John 5:15 The
man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
He
was sneaky. Absolutely sneaky and completely ungrateful. In Scotland, we used
to have a word for a person like that: ‘clype’. It was the worst name that
you could ever be called. If somebody at school or in the playground was called
a wee clype, then he or she was instantly shunned by the rest of the class. Tell-tale,
tattle-tale, or tale bearer were relatively mild compared to clype. To be a clype
was to be the lowest and meanest person on the planet. It was to be avoided at
all costs.
But
some people like to get others into trouble. Take this person who has been
healed by Jesus in the Gospel passage (John 5:1-15). Jesus has cured him of
his paralysis, but instead of being thankful and delighted, he appears to be
resentful and somewhat ungrateful. He even goes later in the day to find the religious
authorities, in order to tell them who healed him on the Sabbath. He is a tale
bearer of the worst kind: he is a wee clype.
Other
people who are healed by Jesus are normally ecstatic and exuberant about being
cured. They want to tell the whole world about Jesus in order to share their
joy and celebrate His goodness. This appears to be the only occasion in the gospels
where a cured person actually betrays Jesus in order to get Him into trouble.
Instead of glorifying Christ, he seeks to humiliate Him. Rather than being grateful,
the cured man is totally unthankful.
Every
day, Christ guides us and takes care of our prayers, therefore our daily response
should be one of complete thankfulness. Are we?
Questions for personal reflection
In what recent
situations has Jesus helped me? Have I been truly grateful for His
intervention?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are meant to be at
the center of our lives during good times and bad times. In the midst of our
present issues and complications, grant us Your guidance and allow us Your
grace. Keep us mindful, as well as thankful, of Your mercy, healing, and love.
In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin
Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment
about today’s message or ask a question, please send John an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest seasonal images called “Christmas Tree.” If you
would like to see a larger version, then please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8200761419_9a23df46d8_b.jpg
John’s drawings are available as signed limited
edition prints. If you are interested in obtaining one for yourself or as a gift
for someone else, send him an email for details.
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