Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week
I used to think that to see God acting in the world I would have to see something out of the ordinary or spectacular happening—something miraculous or at least very contrary to what normally happens in daily life. But most of the time this is not how God seems to act. Things are much more ordinary. God uses ordinary people and ordinary situations to accomplish his will.
In the gospel reading for today the most impressive event is the healing of the demoniac. This act of healing caused the crowds to react with amazement. Despite the sensationalism of this event, however, it may not be the most important part of the gospel reading. If we focus on the picture of Jesus going around driving out demons and healing people of their “diseases and illnesses” it is easy to miss here that Jesus’ primary goal is not to be some sort of wonder worker or travelling healer. His primary goal is to preach the coming of the kingdom of God and the gospel message of salvation for sinners. The acts of physical healing that he performs are signs of the spiritual and moral healing that is taking place in the hearts of the people, similar to the way that sacraments are outward signs of inward grace. If this is Jesus’ primary concern then it should be our primary focus in reacting to and reflecting on the passage.
Jesus, we are told, is moved by pity for the people, because he sees them as being lost and without someone to lead them. Jesus could have smugly refused to help these people, but that is not what he did. Instead he takes the steps necessary for the people who are lost to begin to achieve what is good for them. He has spiritual knowledge that they do not have, and he chooses to use this knowledge to lead them in a different direction. The reaction of the Pharisees is to ascribe to Jesus a completely opposite motive. They accuse him of being in league with the devil—of actually being motivated by evil and deception. The Pharisees’ attitude towards Jesus seems to involve a mixture of envy and suspicion – how is it that Jesus is attracting all of the people to him – why is it that people are flocking to hear him speak? Clearly the Pharisees completely misrepresented what Jesus was doing.
We learn a number of things from the gospel reading for today. First, Jesus wants to heal us. Second, we can be healed by Jesus if we allow ourselves to be. Third, what it means for us to be healed is for our sins to be forgiven and for us to begin to live a life of love for God and for other people. Fourth, the knowledge and faith that we have been given should cause us to feel compassion for others and increase our desire to share in the Christian life with them. When encountering Jesus, do we find ourselves calling out for mercy and healing, acknowledging that we are sinners and we need God’s grace? And when we encounter others who are in need, do we act out of a sincere desire to help or are we unwilling to help because we consider ourselves to be superior? Reflecting on the gospel today can help us, in the mundane events of our lives, to emulate the love that Jesus showed in his earthly life and thereby to serve as instruments of God’s action in the world.
- Joel Schickel