Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 42

Engagement Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty and most generous father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you placed the healing of a man above the observance of decorum and did not leave him to suffer alone. Be ever near.

Forgive us when we look the other way, leaving people to struggle with their demons. Help us to confess our sins and move beyond them. Be ever near.

Thank you for the witness of scripture and being present in our lives. Be ever near.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, draw us to yourself. Open our hearts, illumine our minds, strengthen our hands in your service.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Engagement Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup

 

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Scandalous Engagement

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. 

And he cried out, what have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? 

Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! 

(Mark 1:23-25)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The first example of Jesus’ healing ministry in Mark’s Gospel is an exorcism, which suggests that he prioritized spiritual healing. In a literary sense, this demon heralds Jesus, announcing his identity, but how does this story advance the narrative? What does it tell us about Jesus’ personality?

Jesus cares about individuals both in body and spirit. David Benner writes:

“Caring for souls is caring for people in ways that not only acknowledge them as persons but also engage and address them in the deepest and most profoundly human aspects of their lives. This is the reason for the priority of the spiritual and psychological aspects of the person’s inner world in soul care.” (Benner 1998, 23)

This focus on individuals and their care embodies the intrinsic value that we have being created in the image of God (Gen 1:27).

Spiritual Warfare

The idea of spiritual warfare is hinted at in the creation account when Satan tempts Adam and Eve and God curses Satan, prophesying human redemption: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen 3:15) Jesus’ ministry of exorcism accordingly hints this redemption has begun.

A second interpretation is also possible.

When Jesus confronts demons, the allusion may be to a Zoroastrian influence where the god, Ahura Mazda, and an evil spirit, Ahriman, who are viewed as equals, an idea often described as Persian dualism. Other biblical echos of Zoroastrianism appears in Moses’ account of the burning bush (Exod 3:2)⁠1 and Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth when he was visited by the Magi (Matt 2:1). Zoroastrianism is the oldest monotheistic religion.⁠2

Today, Zoroastrianism is a minor sect centered in India, but in the first century it was the official religion of the Parthian (Persian) empire, Rome’s greatest competitor. Jesus likely encountered many Zoroastrians during his travels that would be impressed by a rabbi able to drive out demons. It would show that God was more powerful than such demons, which is a more typical interpretation of Satan’s status in the Old Testament, as a servant of God (e.g. Job 1). In this context, we might view exorcism as a uniquely first-century type of gentile ministry.

Context of Jesus’ Ministry

Jesus’ practice of exorcism suggests someone willing to engage in the controversies of the day. Jesus did things, like healing the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, considered scandalous by his peers (Mark 3:1–6).

How does Jesus’ scandalous engagement influence your perception of the image of God? Consider the alternative. What would have happened if God became a man and nobody noticed? Jesus engaged and radically changed the culture of his day.

Footnotes

1 Chahārshanbe Suri چهارشنبه سوری is a Persian festival celebrated on the final Tuesday evening of the Persian solar year, that’s to say the last Tuesday evening before Persian New Year (Nowruz). Persians celebrate this festival by jumping over fire.

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroast....

References

Benner, David G. 1998. Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

MacNutt, Francis 2009. Healing (Orig Pub 1974). Notre Dame:  Ave Maria Press.

Sanders, E.P. 1977. Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Scandalous Engagement

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup

 

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Barry Engages Faith

 

William A. Barry. 2004. Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God: A Theological Inquiry. New York: Paulist Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

During my seminary years I participated in the Pierce Fellowship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary at the urging of the director, who was a personal friend. The Pierce Fellowship encouraged students to focus on discipling and evangelism and became my home away from home during those years, Attending to the spiritual life was natural for Pierce fellows and it led to my writing focus after seminary.

Introduction

William Barry in his book, Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God, defines spiritual direction:

“as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.” (2)

Spiritual direction focuses on discerning the work of God in a person’s life and helping them to focus on it. This focus differs from offering counseling and relies primarily on the director’s ability to discern the spirit of God and distinguish it from the wiles of Satan (Eph 6:11). As such, spiritual direction is most popular in the contemplative school of thought.

Background and Organization

William Barry is an ordained Roman Catholic (Jesuit) priest who studied in Germany and Weston College, earning his doctorate at the University of Michigan.

