Sermon 24th January
Today our Associate Vicar, John Itumu, preaches based on the reading from Luke 5:12-26
Jesus heals and forgives
Today we continue with another story of Jesus through the eyes of the evangelist called Luke. For those who were not here last Sunday, we mentioned that Luke as a doctor takes a keen interest in the diagnosis of illness.
And so an unnamed man comes along to Jesus. He is covered with leprosy. Leprosy in Hebrew, as many scholars agree, is not a precise biomedical term referring to Hansen’s disease as we know leprosy today. In 2 Kings 5:27ffd – Naaman’s leprosy is described as ‘white as snow.’ Hansen’s disease does not do this. What is referred to in the bible is rather a whole range of disfiguring leprosy like symptoms.
Leviticus 13 very meticulously describes the code that applied when sufferers were identified:
V3 the priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore is more than skin deep, it is a defiling (RSV - leprous) skin disease and he shall pronounce them unclean.
V45 anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, unclean, unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp
To stop this disease from spreading and getting others disfigured, the victims were ruthlessly isolated, rejected and discriminated against by the society. Some held the belief that it was an affliction sent by God. It would be quite easy to recall the story of Miriam, Moses’ sister who was struck with this condition for opposing Moses. (Num 12)
Hebrew law drew a serious boundary at skin diseases. It is not clear why this man has been allowed to mix with normal people. One suggestion is that since this particular location is far away from the temple in Jerusalem (v1 - one of the towns), then legal requirements would have been relaxed on a local scale.
The leper’s initial response is as expected:
V12 When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him. He certainly recognises Jesus as one who can do something for him and get him out of this social stigma. Being unclean was a serious matter. You might want to think it as being a ‘living dead’
It is no wonder again and again the emphasis in the passage falls on cleanliness
V12
Lord if you are willing you can make me clean
V13
I am willing. Be clean – Jesus declares
V14
Don’t tell anyone – but show yourself to the priest and offer sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.
And then Jesus does the unimaginable: he stretches out his hand... you can almost hear everyone present letting out a loud gasp... and his hand doesn’t stop there... he touches him! Did you know that a compassionate touch is so instinctive! It is not a premeditated carefully planned act. One just does it.
Compassion is a gut wrenching emotion that just flows out - and finds expression in all sorts of ways.
Jesus was moved with compassion and simply reacted accordingly. Of course Jesus didn’t live in days of legislation for children and vulnerable adults’ protection.
We live in a world where we have to be careful about how we relate to each other, even in God’s house like we are today. And wasn’t the pope attacked in his own church on Xmas eve? What shall we do? Do we become more distanced to each other? We will continually face issues of how to protect ourselves and our communities against threatening diseases like AIDS, epidemics like swine flu and the sexual abuse of children. The list is long. We however need to discover how to do this without creating a class of untouchables like the Dalits in traditional Hindu society. That is a huge challenge for us! The other thing is that since we live in days of a compensation culture this has simply reduced us into fearful creatures. Our compassion is no longer spontaneous.
It is measured, calculated and administered in drips lest we offend or are misinterpreted! Anyone who might constitute a ‘danger’ is dealt with at arm’s length.
Well, Jesus reached out his hand, and touched him.
We don’t know what this man precisely expected Jesus to do – he asks Jesus to make him clean, yet this was a preserve for priests. Only priests were allowed to include people back to the ‘land of the living’. By accepting to do it therefore, Jesus violates the law! But notice also what happens when Jesus makes contact; the leprosy left him. This means that the man was released from the condition. We can therefore conclude that he seeks and receives healing from Jesus. This healing releases him from the bondage of the unclean.
I am willing. Be clean.
These are two phrases that reveal the heart of God.
Being willing
Christians celebrate and enjoy God’s willingness to reach out to us through the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came to show us how to live. God’s willingness to be involved in our lives was transformed into action. He reached out and touched us through his death on a cross so that those who believe in this Jesus may have their lives renewed, refreshed and with packed with meaning. This is the message of Christianity: a new life. Christianity is an invitation to a new and full life!
I am willing. Be clean.
God also calls us to participate in a new life to reach out and touch those near us in all sorts of ways. But how many times, I wonder, have we lost the opportunity to be a blessing to a needy fellow human being? How often do we (in a very Christian sort of way) refuse people entry into our little groups as we chat animatedly and deliberately refuse to catch someone’s eye even though we know they are crying for our attention? We easily wear a busy, distant look to avoid making contact. What about that familiar face in church that we have seen for the last two years and never said hello to? These concerns require our serious consideration if we are to call ourselves ‘Gods family.’
I often wonder at our amazing ability in to create and maintain some personal space in public transport; ears plugged, engrossed in a book, or staring vacantly without seeing anyone.
I am willing. Be clean.
Jesus was willing to cross the conventional boundaries in order to bring good news to the leper. Are we willing to imitate him and change our world, our ‘broken society’? Are we bold enough to say no to the fear and intimidation? Friends, we must be willing to cross some boundaries!
Which raises the question:
How can we support and pray for people who are trying to touch the lives of those viewed as dangerous, even unclean, societal rejects? Will we allow ourselves to be stretched more and embrace others?
