Could Being Too Sick To Talk, Be Healing To Others

I knew that my old neighbor from Saskatchewan must have been sick when I did not hear from him. Ruby, Ed’s wife, answered the phone when I called Melville to check on Ed. She had taken a day off work to take care of Ed. She assured me that Ed’s flu and cold were not life threatening even if Ed was convinced he had a foot in his grave.

Ruby said on the phone; “I’m not home sick, but home sick of taking care of a sixty-one-year-old baby. I will be glad to let you talk to Ed just be prepared for whining like a three-year-old. All men are pathetic when they are sick.” The way Ruby spoke suggested to me that she was cranky.

When Ed came on the phone, it was a suffering soul who croaked out: “My head hurts, my throat hurts, my chest hurts, my whole body aches but today I can breathe through one nostril which gives me hope. Not even a shot of whiskey is helping. I’m ready to drink half the bottle to get better.”

All that I could offer in comfort was that if the whiskey didn’t help, he might try “COLD-FX.”  The last time we went through Ed’s suffering with a cold, I suggested Buckley’s but he mixed it with whiskey, and Ruby was angry at me for suggesting Buckley’s to him.

Having a cold or the flu can bring out the worst in both those who are sick and those who care for the sick. I have found not even humor helps people when they are blowing their nose repeatedly or coughing up a lung. One of the reasons people loved Jesus was his willingness to help those who were sick. It is a natural reaction to avoid sick people for fear their sickness is catching or contagious. No one wants to be sick but who can avoid all illness? When we are sick, we want to get better. We seek a cure to our sickness whether it is temporary in nature or chronic.

Today we are fortunate to have doctors and hospitals to help us when we are sick. Those who were sick when Jesus lived on earth were blessed to meet him. He was celebrated because he healed the sick. One woman who believed in his ability to heal the sick came up behind him in a crowd and touched the edge of his cloak. She had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could help her. When she touched Jesus’ garment, her bleeding stopped immediately.

Many flocked to Jesus to both hear him teach and to be healed of their diseases. Once Jesus was going to the home of a centurion at Capernaum to heal his sick servant, but the centurion sent word for Jesus not to come to his house. He asked Jesus just to say the word and his servant would be healed. The centurion was sure of Jesus’ power and authority to heal. He was right for his servant was healed by Jesus saying the word. Jesus did heal many of their diseases, but better yet was his healing of our sins. He sacrificed himself for the sins of the whole world. Praise God!

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