The Book of Wisdom states it very clearly: God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. God wants to be with us, not separate from us; God wants to be in relationship with humankind, and so God formed man to be imperishable, and God found his creation very good. It was Adam and Eve in the garden who brought death upon themselves, jeopardizing their relationship with God through their sin. To be formed in the image of God means that we are to reveal God to the world, and to that, we must live according to God’s Wisdom, that we might be life-giving blessing to our world. As Psalm 30 reminds us, God is merciful: his anger lasts but a moment, a lifetime his good will. In spite of our sin, we believe that God will restore us to wholeness, that we might remain righteous, in right relationship with him.
Jesus also supplies life-giving mercy in Mark’s Gospel, first to the woman who has been afflicted with hemorrhages for thirty years, and then to the daughter of the synagogue official, Jairus, who, her father tells Jesus, is at the point of death. The first woman takes it upon herself to touch Jesus’ cloak, thinking, If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured; she has faith in Jesus’ power to heal her, to restore her to community by drying up the flow of blood that makes her ritually impure. In Jairus’ home, Jesus’ touch – he takes the child by the hand, although to do so makes him ritually impure – is life-giving as well. As the Book of Wisdom reminds us, God intends that all things might have being, and so Jesus reaches in and meets the girl where she is, transmitting the restorative love of God. And, as Paul tells the Corinthians, we are called to be life-giving to others, embracing poverty that others might be rich, supplying all they need. This is how we live according to God’s Wisdom; this is how we will one day know God’s love in its perfection.
Every day, by any number of questionable actions, we risk separation, both from God and from one another. An unkind word, a hasty judgment, an insensitive action or gesture... and yet, redemption is available! Jesus gives life, not only to the dead but to those who are separated from relationship because they fail to live life perfectly, in perfect union with God and with other, that is to say, all of us. God’s is the power at the heart of these stories – the power of new life, new hope, new being. How, then, might we reach out and touch the cloak of Jesus? How, then, might we foster the faith necessary to believe that his power is there to heal us, to heal our divisions, always?
This post is based on OLMC’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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