Our Lord is always present to aid us in all the matters we seek Him. The question is not whether He can aid us, but it is whether He shows the willingness to do so. After all, it is in the Lord’s interest to show mercy on whom He wishes. For elsewhere He profoundly explained that He will have mercy and compassion on those whom He wishes to have mercy and compassion. It must be surely in us to approach Him for that which we want from Him just as it is surely in Him to give us that which He desires for us. He will not despise us. “And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’” (Matt. 8:2).
There is certain goodness about the men that believe in the Lord. They engage in right actions. There is no doubt that our Lord is unfathomably powerful and able to perform any or all things for us. And yet, they must all come from His willingness toward us. And, our precious belief in Him is what enables us to cultivate willingness in Him. We must approach Him in a manner that allows Him to show His willingness to help us. Whether it is forgiveness of sins, obtaining a promise or a blessing, unless and until we ask the Lord, He will not show His compassion and mercy on us. We who believe the Lord ought to be sure of one thing – it is of our nature of belief in Him. If it is as pure as milk, it leads us to the manner that finds His willingness. The nature of pure belief is that it knows and acknowledges the Lord’s mightiness. A heart that knows the might of the Lord is with goodness to approach Him.
When we have known who Christ is and what He is able to perform for us, it will be impossible for us to avoid Him. This is the characteristic of the belief we have in Him. We seek ways to ask Him, seek Him and knock at His door. At times it is the need present in us that compels us to expand our belief in Him; at other times it is the desire for a blessing. In both cases our belief in His awesomeness will unconsciously turn us into humble beings before Him. (It was the case with the leper). In such condition there can be no wrong motives with our asking, because we perform the right actions. Our trueness toward the Lord, as we converse with Him, is in first acknowledging His might. This is the humbleness that signifies a right mind. The Lord will inevitably display His willingness toward us.
The reason the leper sought Jesus’ aid is because he came to know that His power, love and compassion toward those who seek Him are impartial. And, his need drove him to turn to the almighty God. All those who came to Jesus for help consciously believed Him as the Son of Man. (This is clear since Jesus did not perform many miracles in his home town). They believed Him to be the descendant of David according to the word of the Lord. And Jesus not only performed many works for them, but equally preached the kingdom of God. In this way the gospel became the good news of God. There were others that saw Him just like the leper, but did not wish to believe in Him lest they accept Him as the Son of God. By what He began His ministry for God, He never ceased continuing it nor had the intention to cease it. Therefore, He opined saying, “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last” (Luke 13:30).
How wonderful is the word of Christ that unites all who believed in Him throughout the ages! His word is the wisdom that gives great confidence to receive from Him. What is He telling us? That though we be the last ones to know Him, we will receive from Him just as those who came to know Him long before us. For His kingdom is not one with partiality. Consider the parable in which the master of the vineyard gives the same wages to all the workers irrespective of the hour they came in to work. He gave wages beginning with those that came in the last hour. All received a days’ wage. If we are bound for heaven because we knew Him by belief, then the things that took place for the sake of His kingdom will also take place for us. This is the impartiality of the Lord. Whether it was the leper, you or me, our Lord is ready to show His willingness toward us, if we on our part are able to believe in Him. “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?” (Rom. 7:1).
If Christ Jesus is the law to all who believe to the end, does He not possess an everlasting jurisdiction over them? If He has an everlasting jurisdiction, we are not exempted from those that believed and found His willingness. Then, it implies that His willingness to come to our aid without partiality was always present. Paul used a simple logic to convince his brethren the importance of being in Christ, who is for all ages. It further convinces us that when we are under Christ, we receive help when we seek Him. And, Christ too taught the resonance of God’s kingdom from the parable in which the land owner hires laborers for his vineyard. His kingdom is with righteousness. Therefore, there will be none left out after having sought His willingness. It is undoubtedly impossible for men to receive righteously without being convinced of this jurisdiction of Christ. But, for us who have Him as the law there is every possibility to receive. For in Him there is wisdom through faith that guides us to approach Him with the right mind. When the leper came to Jesus for help, it was because belief convinced him to come under His jurisdiction. In other words, he willfully acknowledged the might of Christ. His actions and words are a witness to it. It is only through such an attempt that we steer the Lord to be willing to help us. Whatever be our need, the Lord will not ignore us.
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). See the danger in not remaining under the jurisdiction of Christ! There is every possibility of losing our blessings that are a result of our intimacy with Him. Then, to whom will we go to inquire and seek? When we allow the sinful works of men to depose the Lord from over us, who will reestablish us in belief? Therefore, beware of what you listen to and take note of the instruction of the Spirit. Many are present in the world, even in the churches, that do not present Christ as He intended. For when God’s kingdom is everlasting and unchangeable toward the believing you have every opportunity to find Christ’s willingness to aid you.
You have come to faith in Christ, so do not walk in an unworthy manner. You have known His mightiness, so do not neglect what is called as holy. With your belief learn to ask for His willingness toward you. As you receive from Him you will also obtain the wisdom to recognize the deceitful spirits. Deceitful spirits are men who do not allow you to acknowledge the impartiality of the Lord which is the essence of His jurisdiction over you. They are with the doctrines that lead you into the thinking of the world and into ways to obtain from the world. Their teachings possess you so that you evade the jurisdiction of the Lord. Men who are bound by them will not see the salvation of the Lord. Though they see His judgments, they do not fear Him nor turn to Him. Of them the He says, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk” (Rev. 9:20).
But, you have repented of your works. You do not run after the worthless and powerless things. You have found that Christ Jesus is your law both for salvation and for obtaining every help and good thing from Him. Since you no longer turn to the things that cannot give life, joy and compassion, you have acknowledged that the Lord alone is mighty. This is the result of the gospel that has come to you and the Lord is its author. In it is the power that holds you to live under His control. It gives you the knowledge of His works and teaches you to compel Him to work for you. You thrive in God. Of this power in the gospel a man of God said, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH’” (Rom. 1:17).
The leper did live by faith, or to be precise, became clean by faith. For Christ who is the author of the gospel is the righteousness of God in it. For this reason, embrace the gospel with belief and Christ will be revealed to you that you receive help from Him. This will give you faith for a greater faith. The often Christ is revealed to you from the gospel the more you grow in faith. Then, the more access you have to obtain from Him both the things that are necessary and the things you honestly desire. May Christ my Lord and yours appear to you as often as you approach Him with belief! To this end He proclaimed the good news that we should understand its significance. So, “After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, ‘Hear and understand’” (Matt. 15:10).