Sidetracked

I was recently in a train station in Boston. A man approached me and said, “Can you help me? I’m three dollars short for my ticket and I’ll miss my train and will not be able to get home” Instantly I had a dilemma. It was not whether I was willing to give the three dollars – but, was the man telling me the truth? Would I be throwing my three dollars away? I was pressed for time, so going over with him to the ticket counter to purchase the ticket was out of the question. I had to decide on the spot whether to help or not. I decided that the small investment of the three dollars was worth the risk. I handed him the money and I watch him move toward the counter. My friend said, “You know he didn’t want the money for the ticket don’t you”. However, ever the optimist, I pointed out that my new friend was indeed standing in ticket line. The man kept glazing back to see if we were watching. It was his turn, he approached the counter, seemly made some kind of small talk, and then promptly headed for the exit at a quick pace – I wondered if he half expected me chase him down. Initially I felt a pang of regret – I was now lighter by three dollars – my friend smiled and shook his head at me, then it struck me. I was not taken at all. I responded as I should in faith, trust and in hope. Does that make me naïve? Perhaps, but the loss was not mine, except for a few bucks. The real loss was incurred by the man. He had been given a gift, not solely of money but of faith, trust and hope. Although completely oblivious to the fact, he paid a much higher price, his own ‘wellness’.

Luke 17: 11-19
Ten Healed of Leprosy
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Recently while doing my own devotions, I re-read this account of the 10 lepers and was fascinated by the details and implications of the encounter. It’s story that probably most of us know well, but if you are like me, the details tend to get lost in the story. My interest continues to be driven by the difference between curing and healing (see earlier posts of Mark 2). Firstly, what I find amazing is Jesus did not require them to ‘believe’ in Him before he cleansed/healed him. Consider the popular saying some time ago, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’, well apparently one of the things that Jesus Would Do, is heal anybody. I think the implications for the Church and us as Christians is significant. Who are we to reach out to, to help? What are the standards that we are to uphold in order to show faith, truth and hope in meeting a person’s need? Apparently, Jesus would help anyone, whether they were grateful or not! I mean, how smart is that? Where does it stop?

The second thing that popped out at me was that Jesus only had a 1 in 10 success rate. We are always looking for how to get the ‘most bang for our buck’, the highest yield for our investment of energy, time and attention. However, once again, Jesus appears to be a poor judge of who he should focus his attention on. Not only was this guy a leper – he was worse, he was a Samaritan! He was outside the social, ethnic and religious circle. So, we’re just supposed to reach out and offer help and hope to anyone we encounter, even if they just take advantage of us?

Lastly, we see again (see Mark 2) this difference between physical healing and spiritual healing. The statement of Jesus in verse 17:19 is really standing out to me “rise and go; your faith has made you well”. Being ‘well’ is far far more than being considered physically whole. Jesus seeks for us, and for those that we’d ministry to to be made ‘well’. It would seem that the only pathway to that ‘wellness’ is faith. However, when we connect this with the Mark 2 account, the healing of the paralytic, we also understand that the community has a significant part in the ‘wellness’ of one.

Mark 2:5 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven”.

So where does that leave us? 1. Reaching with truth, faith and hope to all those we encounter in need 2. Not being so concerned about the outcome, or my personal cost, but offering the potential of wellness beyond the immediate need 3. Trust Jesus to do His work through our offerings of faithfulness, in spite of the risk of being taken advantage of.

Anyway I was just thinking,
Neil