3ABN On the Road

The Leper of Matthew 8

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Dick Stenbakken

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000964


01:02 Well today we have an opportunity to meet
01:06 The Leper of Matthew 8. Dr. Dick Stenbakken
01:11 has a unique gift of presenting Bible characters
01:17 from a first person perspective and we're
01:20 blessed to have him with us today.
01:24 Dr. Stenbakken served as a local pastor in
01:28 Wyoming then spent the next 24 years on
01:32 active duty as an Army Chaplain, including a year
01:37 of combat duty in Vietnam, and four years
01:42 as the director of Family Life Ministries for the
01:46 Army Chief of Chaplain's Office. After retiring,
01:51 he directed Chaplaincy Ministries for the
01:54 general conference of Seventh-Day Adventist.
01:57 He is married to his wife Ardis of over 30 years.
02:01 He has two adult professional children who
02:04 are involved in the local churches.
02:10 Today, I know the beauty and reality of the
02:15 Bible will come alive through his presentation
02:20 in a way, I'm sure that will lead us to a closer
02:24 walk with Jesus. It would be my pleasure
02:29 to present to you today Dr. Dick Stenbakken.
02:38 I'm rejected, I'm infected, I'm alone believe
02:52 I'm living death. Can you imagine what
03:00 is like? People look at you and run away.
03:07 I have to carry this stupid bell and warn
03:10 people to stay away. Yeah belief,
03:17 belief is easy, when your skin is running
03:22 off your body. I wasn't always this way.
03:43 I had friends, I had a family, I had a farm,
03:52 I had a future. Now I got this stupid bell.
04:03 I grow up in a family, we kept the Sabbath,
04:09 we went to the feasts. I paid time most
04:16 of the time. I did all the right things,
04:23 but I guess my religion was only skin deep.
04:30 Now the irony is because of my skin,
04:34 I'm a total outcast. Like I said I grew up
04:46 in a believing family and when I got
04:50 older my father gave me a peace of land.
04:57 And I worked at the farm, I work hard,
04:59 my life was my work. And then,
05:08 then I met her, she was beautiful,
05:14 I mean I haven't paid much attention to
05:18 woman before. You see, I'm too busy
05:21 working I paid more attention to my mule
05:23 than I did to woman. That's a big mistake,
05:31 and then, then I met her and suddenly
05:38 there is new life and new interest.
05:44 And my father talked to her father and we
05:47 were married. And I was the happiest man,
05:51 I was the happiest man anywhere.
05:56 I loved her and she loved me.
05:58 And now I had a land and I build a little
06:02 house for us. It was back braking work,
06:04 carrying the stone and lying up the rocks,
06:06 putting the timbers, but it was the labor
06:09 of love and I remember one day I came
06:14 in from the fields to eat and I was sweaty
06:18 and I was, I've been working hard and
06:20 my hands hurt and my back hurt.
06:23 And she said to me I have a surprise for
06:26 you. Wow, I like surprises. Do you like
06:31 surprises? Do you like surprises?
06:33 Some surprises are good and some are
06:35 not good. You know when your wife says
06:42 she has a surprise for you. Well it was meal
06:46 time so the first thing I thought was she
06:48 fixed my favorite meal. I didn't smell it and
06:57 I said what is it. She said well its surprise
06:58 you have to guess. If I tell you,
07:01 it won't be a surprise; I said I can't guess
07:03 I don't know. I noticed that she was gaining
07:09 a little weight, but that's not something
07:11 you say to your wife when she says I
07:12 have a surprise for you. And so I couldn't
07:19 guess and she looked at me and she went
07:21 like this. And I thought yeah she has been,
07:26 but you know. And so I said I don't what she
07:31 said, you are going to be a father.
