Month: February 2021

There’s a moment that strikes at every parent’s heart: the moment where your kid does something wrong, thoughtless, selfish. We try and try and try to help our kids become caring, faithful, and positive human beings, and even so, at some point they’re inevitably going to decide to do something different. Turn away from what we’ve taught them. Sometimes they come back. Sometimes they don’t. But there’s always that lingering question in our minds—how could they have done that? Didn’t I give them everything? Didn’t I teach them better?

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I was thinking when I looked at today’s first reading: “When the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth (…) he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved.”

Stop for a moment and re-read that. He regretted that he had made man on earth. Imagine being so hurt by your child’s actions that you regretted them being born! Even in this early stop on humanity’s journey with God, a journey that would reach its most revelatory and truest moment with the coming of Christ, God is first and foremost a father. He is looking at what his children are doing, and it is making him sad. How could they have done that? In commenting on this passage, Pope Francis said, “God the Father who loves us … is capable of getting angry.” However, “our God loves us with the heart; he does not love us with ideas.” Have you ever thought, Pope Francis asks us, that when “he disciplines us, like a good father, he disciplines us with his heart,” suffering from this more than we do? It’s really a special kind of intimacy, this relationship. But one with bitter consequences.

It seems to me that this story from Genesis is a cautionary tale. 

One way or another, the past year has felt pretty disastrous. And it’s been my sense that humans haven’t done a whole lot to make things any better; an impartial alien might look at the planet and wonder what on earth—pun intended—we’re doing to ourselves. Violence has broken out all over the world, not just in isolated pockets here and there. Most countries haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory in dealing with a pandemic that continues to take thousands of lives every day. And despite Pope Francis’ exhortations, we don’t seem to be taking the Gospel very seriously when it comes to dealing with the poor and vulnerable around us. I’ll be honest: I’ve despaired of humanity on many occasions over the past few years.

Yet the essential message of this story is one of hope. Yes, it’s an inspired and powerful message about judgment and grace, about God’s hatred of sin and his love for his creation. But it also points in a primordial way to the New Testament and to the real Hope of the world. This story gives us a promise that would come to pass centuries later: God’s promise never to destroy the earth again is fully realized in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, where God takes the judgment for sin upon himself rather than humanity. Through the lens of Christ, the biblical flood story proclaims the marvelous news of God’s grace and love for his people.

And that’s what I’m hanging on to. God loves with his heart, as Pope Francis points out, not with ideas. When the ideas of humanity get to be too much to bear, there’s where I take comfort. In hope. In love. In God.

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In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we see a leper approach Jesus for healing. First of all, whoa! Since we know Jesus, and this is His usual thing, we might forget just how big of a deal this was in His time. Remember the First Reading for today? “If the man is leprous and unclean,

the priest shall declare him unclean…he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’…He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.” (Leviticus 13:44-46). Lepers were total outcasts, as per the Jewish law, they had to declare themselves wherever they went! For this leper to approach a Rabbi is a big deal. Normally he’d be warded off, but Jesus allowed it. “If you wish, you can make me clean”, he said. Jesus responds, “I do will it, be made clean”. 

The leper approaches Jesus with confidence despite his affliction, and with expectancy that Jesus can heal him. And Jesus takes this opportunity to flip the Jewish world-view on its head: He touches the man and heals him. Jesus, what are you doing?! He could have contracted the disease, and he seemingly ignored the law set by Moses! But what a powerful statement to make: this man who is hurt and afflicted should not be ostracized, but embraced. Even physically! Jesus doesn’t disregard the law, as he tells the man to present himself to the priests and pursue the ritual cleansing, so that he might rejoin society. 

A few things to mention: I really like the way the leper approaches Jesus. If YOU will it, you can make me clean. I feel like I can connect with this: Sometimes, in my own struggles and failings, I’m not sure that I can be made clean, or I don’t even fully want that for myself. But like this leper, there is power in leaning into what the Lord wants for us; he DOES want us to be healed.

Also, the physical healing of the leprosy is only one component: it’s likely that Jesus also heals this man internally and spiritually (as he did for the lame man who was lowered through the roof by his friends in Luke 5). Jesus’ mission was not just to get souls to heaven, but initiate the full restoration of humanity: body and soul, and to bring us fully into communion with the Holy Trinity. 

While there is no direct connection between physical ailments and internal ones (remember the book of Job! He was righteous and yet suffered greatly), it’s helpful for us to imagine “leprosy” on a wider scope. Do we ostracize people in our lives? Whether they suffer from physical disabilities, or from internal and mental struggles, or from addictions or patterns of sin? How can we better embrace them and act as the healing hands of Jesus in their lives? And what about our own life? Sometimes we act as a “leper” before God when we sin or are faced with battles in our life. Will we walk away from Him, and sit outside of His grace? Do we think ourselves unworthy? Or will we boldly and expectantly come before him and say, “Lord if you will it, you can make me clean”?

Songs for Reflection:

O Come to the Altar – Elevation Worship

Healer – Hillsong Worship

Way Maker – Leeland / Bethel Music

Miracles – Chris Quilala / Jesus Culture

To Be Like You – Hillsong Worship

There’s Nothing that our God Can’t Do – Kristian Stanfill / Passion

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