Matthew 21
records the "Triumphal Entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem for His last Passover with
His disciples. He would come as the Passover Lamb, to be die for the sins of
the world. It is an exciting moment in the ministry of Jesus. But prior to
this great event the gospels record the failure of Jesus' followers to share His
passion for those desperate for His touch. Sadly, the same two groups are too
often overlooked by those who claim to follow Jesus. In Mark 19:13-16 we
see Jesus' passionate love for children clearly expressed: And they were bringing children to Him so that He
might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw
this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do
not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “Truly
I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not
enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and
began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
How shocking to see the disciples of
Jesus trying to turn away children seeking His touch, His blessing. But there
was another group, those who made the self-righteous uncomfortable. They appear
in Matthew 20 as Jesus leaves Jericho for Jerusalem. Two blind men cry
out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"The curious crowd following
Jesus "sternly told them to be quiet."But they repeated their plea and
we are told that, "Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes and
immediately they regained their sight."
I am so proud to be the pastor of a church where our
priorities in outreach are directed towards two categories of people that
stirred the compassion of Jesus. They were shunned by the crowd, even by some
disciples, but Jesus stopped as He journeyed to Jerusalem for the last time, to
touch them. Richland Baptist Church has committed to reaching the children of
our community for Jesus Christ through AWANA Clubs on Wednesday night. Every
Wednesday night we are blessed as we hear the laughter of children filling our
education building. They laugh, play, and recited their memory verses. They
experience the touch of Jesus.
Every Friday evening two of our buildings overflow with
people suffering from life-controlling issues. They are people most churches
would tell to "Be quiet!" But at Richland Baptist Church they find hope and
healing for their hurts, hang-ups and habits, as they are touched by Jesus
through the ministry of Celebrate Recovery.
Thank you Richland for loving those groups of humanity
that moved the heart of Jesus and that attracted His healing touch. Even in the
most urgent chapter of Jesus' life and he marched toward Jerusalem and His
appointment with the Cross, He stopped to touch and heal the children and the
hurting. It is great to pastor a church that has put aside much of the
traditional busy work of the church to touch others deeply with the love of
Christ.
