In Judges 7 and 8 Gideon and his troops are ready to attack the Midianites. God tells Gideon that there are too many Israelite troops. If they were to conquer the Midianites they would take the credit for themselves and not praise God. God thins out the troops from 32,000 to 300 men. The Midianites and Amalekites are as numerous as the sand on the seashore. That night God tells Gideon to attack the Midianites but says that if Gideon is still afraid he is to go to the outpost of the enemy camp. Gideon goes to the outpost and hears that they have had a dream warning them God has given Midian to the Israelites. When Gideon hears this he worships God.

Gideon takes his troops into battle. They carry an empty jar and a trumpet. They surround the outskirts of the Midianite camp. All the men blow their trumpets, break the jars and shout, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” The Midianite army flees. The men of Israel pursue the Midianites and kill their captains.

Gideon and the 300 pursue the Midianite kings. Along the way they ask for food from nearby towns. The leaders of the towns refuse. After Gideon captures the kings of Midian he returns to the neighboring towns and destroys them.

Gideon avenges his brothers and kills the kings of Midian. The people of Israel ask Gideon and his sons to be their king but Gideon refuses. He tells them the Lord will rule over them. The land is at peace during the time of Gideon. After Gideon dies the Israelites go back to worshiping the Baals. They don’t remember the Lord their God who had delivered them from their enemies.

Gideon was a man of faith. He believed that God would do as He had promised even though the odds seemed against him. God blessed Gideon and all the people for his faithfulness. Unfortunately Gideon’s faith was not shared by the people of Israel. They had been corrupted by their worship of other gods.

In Mark 2 Jesus is at home in Capernaum. Some people bring a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed. When Jesus saw the faith of his friends he tells the man his sins are forgiven. Some scribes say that Jesus is a blasphemer since only God can forgive. To prove to them who he is he tells the man to take up his mat and walk.

Illness and sin were considered the same thing in Jesus’ day. For Jesus to be able to heal someone from a condition like paralysis was tantamount to forgiving him of his sins. The scribes didn’t like hearing Jesus forgive the man, but they were most likely just as disturbed by Jesus healing him. Also, the man was healed because of the faith of his friends. We should be confident that if we bring people before the Lord, even in prayer, Jesus will forgive them.

Jesus has dinner with many tax collectors and sinners. The scribes complain and Jesus replies that the sick need a physician, not those who are well. Jesus did other things to upset the scribes and Pharisees. For each one of their complaints Jesus replied. He let it be known that he was in charge over the law.

Already Jesus is unapologetic for who he is and why he has come. He is upsetting the status quo and those who are in charge of keeping it are disturbed by his presence and actions. We are often called to upset the status quo in order to do the Lord’s work. May we also be bold in our actions knowing why we do them.