| The philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote: "Without
being forgiven, released from the consequences of what we have
done, our capacity to act would, as it were, be confined to a single
deed from which we could never recover; we would remain the victims
of its consequences forever, not unlike the sorcerer's apprentice
who lacked the magic formula to break the spell."
I wonder how many who are here this morning are attempting to
recover from some single deed they either committed or had committed
against them. Some are painfully aware of this problem. Others
have repressed their problem so deeply they are no longer consciously
aware of it but, nevertheless, it is the primary determining
factor of their life.
I do not believe it is God's intention for any of us to
just make it through life anyway we can. God is not a God who
says, "Stiff upper lip," meaning we are to somehow
survive by simply paying no attention to the difficulties and
setbacks most of us experience from time to time. No, God is
among many things a loving, healing Spirit who desires shalom
or wholeness complete with inner harmony or peace.
Jesus declared He did not come for those who always respond
to the question of how they are by saying, "I'm fine!" While
this response is sometimes true more often than not, the person
offering it understands that the person asking really doesn't
want to know, that they often don't have the time or won't
make the time to listen and, on top of that, they really don't
have any meaningful and lasting solutions or answers anyway.
In this regard as in many others, Jesus is truly different.
He really does want to know about us. He is willing to take whatever
time is needed; and He really does have what we need—namely
forgiveness and affirmation.
J.B. Phillips writes of Matthew 9: "This method of making
people whole by overflowing love was and is extremely risky,
but it was a risk Jesus was prepared to take .... With the common
run of ordinary sinners, Jesus appears to use the method of simple
love."
Matthew 9 is about the healing power of God as it is made known
through Jesus. Chapter 8 ends with Jesus healing two men who
were mentally ill. At the beginning of Chapter 9 He heals a man
who is paralyzed by telling him his sins are forgiven.
I wonder how many of us who are here today are paralyzed in
one way or another. Whether we are aware of it or not many of
us have some diminished capacity because of some hidden hurt,
misdeed or fear. The truth is God wants to heal all of that.
God wants to remove the fear. God wants to take away the hurt.
God wants to extend to those who are willing to receive it, a
forgiveness that sets us free from that which binds us and holds
us prisoner against our will. All kinds of things can cause paralysis.
The most apparent is some accident or physical illness; but the
power of thought, the power of guilt and the power of fear can
effectively paralyze us as well.
The same mind that captures us can also be used to help set
us free as we begin to believe in the power of God's love.
Abram and Sara believed God had something wonderful in store
for them. In order to discover it they had to let go of everything
they had built their lives upon. They had to let go of personal
possessions and familiar places so that God could bring them
to a place of blessing. Many people today need to do the same
thing.
The Pharisees of Jesus' day were not able to do
this. They had convinced themselves that they were fine because
of how they kept the Law. What they didn't understand was
that it isn't about laws; it is about relationships. They
didn't have this with others and they certainly were not
about to have one with Jesus. Their response to Him was to declare
they had no need of Him or what He offered. This caused Jesus
to declare, "Those who think they are well have no need
of a physician." Jesus' response to how the Pharisees
practiced their faith was to declare, "I desire mercy,
not sacrifice." Loving God and others is what matters;
we do not buy or work our way into the Kingdom of God. We come
to it by faith, by grace, by confession and by God's love
and mercy which we are to share with others.
The call of Matthew, the tax collector, in the midst of all
the healing stories, at first, looks out of place. Upon closer
inspection, however, we see that Jesus' call to Matthew
to follow Him is really an invitation to wholeness. By the power
of the Spirit, Matthew recognized that Jesus was offering him
something that had always been missing in his live—a
meaningful, loving, authentic life-giving relationship. Up to
that point, Matthew had spent his life robbing other people of
their lives. His so-called friends were others like him who were
also in the business of taking from others. Jesus may well have
been the first person to offer Matthew true friendship. The gift
transformed Matthew's life just like it can transform yours.
It isn't some magic antidote, however. You have to decide
if you are willing to leave your past life behind you in order
to experience something better. In the final analysis that is
what each of us at some time or another must decide.
Writing a check to the church or some other charity or sitting
in a pew doesn't really require much of us. Showing mercy,
on the other hand, means we are willing to become personally
involved. It means sharing at the deepest level with God and
with others. There is nothing ordinary about it but when it is
truly present we discover it is meant to be how we are to live
our lives. Discipleship involves transformation and commitment
to a radically different way of life.
The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years wanted something
different in her life. She was considered to be unclean. Hence,
nobody would near to her. Her husband no doubt had divorced her.
Her family renounced her. She was not welcome in her faith community.
She didn't even consider herself worthy of looking at Jesus
or speaking with Him. But she believed He had what she needed
if only she could just touch the back of His coat.
In spite of being surrounded by a crowd of people Jesus felt
her touch as power went out of Him into her. He turned and spoke
with her. My guess is He was the first person to do that in many
years other than those who had told her to stay away from them.
How many of us here today need to believe Jesus can heal us?
How many of us have faith enough to believe this can happen by
our coming into His presence?
We see this faith in the leader of the synagogue. Others in
his position had rejected Jesus. Maybe he had as well but he
was desperate as only a parent can be when it involved their
child. "My daughter has died but if you will just touch
her she will live."
How many of us here truly need to have Jesus touch us? How many
of us here believe that touch will bring us life? What does it
take to have that kind of faith? |
