"FOLLOW ME pt.3: Love - Put Yourself Out"
Feb.9/03 Mk.1:40-45
True Love - More than just a Cupid Concoction
We've just passed Valentine's Day for another year. Valentines are most intended for "sweethearts", couples who are married or courting and want to give tangible expression to the romantic desire they have for each other. So-called "love songs" also focus on that acute passionate desire God equipped us as male and female to feel for a member of the opposite sex. And Christian couples ought to enjoy romantic moments; their love is made more free and secure by the exclusivity and inseparability that commitment before the Lord gives.
But there is much more to "love" than just romance, being twitterpated. Ed Wheat points out that the Greeks had at least 5 different words for love, from the comfortable family-bonding kind of love, through to "phileo" or brotherly affection, on to "agape" which in Biblical thought most closely describes God's unconditional, undeserved love for "unlovely" sinful creatures, as we all were. In fact Jesus spoke of this non-romantic type of love as being the key thing that would characterize those who are truly His disciples. What is love, then, if more than bouquets of roses, sentimental cards, and boxes of chocolates?
Loving an Unlovely Leper
As Jesus continued his initial preaching mission in Galilee, Mark records a first encounter that would set the tone for the Lord's entire ministry as one of breathtaking love; but this would make bitter enemies for Him as well. In Mark 1:40 we read, "A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Hold on a minute - a man with leprosy? What's that?
Though in the Bible the word is used for a range of skin diseases, "leprosy" or Hansen's disease is chiefly caused by a bacterium similar to the culprit in tuberculosis. About 95% of people who are exposed to it can fight it off with their immune system. More than 5 million people worldwide are infected, mostly in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific. When Yvonne, Emily & I were in Nigeria, we visited a leprosarium run by missionaries. The bacterium invades peripheral nerves; ability to sense touch, pain, and hot and cold decreases, so people with peripheral nerve damage may unknowingly burn, cut, or otherwise harm themselves. Muscle weakness may result in clawing of the fingers, a "drop foot" deformity, and disfigurement. Sores develop on the soles of the feet. Damage to nasal passages results in a chronically stuffy nose, which can also become flattened. Eye damage leads to blindness. Nodules and ulcers form both in the skin and beneath its surface. Swollen patches become thickened, painful, and spread. In one type of leprosy, sharply defined patches of skin become raised on any part of the body; these patches expand, becoming dry, pale, and devoid of sensation. Tissues of the fingers and toes may die, resulting in stumps. One commentator notes, "In addition to the scaly symptoms, the skin becomes hard and cracks open, and from the cracks an ichorous humor oozes.The disease spreads inwardly, and ends in consumption, dropsy, suffocation, and death." What a terrible disease! Like being slowly eaten alive by an invisible monster!
In Biblical times, lepers were forbidden to enter a walled town. Lev.13(45) directed that "The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’" so that people would know to stay away. Some people even threw rocks at lepers to keep them at a safe distance. Lepers were unfit to participate in any social or religious activity; essentially, they were cut off from God's people. Rabbis considered a leper a living corpse, and their cure as difficult as a resurrection from the dead.
This is the plight of the fellow who came to Jesus that day. Even coming close was an offence -- didn't he know he had to keep his distance? But this shows the man's faith, he was committed to the point of taking a risk. Eduard Schweizer comments, "true faith is seen in the complete dependence upon [Jesus], in the courage to put trust in Jesus' unlimited power, and in the humble consciousness that everything depends upon Jesus' will and nothing can be expected from man."
Before we get too grossed out by the leper's oozing sores, let's remember that, spiritually speaking, each of us in our sin would have been ten times as offensive in the sight of a pure and holy God. Our most righteous deeds are as "filthy rags" compared to the standard of God's glory. The Lord can't tolerate sin; we were repulsive before the Almighty. But by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, we dare to come near and seek His cleansing and forgiveness!
The leper came, fell on his knees and begged Jesus, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." What would be the Master's response? Banishment? Rebuke? Mark describes one of the most beautiful scenes in all scripture: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.'I am willing,' he said.'Be clean!'"
Love as Compassionate Caring, not Eros' Attraction
The Greek word behind "filled with compassion" means "to be moved to one's bowels", which were thought to be the seat of love and pity. Jesus was deeply moved, it was a "gut-wrenching" experience as He gazed upon this shriveled, hurting, distorted, half-eaten body crouching before Him. As He gazed, love conquered loathing. Something inside him was plucked and resonating with the pain and desperation of this kneeling un-man. Jesus allowed Himself to be affected by the leper, His heart went out to him; this was what He had been baptized into the waters of the Jordan for, to become as one with broken and bleeding humanity in all our sin and sickness. Jesus felt a flood of compassion and empathy rising within, He identified with this guy. Then He did the unthinkable. He reached out and touched the man with His hand! Bad enough to have him close by - hadn't you better just say the word and quickly turn away, Lord, so as not to risk infection yourself? Not to mention ceremonial uncleanness? But that's not the Saviour's style. Christ makes contact; He bonds with the broken, and reassures the whole person -- spirit, soul, and body. "I love you; you are touchable, clean; I want to relate to you, as fully as possible." And the 'unclean' was suddenly cured.
