Lent assignments

The Miracle Assignment

Writing in character:I have begun to hear much about this Jesus of Nazareth. The effect which he has had upon my wife is in some ways alarming, and in other ways, a bit moving, but that is perhaps not the point of this story.

You will understand if I am not at first impressed to learn that he performed miracles in that place where he came from, Galilee. Galilee is a rather backward place and I would not put it past those people to believe any fool thing. But according to what I heard, this Jesus had a fisherman that he was close to. Well, the fisherman asked him Jesus to come to his house, but when they got there, the fisherman's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. (On another note, very little information is available about the rest of this fisherman's family. I get the feeling that his wife may have already died from some other malady. Sadly, the death of women at a young age is rather common in that part of the province among such a culture.) Anyway, Jesus went into the house, touched the mother-in-law on the hand and caused her to wake up and start serving them.

Again, the story has all the earmarks of innuendo and rumour, but if the story is true it means that this carpenter from Galilee can heal those he touches. A useful talent, and one wonders that he does not charge money for it.

That fisherman appears in another story which I have heard about our friend, Jesus. This one requires some background knowledge of the Jewish religion. Apparently, there is an ancient tradition that Jews pay a shekel "tax" into the temple treasure. It is a paltry sum, and is not even enforced that much in today's world, but the most pious Jews make much of paying it, for fear that they will be thought "sinful" if they do not. Well, someone asked our fisherman if his famous master paid the tax. The fisherman replied, "yes" without really knowing the answer. Later, when asked Jesus about it, Jesus instructed him to cast out and catch a fish. When they cut the fish open, there was a shekel inside which was then used to pay the tax.

I admit I rather want this story to be true. If, for no other reason, because I love hearing stories about those obnoxious people who lead the Jews being embarrassed. (They really do get on one's nerves after a while.) Still, it is perhaps interesting to wonder just what will happen if our friend, Jesus, tries to pay his taxes to Rome by this somewhat questionable method.

The most intriguing story that I have heard concerns a more recent incident with a man born blind. The Jews have some rather unfortunate views on people born blind. They say that anyone who is born blind is being punished by God for the sins of the parents. Anyway, when Jesus met this blind man, he was asked about what sin made this man be born blind, but Jesus replied that it was not the fault of any sin, but to glorify God. Then he is supposed to have made a paste out of earth and his own saliva, rubbed it on the blind man's eyes, and commanded that the blind man wash in the river. This restored the blind man's sight.

For the record, there are several other people claiming that the man with the restored sight is not the same person, but merely a look-a-like.

Anything is possible, but there is one disturbing footnote. This healing occurred on the Sabbath. Therefore, our friends the Pharisees claim that it was sinful of Jesus. Is there any length to which those people will not go?

Okay, it's me again.

I never gave much thought to the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. (Aside from the somewhat infamous fact referred to above, that Peter had a mother-in-law and therefore a wife.) It always seemed relatively pedestrian to me. Jesus goes in, and finds a sick person. He heals her and she is well again.

One somewhat interesting detail is that after being healed, she proceeded to wait upon them. By today's standards, this may seem rude or even sexist. The woman was seriously ill a moment ago and now she is expected to wait on them, but while researching a little online, I discovered an intriguing idea that the mother-in-law represents a role model for Christians in that when Jesus heals her, she wishes to use her newfound health to serve him. Thinking about that made me think of the other implied reason for her waiting on them. The story is using the fact that she was able to wait on them as evidence that she had truly been healed, and that therefore this was a miracle.

Put that way, when Jesus or God gives us a gift, then perhaps it is our duty to use that gift to serve him, partly because it helps to repay the debt, but also partly because that helps prove to others that God can give perhaps bring others to the faith. Of course very few people have been miraculously healed by God, but there are always gifts available to those who have pray.

The second of these three miracles is one which I admit, I had never even heard of before. After I read it in the Bible, I had to do research online just to learn that the tax in question was not an official tax exactly, but a Jewish religious tax which at that time, was not really mandatory, but which any Jew who wished to be respected would pay.

It makes me think of the more famous, but less miraculous story in which Jesus was asked whether to pay taxes to God or Caesar. The famous response was, "Rended unto Caesar what is Caesar's, but render unto God what is God's." You might think that by paying taxes to Caesar, you are essentially putting Caesar above God, but Jesus argues that that is missing the point.

A similar message appears in this story. On the one hand, the idea that Jesus would have to pay such a tax seems ridiculous and Jesus sort of says as much, but when he pays it, he humbles himself and exalts himself at the same time. He should not have to pay the tax, but the fact that he was able to get it in this manner shows him to be a master of creation, and if creation provides then the paying of taxes is easy. Jesus has made the point here that the spiritual side of God is more powerful then money or material power. Of course when one is given these things then the best thing to do is to use it to help God.

The story about the man born blind is interesting. It happens to be the gospel for this Sunday's Catholic mass. For this reason, I just read it a few more times. Make what you will of that.

First of all, there's the Jewish idea that a person born blind is being punished for the sins of the parents. Like my character, I think that is a rather uncompassionate bit of theology, but when we reject it, we are forced to come up with our own answer for why God would allow someone to be born blind. Jesus' answer is that the man was born blind simply so that Jesus could heal him.

It is kind of an odd answer to the question of why there are so many bad things in the world. Namely that if there weren't there would be no problems for the good to solve. If I may apply this philosophy to writing. An author creates characters, (Yes, being an author truly is the closest thing that a person can experience to being God. I admit that's one of the things I like about it.) and then causes the characters to have all sorts of problems, not because he necessarily believes that they deserve that treatment, but because the story will be boring without those problems to solve. But I digress.

Probably the most striking thing about this story is the way the Pharisees do everything possible to deny that the healing has occurred. Before we judge them for that, we might want to ask ourselves just how we would have reacted to this news, if it happened in our day. There is perhaps a not-so-subtle message that the Pharisees were the ones who were truly blind, for not seeing that Jesus was the Messiah, and Jesus admonishes them that they are sinful because they do not see. The truly blind have an excuse for not seeing Jesus, but the Pharisees have none and are therefore sinful.

Finally, I love the blind man's response when the Pharisees say that Jesus was sinful for healing him on the sabbath. He basically says, "I do not know, I only know that I was blind, but now I see." It contrasts with the views of the Pharisees who insisted on Jesus not seeing Jesus even though they had sight all their lives. If God has given one something, even something as basic as not having been born blind, then one should not need theology to feel that God loves them. Appreciate these gifts and be happy for them.

God is constanly giving us wonderful things. These things could be material like shekels to pay the tax or they could be something more basic like health or the ability to see. It could also be something like family, friends, or a really great group of people with which one is engaged in a Lenten adventure. These things can help you to better see "God". If you pay attention to them and are appreciative of them, then you will be a better Christian, but if you ignore them, then you become like the Pharisees.