Sin Is The Greatest Handicap We All Have

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘…and all who touched <Jesus, or Jesus’ cloak> were healed..”’ (Mark 6:56b)

It is obvious we live in a broken world; murderers are cheered (such as the young man who killed the healthcare CEO last year, for example). Others express gleefulness when a young woman is stabbed to death on a train or a political pundit is shot and killed at a rally.

These are not new occurrences. Celebrating the criminal and vilifying the victim is as old as when the murderer Cain tried to blame his brother Abel when confronted with bloody rock (‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’). Part of this is the lack of responsibility on the part of the criminal. The excuse is often ‘the victim had it coming to them‘ or, to quote the famous theologian Flip Wilson, ‘the devil made me do it’.

Sin may not always show up in criminal activity but in lack of moral judgement. We see in many social media posts those who express a gleefulness and celebratory tone over an innocent victim’s death, fall apart and blame others in their next posting when their employer sees those posts and terminates the employment of the gleeful individual.

It is often someone who did not learn that actions (including the action of speech) often has consequences. (You have the right to free speech, but all speech comes with the potential of consequences, positive or negative, attached.)

Criminal or unrighteous behavior is as crippling as someone with physical or mental handicaps; it is a form of a Spiritual handicap that one has who engages in such behavior. Locked up in a jail cell or having a criminal record is often a handicap that limits the individual’s potential. All forms of handicaps have been in existence since sin in Genesis 3 was introduced to man.

While Jesus walked the earth, people either sought Jesus for themselves or for a loved one or a friend who was sick or crippled.  They were imperfect at birth or by accident, or just dumb luck. We see nothing has changed in this; the Shriners and St. Jude’s Hospital have the commercials of the children would have been born or have developed ailments, or who have been maimed by tragic accidents. 

Media channels provide commercials for various wounded-warrior or disabled-veteran charities showing military personnel who have lost limbs or have suffered traumatic brain injuries.  These modern examples have needs and certainly there is no shame but indeed honorable for these organizations to ask for help to aid these children and our wounded veterans to help take care of them or heal them. 

We all have these same needs, even if we are physically and mentally fit.  We are not whole but are lacking just like these children, or these veterans.  These charities can help with a prosthetic or treat cancer, but they can’t help heal what everyone lacks, God’s Grace.  We cannot live up to our potential unless we are whole, and what can make us whole again?  Nothing but the Blood of Jesus. 

We are in need of Jesus to provide for us God’s love and grace, and we need God’s love and grace to share with others the Gospel of Christ.  Often we use a ‘prosthetic’ like money, a job, fame (or infamy), but nothing will ever complete us like Jesus can. 

Today we see a world burning, a world where our police are made out to be villains (and unfortunately a few are found to act like villains) and murderers and criminal acts are praised; a world where conciliation and truth are reviled and division and lies are promoted.  But those are not the real problems – the real problem is those doing wrong in action or in speech, are lacking the Holy Spirit through the acceptance of Jesus to provide guidance and correction. 

They are handicapped by a missing piece, and that piece is easily found if only they would ask, or perhaps if they knew to ask.  That piece of course is Jesus.  Want to stop the world from burning?  Be obedient to the command of the Great Commission, and take someone to Jesus so if they choose to do so, they could reach up and touch Him.