A short while ago I shared about Jesus being our Lilly in the valley. I’d promised I’d share a bit more about the Scripture that says, “I am the Rose of Sharon…”
So I didn’t know this, until I did a little bit of research- but the Rose of Sharon, as some may already know 🙂 is not a rose.
It looks like this:
Still beautiful. Seemingly delicate and unassuming. But this gorgeous little flower, I found, has some tremendous healing properties.
In Song of Solomon our leading lady is wooed by a man who not only describes the beauty He sees of her- but at every turn He also tells her who He is.
When I read the book I put myself as the lady and the wooing lover is my Jesus.
It is so very interesting that a number of times the Lover in the story points to His ability to heal.
When Jesus walked this earth healing was a massive part of His ministry.
Wherever Jesus went miracles, mostly pertaining to healing and restoration, happened.
There is great significance in this.
Today, Jesus continues to place such a premium on healing.
For two reasons:
- Because we’re happier when we experience His healing. (The Scriptures say ask so that your joy may be full).
-
It’s very hard to walk in the fullness of what we’ve been called to do when we’re sick and broken.
You know that saying, “Hurting people hurt?” Well sometimes a hurting person’s outbursts might not be obvious because they might not hurt others- but they hurt themselves.
Hurting people might not lash out at others, in fact, they might serve and be great to everyone around them- yet they lash out at themselves.
Then there are real physical health issues we may be struggling with- It’s so hard to operate when you’re sick. The bigger the illness the greater the inability to do.
Healing is a BIG deal to Jesus. Because HE sees how it hinders us from His more.
Jesus has already provided fully for our healing. Accessing it might be where we need some guidance and revelation.
The reality is there will be things, and sometimes even people, who hold us back from our healing.
And Jesus gets angry at these things. Because most of them are lies that keep playing in our head- keeping us back and down.
There are few places in The Scriptures where Jesus is said to have been angry.
People often site the time He whipped traders who were selling goods at the temple- but upon close inspection nowhere in that portion of Scripture does it say He was “angry”. We assume it because we think to ourselves, well, one must be pretty mad to throw over tables and whip people!
But for some reason the Holy Spirit didn’t include there that Jesus was angry.
While Holy Spirit didn’t mention anger He does tell us that what drove Jesus, in this story of overthrowing tables and whipping people, was Zeal.
The dictionary describes zeal as passion and great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.
While I’m not sure of other places where Jesus is mentioned to have been “angry”- one of the places I’ve come across was when he healed a man on the Sabbath.
“He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” (Mark 3:1-6)
Wow! How beautiful is Jesus?
He didn’t care about “keeping up appearances” or pleasing the masses- He had a mission: Show Love- often that Love was demonstrated through His healing!
Here was a man who needed restoration. The people around him, who could see his suffering, seemed far more concerned with jumping through hoops than tending to this man’s need!
You know I’ve been guilty of this- and it’s a shameful thing in the Church today that sometimes we’re so set on keeping up appearances, at jumping through hoops- at doing what seems godly yet what people really really need from us is tending to their needs!
The Pharisees and Co thought they were doing God a massive favour by choosing to keep the Sabbath over compassion and healing a hurting soul.
That Scripture goes on to say that when Jesus healed the man’s hand… “The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him (Jesus), as to how they might destroy Him.”
Destroy Jesus. For healing? For restoring? For tending to a person’s needs? For answering a heart’s desire?
Isn’t it so bizarre. And so very sad?
That! Angered Jesus. That people’s hearts would lack so much heart that they’d rather kill Him for healing and showing God’s incredible love than watch people walk in wholeness?!
My heart today was to share on “The Rose of Sharon…”
But I’ll leave it here for now.
Let’s call this Part 1 of This wretchedly, magnificently, AWESOME, Beautiful Rose of Sharon.
In whatever you do- whether it’s cleaning the house, wiping your kids’ noses and bottoms (like me)- running your business, yearning for the loneliness in your heart to stop, shopping for groceries… know that Jesus is Your Rose of Sharon.
He gets mad at all the things that are holding you back from walking fully in the Wholeness that He paid for You to have.
His eyes- those fiery burning eyes are on You- loving You and saying over and over and over, “Thou art all fair my Love, There is NO spot in thee!”
Jesus has put SUCH a premium on Your healing!
He doesn’t want you to just be OK- He wants you absolutely whole!
I hope you’ll agree fully with His desire to utterly and completely heal you.
I send You Love,
Hannah