A father was talking with his rather rebellious son one day and said, "Every person who lives in the United States is a privileged person." 

The boy answered, "I disagree." 

And the father replied, "That’s the privilege." 

Tuesday we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a day we celebrate our freedom. But there is a different kind of freedom that we need to talk about today. Freedom that only Christ can bring.

Jesus had attained celebrity status. People were coming from all around to hear him teach. Even more to the point, they were coming to him for healing. We can understand. There were no reliable doctors. No MRIs. No CAT scans. Not even x-rays. No diagnostic tools of any kind. Only prayer and herbs and doctors of the most primitive skill and knowledge. So…