Trying to be like Jesus - time to heal

I mentioned last week that for the man blind from birth, as he had not requested the healing, perhaps him having to go do something and having that time period in between was important for him. If nothing else, it gave him something to do, which can be important for building faith. Having time to process things could also be important.

I was also thinking that his core mission was spiritual healing. If he had not given a single physical blessing, all of those issues are still resolved in the resurrection. One might think that seeing the miracles could build faith, but overall it was clear that was not the case. Miracles drew complaints and criticisms and plots to kill him and Lazarus toward the end. It would have been easy to never do one, except that he had compassion, and he knew the healing power of faith.

In that light, there are two things that come to mind.

It was common for Jesus to command those healed not to tell other people, though it was equally common for it to get around. Given how the Pharisees felt about him, that directive made sense, but he was able to escape them when he needed to. I suspect it was more for the recipient of the healing. I suspect it was a directive for inward reflection: take some time to ponder this and keep it in your heart.

Yesterday I happened to read of the casting out of the legion of demons in Gadara, and this was the exception to the rule:

"Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." (Mark 5:19)

Of course, everyone already knew about that healing. It had frightened people and they were asking Jesus to leave. But go, and share with your friends about compassion and mercy and take time to heal because you have been through a hard time. (We will spend a little time on that next week.)

While the goal of this series has been to learn from the example set by Jesus, it is perhaps inevitable that often I identify more with those around him. Whether a spiritual experience is related to a relief of suffering or not, there is an exertion. Taking time to recover and gain a better understanding of it is important. Maybe you will share it, but that can go better as your comprehension of what happened and how and why it could happen increases.

It is still possible to learn from Jesus, and that comes back to this theme of seeing individuals and their needs.

The women healed with the issue of blood needed to know that it was her faith that led to her healing. Yes, the grace of Jesus was important, but it was her faith that allows that grace to act in her life. Stopping and identifying her made that more than a physical healing, regardless of how transforming the physical healing was.

For the father of the child with the unclean spirit...

23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9)

Belief is necessary, and the father both felt that he had some, and that he needed more. That he came asking for help showed that he already had some faith, but he was learning to have more.

What becomes most important to me here is that there are times when Jesus might appear harsh to some, but because I believe in his kindness and mercy I believe there are good reasons that we might not understand.

We know the man blind from birth was not blind because of sin, but for the paralytic lowered in through the roof, it appears that there were, or that at least there were sins that had been a concern. So when Jesus says "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee" (Matthew 9:2), it is a comfort. And then he tells him to go home, because he will need time to ponder.

When he tells the man at Bethesda "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" that does not sound quite as comforting. Since the first thing the man did upon learning the identity of Jesus was rat him out, that may be a clue to his character. (John 5)

When Jesus allows a woman to weep over his feet and does not speak to her for some time, that can seem insensitive. It can work as a teaching moment for those at dinner with him, that he will not shrink from the touch of a sinner, and for a lesson on forgiveness and love, but still, is seems odd not to immediately say something to her. (Luke 7)

And I can think that, but I can also remember times when I was so overcome with sadness that I literally could not speak, and people trying to get me to open up were just putting more pressure on me, no matter how well-intentioned they were. Putting an arm around me would have been the limit of attention that I could bear, and even that would have been a lot of pressure.

In that case, to give her time, to let her serve him and express herself in the way that she was prepared for, may have been the most sensitive and caring thing possible. I don't doubt that she was in pain, but that was already there. If he had turned to her to early and cut her time short, that may have hurt worse.

Then, after she has had a chance to pour out what was inside in the way that felt most possible to her - something that can leave you feeling very empty but is necessary - then he could turn to her and say:

"Thy sins are forgiven... Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

Then she could go forth, understanding that her faith mattered, and that her love mattered, and peace could be a possibility for her, which had probably appeared impossible before she came.