Good Morning Friends,
Today’s devotional is about blindness and primal trust and our will to believe in the power of Jesus while at the same time, without being paranoid, realize that some people who want to play God will seize opportunities to make a trap for those that uphold hope. It is about inner blindness as well as physical maladies as it relates to the strength of our relationship with God. And honestly it is about the thought of the possibility we are fools believing in something that is not real and because of that, it is about the universal prayer of our need for mercy. Friends, the reality is that being healed by Jesus comes with some strings attached in a world that is not fair. Bad stuff happens to people all the time. And unfortunately, people even abuse and misuse acts of compassion and kindness. We should still be kind and compassionate, but in facing the realities of the world we should consider the fact we all have blind spots, and we all have a need for healing. The beauty is that loving others helps with both. And when the faith of Christ heals us in the mystery of it all despite our level of faith, the question remains about what we are going to do about it. So, What Are We To Say About What We Believe When Jesus’ Love Heals Us Spiritually?
Scripture: Shall not Lebanon in a very little while become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest? On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant shall be no more, and the scoffer shall cease to be; all those alert to do evil shall be cut off— those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit, who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate, and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right. Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, no longer shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. And those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.
Isaiah 29:17-24
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.
Matthew 9:27-31 (NRSV)
A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
Mark 1:40-45 (NRSV)
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry in order to make my own people jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead!
Romans 11:13-15 (NRSV)
Message: In considering an answer to today’s question it seems appropriate to look at the scriptural and historical context of Jesus’ charge to those healed and how it applies to us today. And the thing is that when reading the gospels with a political lens, there seems to be three main problems Jesus always encountered in terms of his ministry that may be relevant today. First, the religious leaders were jealous of the attention that Jesus received and as a result Jesus often had to move away from any opportunity where their hatred might be overly aroused and prematurely give them easy access in apprehending him. Jesus seemed to manage this well, even the timing of his arrest. Nevertheless, this was a problem of the reality Jesus faced and if we were to be healed today undoubtedly some people not healed might be less than happy for us. The second problem related to this was crowd control. As more and more people flocked to Jesus the crowds became too large to effectively minister to, so he had to move away to less crowded areas and even avoid crowds. This second problem does not seem to be all that relevant today until we consider the recent pandemic and the challenge of a belief in a solution. The third problem involves the Zealots who wanted a Messiah to lead them in war against Roman rule and would manipulate the crowds to that end. And interesting though this is, it does not seem to concern our lives today except perhaps in our dealings with modern-day extremists. All three of these concerns involved Jesus wanting to limit his fame and thereby avoid the manipulations of those who would use His healing of people to extend their agenda. This is likely why Jesus often commanded those he healed to keep it a secret. But what is the application for us today? Of course, there is no way of hiding miraculous healing if you knew the person healed. Even doctors sometimes claim a miracle has happened. To those who knew a person who was healed, an explanation of what happened would be expected. So those who were healed could not very well hide their healing, but they could refrain from telling people who would not already know. So, for us today modeling Jesus to avoid sensationalism and political hazards has relevance. Perhaps Jesus did not want those healed to broadcast the exciting experience because in some ways it placed the person healed at risk of being manipulated for an evil end. Following the Spirit of truth is a good approach.
And So, maybe there is some wisdom for us today in being at least a little circumspect about how we tell others about how Jesus has healed us and given us sight. Friends, some things we can shout from the mountain tops. Other events might best be served less exuberantly so as not to prompt others to envy. Friends, as Christians and Gentiles it might well be our job to prompt Jews to jealousy but not envy. There is a difference. But know this, how we maneuver in this territory must be prompted by love if we are to have any hope of carrying out God’s purpose in our life successfully. Living in the moment, we should follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit in evangelizing and loving on others for this extends the healing and strengthens our belief. We are to see the truth in and beyond God’s word. We are to cultivate an atmosphere of faith in Christ’s plan that needs no words for the message to be clear.
Pray we experience what it is to have Christ’s faith bless us. Pray we are not ashamed of the attention. Pray we see that Jesus is the Christ. Pray we rejoice in the reality that God’s grace and compassion heals us in spite of ourselves. Pray we see that the masses can be dead wrong. Pray we see that our actions can make us look like fools in the eyes of the world. Pray we see there is no turning back when it comes to our journey with Jesus. Pray we see our obvious need for Christ. Pray we open our spiritual eyes and see the physical, mental, and emotional reality of what we face in this world connected to a greater purpose. Pray we have enough of Christ’s faith in us to believe. Pray we too publicly acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David but also realize that making a crowd excited may be a problem to avoid. Pray we understand that the health of one, affects the health of all. Pray therefore we comfort one another in the Spirit of love and truth. Pray we have faith in the Good Doctor. Pray we have a peace that passes understanding. Pray we be kind to one another by realizing our health and the health of others is connected.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 
Good morning, Brother John. Yesterday you mentioned a few musical pieces that can help us think of our faith outside the box. One of them was the Firebird Suite by Stravinski. That triggered a memory that takes me back to the early ’70s. Today’s message is also a reflection of that memory.
The Viet Nam war was raging on. At home protests were everywhere and young men were finding ways to dodge the draft. One option was to flee to Canada if one received a notice to sign up. At that time, I did not know Dwight. He was 2 years older that his brother, who was in my class of ’69. But I did often get ice cream at his parents Dairy Queen.
Years later, I got to know Dwight as someone who needed healing but never found it. Upon receiving his invitation to the draft, he considered going to Canada. But he didn’t. Instead, he signed up, but he refused to carry a weapon of any kind. He became a medic instead.
To make a long story short, he went to Nam and spent a year out in the brush where his company was attacked almost every night. He was never injured himself, but he put his life on the line everyday helping the wounded and recovering the dead. At the end of his year there, he came home. Not long after, I returned to Naples, and we got to know one another. He married a friend of Susan’s, and I would stop by and see him once in a while on my way home from work.
He never recovered. He was the only person I have ever known who chain smoked marijuana. It was the only coping mechanism he had. He never drove. He went around town on his bicycle. The cops were aware of his drug use, but they never bothered him. He had been a brilliant student but was no longer able to think straight.
His favorite piece of music was the Firebird Suite. It is both comforting and demanding. The chaos of the work is complemented by its beauty. What little conversation we shared was seldom easy to understand but we took solace in the being together. The crippled at not always healed. But God’s love for them is solid as a rock. Whether we tell others of what God is doing with us, or not. Healing will come in God’s timing no matter who is told, or who is doing the telling.
I lost contact with him decades ago. But my knowing him has helped my journey more than one might suspect.
Chesed ve shalom,
m
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