Monday, February 4, 2013

That Kind of Friend


There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. -Mark 7:32 (NIV)

When we are going through a rough time, we need good friends.

Make no mistake about it, despite being a pastor, there have been times in my life when my faith has wavered and waned. It's not something I'm proud of... but it's true. I can recall moments of disappointment and despair when I questioned whether God was there or whether or not God even cared. I can recall instances when a prayer would not form in my mind or would not escape from my lips. What I am most thankful for during those times is that I had friends, faithful followers of Jesus, who prayed when I didn't and who believed when I couldn't. Their faith and their faithfulness helped me to reclaim my own faith.

I wonder if that's what happening in today's suggested scripture reading. Some people bring a man was who is deaf and can hardly talk to Jesus. They beg Jesus to place his healing hands upon this man. There's no evidence or indication that the man himself has any faith. Maybe he has resigned himself to always being deaf and mute. Maybe he questions whether God cares or whether there even is a God.

But his friends? They have faith that this man is not destined to be deaf and mute. They have hope that if Jesus can just place his hands on their friend, he will be healed. Their faith and their faithfulness motivate them to place their friend before Jesus. And Jesus heals.

I love how Jesus takes the man aside. He's not interested in making this healing a public spectacle. This poor guy has been a public spectacle all of his life. I love how Jesus touches the man. If you've ever had a massage, you know the healing power of touch. As a self-described germ-a-phobe, the fact that saliva is involved in the healing (even Jesus' saliva) sort of freaks me out. But then I recall as a child when my mother would often clean my face or get my hair to lay down with her saliva and it didn't bother me at all...and I lived to tell about it and looked better for it.

I'm guessing that this man is glad that he has faithful and faith-filled friends. I'm guessing that he's glad that when he couldn't talk, his friends could and it was their talk with Jesus (and the faith that inspired it) that brought about his healing. I'm guessing that that he's glad that when he couldn't hear about the healing power of Jesus, his friends could hear and they believed what they heard. I'm guessing that this man is glad that his friends were willing to place him before Jesus that day and intercede with Jesus on his behalf. And judging by the fact that he can't stop talking about his healing (even when told not to), this man is thrilled that this friends brought him before Jesus.

May God grant you the grace to have that kind of friend and to be that kind of friend today.




Tomorrow's Reading: Mark 8

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