Barry writes his book in eight chapters:

Introduction
Understanding God’s Presence in the World
The Religious Dimension of Experience
A Theology of Trinity and of Community
The Development of the Relationship with God
A Theology of Discernment of Spirits
A Theology of the Ministry of Spiritual Direction
Conclusion (v)

These chapters are preceded by two prefaces and followed with annotated references. Three of the thirteen references are his own books. Conspicuously missing is John Macmurray’s book, The Form of the Personal, which he quotes frequently in the text. Many of his other references appear only in the chapter notes.

Events and Actions

The influence of Macmurray on Barry is foundational. Macmurray writes:

“Every event has a cause, every action has a reason or intention. Events are attributed to non-agents; acts to agents.” (9)

Barry uses this distinction to posit that God is involved in his creation. This focus of Barry’s work is interesting because all actions need to interpreted; otherwise, they devolve into mere events.

Because there are potentially an infinite number of interpretations, our actions and God’s can and should overlap. Barry writes: “God is an ingredient in every human experience” (25) yet not in a deterministic way that would limit human freedom. He goes on to say: ”Just as I am not my action, but transcend it in some real way, so too and a fortiori, God is not his action, but transcends it.” (32)

This observation is important because we cannot infer God’s actions without belief. Barry notes: “The direct encounter with God is always mediated.” (37) Thus, the role of a spiritual director rests on assisting with this mediation.

The Affective Principle

Barry sees the experience of God’s love as foundation to any journey of faith (61). After that point, the next step in faith is to experience themselves as sinners (63). The pervasiveness of sin in the world can, in fact, be so overwhelming as to be an impediment to progress in faith (65).

This affective principle seems like an application of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs where our needs are leveraged from physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, to self-esteem and self-actualization (Sachs, 2012, 130). Many of the New Testament healing stories of Jesus, like the healing of the blind man in John 9, appear to work this way. The mercy of God that we feel because Jesus died on the cross for our forgiveness is frequently described as the love of Christ. In other words, meeting a basic need helps us in developing faith that more advanced needs will also be met.

The Clumsy Dance Partner

Many people believe that God’s will for their lives is a kind of puppet manipulation. Barry writes:

“God’s will for each of us is not utilitarian; that is, God does not use us for God’s own purposes. We are not means to God’s end.“ (80)

Our interaction with God Barry likens to having a clumsy dance partner that holds on too tightly. A really good dance partner simply anticipates our movements and requires only the lightest touch (79).

Assessment

William A. Barry’s Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God is an interesting and informative guide to the practice of spiritual direction or, perhaps more nearly, spiritual friendship. The audience for this book includes committed Christians, seminary students, and pastors who are willing to struggle a bit with their faith and the deepening of it.

References

Sachs, Jonah. 2012. Winning the Story Wars: Why Those Who Tell—and live—the Best Stories Will Rule the World. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.

Footnotes

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/....

Barry Engages Faith
Also see:
Crucial Conversations Target Productive Dialog 
Warren Writes to Grow Characters 
Books, Films, and Ministry
Nouwen: Make Space for Self, Others, and God 
Vanhoozer: How Do We Understand the Bible? Part 1 
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup
 

 

 

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Emotional Intelligence: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 10, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Emotional Intelligence. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Emotional Intelligence: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 10, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup
 

 

The post Emotional Intelligence: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 10, 2024 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.

Emotionally Intelligent Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you loved us first while we were as yet unlovable and taught us to calm our hearts to make room in them for your Holy Spirit.

Forgive us for being quick to become angry, fighting over fashionable tennis shoes and other bobbles that decorate our ignorance. Help us to moderate our emotions like Jesus

Thank you for the example of Jesus Christ, who taught us to love one another and to make room in our lives for you.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, build up the church. Open our hearts, illumine our minds, strengthen our hands in your service.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Emotionally Intelligent Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup

 

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Emotional Intelligence

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

(Matt 5:3)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

When you pick a Bible verse to focus on, choose a prominent one.

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5 introduces Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is a commissioning service for the disciples. A commissioning or ordination service normally focuses on core teaching. The idea is to talk about the most basic principles of service, because the commissioning service is the beginning of service and something most people remember vividly. 