07:37 I was so happy because you see that's
07:41 the joy is to have family and now I worked
07:45 even harder and I added on to the house
07:48 and I worked in then the day came and
07:53 she said this is the time get the midwife,
07:56 I ran as fast as I could and I got the
07:58 midwife and she went back into the back
08:01 corner of the house into the special room
08:03 and I said what can I do? She said you have
08:05 already your part. Go boil some water.
08:11 She never used it I guess to just keep
08:13 me busy I don't know. And I'm waiting
08:17 and suddenly I hear, I hear this little cry.
08:24 And then midwife came out and she
08:27 handed me this little bundle.
08:31 The tiniest little child, she says this is
08:34 your daughter. I took that child I didn't
08:41 know what to do with the child.
08:47 But, I held the child closely that littler
08:49 daughter of ours that little tiny hand
08:53 reached up and wrapped around my finger.
08:57 And when that happen she wrapped
09:00 herself around my heart. And now I
09:04 worked even harder, I had a family to
09:07 support, I remember in the planting season
09:18 in spring I was working in the fields and
09:29 my hands felt tingling. Now there is one
09:35 thing that we men are good at and that's
09:37 called denial. You know, I was like,
09:44 that was only indigestion. So, I didn't
09:52 think anything of it and I just brushed it
09:54 off and I'm a man I can handle it.
10:02 My hands got more and more numb,
10:06 my feet, my ankles. One day at harvest
10:11 time, I came in for lunch and I was washing
10:15 my hands and washing my face and when
10:18 I put my hand under the water I looked
10:19 in the water was stained with blood.
10:23 My wife saw it; she said there is blood all
10:26 over your robe too. Somehow when I
10:29 was sharpening the saw I cut my hand
10:31 and I had lost enough sensation that I
10:34 didn't even feel it and I was bleeding.
10:39 She said you got to go see the priest.
10:46 Now I was afraid, but I have to go,
10:53 and he looked at my hands and he looked
10:54 at my arms and he said, you have to go
10:56 into isolation for a week. A week without
11:00 my family that's unthinkable. But, I had
11:06 to do it. At the end of the week,
11:14 I came back out, he examined me again
11:19 and he said one more week. My daughter
11:24 is two years old, I love her with my life,
11:28 to be without my child and my wife for a
11:31 second week; the longest week of my life.
11:39 At the end of that week I came again
11:41 to be examined and he said you are a leper.
11:56 And with one word I lost it all you see
11:59 I had friends, I had a farm, I had a family,
12:01 I had a future and with one word it was all
12:04 gone. My wife went out of scream,
12:13 my daughter ran to hug me. But, they
12:16 stopped her. And the priest said you are
12:22 banished and he gave me this bell to warn
12:28 people. You know where the bell comes
12:32 from? It's an old bell that used to be on
12:38 the robe of the high priest that he would
12:41 wear on the day of atonement to prepare
12:44 the country and the people for cleansing
12:46 and now it's a reminder that's I'm filthy.
12:51 And that I'm rejected not accepted then
12:54 I'm judged. My wife couldn't even give me
13:05 clothing to wear; she couldn't give me food
13:07 to eat. You see if you wanted to give me
13:09 something, you wanted to be good to me
13:11 you couldn't do that because you are hating
13:14 sin. Did you see the irony of it?
13:19 My religion is only skin deep and now
13:20 because of my skin people judge me that's
13:24 called prejudice and it's wrong.
13:29 Absolutely wrong it doesn't matter what
13:31 the shape of your skin is, whether you are
13:33 a man or woman. It doesn't matter whether
13:34 your skin is light or dark. It doesn't matter
13:37 that's prejudice to judge somebody because
13:38 of their skin. I'm also called an invalid.
13:50 How do you spell invalid? Spell it with me.
13:54 IN what? Invalid, you don't count,
14:01 you are nothing, you are nobody.
14:06 You see when you have leprosy first,
14:08 first you loose your sensitivity.
14:10 I guess that's why they say it's like sin
14:12 you lose your sensitivity. Then the skin
14:16 breaks then you lose your integrity.