I am willing. Be clean.
It is this knowledge of Jesus’ willingness to accept all who came to him that the men who come carrying a paralysed man do the unthinkable. They make a hole through the roof and drop a lame man right in front of Jesus. Talk about an act of faith and hope and determination and probably a foolish thing to do as well! They would not be put off even by a filled house and a crowd! It seems however that God is in the business of honouring such acts. And Jesus on seeing this determination says to the man:
Friend, your sins are forgiven
How surprising! Jesus offers this paralytic the one thing he knows he needs most – forgiveness. There is nothing to suggest that they went into all this trouble to seek forgiveness. Jesus however gave him what he needed! But why forgiveness? It is easy to be cynical about the need for forgiveness and even about the concept itself. When an act of violence or torture is perpetrated we ask ‘how can we forgive without trivialising the harm suffered? The other question that often comes is ‘what about when guilt is hidden away in the depth of my heart and no one except myself knows? What then should happen if ‘my’ guilt only affects me? Should I still seek forgiveness?
Well, Jesus offers this man the miracle/cure that he needs most – forgiveness. It far surpasses the condition of paralysis that he suffers. It is the one thing that every human being requires – leper or healthy. Jesus offers unconditional forgiveness to this man, just like he does with us. Forgiveness, the receiving of it, ushers human beings into a new realm, a new dispensation and attitude and outlook to life. Anyone who has had even a glimpse of God’s forgiveness which shines in increasingly deeper contrast as we understand and accept our sinfulness; such people find it easier to say I am willing.
But it takes a miracle to convince a human being that they need God’s forgiveness. And Jesus is making a statement here. He has the authority to forgive sins (the thing that only God can do) and to also physically heal. The statement is therefore a stamp of his authority. And so for the benefit of all present – the critical theologians described in v21, he says loudly:
V24
I tell you get up, take your mat and go home.
I am willing. Be healed.
Two phrases that perfectly imitate the heart of Jesus;
Two phrases that will set us on the path of freedom;
Two phrases that will help us make a difference wherever we are.
The choice is yours and mine.
I am conscious that speaking about healing in this way raises all sorts of questions: the unanswered prayers, the whole question of suffering especially as we remember our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are in great suffering due to the recent earthquake, the loved ones who didn’t get healed even after our long prayer. And this might causes us to sometimes question our faith and trust in God. If you feel like that, you are not alone. Some things only God knows. One day, may be, when we see Jesus face to face we will understand. We will listen to a song with these words and I hope you will be encouraged. Amen.
Jesus heals and forgives
Today we continue with another story of Jesus through the eyes of the evangelist called Luke. For those who were not here last Sunday, we mentioned that Luke as a doctor takes a keen interest in the diagnosis of illness.
And so an unnamed man comes along to Jesus. He is covered with leprosy. Leprosy in Hebrew, as many scholars agree, is not a precise biomedical term referring to Hansen’s disease as we know leprosy today. In 2 Kings 5:27ffd – Naaman’s leprosy is described as ‘white as snow.’ Hansen’s disease does not do this. What is referred to in the bible is rather a whole range of disfiguring leprosy like symptoms.
Leviticus 13 very meticulously describes the code that applied when sufferers were identified:
V3 the priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore is more than skin deep, it is a defiling (RSV - leprous) skin disease and he shall pronounce them unclean.
V45 anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, unclean, unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp
To stop this disease from spreading and getting others disfigured, the victims were ruthlessly isolated, rejected and discriminated against by the society. Some held the belief that it was an affliction sent by God. It would be quite easy to recall the story of Miriam, Moses’ sister who was struck with this condition for opposing Moses. (Num 12)
Hebrew law drew a serious boundary at skin diseases. It is not clear why this man has been allowed to mix with normal people. One suggestion is that since this particular location is far away from the temple in Jerusalem (v1 - one of the towns), then legal requirements would have been relaxed on a local scale.
The leper’s initial response is as expected:
V12 When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him. He certainly recognises Jesus as one who can do something for him and get him out of this social stigma. Being unclean was a serious matter. You might want to think it as being a ‘living dead’
It is no wonder again and again the emphasis in the passage falls on cleanliness
V12
Lord if you are willing you can make me clean
V13
I am willing. Be clean – Jesus declares
V14
Don’t tell anyone – but show yourself to the priest and offer sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.
And then Jesus does the unimaginable: he stretches out his hand... you can almost hear everyone present letting out a loud gasp... and his hand doesn’t stop there... he touches him! Did you know that a compassionate touch is so instinctive! It is not a premeditated carefully planned act. One just does it.
Compassion is a gut wrenching emotion that just flows out - and finds expression in all sorts of ways.
Jesus was moved with compassion and simply reacted accordingly. Of course Jesus didn’t live in days of legislation for children and vulnerable adults’ protection.