What does Jesus talk about? Jesus lists nine attributes of his followers: Anxiety, mourning, meekness, righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, persecution, and being reviled. In view are the first three verses of Isaiah 61, sometimes associated with the Servants Songs of Isaiah (Lindsey 1985, 144). Not coincidentally, Jesus preaches his call sermon in Luke 4 from this same passage. Also in view in these beatitudes are the attributes of God found in Exodus 34:6: Mercy, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness.⁠1

The first word in these nine beatitudes, Μακάριοι (Matt 5:3), is often translated as blessed or happy, but the context suggests that honored is the preferred translation. Blessed is used as a legal term in the Old Testament, but Jesus works in the Sermon on the Mount to redefine culture where honor is preferred (Neyrey 1998, 164). When Jesus talks about turning the other cheek or loving your enemy, he is instructing his disciples to refuse to participant in the honor-shame culture of his time. 

Honor-Shame Culture

In Christian culture, honor lies with behaviors other than picking fights to prove your dominance, machismo, or special worthiness. How else could you say honored are the meek? (Matt 5:5) Strength among followers of Christ lies associating with everyday people and listening to them, when fashion dictates something else. Jesus made himself available to the invisible people, like Bartimaeus. What did the Pharisees complain? “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matt 9:11) Today, we would say that Jesus was emotionally intelligent.

Emotional Intelligence Teaching

If we are to emulate Jesus’ life and teaching, practicing emotional intelligence is a good place to start, but how do we know that emotional intelligence is at the core of Jesus’ teaching?

Daniel Coleman (1995, xxiii) cites Aristotle in defining emotional intelligence as “The rare skill ‘to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in right way.” For Jesus, emotional intelligence lies in getting your heart in the right place. For example:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:27-28)

This focus on the heart differs totally from Coleman’s focus on when and where to get angry. If we calm our own hearts, a world of conflict and nastiness just melts away. Active listening skills build on a calm heart (e.g. Savage 1996). In fact, this is the context within which Jesus advises us to love our enemies (Matt 5:44).

Cognitive Theory of Emotions

Theologian Jonathan Edwards (2009, 13), writing in 1746 about the effects of the Great Awakening, noted that both head and heart were necessarily involved in effective discipling. Thus, he coined the phrase “holy affections” to distinguish the marks of the work of the Spirit from other works and associated these holy affections directly with scripture. The only story of Jesus getting angry occurred when he healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath because of the hardness of heart of the Pharisees (Mark 3:1-6).

Matthew Elliott (2006 46-47) outlined a cognitive theory of emotions arguing that “reason and emotion are interdependent,” unlike the usual assumption that reason and emotion are separate. In other words, the cognitive theory states that we get emotional about the things that we believe strongly. Our emotions are neither random nor unexplained—they are not mere physiology. Elliott (2006, 53-54) writes: “if the cognitive theory is correct, emotions become an integral part of our reason and our ethics” informing and reinforcing moral behavior. Elliott (2006, 214) cites the story of the healing of the man with withered hand as the only place in scripture where Jesus is described as angry and the object of that anger was a hardened heart.

Christian Culture’s Demise

One consequence of the dismantlement of Christian culture going on today is the return to the honor-shame culture that predated the Christian Era and had been mostly sidelined in the modern period. The gang warfare in our cities is often about turf and drugs, but the core problem is that gang members cannot afford to lose face in front of their peers. It is not about the cool tennis shoes or the gang colors so much as the lost respect, which those things represent. Enemy love, forgiveness, and honoring the attributes of God all work to move away from an honor-shame culture.

Footnotes

1 My book, Life in Tension, focuses on the Beatitudes. My recent book, Image of God in the Parables, illustrates Exodus 34:6.

References

Coleman, Daniel. 1995. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.

Edwards, Jonathan. 2009. The Religious Affections (orig pub 1746). Vancouver: Eremitical Press.

Elliott, Matthew A. 2006. Faithful Feelings: Rethinking Emotion in the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic and Professional.

Lindsey, E. Duane. 1985. The Servant Songs: A Study in Isaiah. Chicago: Moody Press.

