Saturday, October 7, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading
Matthew 8:1–17

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.

When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (NRSV)

Reflection
Jesus’ ministry was to preach, teach, and heal. This passage depicts three well-known examples of healing — one who was an incurably diseased outcast, a mere foot soldier of a Roman officer, and a beloved relative of Peter. The variety demonstrates the expansiveness of Jesus’ embrace of humanity, not just those already “chosen.” The faith of those beseeching Jesus for healing prompts the troublesome idea by us in the twenty-first century that a weak faith may be the reason we or our loved ones do not overcome disease or illness. Let’s save discussion of that worry for another time.

I prefer to focus on the conviction of those seeking help and the manner of Jesus response. The leper, the centurion, and Peter might have been skeptical or fearful about acknowledging their problems. “Am I worthy of making this request? Will it work? Everyone has problems; why should I think I deserve time and attention?” But their faith or hope overcame their timidity, and the afflicted seem to have been made whole.

Let’s imagine the next chapter in their lives and in those who witnessed the healings. Perhaps the leper went on to convince people who had ostracized him to let him rejoin society, enabling him to reach out to others similarly afflicted. The bond between the Roman centurion and his servant strengthened and became an influential example to others. Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever turned out to be only a symptom, not a disease, enabling the family, perhaps, to see others in the same circumstance differently. Maybe their trust or faith of these three helped them gain “agency,” as we have come to call it, thereby magnifying the good newly restored to their lives.

We believers who, if we put our minds to it, have benefited from one or even many “healings” we sought (small or large) — have we or shouldn’t we use that blessing to bless others? Like Jesus, we do not need to seek recognition. We can just do it.

If anyone is challenged to figure out a way to pass it on, your church has a varied list of opportunities.

Prayer
Loving God, I pray for your guidance to help me to help others seeking healing to have the faith to find their way. Amen.

Written by Rebecca Dixon, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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