Elvis Has Left The Building

The older people reading this blog will remember this phrase.  If you remember it, you are old!  Trust me! You are old!  The young ones reading it, may remember it as the title to a 2005 movie.  It is the phrase that I am referring to.  It was an announcement made at the end of Elvis’s concerts.  It started in December 1956 at the Louisiana Hayride show where Elvis was a regular performer.  It was used here to get the young people to take their seats for the next performer because Elvis was a lead in performer for the more established performers. It was not until the 70’s that it was used to encourage his fans to leave indicating that there would be no more encores.

This ties into the lyrics of a Karen Peck and New River song thanking “the kid, wearing the t-shirt, saying Elvis is cool, but Jesus is the one and only King”.  Elvis has not only left the building, he is gone, gone, gone, dead; BUT the KING is still here. 

The real KING is here just as much as He was 2000 years ago when He walked with His disciples.  He has not left us even though He is not bodily present.  He is still present and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

In my last blog, I talked about faith that can be seen, visible faith, faith that Jesus could see, faith that moved Jesus to act, to forgive, to heal. 

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this miracle; but only Luke makes an additional comment or observation.  Luke starts by saying,

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present  to heal them.

Note how routine and simple it was: “now, it happened”,  It just happened!  Nothing unusual, it just happened.  What happened?  Was he referring to the fact that Jesus was preaching? No. Was he referring to the fact that the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting by? No! 

What happened? “The power of the Lord was present to heal them.”  The power of God was present to heal THEM.  THEM WHO?  Did all “them” get healed?  Did all the sick that day get healed?  It does not say that!  Even though the power to heal was present to heal them all; we are only told about the man “borne of four” who did not just get healed' but, he had Jesus forgive his sins.  None of the three gospel writers mention that the four or the paralyzed asked Jesus to heal the man.  They just lowered the man through the roof and as soon as Jesus saw them, the four plus one, when Jesus saw their faith, Jesus said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”  He got healed because of their faith!

This just happened!  Nothing unusual! It just happened!

THE KING HAS NOT LEFT THE BUILDING!  THE POWER TO HEAL HAS NOT LEFT!  HE IS STILL HERE AND IT IS STILL HERE.

OH, THAT WE COULD SAY “NOW, IT HAPPENNED!”

He has not changed!  We have!!!