Seeing

Miracles - they’re not just a Jesus thing. Of course, Paul and Barnabas would tell us that this miracle is entirely a Jesus thing, but you know what I mean.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, these two - one of them a former critic of the cause - encounter a lame man and in the power of the Spirit, that lame man walks. That same Spirit has called Barnabas and Paul to a very particular task; to travel throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and tell people about Jesus - so yeah, I guess it is a Jesus thing.

But on this day - in this place - having been chased from other towns by folks who were unwilling or unable to see the good in what Paul & Barnabas were offering - on this day, seeing is believing.

Paul sees a crowd, and begins to speak. The crippled man sees Paul and takes an interest in what he’s saying. Then - most interesting; Paul, “seeing that he had the faith to be healed,” tells this man to get up and walk. And he does.

The crowd sees this and loses it’s collective mind. “The gods are among us!” they shout. - the only possibility when a miracle is revealed. And the community of religious Jews - and those who feel threatened by any shift in the power structure - they see this too. And take action.

Three different groups - with very different ways of seeing the world. A crippled man in the midst of them. I really struggled to understand what it means for Paul to ‘see that [this man] had faith to be healed…’ how does anyone see faith? But then I considered that it might be the seeing that is key - Perhaps Paul (and Barnabas) are the only people who really see this man. See him for who he really is - a crippled, but still beloved child of God.

They see him, and recognize his humanity (where others only see his infirmity) and once he is seen and acknowledged, he is empowered. He is HEALED.

This puts all manner of healing stories - all kinds of miracles - in a new light for me.  Suddenly, it’s not a supernatural event - potentially, we are all ‘healers in faith.’ Not supernatural, but maybe it can be our super power.

When Jesus invites us to love our neighbours as ourselves; when he suggests we ought to love even our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us; when Jesus strays into territory that ‘good people’ should steer clear of - among the lepers and the cripples - it is easy to say that we are being shown a model for ‘treating people nicely.’ But in a world where people were made to feel invisible; where women had no access to justice except through their husbands and sons; where the crippled and those with chronic illness were considered to be cursed by god, and thus better left quite alone; in a world like that, Jesus actions are more than just treating people nicely. What Paul has learned from his encounter with Jesus is that recognition is empowering.

Paul - a vigorous opponent of the followers of Jesus - is seen and named by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He is not vilified. He is not shamed, or shunned. He is invited to explain himself (Saul - why are you persecuting me?) Yes, the encounter leaves him temporarily blind - divine revelation always leaves a mark. But Paul was profoundly affected by this encounter with one he thought was his enemy - who turned out to be his saviour. Paul was healed of his warring spirit, and he, in turn, will heal others by applying this lesson - by ‘seeing that he had faith to be healed,’ by paying attention to the beloved of God wherever he meets them. 

Before we set aside this episode of healing as ‘just another biblical wonder,’ I will tell you a story.

 

When I was attending Knox College, I got to know the Toronto transit system fairly well. And quickly you learn that subway stations are great places for folks who are looking for spare change. There is a wide variety of peple who seek a handout, but the truly homeless are easiest to spot. They keep their heads down - they are most often quiet - deferential. The majority don’t want trouble, they just want enough for their next meal.  If you take a regular route, you soon see familiar faces - they stake out territory, and respect one another’s spaces. And I learned a couple of things as I navigated these strange(to me) streets. The first was that most ‘regular people’ act as though they can’t see these folks. The typical attitude of the business people hustling along Bay Street is. ‘Eyes front, feet moving. Walk as though you had somewhere more important to be than right here.’

Homeless folks acknowledge one another - they have relationships - rules - and a mutual support network. That lead to the most important thing I learned in the city. Yes - I donated a fair bit of my hard earned to various hats, cans and baskets. But if I didn’t have any spare change, I learned that the best thing I could do was make eye contact - say hello - tease them about their allegiance to the Maple Leafs. Acknowledgement was also the coin of the realm on those difficult streets. 

In four years of this approach, I never felt threatened - or worried for my safety - and often was rewarded - even when no money changed hands - with a ‘Thanks - have a nice day, or “God bless you.’

I’m not going to pretend I healed anyone - but in recognizing our shared humanity, it’s possible that we saved one another. Following Jesus pattern - knowing that each of us was a beloved child of God - in these small interactions, some hope is kindled, and the kingdom of God comes closer.

 Paul discovered this ‘Jesus method’ on the Damascus road, and used it to great effect. Jesus still calls us to love one another as God loves us. And it occurs to me that all the theology in the world has less effect than a smile and a word of greeting when someone least expects it.