Luke 13:4 Jesus asked, "What about those 18 people who died when the tower at Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more sinful than other people living in Jerusalem?"
In the not too distant past there was a certain Congressman with a somewhat unfortunate last name (as it turned out) who was caught up in a major scandal that made all the news cycles for several weeks. Eventually, public and media pressure forced him to resign his office, and he departed in disgrace.
People all over the country were somewhat divided as to what to make of all of this. One large segment of the population shook their heads and said "That's politicians for you." Another large segment just ignored it all and went on with their lives. Still another segment joined in the frenzy of feeding on the scandal, creating all kinds of jokes and rude stories in its wake.
Christians couldn't decide what to do, either. Some wanted to point fingers and cast stones, and rail on the sinfulness and decadence of the times, or at least the person.
Some, puzzled at the possibility that this might not really be the best response and reminded perhaps of the incident reported by Luke in his Gospel (above), decided not to point condemning fingers at the Congressman but to turn their attention instead to their own lives and characters. They asked themselves questions like What is it that I need to repent? What is it that I am lying about (to myself or to others)? What is it that I would be embarassed by if others found out? Repenting, confessing, and being assured of forgiveness, they went their way rejoicing with the joy of the pardoned.
Some of them went their way rejoicing right past the wounded and broken Congressman and his family, and no doubt rightly so. They had followed the teaching of Jesus, looked at this news with a view toward their own repentence, and received the grace of forgiveness. What more was required of them? Nothing actually, I suppose.
But some among these Christians paused a bit as they went on their way. They wondered whether their own repentence and forgiveness was indeed the end of the story, and then they remembered something else. They remembered that their spiritual jouneys had them pointed toward the likeness of Jesus and moving toward Him, and realized that they were not finished with this phase of their transformation just yet.
And so these Christians paused in their journey to turn aside for a bit to see what they might do to aid the fallen Congressman with the grace and mercy of Jesus. They spent time trying to discern his wounds, and the kind of healing that would be appropriate for him and his family. They spent some time in prayer before the Holy Spirit, asking for His advice and guidance about how they might pray. And then they prayed that Jesus would make a way to reach into these shattered lives with His forgiveness and love, rebuild the wreckage, and fill them with His grace. They prayed for his healing.
And it is just possible that these Christians who paused in the rejoicing of the pardoned may yet see the Congressman
alongside the Tax Collector and the Demonized and the Adulteress in that crowd of people whom Jesus met in their wounding, and filled with His healing - and then they will rejoice with the angels.
No comments:
Post a Comment