One day, Francis of Assisi was on his way to do battle for his city. He was dressed in armour, riding upon his horse down the road to Perugia. Suddenly, standing in his way was a leper dressed in rags. A good part of the leper's face had been eaten away by the dreaded disease. Francis bade the leper to step aside, but the man just stood there silently. On an impulse, Francis got off his horse, went up to the leper, and gave him some money. Still, the leper did not move. Francis then took off his cape and wrapped it around the man. Still the leper did not move. Finally, Francis took the man's head in his hands and kissed him on his rotted lips. When he got back on his horse and looked down to say good-bye to the leper, the road was empty. The leper was nowhere to be found, and Francis knew that in the leper he had encountered Jesus Christ. He had entered into the Saviour's being "filled with compassion" for the lost and rejected.
Jesus calls His followers to show love; more than any other of the qualities we're talking about in this series, love is paramount for Christ's disciples. We see here love's components: empathy, contact, volition ("I am willing"), action, and cost. Who knows how much it cost Jesus to touch and heal that outcast that day? He was breaking every taboo in the book of customs of the day. A wildly successful, popular healing ministry was just getting underway. Why raise opposition unnecessarily? Jesus had nothing to gain by this, and everything to lose.
"Love" as the world understands it is quite different from true Biblical love. Fallen man's idea of love is an attraction based on certain desirable conditions, such as appearance, pleasure, ability -- whatever Hollywood can market and a person can take pride in. The world's idea of love (eros) is charmed by features of the other that turn one's crank, they "do" something for you. Gary Smalley likens the popular concept of a marriage relationship to a tick on a dog's back: the only reason you're together is to get something from the other person. The problem, he says, is that in reality there's no dog - just two ticks! Oops - nothing to offer - I guess 'love' just "dried up"!
Biblical love, on the other hand, is 'agape' love - unconditional, not based on any possibly desirable qualities of the other. God loves us just because He made us, not because of any accomplishment or desirability on our part - far from it, it's like Francis kissing that leper. But Jesus still cares enough to go all the way to excruciating torture and the grave to give you eternal life with Him. And He calls His followers to show love pre-eminently.
Love the "Most Excellent Way" in Scripture
The New Testament tells us, "Live a life of love." (Eph.5:2) "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:14) Love is greater than faith or hope; it's the most excellent way -- "Follow the way of love..." (1Cor.13;14:1) According to Jesus, the absolutely greatest commandment is twofold love: love for God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love for our neighbour as ourself (Mt.22:37,39). Christ was critical of the Pharisees because they neglected "justice and the love of God" (Lk.11:42). 2Cor.5(14f) explains that "Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." That's part of our love for God-- living for Jesus. He said in Jn.8(42), "If God were your Father, you would love me..." After Peter blew it the night of the arrest and denied three times he ever knew Jesus, what was the question the Risen Lord asked to reinstate His ashamed and disgraced apostle? "Simon, do you love me...?" (Jn.21:15-17)
But they're two hinges of the same door: the New Testament inseparably links love for God with love for our fellow human. "Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:11) That final night, Jesus laid it out point-blank: "A new command I give you: Love one another.As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35) Do we detect a little repetition for emphasis here?! And in case they missed it, a little later He added, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." (John 15:12,17) He even carved it right into the Sermon on the Mount that we should love our enemies! (Mt.5:44)
The apostles consistently pick up the refrain. Paul writes in Romans(12:9f;13:9f), "Love must be sincere...Be devoted to one another in brotherly love...Love is the fulfillment of the law." And it's not to be just a casual or surface thing. Peter's letter urges, "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." [and later] "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 1:22; 4:8)Peter acknowledges these church folk already have love, but tells them to love "deeply", as if there's a whole 'nother level. The word literally means "to stretch out the hand", thus to be stretched out, "earnest, resolute, tense." Go out of your way, "put yourself out" on behalf of the other person.
That's what Jesus did for people - put Himself out. He didn't have to stretch out His hand, but He put Himself out to do so, knowing that touch would mean so much to the untouchable. When our story began, the leper was outside the walls of any walled city by public order; Jesus was comfortably inside. After he touched and healed the man, though, the ex-leper disobediently spread the news all around, to the extent that as v.45 says, "Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places." The ex-leper was in and Jesus was out. No more Tim Horton's doughnuts or coffees at the Grandview; from now on, the public pressures would normally confine Him to hastily-arranged picnics on the hillside and a bedroll under the stars. Like Walt Wangerin's story "The Ragman", in healing our diseases Jesus becomes afflicted Himself; He exchanges our rags for His righteousness. The cross is the supreme symbol of Jesus putting Himself out, "outside the camp" so we could gain entrance to the Eternal City.
