Then Jesus said, "Be sure to tell no one, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded for healing from leprosy. Your gift will be witness that you are telling the truth."

At Capernaum, a Roman centurion came to him pleading, "Lord, my servant is sick with a paralysis that torments him greatly."

Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."

The centurion said, "Lord I am not important enough for you to make a house call! I know that if you just speak the word my servant will be healed. You see, I understand authority. I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to a servant, Do this, and he does it. I know you can do the same."

At that Jesus marveled, "Say, I've not found such great faith in all Israel. It is true that many will come from distances east and west to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while many who were born to the kingdom will be thrown out."

Jesus said to the centurion, "Go. As you have believed, so be it for you." His servant was healed that same hour.

At Peter's house, Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever left. She got up and hostessed the crowd.

In the evening, people brought many who were possessed by devils. By a word, he drove out the spirits and healed all the sick. This was the picture painted by Isaiah the prophet in his words, "He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

Jesus looked at the crowds and decided to go to the other side of the lake. Then a certain well-known newspaperman said to him, "Master, I would like to follow you wherever you go."

Jesus replied, "There are holes for foxes, nests for birds, but there is no pillow or place for the Son of Man."

Another disciple said, "Lord, Let me wait to follow you until I have buried my father."

Jesus replied, "Follow me, and let those who have no interest in life bury those who will die."

Jesus went into a ship and his disciples followed him. A great storm came up making waves that covered the ship, and Jesus slept. His disciples came and woke him, "Lord, save us. We're going to die!" they said.

Jeus replied, "Why are you afraid? Your faith is small." Then he got up and chided the winds and the waves. Then everything grew very calm.

But the people marveled. "Who is this anyway, that even the winds and waves obey him?"

When they came to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, they saw coming out of a nearby graveyard two fierce looking men, possessed by devils, keeping people from passing that way. They called out, "What business do we have with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time of torment?"

A long way off one could see a large herd of pigs rooting for food. So the devils begged him, "If you make us go, let us go into that herd of pigs."

"Go," he said.

They came out of the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd of pigs ran violently down a cliff into the sea and drowned. The keepers of the pigs ran to the city and told everything, what had happened to the pigs and what had happened to the men. So the whole city turned out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their coast land.

This story haunted me. Apparently all nature and all sickness recognized his authority. Apparently the devils believed this man was the Son of God. But how does one arrange with a devil to witness in court? I decided to focus more of my research on motive, asking myself, What motive would cause God or a son of God to leave heaven and come to earth? This case consumed my attention.