Ready, Willing, and Able

"Daddy, can you hold me for a minute?" It seems like such a simple question, an innocent question. And yet the question itself suggests doubt on the part of the child. Maybe daddy's too busy. Maybe he's angry. Who knows which of our actions will cause a child to doubt their value?

These kinds of questions demonstrate a child's growth in understanding. They show a growing awareness of responsibility and priorities. These questions hint a fear and uncertainty. Children who asks these questions know their parents have responsibilities and priorities, but they aren't sure where they fit into those. They want to know they still count.

Sophia's question made me think. At first I just wondered how she could even think I wouldn't hold her. We had spent better part of the afternoon cuddling on the couch, watching movies. Maybe she feared I didn't want to hold her anymore. Maybe she just needed me to hold her a little tighter or little longer.

Something hit me as I pondered on the question. My mind turned to prayer and the struggles I am having at the moment. I approach God with the same sort of timidness Sophia approached me. "God, can you help me?" The words are earnest and hinting of fear. I'm afraid that he is too busy or that my most recent struggle with sin has angered him.

As I scooped up my little girl in my arms, I couldn't help imagining my heavenly Father scooping me up in his arms. I felt him saying, "Abba's here, my little one." Jesus once told a crowd to consider the reality of parenthood. Human parents are fallen, frail creatures with sin prone hearts, yet they know how to love their children. How much more does our heavenly Father love us, especially when we consider that his holy, perfect, and compassionate.

 I think I need to mediate on God's willingness to love, and more importantly his willingness to show it. He has made us his children and given us the task of having and raising children, so that we might better understand what his Fatherhood means. We don't have to ask "if" he will hold us, only that he will. He is ready, willing, and able.

Compassionate, Willing, and Able

In Mark 1:40-45, we see Jesus interact with a man who had leprosy. The term translated leprosy does not necessarily refer to Hansen's Disease (the technical name for leprosy), but to any kind of skin disease. If one had a skin disease, that person was considered "unclean." In fact, Leviticus 13:1-46 expresses the law concerning skin diseases. Life for those with such skin diseases can be summed up with these instructions:

The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, "Unclean! Unclean!" As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp (Lev. 13:45-26, NIV).

Two things jump out at me. First, they must live alone, that is to say, they cannot be a part of the community. Second, they must live outside the camp, that is to say, they have no part in the people of God. The physical illness points to a deeper spiritual reality. People in their natural state cannot approach God. They are alone and cut off. Just as the leper had to seek cleansing through a mediator (the priests), so, too, we approach Jesus the Mediator, to find cleansing.

As we witness Jesus interacting with the man, we learn a lot about Jesus. We learn that Jesus is compassionate, willing, and able. Although these truths seem so well known, we forget them on a practical level. Let's look at the man's request, Jesus' response, and the rest of the story.

The Man's Request

Disregarding Mosaic Law and social convention, this unnamed man approaches Jesus. In spite of the seeming impropriety, the man approaches with the right attitude. Three things stick out in his approach. First, note the humility. Mark states that he begged Jesus "on his knees." Next, note his desperation. He "begged" Jesus. Finally, note his confidence in Jesus. He states, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." There is no question in his mind that Jesus is capable of healing him.

In Mark 9:21-22, we see an interaction between Jesus and the father of a boy possessed by a demon. The man said to Jesus, "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus responded, "'If you can?' Everything is possible for him who believes." In Mark 9, Jesus rebuked the father's lack of faith. He did not rebuke the leper. He affirmed him.

Jesus' Response

Mark states, "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched the man." It is easy to miss the significance of what Jesus did. This man wasn't supposed to get near another person, yet Jesus reached out and touched him. It may have been the first time in a long time that anyone had shown this man such tenderness. Jesus' compassion worked itself out in a practical way.

The man knew that his healing hinged on Jesus' willingness. The man was confident that Jesus could heal him. However, he was uncertain as to whether or not Jesus would want to help him. Many of us approach God with the same question in mind. Is God willing? Jesus said, "I am willing!"

Confidence with Jesus' ability should strengthen our confidence in his willingness. He has given many great and precious promises. He calls us to ask of him. He continually demonstrates throughout Scripture and history that he is willing to help those who seek him. This account is no different. Jesus makes the man clean with a word. He is still willing to cleanse those who come to him in repentance and faith.

The Rest of the Story

Just as in the gospel, this story contains an exchange. Jesus walks in the leper's sandals, so to speak. Although Jesus doesn't become unclean, he experiences the leper's separation and loneliness. Because of the leper's disobedience, Jesus must remain outside the town in lonely places. I am reminded of what Paul said, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV).

As the author of Hebrews said,

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet without sin. Let us then approach him with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:15-16, NIV).

Jesus invites us to approach him with boldness. If people will seek him while he may be found, they will make the same discovery the leper did: Jesus is still compassionate, willing, and able.

The Lord Our Shepherd

I used to wonder what it meant in the Scriptures when it said that Jesus looked at the people like they were sheep without a shepherd. The more I am beginning to understand the depth of the fallenness of our world the, the more I understand. When you look at a mother, brokenhearted, sitting by the bedside of her sick child, or a man confused about why his wife left, or someone trapped in addiction spiraling out of control, It isn't hard to understand what it means.]

Satan is like a wild animal, tearing at the lambs of God. His tactics are usually the same. First, he separates them from the flock. It's easier to pick them off one at a time. When people start missing the worship gatherings at their local church, it is wise to see if you smell "wolf" in the air. Maybe they are sick, maybe it is something much more dangerous.

Once he has got them alone, he begins to terrorize them. He howls blood-curdling accusations at them, speaking guilt and condemnation. He then begins to come at them from different sides. His goal is to keep their eyes off of the Shepherd. He has to keep them blind to the fact that the Shepherd is near by, or else they would call out for help. He keeps them helpless and hopeless, so they think that crying out would be useless.

They have forgotten that the gospel informs us that our condemnation has fallen on Jesus. He paid for our sin on the cross. This truth doesn't give us the authority to sin at will. It informs us of his gracious love towards us that saves us from sin--past, present, and future. It shapes in us the motivation to live righteous lives.

We must continually reach out to the harassed and helpless with the truth of the gospel. Jesus doesn't just want to save, he wants to shepherd. When the Lord is our Shepherd we shall not want. When the Lord is our Shepherd he guards us with his rod and staff. When the Lord is our Shepherd, we share in his desire to increase his flock the the proclamation of the gospel. We all like sheep went astray, but having been found by the Great Shepherd, we must seek to help the "lost" sheep we encounter find their way to the Shepherd.