During this period of the Church Calendar known as Epiphany or the “the time Epiphany”, we look back on the “firsts” of Jesus’ ministry. Recently in this series of reflections, we have touched on how Jesus’ mission is introduced and how the first disciples were called. It is appropriate for us to also look at the stories of those healed by Jesus, as these stories begin early in the gospel texts as well, and provide more examples of the varying ways people are called to respond to the grace and restoration given by Jesus Christ.
It is perhaps not surprising that Jesus healed people—it is what most of us would expect from a good and godly person—however, what remains a mystery is Jesus’ differing commands to those whom he has healed. To some he tells them to keep it a secret and tell no one, while to others he tells them to go and share their good news. Jesus’ instructions are unique to each person.
In these stories, we who have come to follow Jesus Christ should see ourselves as those healed. We may not have been healed of physical afflictions or demonic forces like these stories of old, yet we have all been healed spiritually by the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Furthermore, our healing was not a one-time event. Like baptism, confession, conversion, discipleship—and so many other realities of faith—we must be re-healed every day by the grace of God and then figure out what we are to do with that daily good news.
So, having been healed spiritually, both initially and daily, we must discern how we share or do not share our unique experiences of faith with those around us. We discern this by listening for Christ’s specific commands to us individually, or as revealed by others around us. Some of us when healed are called to share openly, while others are called to keep it quiet.
We must be attentive to the Holy Spirit in all of this, lest we fool ourselves into thinking God would only have us share what we want to. We need the Spirit to help us know that we are sharing what we ought to, even if it makes us uncomfortable. The Spirit must guide the specifics of where to share, when to share, who to share with, how to share, and what to share. Indeed, the callings can change day to day, hour to hour, and circumstance to circumstance. And we must always be aware that the Spirit may be speaking to us through others, when we receive a word of encouragement or challenge that nudges us to open up and discuss the good news we have to share.
Why all this waffling? Shouldn’t we as Christians proclaim our faith loudly at all times since we believe it to be the best news of all? No; the gray space here keeps us humble and closer to God, as well as attuned to the wide spectrum of humanity, which we are all called to live alongside. We build trust with others in the lifestyle of discernment and also keep ourselves open to the lessons of God we can learn from others. Discernment keeps us from having a self-focused faith, and instead a faith focused on God and others.
The calling of God is tailored to each one of us and the message we each have to share is also highly customized. Yet, we all maintain a common bond in Jesus Christ and the Gospel. This is a marvel of humanity—which is like a great tapestry that God continues to expand—and one of the mysteries of faith. We are all uniquely individual with our own good news stories of faith to tell and also all one in Jesus Christ, sharing the most marvelous Gospel of all.
Relevant Reformation 