Savage, John. 1996. Listening & Caring Skills: A Guide for Groups and Leaders. Nashville: Abingdon Press.

Emotional Intelligence

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup
 

 

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Savage Listens to Stories

John Savage.  1996.  Listening & Caring Skills:  A Guide for Groups and Leaders.  Nashville:  Abingdon Press.

Reviewed by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Being fully present when listening to someone is tough.  It requires setting aside our own egos to hear not only what the person is saying but what is not being said—the backstory.  The backstory is important because language is laconic; tone of voice and body language provide the context. John Savage’s book, Listening and Caring Skills, helps to start down the road of being fully present in listening to your family, friends, and colleagues.

Introduction

Listening and Caring Skills focuses on preparing pastors for ministry, but the principles apply more generally.  The book starts with an introduction defining the problem and follows with three major sections:  Basic listening skills; hearing the story, and advanced listening skills.

Communication Gap

Savage starts by defining the listening problem as closing the gap between what is said and what is heard (17).  This gap can be huge because the speaker desires to communicate feelings, intentions, attitudes, and thoughts.  This internal desire is actually communicated with words, tone of voice, and body language. 

Words communicate about 7 percent of the message; tone of voice communicates 38 percent; and the remaining 55 percent is communicated through body language (16).  Focusing on just the words used in written communication leaves out important information needed in making decisions.

Consider the potential for conflict just because of weak communication.  Skyping can communicate words, tone of voice, and some body language.  Telephone conversation can communicate words and tone voice but no body language.  Email communicates only the words—unless you are really good with emoticons!  Clearly, if I use a form of communication that is incomplete, the potential to be misunderstood grows in proportion to what is left out.  Face-to-face communication at least allows a complete set of details to be communicated.

Five Styles of Communication

Once we are face to face, communication is technically feasible, but we do not normally engage everyone at the same level.  Savage lists five styles of communication:  direct and open, open but partial, distorted full information, distort and delete information, and only non-verbal communication (15-16).  At best communication is an art:  people lie; people don’t listen’; people run off.  Being fully present is a gift that we give to those who we really care about.  In my experience, people notice immediately when you are really listening.

Fogging

A lesson worth the price of the book is a technique called fogging which is often used by politicians and lawyers.  In fogging one only answers the part of the question that one agrees with. 

The most famous example of fogging occurred in Matthew 22:15-22 when Jesus was baited with the question:  is it lawful to pay taxes…?  If he answers yes, then the Jews will be offended;  if he answers no, then the Romans will be offended.  Instead of answering, Jesus asks to see a coin–everyone agrees on the coin used to pay the tax.  When one fogs, one does not answer the whole question and does not become defensive—even when the question is hostile.  Fogging allows the conversation to continue without becoming emotionally charged.

Listening for the Five Types of Stories

Savage observes that in order for people to feel like they have been heard, you need to identify the emotional content of what they are saying. Oftentimes, this emotional content takes the form of one of five story types that he outlines (95), including.

Anniversary.  An anniversary is a story connected to a date on the calendar. Perhaps someone important died or had an serious accident on a particular date. In the story of the patient, the date was a birthday. The most famous date at the time of Jesus was the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt which they celebrated as Passover each year.
 A “I know a man who” story. In this case, the person under discussion is normally the person speaking because the subject matter is too sensitive. In the Bible, we read: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven– whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.”(2 Cor 12:2)2.
A transition story has three parts—the past, the present, and the future. A hospital visit is normally a transition story. University studies are also a transition with three parts. A transition obvious in the Bible is the story of the Exodus when the people of Israel left the land of Egypt, went into the desert for forty years, and afterwards entered the Promised Land (Bridge 2003, 43). It is interesting that the people of Israel learned to depend on God during their time in the desert.
A story from the past with current meaning. This is the typical story from the Bible, but this type of story gets special mention in the context of the Lord’s Supper where we read: “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”(Luke 22:19)
A reinvestment story. This is a story like economist becomes pastor. That was then; this is now. In the Bible we see this type of story in the conversion of Paul from a persecutor of the church into an evangelist for Christ.

If you can identify the story that a person is telling, chances are good that you will connect with them at a deeper, emotional level.