We live in a world where we have to be careful about how we relate to each other, even in God’s house like we are today. And wasn’t the pope attacked in his own church on Xmas eve? What shall we do? Do we become more distanced to each other? We will continually face issues of how to protect ourselves and our communities against threatening diseases like AIDS, epidemics like swine flu and the sexual abuse of children. The list is long. We however need to discover how to do this without creating a class of untouchables like the Dalits in traditional Hindu society. That is a huge challenge for us! The other thing is that since we live in days of a compensation culture this has simply reduced us into fearful creatures. Our compassion is no longer spontaneous.
It is measured, calculated and administered in drips lest we offend or are misinterpreted! Anyone who might constitute a ‘danger’ is dealt with at arm’s length.
Well, Jesus reached out his hand, and touched him.
We don’t know what this man precisely expected Jesus to do – he asks Jesus to make him clean, yet this was a preserve for priests. Only priests were allowed to include people back to the ‘land of the living’. By accepting to do it therefore, Jesus violates the law! But notice also what happens when Jesus makes contact; the leprosy left him. This means that the man was released from the condition. We can therefore conclude that he seeks and receives healing from Jesus. This healing releases him from the bondage of the unclean.
I am willing. Be clean.
These are two phrases that reveal the heart of God.
Being willing
Christians celebrate and enjoy God’s willingness to reach out to us through the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came to show us how to live. God’s willingness to be involved in our lives was transformed into action. He reached out and touched us through his death on a cross so that those who believe in this Jesus may have their lives renewed, refreshed and with packed with meaning. This is the message of Christianity: a new life. Christianity is an invitation to a new and full life!
I am willing. Be clean.
God also calls us to participate in a new life to reach out and touch those near us in all sorts of ways. But how many times, I wonder, have we lost the opportunity to be a blessing to a needy fellow human being? How often do we (in a very Christian sort of way) refuse people entry into our little groups as we chat animatedly and deliberately refuse to catch someone’s eye even though we know they are crying for our attention? We easily wear a busy, distant look to avoid making contact. What about that familiar face in church that we have seen for the last two years and never said hello to? These concerns require our serious consideration if we are to call ourselves ‘Gods family.’
I often wonder at our amazing ability in to create and maintain some personal space in public transport; ears plugged, engrossed in a book, or staring vacantly without seeing anyone.
I am willing. Be clean.
Jesus was willing to cross the conventional boundaries in order to bring good news to the leper. Are we willing to imitate him and change our world, our ‘broken society’? Are we bold enough to say no to the fear and intimidation? Friends, we must be willing to cross some boundaries!
Which raises the question:
How can we support and pray for people who are trying to touch the lives of those viewed as dangerous, even unclean, societal rejects? Will we allow ourselves to be stretched more and embrace others?
I am willing. Be clean.
It is this knowledge of Jesus’ willingness to accept all who came to him that the men who come carrying a paralysed man do the unthinkable. They make a hole through the roof and drop a lame man right in front of Jesus. Talk about an act of faith and hope and determination and probably a foolish thing to do as well! They would not be put off even by a filled house and a crowd! It seems however that God is in the business of honouring such acts. And Jesus on seeing this determination says to the man:
Friend, your sins are forgiven
How surprising! Jesus offers this paralytic the one thing he knows he needs most – forgiveness. There is nothing to suggest that they went into all this trouble to seek forgiveness. Jesus however gave him what he needed! But why forgiveness? It is easy to be cynical about the need for forgiveness and even about the concept itself. When an act of violence or torture is perpetrated we ask ‘how can we forgive without trivialising the harm suffered? The other question that often comes is ‘what about when guilt is hidden away in the depth of my heart and no one except myself knows? What then should happen if ‘my’ guilt only affects me? Should I still seek forgiveness?
Well, Jesus offers this man the miracle/cure that he needs most – forgiveness. It far surpasses the condition of paralysis that he suffers. It is the one thing that every human being requires – leper or healthy. Jesus offers unconditional forgiveness to this man, just like he does with us. Forgiveness, the receiving of it, ushers human beings into a new realm, a new dispensation and attitude and outlook to life. Anyone who has had even a glimpse of God’s forgiveness which shines in increasingly deeper contrast as we understand and accept our sinfulness; such people find it easier to say I am willing.
But it takes a miracle to convince a human being that they need God’s forgiveness. And Jesus is making a statement here. He has the authority to forgive sins (the thing that only God can do) and to also physically heal. The statement is therefore a stamp of his authority. And so for the benefit of all present – the critical theologians described in v21, he says loudly:
V24
I tell you get up, take your mat and go home.
I am willing. Be healed.
Two phrases that perfectly imitate the heart of Jesus;
Two phrases that will set us on the path of freedom;
Two phrases that will help us make a difference wherever we are.
The choice is yours and mine.
I am conscious that speaking about healing in this way raises all sorts of questions: the unanswered prayers, the whole question of suffering especially as we remember our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are in great suffering due to the recent earthquake, the loved ones who didn’t get healed even after our long prayer. And this might causes us to sometimes question our faith and trust in God. If you feel like that, you are not alone. Some things only God knows. One day, may be, when we see Jesus face to face we will understand. We will listen to a song with these words and I hope you will be encouraged. Amen.
posted by Parish Administrator at 1:19 pm
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