Each of the gospels presents Jesus’ ministry on earth from a different perspective. This is what makes the gospel narratives so intriguing. Even though they all recall some of the same events and teachings, each writer had a different aspect of Jesus’ life and work that he wanted to highlight or emphasise to his readers. It is therefore important to see that all four gospels combine to give the fullest picture of who Jesus really was as he walked the earth and lived a human life over two thousand years ago.
Having said that, I must say that Luke’s account of Jesus’ life is particularly important because he above all others emphasizes the ministry of Jesus among ordinary people and even more so people who were normally considered on the margins of society or even outcasts of society. Luke focuses his gospel on Jesus’ ministry to them because he wanted to show that Jesus had a special concern and interest in these people’s circumstances and challenges more than anyone else. In our text for today, the gospel writer tells about a man who is desperate for healing for his son. There are a few important things to observe in this text. First, we are not told who the man is. He remains nameless almost to suggest that this was not some important person but a very ordinary ‘man on the street’. He had no position nor title because we know if he was a person of wealth or high rank or fame, Luke, who was a stickler for details, would have mentioned it. Secondly, this man has a son who is ill with a demon or an evil spirit. This individual would have been shunned in those days. Very likely, he never had a normal childhood up to that point because no one would allow their children to associate with such a strange demon-possessed child. Very likely also, he was kept at home away from the public glare. Thirdly, the boy is the only child of his father.
Two other important observations must be made here. One is that the child is a boy. He being a male child culturally is the only inheritor of anything that his father would leave behind when he dies even if it is not much. He would become the head of his father’s family when his father is too old or dies. The other thing to mention is that he is an only child. This elevates the father’s level of desperation. There are few things more touching than seeing someone struggle with the illness of an only child or even worse the death of that only child. One other story that reminds us of this is the death of the son of the widow at Nain. In that story Jesus and the entire community was overcome with grief and sadness for that woman. (See St. Luke 7:11-16) Lastly, he is a young child. Again the illness or death of a young child is particularly heartfelt by the family and the wider community because as we say children are the future. Everyone is particularly hurt when children don’t live long enough or a sustainable healthy life to become valuable participants in society while unleashing their own potential. The illness or death of a child is particularly gut wrenching for all around. You can understand therefore why this is a particularly desperate and heart wrenching situation that Jesus has been called to. As we could well expect, the man has tried different means to get his child better. The text tells us that he asked the disciples and they were of no help and Jesus’ frustration at the disciples’ inadequacy here is palpable. But he steps in to help.
From this account by Luke a number of things need to be brought out for our reflection as we consider our own times of desperate need.
- All of us face times of serious need. What is your need today?
As I indicated earlier, what the gospel writer Luke focuses on is Jesus’ interaction with people who are usually marginalised and seen as outcasts. But it must be highlighted that Luke points out that it is the needs of these people that are particularly important to Jesus. Quite frankly it doesn’t matter who you are, rich or poor, famous or unknown, all of us have been through our times when we were absolutely desperate for one reason or the other. It is a part of life to be in a situation where you are absolutely desperate and you are forced to consider almost anything to get you out of that situation. All of us have real needs. Some are more urgent and even life-threatening than others but we all have varying situations and experiences that we are desperate to have resolved. Is it sickness, especially chronic long-term illness? Is it a terminal illness that has just been diagnosed? Few things can be more gut-wrenching than illness especially if it is protracted and costly to manage. The anxiety caused by major illness can really burden a family. Is it an errant child who no longer wants to have anything to do with the family? There are deeply saddening accounts of children who have simply left the family and their whereabouts are totally unknown. Many mothers and fathers are grieving for their child or children whom they haven’t seen or heard about in years, not knowing whether they are still alive or dead or what is happening to that child. Is that your situation or of someone you know? Is it a family member who is a constant shame and embarrassment to the rest of the family because of a lifestyle or habit that is spurned by the rest of society? Many parents or family members have ignored, or worse, abandoned a child or relative who is a drug addict, a convict, a prostitute or a homosexual or someone who has special needs? The common expression being, I will have nothing to do with that person. He or she is no longer my son or daughter or niece or uncle or whatever the relationship is. If the person has a special need or challenge that seems embarrassing we simply stash them out of public view so few people will know that that mute child or physically challenged person is my relative. We all have desperate needs. For most of us now we are feeling desperate because of the economic challenges that could be on the horizon if this tariff war with the United States of America gets more severe. We worry about our children and family members whose employment might be jeopardised and in some cases how we may have to help them economically to keep themselves afloat. We are worried too about the psychological impact of seeing a country that we have been so close to for many decades suddenly treat us as their enemy. It’s even more saddening because the ties between Canadians and Americans are deep.
