PASTORAL PERSPECTIVES: DEFINING OUR EXISTENCE SO THAT CHRIST CAN ANSWER OUR NEEDS

The Rev. Grant Gillard has been pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, since 1993.

We traditionally see Jesus as compassionate, caring and sensitive to the needs of people. We frequently see him deliberately buck societal conventions and trash the paralysis of the status quo in the name of helping someone. He disregarded the sanctity of the Sabbath to heal people. Jesus cares deeply about the needs of hurting people.

A biblical text in John 5:1-9 describes a pool of water with supposed healing powers. The legend of the pool attracted hundreds of suffering people, the blind, lame and paralyzed, in the hopes of finding relief.

A man who was afflicted with an illness for 38 years was lying there. Jesus, the one who we often think of as caring, compassionate and sensitive, asked him a rather blatantly obvious and insensitive question: "Do you want to be made well?"

My initial response, had I been that man, would have been, "But of course! That's why I'm here!" The question also seems ludicrous for we read how Jesus could perceive the thoughts of people. He had the ability to read the intentions of a person's heart (see Matthew 9:4 and Mark 3:5).

The question becomes a defining moment, not for Jesus, but for the man. The man had allowed his condition to define his existence, namely, he was at the mercy of those who would help him, but sadly, no one would help him. It looked hopeless as he fixed his energies on his problem.

This same question Jesus asks defines our existence. To put it another way, we might ask, "What do I want?"

Do you want less anxiety and peace of mind? If this is what you truly desire, then put God first in your life (Matthew 6:33).

Do you want a more fulfilling marriage? If this is what you really want, honor and give worth to your spouse, voluntarily submit out of mutual respect for your marriage (Ephesians 5:22-28, Colossians 3:18-19, 1 Peter 3:5-7).

Do you want a church that will grow and attract new members? If this is your heart's desire, then quit being such a contentious stumbling block to others and support the church leadership (Romans 14:17-23, Galatians 5:14).

What do you want? The question may seem to ask the obvious. Yet this question redefines our existence to see how Jesus Christ is able to answer the deepest heartfelt needs in our lives. God stands ready to help us in the daily struggles of our lives, but we have to be honest about what we truly desire.

To paraphrase a popular chorus: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, not on your problems, look full in his wonderful face. And the frustrations and problems of this world grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.