Assessment

Savage’s Listening & Caring Skills is a book that I have recommended, given away, taught, and preached about.  Active listening skills are of value in dealing with your children, difficult co-workers, and demanding supervisors.  In the church, pastors can benefit from periodically reviewing Savages principles and teaching them to those in leadership.  It is simply a great book.

References

William Bridge.  2003.  Managing Transitions:  Making the Most of Change.  Cambridge:  Da Capo Press. (Review)

Savage Teaches Listening; Hears Unheard Stories
Also see:
Crucial Conversations Target Productive Dialog 
Warren Writes to Grow Characters 
Books, Films, and Ministry
Nouwen: Make Space for Self, Others, and God 
Vanhoozer: How Do We Understand the Bible? Part 1 
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup
 

 

 

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Availability: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 3, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Availability. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Availability: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 3, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup
 

 

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Availability Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty Father, Beloved Son, Spirit of Truth,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you came into our world to teach, heal, and bear witness to the power and love of God.

Forgive our silence, our lack of faith, our unwillingness to bear witness to the truth of God.

Thank you for the testimony of Jesus who was available to the weak and needy, who asked about their desires, and articulated God’s love in tangible ways.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, draw us to yourself. Open our hearts; illumine our minds; strengthen our hands in your service.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Availability Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup

 

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Available, Ask, Articulate

If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; 

for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen 

cannot love God whom he has not seen.

(1 John 4:20)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

If we follow the template outlined by the Apostle Paul, what is important to know about Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection?

With the template in view, many interesting details of Jesus’ public life fall away. We are not, for example, asked to emulate many aspects of his early life that have to do with his Jewish upbringing, although the church may practice traditions that parallel them. Baptism has replaced circumcision; forgiveness and generosity have substituted for temple sacrifices; sacrificial living has emulated his death. Many times Christians have found unique ways to participate in Jesus’ life and ministry.

Still, many of Jesus’ healings, miracles, and exorcisms are simply reported, but others follow a pattern that is worth highlighting. Consider this account of the healing of the blind man, Bartimaeus, near Jericho:

“And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, What do you want me to do for you? He said, Lord, let me recover my sight. And Jesus said to him, Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 18:40-42; also: Mark 10:46-52)

Jesus employs a three-way pattern: 1. He makes himself available to the man; 2. He asks the man what he can do; and 3. He articulates an interpretation of the healing. While many of Jesus’ actions are simply reported, this healing is interesting because of what it teaches.

Availability

Jesus made himself available to people in a surprising way, often stopping what he is doing to attend to the needs of individuals. In Jericho, we are told that the blind man is initially begging and had to cry out for Jesus’ attention. When he does, the people around him rebuked him. What does Jesus do? Jesus stops the parade and attends to the needs of the blind man, expressing a surprising willingness to be available.

Robert Wicks (2000, 39-40) sees our willingness to be open and available to others as an important segue to being open to God.

Ask

Ever since I was young, I have marveled as to why Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted him to do. Why would he ask a blind man, if he wanted to be healed?

Being available to people is one thing, valuing them as individuals is another.

Not everyone who visits a doctor wants to be healed. A hypochondriac might just want attention; a single-person might just seek an eligible partner; a poor person mights just look for a handout. The answer to the question may seem obvious to you, but it may not be the answer sought. Jesus was not trying to be cheeky, he sought to affirm the value of the individual by asking the question. We are all created in the image of God, but do we truly act as if that were true when we interact with other people?

Articulate

Not all of Jesus’ healings are in response to faith, as in the case of Bartimaeus. In the case of the widow of Nain whose son had died, the young man did nothing at all to deserve being resurrected—Jesus acted only out of compassion (Luke 7:11-15). In the case of the paralytic, the faith of his friends is noted, but the healing is done: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:10)

A cynic might argue that articulating the reason for a healing is simple a matter of spin-control, but the wider point is that miracles, healings, and signs need to be interpreted. Otherwise, the cynics will truly have the final word. As the Apostle Peter reported: 

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Pet 3:15)

We need to bear witness to God when we act out of faith.

References

Wicks, Robert. 2000. Availability: The Spiritual Joy of Helping Others. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company.

Available, Ask, Articulate

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Sum_May_2024 ,  Signup

 

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