The Real Doctor

Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.

5 When he entered Capernaum,[a] a centurion approached him and appealed to him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” 7 He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8 The centurion said in reply,[b] “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel[c] have I found such faith. 11 I say to you,[d] many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, 12 but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour [his] servant was healed.
[e] 14 Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him.
16 When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word[f] and cured all the sick, 17 to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:[g]
“He took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”-Matthew8:5-17

The stories are a demonstration of Jesus as The Doctor and Divine Healer. When my father was hospitalized a few days ago, I had a good opportunity to observe the doctors and nurses. I am saddened that some doctors use their profession to get rich by actually charging expensively their patients for their medical and professional services. Jesus is reminding those in the medical field to be true to their profession - primarily to heal the patients first and foremost. It is never about the profit, the fee, the luxury, the prestige of being a doctor. It is all about the welfare, wellness and health of those who suffer from sickness.

Image courtesy: artist

Words said in Love

Stop judging.

1 [a]“Stop judging,[b] that you may not be judged. 2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. 3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? 5 You hypocrite,[c] remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.-Matthew7:1-5

Is it really difficult to be quiet and just refrain oneself from passing judgment? Nowadays, people demand the freedom to express. However, freedom to express does not necessarily mean being harsh, rude and ruthless in speech. I do not agree that harsh, rude and ruthless speech (or bashing to some) is freedom of speech because real freedom is knowing what to say, how to say it, and saying it with love and respect. It is not an impediment or a hindrance but as a way of exercising responsibly that freedom. I do not agree that freedom of speech is all about what we say only, rather, it has something to do also with the effect it will cause others.

One day I was dining with some friends, and one of us happened to be the cook. One friend said out loud that the food is bland. I shushed her and said that we are only eating, we did not cook, we ought to be thankful for the effort of our other friend to cook, and that the food is still a blessing. But my friend said, "Why? Can't I express an opinion?" I said, "Of course, you can. But you do it while considering the feelings of the other person who exerted effort for us." Yes, there is, I think, a thin line between expressing an opinion and judging others. For me, whether it is sharing an opinion, voicing out one's self, fraternal correction, etc., it should be done with love, respect and concern.

Image courtesy: artist

True Friend

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”-Mark2:1-12

A few things struck me. First, the friends of the paralyzed man are true friends indeed. Some friends disappear in times of trouble. There are those who suddenly disappear when their friend loses power, money or influence. But the paralyzed man's friends stood by him in his lowest moment. In fact, it is their faith that contributed to his healing. Whereas the paralyzed man never uttered a word in the gospel (though I believe that deep inside he was crying out loud for mercy and forgiveness), I believe that the actions of his friends successfully sent to Jesus their friend's plea. Their united faith in Jesus' healing mercy was channeled to His heart successfully despite the absence of words. Second, Jesus indeed is a true Friend. Jesus did not just show healing and forgiveness only, but He showed that He is a God-made-man who truly loves us, truly cares for us and is a true Friend to us. How did we treat our friends and neighbors today?

Image courtesy: God's Not Dead

Faith and Humility in his heart

Faith. Love. Humility.

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.-Matthew8:5-11

The Romans were once considered the masters of the world. All the countries and peoples they captured, were considered merely their subjects. The centurion - a powerful man - showed much humility before Jesus when he asked for healing for his servant (or slave to some accounts). Just imagine a powerful man humbling himself before a "subject" and asking for help. Above all, the faith of the centurion is something to behold. Normally, we want to see, hear, feel, taste or smell a healing miracle. We want the senses and intellect to be satisfied of its curiosity. "I want to see it," we say. But the centurion so believed in Jesus, that even His Words alone are enough to make miracles and wonders. I cannot help but feel a little irony and sadness. The centurion - a powerful man and hardened by battles, blood and death scenes - believed that Jesus' Words are powerful to make miracles and other majesties. Today, it is hard to convince some people that God is so powerful that His words alone are enough to make wonders and miracles. They much prefer Big Bang, or laws of science and math instead.

Another quality of the centurion that struck me the most is his ability to love. And love is God. Therefore, without him knowing it, he believes in God - in Jesus. Not all Roman masters care for their servants or slaves. If one goes, there are plenty of replacements to choose from. Hey, they can even import from other conquered countries. But the centurion showed love, concern and care for his servant.

Have we shown care to others?

Image courtesy: Radu Oltean (Centurion), Paolo Veronese (Jesus and the Centurion), artist