14:20 First you lose your sensitivity, then you
14:22 lose your integrity and then you begin
14:26 to decay and die. Only people I could have
14:33 anything to do with were other leprous.
14:39 And so a bunch of this banned together.
14:45 Well you haven't smelled anything until
14:47 you smell a bunch lepers. We have to
14:56 forage for garbage to eat. Garbage,
15:00 oh one day we found some good garbage.
15:02 There is a difference between good garbage
15:04 and bad garbage. Bad garbage has been
15:09 garbage too long. And its really bad,
15:15 good garbage hasn't been in the trash that
15:16 long; its still is somewhat edible. And we
15:22 found some good garbage and that night
15:24 we decided to cook some. We had a clay
15:27 pot it was broken, but we were able to
15:29 use it and we were cooking our good garbage
15:35 and after the meal, I smelled the most
15:37 terrible smell that I have ever smelled.
15:39 Like I say when you are with the bunch
15:40 of lepers that's pretty bad. And one of
15:45 our member had fallen asleep after eating
15:47 his good garbage dinner. And his foot had
15:50 slid into the fire. And he didn't even feel
15:54 it, that's what leprosy does. And his foot
15:58 was burning, and the stench was the
16:02 cooking of his flesh. I brooked away from
16:13 the group. One day I saw a group of people
16:22 they were listening to somebody teach.
16:27 Now see whenever I'm around the crowd
16:29 I have to warn them leper. But, sometimes
16:35 just because they rejected me I play a
16:38 trick, I hold the bell, and I sneak up on them.
16:47 And then I would say leper. And they
16:52 scattered like pigeons. You reject me and
17:02 I'll scary to death. But, this group of
17:07 people was listening and I decided not the
17:09 scar them I still back at a distance and
17:12 there was a young rabbi his name was
17:14 Jesus. And he said things like this he said
17:20 the Father loves you. He loves you like his
17:24 own child, he wants you to come to him.
17:29 Oh yeah sure if I'm. The Father loves me,
17:34 I'm glad you are not mad at me.
17:41 And I watch this Jesus from time to time
17:44 and people flock to him. And you know
17:47 what I noticed? Jesus never turned
17:55 anyone away, amen. Jesus never turned
17:59 anyone away, amen. I wandered from
18:18 place to place it had been five years since
18:23 I had been declared a leper.
18:26 For five years, no human being had ever
18:29 touched me. I would be delighted to have
18:32 somebody just bump into me and say,
18:34 oh excuse me sir no human touch for five
18:38 years. Then one day I was wandering near
18:51 my home, you know I was leaning against
18:57 a rock. Then I heard the most pleasant
19:04 sound in the world you know what that
19:06 is. The sound of children laughing.
19:11 I want to have the skin of a child,
19:14 to be carefree like a child and as I watched
19:19 the children playing tag and running and
19:20 laughing. I noticed one little girl,
19:23 she was about seven. She would be
19:24 at the age of my, my daughter. Then I
19:31 realized I wandered near my old home.
19:37 And as I watched the children, the more
19:39 I looked to her the more I knew she was
19:41 my daughter. And then the children saw
19:43 me and they scattered leper, one little boy
19:45 said, and they all ran except that one
19:48 little girl. And she turned and she waved
19:58 at me it was my daughter. Then she
20:03 blew me a kiss. Oh God how much I want
20:11 to be with my family? I heard Jesus again
20:19 he was on a mountain top and he said
20:21 things like this you heard it, blessed are
20:24 the poor what? For they inherit the
20:28 kingdom of God. Poor you can't get
20:29 much more poorer then me.
20:31 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
20:33 for what? They will be filled; I haven't
20:36 had a good meal in years. Blessed are
20:41 the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
20:42 I'm not pure, I'm putrid. When he got
20:51 through teaching and preaching the crowd
20:53 started to come down the mountain.
20:58 And I did something I'm not supposed to do,
21:01 I drop my bell because you see I said
21:06 I'm gonna take a choice, a chance.
