Where Are You?

 "Where Are You?"

Genesis 3:9

God's question could have created in Adam and Eve a moment of self-reflection. "Where are you" could have been understood to mean, "what have you done," or "what were you thinking," or "what sense does it make to hide from God?"

Shame, guilt, blaming--these struggles all flow from disobedience. We don't want to be seen in our nakedness, that is, we don't want to be seen as we are. Exposure of sin and the destruction of innocence cause us to hide from the One who can clothe us, give us a future that accommodates our sin, and prepares a way for us to be forgiven and restored.

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I like reading mysteries. Occasionally, I come upon a sentence or two that strikes me as an insight to life. Anne Perry, speaking through the character, Elena, wrote, "You do not need to believe evil, only to use its methods. You will get accustomed to them, until eventually they are not your last choice, but your first. For a while you can justify it to yourself, and then eventually you will not bother. You have forgotten what you are fighting for; now winning is the only objective! And the more you win, the more you justify it, until the whole idea of right and wrong disappears and only winning matters."

Anne Perry wrote the words above in the 21st century. Here is another insight on the subject of evil from the 17the century. Jacob Spener, called the father of pietism, wrote, "The evil circumstances of our time are . . .to be borne with compassion rather than bewailed with anger."

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Grandchildren. Today our four-year-old grandson came for a visit. He, like all the four year old siblings before him--except Mr. Happy--struggles or have struggled with disequilibrium, a nice way of saying, his anger can get the best of him. I continue to be amazed at the parenting skills of my son and daughter-in-law. They have found a way to help with disequilibrium. Today our grandson brought with him a timing clock and a book mark and a series of stickers. He told us that we should time him for fifteen minutes. If he managed, he said,  "to go without shouting or hitting or saying bad words or making a mean face," he was to receive a sticker to put on his bookmark. We dutifully timed him, and he went more than three hours! He got stickers every fifteen minutes for the whole time he was with us.

 

Mark 1:41 A Reflection on the Anger of Jesus

Mark 1:40-45 -- “Jesus was indignant.” (Verse 41, NIV)

The NIV translation reads that “Jesus was indignant.” In the KJV and several other translations one reads that Jesus was moved with “compassion,” not indignation. Both translations have support, but the two ideas take the reader in different directions. What are the implications if the reading is indignation? 

The word compassion fits well with our understanding of Jesus. With that word this miracle is another sign of the kingdom of God breaking into the world which is gripped by suffering and death. The ministry of Jesus serves as a model for the church. We, too, are called to relieve suffering and to proclaim the promise of resurrection in face of death.

If Jesus’ healing of the man with leprosy is accompanied by indignation then our understanding of this miracle becomes more complex. It  reveals the difficulty that Jesus faced in ministry. The leper came to Jesus with a challenge: “if you choose, you can make me clean.” (verse 40) This question contains an implied criticism. The leper suggested in his question the possibility that Jesus would choose to ignore suffering and to do nothing for its relief. 

When we feel anger we are getting a signal that something in our situation is wrong. The Bible teaches us "be angry but do not sin." (Eph. 4:26, RSV) We are to listen to our anger and evaluate the warning signal; perhaps, all that’s needed is to ignore foolishness, but it is also possible that anger warns us against harmful ideas or potentially harmful actions.

The leper questioned the motives of Jesus. The indignation Jesus felt was a signal that something was wrong in the situation. Instead of coming in humility and trust the leper came with a challenge. Jesus did heal the man, but then he “sternly” (verse 43) warned him to follow up this healing with two steps. The leper disobeyed both instructions of Jesus. He did not go to the religious leaders for validation of his healing, and instead of being quiet about the miracle he immediately told everyone that Jesus had healed him.

This man’s disobedience resulted in such large crowds seeking Jesus that he “could no longer go into a town openly.” (verse 45) The leper’s disobedience worked against the purposes of the very one who showed him compassion. Doing good is difficult. 

When the church ministers to people it will sometimes happen that the people served will question our motives. They may not understand and not cooperate with the help that is offered. Jesus faced that ministry challenge with the leper, and the church has the same challenge in its ministry as well. Compassion and indignation may both accompany the work of the church.

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Kenneth Leech.  “Religion goes disastrously astray when it ceases to be a sign of contradiction and becomes the cement for social conformity.” (We Preach Christ Crucified, p.10)