Are You Untouchable? Part 1
Jesus faced something similar to Covid-19 in His day. It was not viral but also was pretty much a fatal disease and is still rampant in our society today. It was Leprosy – a fatal disease.
How did Jesus face it? How does the church and Christians face it today?
The Spanish flu, in 1918 was an unusually deadly influenza Pandemic caused by the H1N1 iInfluenza Virus A. Lasting from February 1918 to April 1920, it infected 500 million people – about a third of the world’s population at the time – in four successive waves. Due to post WW1, bad hygiene, poverty certain areas of humanity became a perfect incubator. A syndrome known as the Cytokine Storm is the effect of these: H1N1 and SARS-CoV-1 virus and SARS- CoV-2 viruses.
Having said that here are some thoughts.
Privately:
Mk 1:40 “And a man with leprosy came to Jesus, imploring Him and kneeling down, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
What was His will? It was, “Yes! I will”. He can make you whole. His motive was that He loved the leper more than the challenge of being infected by the disease. No one was allowed to touch the leper … extreme isolation, loneliness, away from his family maybe never to come home again, was his possible destination – death. Sound familiar? Yet Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. He broke the law. As written in the book “The Royal Physician”, the disease for the first time in history retreated and died, because the power of love overrides condition. God so loved the world – our call is to demonstrate that love and not cower behind covid regulations.
Church will we do this or cover behind regulations?
Publicly:
Lk 17:11-19
And as He entered a village, ten men with leprosy who stood at a distance and met Him … Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, … And he was a Samaritan.“Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
Reflecting on this we notice:
stood at a distance – like we do today, social distancing.
- far enough away to shout out for mercy
- mercy is the pathway or attitude for the supernatural to engage.
- Jesus asked after the 10 who were healed and only one came to thank Him.
There was a worship song we use to sing in 1980’s which is pure word: “Whoso offereth praise, Glorifieth me, Whoso offereth praise Glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation alright will I show the salvation of God.
⁃ Giving thanks is the only thing we can give Him, Ro 12:1-2
⁃ When our conversation lines up with His word – things happen.
⁃ A spiritual atmosphere must be created through humility and prayer that satan cannot dwell in.
⁃ After being in His presence in the Hebrides at Barvas Church, I could scarcely take up with human conversation again. It is so crude and empty. - In giving thanks the former leper was not only healed but made whole. Body parts that had fallen off restored.
All we can do is thank Him for who He is to us and what He has done for us.
Public worship is part of His plan. It is vocal, active, engaging and participating.