The Word at Work, Uniquely
If there is such a thing as a secular conversation, this was it. The exchange had been put off a couple of times, and from the tone, I was ready to trade formalities and trudge on to face the obstacles in this season of life that have at times seemed intractable. Then, my partner in this obligatory dance led differently. He identified me as a student of God's Word. He was in a position to extend the implications of that designation beyond what we think of as spiritual niceties handed out in lieu of present opportunity. Recognizing that the hold of God's Word on me, extended beyond Sunday church attendance, he opened a door which will change my life on Mondays through Fridays.
Jesus also sanctifies such a moment in Luke 17:17. A single leper, now healed, has come back to thank Jesus for the transformation wrought in him. In verse 17, Jesus asks the man, didn't I heal ten of you? Where are the others?" Anytime Jesus asks a question, we can be assured He knows the answer. Just as He saw Nathaniel beneath the tree before their encounter, Christ could see the whereabouts of the other nine lepers He healed. In fact, they were almost certainly on His errand, as He told all ten to go and show themselves to the priest. Anytime, also, we hear words from Jesus which, in other men, could be attributed to petty self-aggrandizement, we can dismiss that motive out of hand. He Who would give Himself so completely on the cross was not whining for gaudier gratitude. He left the adoring courts of Heaven to come to Earth where ingratitude is in the air we breathe.
The why behind Luke 17:17, and what ties it together with the affirmation of the Word in me yesterday, is permission, sanction, even commandment, to notice what Christ has done in us in particular. Lingering in a spirit of boastful comparison is a trap such that C.S. Lewis says in Screwtape Letters we are better off thanking God for the gift He has given us and forgetting them altogether than fixating on how we rank against one another. Still, moments to look around and realize that Christ has shed His grace on us in ways distinct from everybody else are helpful, healthy, and holy. Look around, Christ's command comes with His question, for the rest of your cohort. My call on you, He insists with all the gentleness of an inquiry, is unique. Christ of Whom Psalm 45:7 measures that He has oil of gladness greater than His companions bids us notice the same superabundance of grace upon ourselves. His gifts, be they zeal for His Word or a noticeable, springy spirit of resilience, are not doled out impersonally.
We come down from that mountain top moment humbled by the reminder from Luke 12:48, and Peter Parker's uncle in the Spiderman story. We have much, more in some important areas than others. We have much, and so much is expected. If someone is betting my passion for God's Word will have implications beyond Sundays, I need ongoing grace to ensure this will be the case. I need, as any to begin to recognize we are uniquely gifted by grace need, to see opportunities to express that gift and lighten the loads of others in everyday encounters.
Jesus also sanctifies such a moment in Luke 17:17. A single leper, now healed, has come back to thank Jesus for the transformation wrought in him. In verse 17, Jesus asks the man, didn't I heal ten of you? Where are the others?" Anytime Jesus asks a question, we can be assured He knows the answer. Just as He saw Nathaniel beneath the tree before their encounter, Christ could see the whereabouts of the other nine lepers He healed. In fact, they were almost certainly on His errand, as He told all ten to go and show themselves to the priest. Anytime, also, we hear words from Jesus which, in other men, could be attributed to petty self-aggrandizement, we can dismiss that motive out of hand. He Who would give Himself so completely on the cross was not whining for gaudier gratitude. He left the adoring courts of Heaven to come to Earth where ingratitude is in the air we breathe.
The why behind Luke 17:17, and what ties it together with the affirmation of the Word in me yesterday, is permission, sanction, even commandment, to notice what Christ has done in us in particular. Lingering in a spirit of boastful comparison is a trap such that C.S. Lewis says in Screwtape Letters we are better off thanking God for the gift He has given us and forgetting them altogether than fixating on how we rank against one another. Still, moments to look around and realize that Christ has shed His grace on us in ways distinct from everybody else are helpful, healthy, and holy. Look around, Christ's command comes with His question, for the rest of your cohort. My call on you, He insists with all the gentleness of an inquiry, is unique. Christ of Whom Psalm 45:7 measures that He has oil of gladness greater than His companions bids us notice the same superabundance of grace upon ourselves. His gifts, be they zeal for His Word or a noticeable, springy spirit of resilience, are not doled out impersonally.
We come down from that mountain top moment humbled by the reminder from Luke 12:48, and Peter Parker's uncle in the Spiderman story. We have much, more in some important areas than others. We have much, and so much is expected. If someone is betting my passion for God's Word will have implications beyond Sundays, I need ongoing grace to ensure this will be the case. I need, as any to begin to recognize we are uniquely gifted by grace need, to see opportunities to express that gift and lighten the loads of others in everyday encounters.
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