More than Words
1John 3(11,16-18) says, "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another...This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
This isn't just a challenge for the person in the pew, but for those in leadership. A Barna Research Group survey analyzed 1344 church leaders using a 177-question profile. ChristianWeek reports, "the survey found that many leaders tended not to have loving hearts because of an unwillingness to go out of their way to help those in need and to be generous with their resources." Love means putting yourself out for someone as Jesus did. Helping someone with a servant attitude. George Barna says, "The public expects leaders to treat their position as a means of serving people with godly wisdom, genuine love and with the understanding that leadership is about the privilege of serving, not about power, authority, perks or ego gratification."
How can we make love more than words? How can we "stretch out our hand" and love deeply, as Jesus did? Not long ago we took part in Operation Christmas Child, organized by Samaritan's Purse. Their newsletter shows Lisa Clementi, a 12-year-old born with HIV, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Youth Choir, and Bono joining Franklin Graham for a special service in New York for shoe boxes going to Uganda, a nation ravaged by AIDS. The world's largest cargo jet delivered 80,000 shoeboxes there, part of the more than 6 million shoe boxes delivered to children in over 100 countries. The need goes beyond a one-time gift. We're told the HIV pandemic has killed 27 million, infected another 42 million, and orphaned 14 million children. In South Africa alone, according to Reuters News Agency, one in every nine people suffers from HIV/AIDS, damaging the workforce and leaving millions of children without parents. Christian organizations are supporting frontline AIDS workers, running Bible-based prevention programs, and providing compassionate care for orphans, widows, and the sick.
"The Leprosy of our Time"
What is the leprosy of our time? Who would you consider most untouchable - would you hesitate most about physical contact with? U2's lead singer, Bono, has been campaigning amongst world leaders on behalf of an agency he founded called DATA - Debt, AIDS, and Trade in Africa. He'd remind us that every day 5500 Africans die from AIDS, and 1400 mothers give HIV to their children in childbirth. He describes the continent as "bursting into flames while we all stand around with watering cans." Bono is challenging the churches to start showing love with our material possessions, to put ourselves out for hurting Africans. He says, "I tell these evangelicals in the US there are 2300 verses of Scripture about the poor. It's the central message outside of personal redemption, the idea of dealing with the poor. And I'm asking them, where are they? On a recent poll of evangelical churches, only 6% said they wanted to do something about AIDS. It is unbelievable, the leprosy of our time."
Bono has a point. We're extra cautious about making any physical contact with someone who has AIDS. We're also reluctant to get involved with someone who's poor, afraid we'll get drained. But that's just the sort of person Jesus was always ready to help. He let his "innards" be affected by the plight of these people.
Tony Campolo tells about one time he was the speaker for an evangelistic crusade in Sacramento California. Though it was very successful the first night, the organizers were disappointed with the lack of media coverage. Tony challenged them, "This is World AIDS Week. Let's do something about that. If you want news coverage, just put out a press release that the offering from tonight's meeting will go to programs throughout the Sacramento area that minister to people suffering from AIDS. If you want news coverage, you've got to make news! I want to tell you it's news when a bunch of evangelicals are willing to express love in a tangible way for people suffering from AIDS. We say we love these people, but it's usually a lot of words. Let's put our money where our mouths are and see what happens."
That night there was extensive media coverage - all three major TV stations and two newspapers. They didn't pay any attention to the mass choir's singing or Tony's message, but cameras started rolling when the offering buckets were passed. Tony recalls, "Later that night, I was in my hotel room watching the evening news to see how the whole thing was covered. They not only showed the offering being taken, but they interviewed people as they were leaving the arena. One old grandmother was moved to tears as she said, "My grandson has AIDS, and this is the first time that I've been able to talk about it, because up until now I was made to feel so ashamed of him. I feel he was affirmed tonight." There were a few other comments that were made, but the best one of the evening was from a tough-looking guy who was grossly overweight. His hair was a mess and it looked as though he needed a shave, but they stuck a microphone under his mouth and asked him, "Well, what did you think of the offering tonight?" The guy answered in a gruff voice, "What about it?" The interviewer said, "Well, people with AIDS are usually homosexuals, and you evangelical Christians haven't been very kindly disposed to them, have you? How do you feel about your money going to people who are probably gay?" The guy's answer was splendid. He said, "I don't know anything about this homo stuff. All I know is that when people are sick, we're supposed to take care of them. And that's because Christians love everybody." I stood up in the hotel room, shot my fists into the air, and yelled, "YES!" In the end, they will know that we are Christians, not because we perform miracles, or demonstrate signs and wonders. They will know we are Christians by our love." Let's pray.
LOCAL AIDS HOSPICE CONTACT INFO: The John Gordon Home, 596 Pall Mall St., London ON N5Y 2Z9, 519-433-3951 johngordon@wwdc.com Caution: reaching out may change you!