21:10 He will either care me or he will kill me.
21:17 And I started toward him and the crowd
21:19 parted like Moses at the Red Sea.
21:24 And I thought he will either curse me or
21:25 he will run. I don't know what he will do,
21:26 but as I step forward I said Lord,
21:31 you can cleanse me if you will.
21:35 Lord you can cleanse if you will.
21:58 Shackled by a heavy burden
22:07 neath a load of guilt and shame
22:15 then the hand of Jesus touched me
22:23 and now I am no longer the same
22:33 He touched me, yes He touched me
22:41 and oh the joy that floods my soul
22:50 something happened and now I know
22:59 He touched me and made me whole
23:10 Since I met this blessed savior
23:19 since he cleansed and made me whole
23:27 I will never cease to praise him
23:35 I'll shout it while eternity rolls
23:44 Yes He touched me oh He touched me
23:54 and oh the joy that floods my soul
24:03 something happened and now I know
24:12 He touched me and made me whole
24:50 And when Jesus touched me I felt power
24:55 go through my body, and I looked at my
25:00 skin and it was clean and it was clear
25:03 I couldn't believe it. You see I have been
25:08 happy for Jesus just to speak to me.
25:12 But, Jesus didn't run away, he didn't
25:14 back away, he moved toward me and
25:16 he reached out and he touched me
25:18 physically. The first touch in five years.
25:24 Remember what I said? Jesus never turns
25:29 anyone away, amen. And I could see in his
25:33 eyes that he hated leprosy even more
25:35 then I did. He hated sin even more then
25:39 I did. And he was right the Father loved
25:43 me enough to heal me. You see when I
25:44 said Lord you can cleanse me. I didn't just
25:49 say Lord you can heal me, I didn't ask
25:51 for healing, I asked for cleansing that's
25:53 deeper. I asked for him not to therapure from
26:00 which we get therapy to heal me.
26:04 I said Katharizo, which is a Greek word that
26:07 means healing from the inside out.
26:10 And Jesus did that and then he sent me
26:13 back to the priest, the one who said that
26:15 I was unclean to verify the miracle,
26:20 to offer the sacrifices and then I ran,
26:24 I ran to home to be with my family.
26:33 But, I learned something. Those hands
26:37 that heal me that touch, those hands that
26:40 touched and healed me were nailed to
26:42 a cross. And you see I realize that Jesus
26:48 cleansed me not only so I could go home
26:51 and be with my family. But, so I can go
26:58 home with him as part of his family.
27:05 You know we are all lepers. There is no
27:11 do it yourself leper cure. Just like there
27:16 is no do it yourself cure for sin.
27:19 It takes the touch of Jesus and sometimes
27:24 our leprosy, yes our leprosy because
27:26 I say we are all lepers. Sometimes our
27:28 leprosy is inside, where the only way and
27:31 God can see it. But, when you say Lord
27:36 you can heal me, see when I said that
27:37 I said not only Lord you can believing you
27:40 have the power, the strength, and the
27:42 authority but I gave him permission
27:45 do you get that. Lord you can heal me,
27:48 I'll let you work in my life. Will you let
27:55 him work in your life? Will you reach out
27:59 and touch somebody else that's the
28:01 theme of this whole special Sabbath.
28:06 We use it be his hands, his heart to reach
28:09 out to some who people feel invalid.
28:14 To somebody who feels the sting of
28:15 prejudice and being pushed away.
28:20 Because when you do and when I do we
28:22 are the hands of Jesus to touch people
28:24 in there deepest need. Praise God,
28:32 praise God he touched me and he made me
28:38 holy and he will do the same for you and
28:44 for those you touch praise God, praise God, amen.
