Beautiful

One of the things about Don Francisco’s songs is that they tell the story in a Bible passage from the point of view of a character in the story, which helps to make it more real. In this next story in this series, taken from Luke 7:36-50, we are shown how the pharisee who invited Jesus to his home may have viewed the whole experience. This pharisee decides to invite this local celebrity to lunch, to learn a little more about the man. Like most of the pharisees, he is suspicious of what Jesus is really trying to do, but is willing to suspend his concerns long enough to welcome him into his home.

So into this picture comes a woman who is stigmatized in that town because she is, apparently, a prostitute. They don’t stigmatize the men who visited her, but that is another story. Nevertheless, this woman arrives, and has had her heart pierced by something that Jesus has said (she most likely heard him teaching somewhere), and she intensely feels the weight of her sinful lifestyle. When she actually encounters Jesus in person, she is so overwhelmed that she falls to the floor, crying out because she is so convicted of her sin. 

The pharisee, concerned about her relationship with God, reaches out to the woman and tries to comfort her, right? No. He is offended that such a person should dare to even enter his house, and further offended that Jesus seems to not even care that she is touching Him, crying on his feet, and then wiping the tears with her hair. So much for this “prophet”, he concludes. 

And then the final blow comes to the pharisee. Not only are his views of Jesus shattered by His acceptance of this sinful woman, but Jesus personally admonishes him for his lack of hospitality. And then Jesus’ attention is drawn back to the woman, whose sin he forgives.

See the difference between the two. The pharisee, like many of us, looked at the woman and what she had done in the past, judged her, and outright condemned her. No chance at repentance, no forgiveness, only an absolute exclusion. We tend to do that, not only because of our disdain for the sin, but also possibly from fear that a connection with a person like that might lead others to believe that we also participate in that sin. And so, from fear or from a personal desire to separate ourselves from “those kind of people”, we miss on an opportunity to offer them the grace and love of God. 

Presenting the story in song, from Don Francisco’s 1981 album The Traveler, here is Beautiful To Me. Again, the audio Bible version used here is the 2002 dramatized NIV Audio Bible by Zondervan Publishing, read by Steven Johnston.

The crowds were in the streets that day when Jesus came to town
All the synagogue was there, and more from miles around
So I asked Him home to dinner, just to see what I could see
Of this famous local prophet from here in Galilee

And I don’t know just how that woman got into the room
But you couldn’t miss her gaudy clothes and her strong and sweet perfume.
She went straight to Jesus’ feet and stopped and stood right there
Then cried and wet His feet with tears, and dried them with her hair.

Now of all the women in my town none was more well known
For the flagrant sin she’d lived in, and the wickedness she’d sown.
But He didn’t move to stop her — it seemed this “prophet” couldn’t tell
That the woman who was touching Him was the kind they buy and sell.

And I had no idea just what this Jesus planned to do
When he said “Simon, there’s something I need to say to you.”
So I said “Teacher, if it’s on your mind then tell me what you will.”
But as He began to speak to me the room grew quickly still

He said “Take a good look at this woman now, in spite of all her fears
She’s kissed me and anointed me and washed my feet with tears.
She’s honored me and you’ve been only rude to me instead.
You gave no kiss of greeting, no anointing for my head.”

“And her sins were red as scarlet and now they’re washed away.
The love and faith she’s shown is all the price she has to pay
For the depth of God’s forgiveness, it’s more than you can see
And in spite of what you think of her, she’s beautiful to me.”

Now my anger flamed to hatred, I wanted nothing more
Than to take this “prophet” by the throat, and throw Him out the door
To act like God, forgiving sins, and then speak so to me.
This itinerant from Nazareth in back-woods Galilee.

But instead I sat and trembled, shaken to the core
The woman still was weeping as she knelt there on the floor
Jesus turned to her and said, “Your chains have been released
Your faith has saved you from your sins, rise — walk in peace.”

“Your sins were red as scarlet but now they’re washed away.
The love and faith you’ve shown is all the price you have to pay
For the depth of God’s forgiveness, it’s deeper than the sea
And no matter what the world may think, you’re beautiful to me.”

“Your sins were red as scarlet but now they’re washed away.
The love and faith you’ve shown is all the price you have to pay
For the depth of God’s forgiveness, it’s deeper than the sea
And no matter what the world may think, you’re beautiful to me.”

You can purchase this music from       the artist’s web site here.

Tags: Don Francisco, forgiveness, Jesus, judging

One of the miracles in the life of Jesus that has always impressed me is the feeding of the five thousand. This story, found in John 6:1-5, involves a crowd of people who pursued Jesus to hear His words. Jesus, although tired and in need of rest after hearing the news of the death of his cousin, John the baptist, has compassion on the crowd, and so teaches them.

At my church, one of the recent messages was on this topic, and the pastor made some points that I had not heard or considered before.

In the story, the disciples were themselves tired, and knew that Jesus was tired also. They advised Him to send the people away. But Jesus decided that the needs of His hearers was greater than His own need for rest, and he spent time teaching them and healing their sick.

As it was getting late in the day, and the people (5,000 men, plus women and children) were getting hungry. Jesus then took what was clearly an inadequate amount of food, five small loaves of bread and two small fish, blessed the food, and had the disciples distribute it. And that small amount was multiplied to be so much that not only were all of the people fed, but afterwards there were twelve baskets filled with the leftovers.

Notice here that Jesus didn’t bless the fish and loaves, and suddenly a mountain of food appeared at his hands. He had the disciples begin to pass it out, and as they did this, they noticed that the food did not run out; it apparently continued to be replenished as it was distributed.

