by the Rev. Carole Horton-Howe
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
—Matthew 9:35-10:8
There is a young man named Hector in El Salvador who leads a busy life. He’s a son and a brother to several siblings. He’s a plumber when he can get work. And he is a dedicated servant of God. He’s involved in the worship or his church and welcoming visitors. His vocation is helping the poor in their struggle to obtain basic necessities like clean water and decent homes. Hector is a busy man. There is a lot to do there. Hector, like Jesus, feels deep compassion for those in need of healing through the love of God. He feels called to work the harvest.
It’s no secret that El Salvador is a place where it’s easy to run into a dangerous situation. Many times as Hector is walking or riding his bike home as he must do, he is confronted by gang members looking for to injure him for no reason other than Hector’s presence in their neighborhood.
They’re often angry and looking for a fight. And he would like to talk to them about God. He would like to assure them of God’s love for them. He would like to offer assistance to them. But he says he doesn’t because they are not in a place to hear him. They are saturated in the violence of their lifestyle and cannot take in the gospel message. Unless they are healed of all that tears at them they cannot hear him. And so a man on his bike just tries to get away from the violence, so he can continue to work the harvest elsewhere.
Of all the tasks that Jesus could have given his disciples, we hear today about something very specific. Jesus comes on a group of people whose suffering brings on a well of compassion within him. And in response he calls the disciples to prayer and to mission: he sends them out to heal people. It’s not a mission of teaching or feeding or addressing any of their other needs – and I’m certain there were many just as there are today. It was first of all healing. And so I wonder if Jesus sends the disciples on a mission of healing because it is the first step, it is the foundation of all other missions. If the experience of healing is what opens us up to the gospel message demonstrating God’s love for us in real and tangible ways.
The stories preceding this gospel are familiar ones – Jesus bringing healing to men who are blind, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years and a child who has fallen asleep. Jesus brings them to a place where they are whole, free from any ailment. He restores them. And now the disciples are authorized to do the same. They are to do what they have just witnessed Jesus doing.
We may not get very far into this passage before we wonder if anyone other than Jesus is really up for this task of healing. Curing the sick? Cleansing lepers? Raising the dead? Few will feel confident going into those assignments.
When we look at what we’ve heard Jesus do and what the disciples are being sent to do, we anticipate that they will fall short. Remember who Jesus was talking to – a tax collector, a rabble-rouser, some fishermen, an accountant, men who were tradesmen or like Jesus were trained to work with their hands. Average people. Not particularly engaged in healing or even helping professions. No practitioners of the curing arts among them. And yet they were all calls them and strengthens them to be healers.
If we place ourselves among the disciples, we might feel that we would fall short. And perhaps more comfortable among those who were like sheep without a shepherd.
But I think that Jesus helps us out with this task. We have a formula to follow: Compassion with Faith and Action lead to Healing.
To be equipped for healing doesn’t mean that you need to go out and get a medical degree or enroll in nursing school. If you feel called to heal in that way, God bless you and love you through that process.
But just as the disciples were sent out to towns in ancient Israel, we who follow Jesus today continue to be challenged to do this work with little more than the strength of our faith and the deep well of compassion within us. Fortunately, that’s enough. Compassion with Faith and Action lead to Healing.
Have you ever noticed that outside of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus doesn’t often tell his followers what to pray for. In the gospel today he does: ask God to send workers into the fields to bring in the harvest. And as they pray the prayer, the answer becomes all too apparent: it’s them. They are the answer to their own prayers.
What about us? How are we authorized to be healers? I think the answer lies in our faith as expressed in the baptismal covenant.
We haven’t been able to have a baptism lately. That’s truly a sacramental act to be done in community. We hope to have baptisms soon. And when we do the candidates for baptism and their parents will be asked to articulate what they believe. These are powerful and empowering words:
Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God? The answer is I renounce them.
Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? I renounce them.
Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God? I renounce them.
Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior? I do.
Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love? I do.
Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord? I do.
Throughout history amazing things – seemingly impossible things - have been done and continue to be done through ordinary members of the church going to people and places bringing healing that opens the way to God for those who are healed. The magnificent, undeniable love of God held tight in faith flows through their action to being healing to the rest of the world.
These are usually big flashy instances that make the news. But for each of these there are thousands that don’t. You’ll never hear about a Soup Hour guest who receives a letter, a pair of socks or a meal and yet they are healed. You’ll never hear about someone who spends the night at the Cold Weather Shelter in a bed with a blanket when it’s raining and cold but they are healed. You’ll never hear about those times at home or school or work when an adult tells a struggling child “I believe in you. I’m proud of you.” But God’s healing presence is surely there.
I’ll finish my story about Hector. He got to know villagers who made four trips a day carrying ten gallon jugs up and down a mountain just to get water that wouldn’t make them sick. He helped them file petitions with government agencies and stayed with them through the ups and downs of the process over several years. He celebrated with them when the first valve was turned on their street and fresh, clean water began to flow. For him and for them this was the healing they needed, this was God bringing healing to their world.
You are the answer to someone’s prayer. Who in your life needs healing today? How does the suffering around you move you to compassion today? How is the God of the harvest calling you? Amen.