A Fresh Perspective – May 25, 2007
There is a wonderful story in the Gospels about a woman who had a bleeding condition for twelve years. She had exhausted her resources in seeking a cure and "had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors." Instead of getting better, she grew worse and was now at the end of her rope.
In the midst of a clamoring crowd where Jesus was being jostled back and forth she pressed her way in thinking, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." She succeeded and was healed. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you" (could also be translated, "has made your whole" or "has saved you").
Her faith involved simple trust. She attributed magical qualities to Jesus. She was very superstitious, believing that somehow Jesus' power extended to his clothes. She didn't know Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of God. All she knew was that Jesus was sent from God and had the authority to make people whole. She believed enough to act on her faith and her faith "saved" (healed) her.
Where did we ever get the idea that faith is about believing the right things? Where did we ever come up with the notion that faith is about having the correct doctrine? Who is it that determines what the correct doctrine is?
Now don't get me wrong. What we think about God is important. How we perceive God and hence what we believe about God will effect how we relate to God, how we treat others and how we live our lives. I'm talking about the fine print. And in recent times some Christian groups have been notorious for this. Who are we to claim that our interpretations and beliefs are the right ones? And of course this means that those who differ with us must be wrong.
It wasn't this woman's faith in the divinity of Jesus, his atonement on the cross, or anything else that set her free and made her whole. It was simple trust in Jesus as the mediator of God's whole-making power.
Will faith in Christ free us of our diseases? I haven't experienced faith that way; maybe you have. But I do know that trust in Christ can free us of guilt, fear, hate, bitterness, prejudice, greed, and pride and help us become more compassionate and caring. It can free us of the ego need to be better than others, or have power over others, or be honored above others thus empowering us to serve and genuinely help others. And maybe that is the greater miracle. If Christian groups focused less on "getting the doctrine right" and more on the stuff that God cares about more people might be open to a life of faith.
Chuck Queen is Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort (www.ibcfrankfort.com); he welcomes your comments at cqueen@fewpb.net. Look for "A Fresh Perspective" every Friday.