The titular character of the Book of Job has been assigned months of misery and troubled nights; Job does not feel he has been blessed by God. Except for his wife, Job has lost everything that made his life prosperous, including his health, and he suspects he shall not see happiness again. Job cannot, for the moment, count his blessings; he sees only the drudgery of his existence. In the end, however, Job’s fortune will be restored, and he will be able to sing Psalm 147, Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted. In it, the psalmist recognizes God’s graciousness, God’s restoration of his broken people. Both Job and the psalmist ultimately trust in God and they will be restored by the God who cares for them.
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is a model of restoration, first healing Simon’s mother-in-law who lays sick with a fever, and then curing many who were sick with various diseases and driving out demons. The people bring all who are broken, and Jesus heals them all; the immediacy of their need drives him on, even after a very long day. Unlike Job, who sees little reason to hope, Jesus, through his preaching, teaching and healing, touches the hearts of all throughout the whole of Galilee, and his work is so moving that they pursue him, holding to the powerful connection they feel to this teacher who has touched their lives, a blessing like none they have known before.
God wants to meet us where we are, which is why Paul, in his Letter to the Corinthians, can say that he has become all things to all to save at least some. An obligation has been imposed on him, but Paul knows that he is called by God, sent by God, and he cannot avoid that obligation. Paul thus gives us himself as completely as he can, giving of the Word freely, reaching into his own weakness to preach to the weak. Paul is a blessing to the community he serves because he allows the Lord to work through him, whatever the personal cost might be.
Like Job and Paul, we have to choose daily whether to follow through on what the Lord is calling us to. God meets us where we are as well, touching our hearts, inviting us to participate in his work, calling us to serve, blessing our lives, that we might be blessing to all we meet. Will we say yes?
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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