Proper 23 Year B

Touched By God

Readings: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-10, 22-23; Psalm 125; James 2:1-10; Mark 7:24-37

Jesus is traveling outside of his usual haunts. He goes to someone’s home. He is trying to keep a low profile, but news of his miracles has preceded him. He is noticed, especially by a woman whose daughter is suffering from what her mother describes as an evil spirit. The woman begs Jesus to heal her daughter. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs,” Jesus says to her. What an insult he throws at the woman. I find it so difficult to fathom. What was Jesus thinking? His words must have hurt her so badly. But her love of her daughter is greater than any hurtful words could be.

And so she answers Jesus, “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Jesus has a change of heart. He heals the woman’s daughter. But once again the story surprises me, for he doesn’t touch her. And so I am left asking why not. The gospel constantly gives us glimpses of the miracle-working touch of Jesus. He touches someone whose eyes are opened. He touches another who gets up and walks. Yet another is restored to health and gets up out of bed to serve.

And then there is the story that follows that of the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus is back in Galilee. The crowd follows him, bringing people in need. Amongst those brought to him for healing is a deaf person. Because he cannot hear, he cannot speak clearly. Jesus takes him aside privately. He puts his fingers into his ears. He spits and touches his tongue. Then he simply says, “Be opened,” and the man can speak freely.

And so this week I have led me to reflect on our sense of touch. We use the word ‘touch’ in more than one way. We use it to describe the physical sensation of touching. Our skin, our largest organ, is the sensor for our sense of touch. So our whole body is involved. We also use the word ‘touch’ to describe an inner sense, an emotional response to what happens in our lives. I was so touched by what you said. I was so touched by your kindness. I was so touched by what you did for me.

Sadly often we cannot touch people in a physical sense anymore. Teachers can't put their arms around children in their classes. Even in the church, we have to be careful to check out whether or not it is all right to touch someone. We have to make certain that our actions are not misunderstood. Yet the value of touch is well known and documented. Modern medicine uses therapeutic touch. We may not understand exactly why it is important, but we do know that it works. It is important to our well being. The healing ministry of the church recognizes its importance. It is a ministry not only of prayer. We anoint with holy oil; we lay hands on the sick.

An old friend of mine who has a chronic illness was in hospital for some tests. During her stay, she picked up a viral infection that was resistant to antibiotics. She suddenly found herself in isolation. People had to scrub and put on gown and gloves before entering her room. She felt as if, somehow, it was her fault for catching the virus in the first place. People avoided visiting her. Nurses treated her differently. What she missed most was any form of contact. No one would touch her. It was, of course, for the protection of other patients. But she got the distinct feeling, that even though the nurses knew they were not the ones at risk of becoming infected, an instinctive fear for their own well being kept them even more remote from her. After several months it still bothers her at a deep level.

There is also the experience of nurses dealing with the SARS outbreak. Two of the nurses became ill and so saw the epidemic from both sides. They in particular spoke of the sense of isolation, of not being touched. Patients suddenly found themselves in isolation. Family members were not allowed to visit. Nurses had to scrub and put on masks before entering a room. They spoke about feeling as if, somehow, it was their fault for catching the virus in the first place. Even those who did not get sick said that their whole reason for being nurses was called into question. The sense of ‘tender loving care’, the ability to touch people in a healing way, was taken away from them.

And so I reflect on the other ways in which Jesus touched people. A tax collector turns from his cheating ways to become a follower of Jesus. One who hates Christians, seeking them out to destroy them is transformed by the love of God and becomes a propagator of the gospel he set out to destroy.

Jesus touched people. His touch did not simply bring healing to the deaf man. It freed up all sorts of things in the crowd who witnessed the miracle. The witnesses to the event are touched on an emotional level, opened up. New possibilities blossom within them. Perhaps Jesus is not merely a hometown boy, the son of the carpenter, Joseph. Perhaps he is more than just another itinerant healer. He is, after all, remarkable. “He does everything well!” they exclaim. Healing and wholeness come through this one who stands before them inviting them to be open, touching them, not only physically, but also to their very core.

Jesus through touch, steps over taboos against relating to unclean persons. He widens God’s unending circle to include all of us. By touch eyes are made to see, ears to hear, tongues to speak, feet to walk, hands to serve. He disentangles the broken strands of life, the discordant harmonies of fear, despair and hopelessness. He touches, and people are brought back into relationship with a loving God and walk once more within divine order and orbit.

In the same way, Jesus reaches out into our world. Alcoholics, drug addicts, criminals, the sick, the lonely, the empty, the suicidal, are touched by the Spirit of God and transformed into loving, serving children. And redemption comes to us through God touching us. God identifies with us. God enters into our way of life. God becomes one of us. God reaches out and touches us. We are drawn close through Christ, united, once and for all with God.

The touch of the Christ is on each of us. It comes to us through the Spirit at Baptism. We renew it throughout our lives as we make our own commitment to the faith. It does not do away with all of our problems and conflicts, but it does bring about transformation in our lives. It brings about meaning and purpose and salvation.

For that touch from God is our invitation to be opened, to be opened up to new possibilities, to be touched on many levels. We in turn reach out and touch others.

Openness to God is revealed in action. To be touched by God is to be called into action. As James says, “Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” We have been blessed by hearing the word. How do we now “do” what we have been blessed by hearing?

Faith is not merely listening, speaking, discussing, arguing and analyzing. Those all help us to learn about our faith. But knowledge is not enough. Faith is acted out. It is lived out in the Christian life. It is not enough to hear and know all about it. That will never touch another life. As ‘unanglican’ as it may seem, witnessing to what God has accomplished in our lives and acting on it, are an integral part of our faith. Our faith is useless unless it is backed up by our actions. What earthly use is the Christian community if it stands at a distance from the world, preaching at it? How will that touch people’s lives? How will that convey to people a God who walks with us? How could it possible open people up to the truth of the gospel?

The Christian community is called to involve itself with the struggles and problems of the world, a world which is searching to become more truly human. We are not called to stand in judgement. We must not stand at a cultural distance. We must identify with all of humanity. We must enable people to find ways of expressing the life of faith and worship.

May we live out our faith with a sense of justice. May the Spirit of God in us touch others as our lives have been touched by God.