Oxen and Aquaphobia - November 7
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 75, 76; PM Psalm 23, 27; Ecclus. 51:1-12; Rev. 18:1-14; Luke 14:1-11
Reading Luke 14 today brought me back to the urgency at play in saving lives. During Spring Break of my senior year of high school, I spent the week getting certified as a lifeguard and water safety instructor, along with seven other people. The teacher made us swim laps daily and put us through rigorous training. (It was in no way a restful vacation!) Jeff was a Red Cross employee and a huge guy – maybe 6’2” with a stocky build. For our final certification exam, we had to pull Jeff the instructor from the deepest part of the pool, 12 feet below the surface of the water, and then swim him to the side – simulating a rescue.
Once Jeff was set at the bottom of the pool, we had to go in and get him before he ran out of air. There was no tarrying, though it was terrifying prospect for me. You see, I have this acute fear of running out of breath. I was “chicken fighting” in the pool as a kid, with a friend sitting on my shoulders. As we toppled, I was pinned under the water. I struggled to reach the surface, gasping and scared. Thus, the feeling of fighting for breath is a visceral one that triggers discomfort in me. While it was an uncomfortable experience, I learned the value of being attentive and responsive to troubled swimmers.
It is no surprise that Jesus’ lesson to the Pharisees about rescuing a child or ox from drowning sparked reactions from me! The story goes a bit like this: On one particular sabbath, Jesus is on the way to dinner, surrounded by his critics. He sees a man who has dropsy (lots of swelling in his body due to retaining fluid). Jesus makes this a teachable moment: “Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?” he asks the Pharisees. There are crickets … no one responds. Surely, they know he is trying to bait them. Jesus takes the ailing man, heals him, and sends him on his way. (I wonder what kind of grumbling and awkward gestures are exchanged. Maybe shrugging of shoulders or rolling of eyes? Someone says, “Oh man, he’s at it again!”)
Much to the Pharisees’ chagrin, the lesson is not over. Jesus shifts the dynamic and invites his audience into a space of empathy. He presents a scenario where they are to imagine how they would respond if the one in dire need was from their own household, rather than a lowly stranger begging on the street: “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?”
Think about the urgency of the situation when someone is drowning. Is there time for a procedural vote on the nature of appropriateness for intervention? No! You react immediately! Does it matter that it is the sabbath? No! The sanctity of God’s creation is at hand. Jesus drives home that point, presenting an extreme example, for the Pharisees take an equally staunch approach to following each letter of each Law. Jesus reminds his critics that life is a sacred gift – whether it is the life of a child, a stranger, or livestock. Rules on sabbath are to be followed, and when the fullness of life is curtailed – and healing is denied – by categorically adhering to the sabbath, then something is amiss.
We, too, are called to be responsive and compassionate to those in need around us. It is not always easy or convenient. Jesus calls us out of our shells of comfort and ease. He calls us to live into deep faithfulness, being vulnerable to what God’s love really looks like in the world. That means looking someone in the eye when they are begging on the side of the road. That means offering to pray with someone in a moment when they are weeping. That means facing our own sinful and broken hearts, before criticizing someone else’s woundedness. When we band together as Christian community to address the hurts, division, and pains that ail us, how much more forgiving and cohesive can we be!
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
What excuses or prior obligations have kept you from helping someone else?
When has a stranger been responsive to you when in need help? To whom have you shown compassion, reaching out in need?
Daily Challenge
Make a plan to help someone in need. Sign up to deliver snack bags, sandwiches, or bottled water for the Avondale ministry to homeless neighbors. If not that, look for another venue where you can respond to a need of another person from outside of your circle of familiarity. Pray that God will prepare you to be attentive, brave, and vulnerable in what interactions that follow.