In the sermon message about this miracle, several important points were made, some that I had not considered before:

• In the events of your life “story” recently, how often have you been saying to the Lord, “Send them away”?
• Jesus took this interruption of the people finding Him and wanting to hear His words, and made it an opportunity for a miracle to occur. If Jesus had listened to the discples and sent the crowd away, the miracle would not have happened.
• No matter how little you might think you have, if you place it in God’s hands, He can multiply it.
• Depending on how God uses your little offering, the miracle may just pass through your hands (just like it passed through the disciples hands as they distributed the food).

Although the song I’d like to highlight today is not by Don Francisco, it does fit with the theme of songs that deal with the life of Jesus. Illustrating the effect of giving your all, not matter how little it is, here is Ray Boltz from his 1996 albumn No Greater Sacrifice, with the song What If I Give All.

He heard the preacher say
A single dime can feed
A hungry boy or girl
With nothing to eat
So he pulled a dollar
From the pocket of his jeans
And he asked his mama
How many will this feed?

She just smiled
And when she told him ten
He reached back in again

“What if I give all I have?
What will that gift do?”
My child, a gift like that
Could change the world
It could feed a multitude
He didn’t close his eyes
Or turn away
I can see him standing tall
He saw the need
And I can hear him say
“What if I give all?”

Three birthday dollars
Could have bought a special toy
But he reminds me
Of another little boy
Who gave to Jesus
A gift of fish and bread
I wonder if he said

“What if I give all I have?
What will that gift do?”
My child, a gift like that
Could change the world
It could feed a multitude
He didn’t close his eyes
Or turn away
I can see him standing tall
He saw the need
And I can hear him say
“What if I give all?”

And long ago a Father and a Son
Saw the children lost in sin
Can you see the tears
In the Fathers eyes
As Jesus says to him

“What if I gave all I have?
What will that gift do?”
My Son, that gift
Will change the world
It will free the multitudes

So what if I give all I have?
What will that gift do?
My child a gift like that
Could change the world
It can feed a multitude
We cannot close our eyes
And turn away
When we hear His Spirit call
We see the need
Now let Him hear us say
What if I give all?
What if I give all?

1996 Shepherd Boy MusicASCAP (adm. by Word Music) and Screaming Toad MusicASCAP (adm. by Addison Music).

Tags: Jesus, Ray Boltz, sacrifice

Lepers At A Village Leprosarium In China -- Photo credit, PicApp

In chronological order, the next story that Don Francisco told in song is from Matthew 8:1-4. It tells the story of a healing by Jesus given to a leper. The story is brief and to the point. Francisco in this song takes the license to tell about the man, and what his life was like before he encountered Jesus.

It is not possible to tell for certain whether the man was truly afflicted with Hansen’s Disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, the disease that is called leprosy by doctors in the current age, or whether this statement refers to some other type of chronic skin condition. Regardless, because of his problem he was treated by the Jews as the Law of Moses commanded: He would have been excluded from participation in the life of worship of Yahweh in the temple in Jerusalem, and would have been ostracized by all around him. The original purpose of the isolation that was commanded was to prevent it from spreading to others in the community. The outcome of the isolation, however, was to create a situation that resulted in loneliness, depression, and despair.

Jesus absolutely breaks all of the Jewish laws about leprosy by not only talking to the man, but by actually touching him. And then He does what the man hoped most for, which was to remove his disease completely. The final part of the recovery would be to have the priests agree that he was cleansed, thus removing his stigma and isolation.

We do not come in contact much with the disease leprosy in the United States. But we do have many people who are socially isolated for various reasons. Maybe they have a facial deformity, a rash, or something else that makes them physically unattractive or even repulsive. Perhaps their behavior is such that they are unpleasant to be around. Perhaps their profession is one that repels others (working on a hog farm can result in some strong odors). Sometimes it is just because they are different from me. Any of those people can have the consequences of years of being rejected by others, and bear rejection’s scars. The miracle that they need to know is that Jesus loves even them, without regard to how beautiful or cool they are. And Jesus, acting through us, wants to touch them with His love.

Don Francisco tells this story in his song Willing To Heal, as heard on his 1987 album The Power. As before, the audio Bible version used here is the 2002 dramatized NIV Audio Bible by Zondervan Publishing, read by Steven Johnston.

Turned from my family, turned from my home
I lived like a beggar, I wandered and roamed
My life was just hopeless, till I heard His name
A prophet, they said, healed the sick and the lame

Well to find Him was easy, I followed the crowd
But I kept to the edges, crying out loud
“Unclean, unclean, stay out of my path
I’m an object of scorn, I’m a vessel of wrath!”

There on the hillside, He taught us that day
I’d never heard anyone say what He’d say
And then He was done and His sermon complete
And I ran, and threw myself down at His feet

I said, “Lord if You’re willing, I know that You can
Make me as clean as a natural man.
I know You can do it, deep down in my soul;
Oh Lord, if You’re willing, Lord, please make me whole!”

With a voice of compassion, He told me to stand
“I’m willing,” He said, then He reached out His hand
“Be cleansed,” were the words that He spoke with a smile
And in an instant my skin was like that of a child

Now as time passes by, there is much we forget
But I’ll always remember the day that I met
Jesus the Lord and His first words to me
“I’m willing,” He said, and He healed even me !

I’m willing to help you, I’m willing to heal
I’ve borne all your sufferings, I know how you feel
Your pain can be ended, my power is real
I will not deny you, I’m willing to heal

I’m willing to help you, I’m willing to heal
I’ve borne all your sufferings, I know how you feel
Your pain can be ended, my power is real
I will not deny you, I’m willing to heal

I will not deny you, I’m willing to heal

You can purchase this music         from the artist’s web site here.

Tags: Don Francisco, healing, Jesus