LESSONS FROM THE ETERNAL MEDICINE CLINIC: Part Three

Dale A. Matthews, MDTeammates

February 13, 2011

TODAY’S PATIENT SCHEDULE

• 11:00: Hannah• 11:30 Mary Magdalene

HANNAH

• Wife of Elkanah, who was also married to Penninah

• “Penninah had children, but Hannah had none.” (1 Sam 1:2b)

• During the annual sacrifices, Elkanah gave Hannah a “double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.”

(1 Sam 1:5)

GUARD YOUR HEART

• “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

(Prov 4:23)

HANNAH RESPONDS TO PROVOCATION

• Because of her infertility, Hannah was continually provoked by Penninah

• Hannah prayed to the Lord and promised Him that if he gave her a son she would give her son to the Lord and make him a Nazirite.

BECOMING A NAZIRITE(Num 6:1-21)

• A “special vow, a vow of separation to the Lord” for a specific period or for life (Num 6:2)

• Abstain from wine, fermented drinks, vinegar, grape juice, grapes, and raisins

• Abstain from cutting hair• Abstain from contact with dead bodies• Complete devotion to God• Temple sacrifices at conclusion of vow

HANNAH IN THE TEMPLE

• While Hannah prayed, the prophet Eli thought she was drunk

• Hannah: “I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief” (1 Sam 1:16b)

• Eli then blesses Hannah and tells her that her prayers have been answered

THE BIRTH OF SAMUEL

• Hannah gives birth to Samuel (“heard of God”)

• “I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord.”

(1 Sam 1:27-29)

HANNAH DEDICATES SAMUEL

• Hannah dedicates Samuel to the Lord at the temple

• Samuel grows up in the temple under Eli and becomes a prophet

• Hannah presents a hand-made robe to him each year

• Hannah has three more sons and two daughters

HANNAH’S PRAYER(1 Sam 2:1-11)

• “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.”

• “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God…the Lord is a God who knows…”

• “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.”

• “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world.”

• “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered.”

GOD’S PRESCRIPTION FOR HANNAH: Obedience

• …(W)hat does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

(Deut 10:12)

GOD’S REWARD FOR HANNAH:Joy

• “Delight your-self in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps 37:4)

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF HANNAH

• Prayer overcomes provocation• “All things are possible with God”

(Mk 10:27b)• God rewards patience, obedient faith

and sacrificial giving

• Hannah responded to provocation with prayer. What are some provoking situations in my life which might benefit from prayer?

• Hannah showed steadfast obedience and a willingness to sacrifice to God that which she held most dear. Is there anything dear in my life that needs to be given over completely to God?

TABLE TALK

MARY MAGDALENE

• “..Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna, the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” (Lk 8:1-3)

MARY MAGDALENE’S 7 DEMONS

• “When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.”

(Mk 16:9)

WHO IS MARY MAGDALENE?

• The unnamed woman “who had lived a sinful life in that town” (Lk 7:36a) who, at the home of a Pharisee, wiped the feet of Jesus with her tears, poured expensive perfume on his feet, and dried them with her hair? (Lk 7:36-50)

• The unnamed woman who, at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany, poured expensive perfume on the head of Jesus to prepare him for burial? (Mt 26:6-13; Mk 14:3-9)

• Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who, six days before his death, poured perfume on the feet of Jesus in Bethany and wiped his feet with her hair? (Jn 12:1-8)

WOMEN ATTENDING JESUS

• Mary Magdalene• Mary, mother of James the younger and Joseph (or Joses)

(aka “the other Mary”: Mt 27:61, 28:1) • Salome (? wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John)• Mary, the mother of Jesus (Jn 19:25)• Mary, wife of Clopas (and sister of the Virgin Mary?) (Jn

19:25)• Joanna (Lk 8:3, 24:10)• “Daughters of Jerusalem” (Lk 23:28); “many women” (Mt

27:55); “some women” (Mk 15:40)

MARY MAGDALENE:The First Witness

• Mary Magdalene is the only person (man or woman) who witnessed all three crucial events in the Gospel story of Jesus:• His crucifixion• His burial• His resurrection

WITNESS TO THE CRUCIFIXION

• “There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” (Mt 27:55-56)

WITNESS TO THE BURIAL• “And Joseph bought a linen

shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.” (Mk 15:46-47)

• “Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.” (Lk 23:56)

WITNESS TO THE RESURRECTION• “Now on the first day of the

week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (Jn 20:1-2)

MARY RETURNS TO THE TOMB• “Then the disciples went back to

their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.

(Jn 20:10-13)

MARY RECEIVES THE GOSPEL

• “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

• So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” (Mt 28:5-8)

JESUS MEETS MARY AT THE TOMB• “Jesus said to her, "Woman,

why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.“ Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).” (Jn 20:15-16)

“APOSTLE TO THE APOSTLES”

• “Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

• Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.”

(Jn 20:17-18)

GOD’S PRESCRIPTION FOR MARY:Purity of Heart

• “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Mt 5:8)

• “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” (I Tim 4:12)

GOD’S REWARD FOR MARY:The Love of Christ

• “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

(Eph 3:16-20)

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF MARY MAGDALENE

• Illness and personal shame can be overcome through the power of God

• It is easy to have faith when all is well; it is hard to have faith in the midst of pain, suffering, darkness, and setbacks

• Hear the message that God sends you and proclaim it simply and boldly, even in the face of unbelief and hostility

LOVE GODAND LOVE YOUR TEAMMATE

WITH ALL YOUR HEART

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

• Mary overcame “many demons” to follow God. Are there any barriers in my past that hold me back from following God?

• Mary followed Jesus in the bleakest times of his ministry and proclaimed his resurrection when no one else believed in Him. Have I been able to follow Jesus and proclaim His name when times are tough?

TABLE TALK