by His grace

In preparing to go and teach the Bible in Haiti, I have been spending a considerable amount of time studying Scripture and ways to interpret it. One of the hermeneutical (big word!) tools that has proved to be most helpful is simply directing my attention to frequency. Put more plainly, I look for things that the Bible commits a lot of time and space to.

For example, of all the verses in the Gospel, how many verses does Jesus spend talking about forgiveness? A lot. On the flip side, in how many verses do we find Jesus defending creationism or debating predestination vs. foreknowledge? Not a lot. How many times in the four Gospels does Jesus use the “pulpit”, if you will, to share his political opinion of Caesar (the ruling political leader at the time)? Not a lot.

In saying that, let me ask, how much time does Jesus spend healing people in the Bible? TONS! Jesus is in the business of healing people. In light of Easter, just as it didn’t end with Jesus dead on the cross, it doesn’t end in the forgiveness of sins. As it ended with the healing and restoration of his body, it ends in the restoration and healing of the world. Grace, which allows for the forgiveness of sins, is the medicine by which we are healed.

Because he is risen, it is us to whom he says, “take up your mat and walk” and our sight he restores. We are the ones called out of the grave to live again. Our Jesus is still in the business of healing…if we commit our time and our space to his touch. --Matt