29:04 Amen, amen, praise the Lord, praise the
29:07 Lord. There are some questions if you
29:10 notice in your program to help us reflect
29:15 on this presentation it's important for
29:19 us to think about these important stories
29:23 and deep thoughts that you have heard
29:25 today. It's important that we own these and
29:30 that will let the touch of Jesus minister
29:33 to each one of us today. These questions
29:36 are here to assist us and I'm thinking just
29:40 we will look at may be two, number one
29:42 says what does touch mean to you today?
29:50 Physically, emotionally, spiritually.
30:01 Do you need the touch of Jesus today?
30:07 As I was sitting there listening to the
30:10 presentation a one point I felt unclean,
30:19 unclean the leprosy of sin has caught us
30:24 all. And then as he went into the
30:29 presentation and as he met Jesus.
30:34 I joined in that asking, if you're willing
30:40 you can cleanse me too. And that's what
30:44 we want to happen today not just a
30:46 wonderful presentation and we walk away
30:49 thinking that was great. We want us all
30:52 to let the spirit of God minister to our
30:55 hearts and to let his cleanse in grace,
31:00 touch your lives today, wash all sins away,
31:05 are you willing, have you been touched?
31:12 Do you need to be touched by Jesus?
31:17 He will help you, he is willing, Jesus will
31:21 do it for you today. And this is the time,
31:25 this is the moment. Let us reflect on our
31:30 lives individually and ask the power of the
31:33 Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and
31:36 since that touch today, don't leave this
31:40 convocation without been touched by
31:42 Jesus. And then dropping down to number
31:48 five, I think this is a very important question.
31:54 Who in our society, church, community,
32:00 school is considered untouchable, unpopular,
32:06 avoided alone, who? In your way of
32:12 influence is considered untouchable.
32:24 And the last question is how can you
32:26 minister to their needs? We need each
32:36 other, I know Jesus is the only one who
32:41 can do the cleansing and the cleaning that
32:44 we all need but you and I can help each
32:49 other find Jesus. You and I can help each
32:56 other on the stand a bit more the love
33:01 of Jesus. The love of Jesus at times is
33:05 expressed through us and I'm thinking of
33:09 the great as Chicago land area. I'm thinking
33:12 of the thousands and thousands of people,
33:16 the thousands and thousands of homes that
33:19 you and I call to reach and to minister too.
33:23 I'm thinking of those individuals in Avery
33:25 Churches, in Avery schools, in Avery families
33:28 who feel to be alone and feel that they
33:31 outcast, how can you reach and touch
33:34 those individuals. You know what you can
33:38 introduce him to the marvelous Jesus that
33:41 you and I know but before you can do
33:44 that in a real mean and full way. You and
33:47 I need to know Jesus, we need to know
33:50 the touch of Jesus then you can testify
33:54 about his touch. Can you imagine what
33:58 happened in that village after the leper was
34:01 cleansed and heal? Can you imagine the
34:04 marvelous powerful witness that took
34:07 place in that city? You and I need the touch
34:12 then we can touch others. I invite you and
34:19 encourage you to take this page with
34:20 you maybe later today you may have some
34:23 free time and in the days ahead please
34:27 reflect on the story Matthew 8 is the
34:31 first few verses in Matthew 8. And get
34:36 into the story in a deeper way,
34:40 let the Lord Minister to your soul,
34:42 not just today, but in the days ahead.
34:47 Let us pray, oh wonderful Lord you've
34:56 blessed us in the Sabbath school through
35:00 music, spoken word and through the powerful
35:07 presentation of the leper. I thank you for
35:14 Sabbath school, I thank you for this time
35:15 that we can study together, we can praise
35:18 your name and we can think of the world
35:20 around us in the mission field. Bless us
35:25 now as we enter into the worship service,
35:28 prepare our hearts, may your spirit direct
35:31 and lead each one of us and maybe we truly
35:35 be touched by your loving hands in the
35:39 wonderful name of Jesus we pray amen.
35:42 can praise
35:43 your name and we can think of the world
35:44 around us in the mission field. Bless us
35:45 now as we enter into the worship service,


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Revised 2014-12-17