Miracles various. That is for sure. They can either be very earthbound or not earthbound at all.
I do not know if you recall a miracle, I read for you as a Gospel Reading a couple of Sundays ago. It had to do with a healing as well.
Today Jesus healed a boy with fever who was soon to die. A couple of Sundays ago Jesus healed a blind man.
Aside the difference in what Jesus healed, there is another very notable difference: How Jesus heals.
In the Reading a couple of Sundays ago Jesus touched the blind man, spit on him, and so healed. In today’s Reading it is completely different.
Not only are Jesus not at all in contact with the young boy who are healed, he is far away from him as well. 40 kilometers to be exact. At least that is the distance between ancient Cana and ancient Capernaum. Quite a remarkable feature!
Especially taken into consideration how ‘earthbound’ the healing a couple of weeks ago apparently had to be.
This Sunday the healing is not ‘earthbound’ at all which is why I stated what I did in the beginning of my sermon: Miracles truly differs.
Why then do they differ?
Well, first, I suppose Jesus performs various miracles in different ways because he is both a human being and a spiritual being. Something that he shows through him working in these different ways.
Aside that, second, I suppose today’s ‘unearthbound’ healing could be linked to what Jesus also argues in today’s Reading: That we as human beings always asks for signs.
As human beings we like when things make sense to us: When we can follow a line of thought, reprove an experiment by redoing it, we like signs. Signs that what is experienced is in fact true.
Yet this desire of ours to always receive ‘signs’ seem to stand in the way for faith. At least so it seems as Jesus says:
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
If it is true that our desire stands in the way of faith it would be something that we should worry about a lot. But before You start worrying too much, let me say that it cannot be like that.
After all, Jesus a couple of weeks ago did something very physical – something earthbound, full of signs – as he healed the blind man.
But how then should we understand Jesus’ fear in our seemingly insatiable desire of signs?
Recalling today’s Epistle Reading helps us answer this question, I think. The Reading in which…
… Truth was said to be a belt buckled around our waist…
… Righteousness was said to be a breastplate in place…
… Peace was said to be something fitted at our feet…
… Faith was said to be a shied with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one…
… Salvation was said to be a helmet…
… and the Word of God was said to be the Sword of the Spirit.
Truly with all these unearthly things being connected to earthly things, it cannot be the desire of earthly signs to unearthly things that Jesus has something against.
Rather, what Jesus is concerned about must be something deeper or something deeper within our desire of signs.
What then is this deeper?
Well, to answer this next and deeper question I see it fit to put it all into a deeper comparison. A comparison of:
- People with special dietary requirements.
- The title of a ‘Floor Manager’.
- And lastly being a boy- and a girlfriend.
Let me start with people with special dietary requirements. The ‘signs’ that such people exist is visible to all. At a buffet, signs even tell such people what to eat and what to avoid.
And I am one of them. As a diabetic I often go for the sugar free option on the rare occasion where it is available.
A lot of things around these dietary requirements are visible to all. But my point is that a lot is not as well. A lot is hidden. You may see me take some insulin, but how much more into detail can one get.
One might also think that a person eating no meat would be a vegetarian. But truly there can be a lot of reasons for not eating meet. You could avoid it due health issues or you could avoid it as a part of a climate effort.
Behind the earthly signs, an unknown deeper reality could be present. Might that be the issues of signs?
My second comparison was with the title ‘Floor Manager’. I believe it might be a little different over here, but in Denmark it is used for a person who as a part of his/her job sweeps floors.
Back in the days, this person might just have had the title of a ‘floor sweeper’, but as this is not an esteemed title, nor acknowledges all the aspects of what that person does, the title has changed.
Because words matter. As an employed person, what you do is not just what you do at a certain time where people observe you. Otherwise, my title could as well change from Pastor to ‘Sunday Morning Entertainer’.
In short, what I try to say is that – again – a lot is hidden in what is not visible.
My last example was with the calling of another person your boy- or girlfriend. To others, the visible signs could be that you kissed, held hand, spent a lot of time together.
But for the people involved, there for sure is a lot more in it – a lot of emotions – that means so much more than all that is visible to the observer passing by.
Summing up: The issue Jesus has with the signs is not the signs itself. The issue is if we start appreciating the signs more than what they are signs of.
For instance, it is not the belt, the breastplate, the boots, the shield, the helmet, nor the sword that is of importance. What is of importance is truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word. All that lies beyond the physical.
In short: I believe what we are warned against through today’s reading is to be superficial or shallow. We are warned against making assumptions and coming to fast conclusions.
A lot is hidden. And sometimes the hidden is what matters the most. After all, faith is about all that is hidden. Not visible to the human eye, but visible only to the ones that sees the world through the eyes of faith.
Let us therefore pray that we always take time to stop up, take the time needed, and not only judges what we experience through our mortal eyes, but lets the Holy Spirit guide us to whatever might be deeper.
For that we truly pray.
Amen.