- Seek God alone in your time of need. Anything else will lead to failure and frustration.
We can just imagine the increasing pain and frustration by this father who had sought the disciples help yet they were not able to help. The scripture does not tell us if he sought out other medical help which he most likely did as well. After all, when you are desperate, you will leave no stone unturned to get the help you need. This man must have tried many other sources and by the time he meets Jesus you can sense that he is at his wits end. How many of us have gotten to that point in our lives when all the persons or sources or expertise that we can get, does not help us at all and then you wonder in absolute frustration and helplessness what else can be done or who else must I see. Another story told by Luke tells us about someone who had done everything she could possibly do but without any remedying of her situation. This is the account of the woman with the bleeding illness. (See St. Luke 8:40-48) What these incidents remind us about is that so often we really put too much confidence in human effort without seeking the real source of our healing or remedy. We are reminded in these accounts that humans can do so much and no more. When we rely on frail human beings to do what we should be relying on God to do for us, we end up being hopelessly frustrated and even more desperate. I must emphasise that God does use humans in marvelous ways to show his power among us but when we as humans seek to do things in our own strength we will ultimately fail. This tariff war is an example of a situation where as a country from coast to coast we should be seeking divine help, not seeking to appease a human being in the White House who is acting like God although he is a mere mortal. Canadians all over should be bringing this situation to God. Like that man who recognised that only Jesus could remedy his situation, we need to go back to the source of power and healing. We need to seek the only one who can make our desperate situation whole again. It is not going to be done by our political leaders making trips to Washington to beg and try to appease a bully. It can only be done by the One who can remove the problem entirely and grant us healing that we seek. In the same way, the personal desperate needs or situations we may have can not be remedied by humans relying on their own expertise and experience but by God who is over all things and in all things. A well-known American gospel singer, now deceased, named Andrae Crouch put it best for us when he said in one of his songs, “Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him there’s no other. Jesus is the Way.”
- Through our suffering and release God will have the glory.
Luke goes on to tell us that after the boy was released from the demonic possession the people “…were all amazed at the greatness of God.” (St. Luke 9:43 NIV) It is hard not to notice that this is the real objective of Luke in this story.
It is a story about human suffering but even more important it is a story about God’s power to relieve human suffering and desperation and ultimately elicit from human beings the praise that God alone deserves. We are seeing in this text and in our own lives that only God can be counted on or depended on to grant release from suffering, healing from pain and sickness and restoration of body and soul. Irrespective of the things we have to bear, the recurring theme is that our suffering and struggles and God’s intervention in the human condition is all about us giving God the praise and glory. Our situations cannot truly be remedied, our sufferings cannot be lifted, our bodies cannot be healed, and our lives cannot be transformed without God. Our praise to God for everything he does in our lives is an acknowledgement that God is ultimately in control of our lives and therefore every situation that we have to go through in this life whether it be good or bad in our experience. In the same way that this desperate father learnt that only God can truly make a difference to his son’s condition so too we must acknowledge that at the end of the day it is only God who can transform our lives, grant healing whether it be physical or spiritual and we will return to him at the end of this earthly life. This is why we all praise God. We are told that the people were amazed at what God had done for this boy. May our lives be lived in such a way that people will be amazed by our lives of faith and endurance and commitment irrespective of all that we have to bear. After all, we know as Paul says in Romans chapter 8 that, “…nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(See Romans 8: 39 NIV)
Let us as people of God go from here confidently knowing God is with us and living the life that testifies to the amazing love of God who never leaves us nor forsakes us. Amen.
