#181

Jesus and Sacred Selectivity

The man has been sick for thirty-eight years. Whether factual or not, there was the belief that if one was the first to be immersed in the pool of Bethesda after the water has been disturbed he or she would be healed. This infirm man had a problem. His illness debilitated him from getting into the water by himself, and there was no one around to help him, so someone else would get into the pool first and be healed. Then the waiting would start again until the water was once again disturbed and the disappointment that would follow when he would not experience healing.

John records this for our reading in chapter 5 of his Gospel. Verse 3 indicates that there were many people at the pool waiting to be healed. Perhaps there were others who were of the same debilitation as this fellow. Maybe there were some who had been waiting just as long as he had – maybe longer. At any rate this is the one that Jesus focuses on and heals.

Are we not at least tempted to ask, “What about the others?” “Why does this fellow get preferential treatment?” “How could Jesus walk away from the rest of those who were suffering?” “Couldn't He just have waved his hand and healed all of those who were at the pool?”

In Matthew 8:16 and 12:15 we find Jesus in two different locations and he healed all the sick that were brought to him. Here in John 5 we find Jesus walking into a location where there were plenty of sick, yet he healed only one.

Of course, there were plenty of sick who were never touched by Jesus’ healing hand. There were many who were demon possessed and did not experience exorcism at the hands of Jesus. There were many who died and were not raised. Even those who were raised eventually died again without Jesus around for a second resurrection.

Today we hear stories, and maybe this is a personal experience for you, of those who have been miraculously healed. They give praise to God for this healing, and rightly so. But it does beg the question, why them and not my loved one? Is God being selective? If one is healed, why not all?

It may be that we are making too much out of this incident. Could it be that the healing is not the important message here, but rather it is Jesus recognizing the hopeless plight of this individual? His hopelessness was wrapped up in what he considered to be his source of healing. His hopelessness was a matter of the right, or wrong, timing. His hopelessness was exaggerated by his absolute dependence on some other human being. His hopeless state would be the state he would die in if he had not come in contact with Jesus.

The assurance that we take away from this incident is that Jesus will step into our hopeless situations – any time - any place. In the middle of your hopelessness, have you invited Him in? Are your prepared for His healing?

#180

The Faith Expert

Yesterday our church family sat in heat because the A/C was not working. I guess we all survived and I did work through my sermon perhaps more speedily than normal. We discovered on Monday that a series of breakers had popped off which did not allow the compressors to do their thing in the chiller (Yes, that is the system we have). As soon as the switch was thrown, compressors start compressing, chillers start chilling, pumps start pumping, valves start...uhm...valving, and we now have cool air. That simple! All we needed was an expert who knew what to do.

Of course I am trying to use this as an illustration.  I am wondering what it takes to make our spiritual system work at peak performance. I am wondering how many of us have just become content with the way things are spiritually. Have we just puttered and muttered along out there when there was so much more success available if we can just find the switch.

I know one thing that really excited Jesus, the expert on faith. He was electrified, and said so, when he observed or interacted with someone demonstrating great faith in Him and/or His Father. At some points He “marveled” at faith. At other points He compared it to the lacking faith of the Israelites.

He gets after us when our faith is replaced by senseless worry. The very ones that should have had faith, or at least a growing faith, were the ones that were chastised. At various points He asked them, “Where is Your Faith?”

Sometimes I think I am acting on faith when in reality I have made a decision based on reason or logic, or on personal preference (what I wanted in the first place) and I, not the expert, have christened it “faith.”

A troubling statement that Jesus makes to two blind men was, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” Why is it troubling? Those words were said in response to positive actions of faith on the part of those two blind men. Wonder if it still applies to those of us who at times have little or no faith, “According to your faith will it be done to you?” What are we missing when the faith breaker has been tripped “off?”

If we are going to flip the switch that springs God into action, it will be when we turn on our faith.

Hebrews 11:6

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

At least, that is what the expert says.