Ephphatha

UV 4173/10000 The Truth that Sets Us Free “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8 v 32 Jesus told the Jews around Him that if they abide in His word, they would be His disciples. By abiding in His word, we come to know the truth. Jesus is the truth personified and when we know Him truly, we are set free from the bondage of sin and from the penalty of sin. Sin is any shortcoming or falling short of God’s glory. By knowing Jesus, we are able to overcome the shortcoming, the falling short. We are freed from the clutches of the father of sin- the enemy of humanity. Jesus points out to the Jews of the time that we can be either the children of God by believing and abiding in Him or be children of the evil one. Children of the evil one could not recognize or accept Jesus. They wanted to murder Him and disregarded His word. Children of God recognize that Jesus is the Son of God sent by the Father in heaven to redeem mankind. Hence, the latter respond with love towards Jesus. Hence, it is not an abstract principle of truth that sets us free but Jesus Himself through His teachings, through His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection proclaiming victory over sin and death and all shortcoming or “hamartia”. The follower of Jesus, therefore, enjoys more freedom and not less as he is set free from the attraction or seduction of sin, he is set free from the weaknesses of his own flesh and mind, he is set free from the fear of death and eternal judgement. Fear restricts us and when we are set free from all kinds of fears, we are like stall fed cattle, being fattened for the killing, that have been set free suddenly. We rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ, the power over sin and death, curses and disease. This truly results in a paradigm shift- the patterns of our thinking, speaking, doing, reacting now conform not to the desires of our flesh or mind but to the will of God expressed in and by Christ. UV 4174/10000. Ephphatha For the heart ( the understanding, the soul) of this people has become dull ( calloused), and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have shut their eyes ( to the truth); otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return ( to Me) and I would heal them. Acts 28 v 27 This uni-verse equates the heart with the soul and with understanding. It is understanding that opens the eyes to see and perceive, the ears to hear and comprehend and not the other way around. Our senses need to be informed by our understanding for our souls to grow, our understanding to increase. The eyes and ears become channels for blessing. They will enable us to return to God, the Creator, the Father. Life is best perceived as a journey back to God, the fewer and lesser the detours the better it turns out to be. Understanding scripture, authored by the Lord God Himself, is essential for our understanding or souls to grow. When our understanding increases, we desire a personal relationship with the Creator, the Father, the Almighty. We can have such a relationship only through the means provided by Him- the Son, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the God-anointed King of Kings or the Ruler of rulers since all rulers are subject to Him and His law and word is far above any other earthly ruler. He is the Road, the Path to return to the Father. No wonder the early Christians were called as The Way and Jesus declared Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we return to the Father we have access to holistic healing, healing of spirit, soul and body. We recognize that we need healing in all aspects of our lives- our souls, our minds, our bodies, our relationships, our finances, our work life, our society, our systems and institutions. The eyes and ears once opened by spiritual understanding with the Holy Spirit echoing the one word command of Jesus, “Ephphatha” or “Open”, become the means of enabling our personal relationship with the Lord, of understanding the meaning and application of scripture. Cleansing and healing, being made whole is not however a one time need of humanity but a continual need. We need the healing touch of Jesus every day, nay every moment. We also become His extended hand to reach healing to our neighbours ( those who are in our intimate circles) and the world around us.