Have you ever known anyone around you who was sick? How did you respond? What did you do for them? Once semester I had the unfortunate situation of falling sick with pneumonia—no fun, trust me. I live in a fairly Christian community—I'm a Ph. D. student at a prestigious Christian seminary in the USA south. As a result of the response I have received during this illness, as well as previous bouts with sickness, I decided to share some of my thoughts.
I address my comments primarily to those who deem themselves "Christians" as a hopeful lesson in pragmatic holistic caring for the sick, but anyone who reads this will hopefully benefit in some way.
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To give a little more context to this matter, I posted the fact I was sick at home with pneumonia on three portals of my school's Intranet.
Most Christians tended to respond in several ways. Please note this is not an exhaustive list.
Emailed Responses:
1. There are those who wished me, the sick person, a "speed recovery"—well-wishes are nice, but these seem more like an abbreviated prayer for the person without actually praying for him/her.
2. Then there are those who offered their prayers, saying they'd be praying for me to get well quickly—this is a good.
3. Still others actually emailed me their prayers—obviously, this was better than 1 or 2.
4. A few even said "If I needed anything to let them know & then they'd help out" (my paraphrase)--interesting. This tends to be a very common response from Christians in the United States. This bothers me much. Is this really a biblical way to minister to the sick? Is this how Jesus taught or lived out ministry to those who were sick among him? I think not. I must confess, when I hear this from people via email or a conversation my first, second, or third thoughts are not filled with great gratitude for these people's kind offers. Rather, I tend to feel this "offer to help" makes these people feel like they've done something when in fact they've done nothing to minister to the sick person at all. Simply stated, this offer puts the responsibility on the sick person to initiate the communication or request for aid in some specific manner if any assistance is to be received. Hmm, what is wrong with this picture? Everything! Please think about this carefully & open-heartedly. When you are sick, the last thing you feel like doing is inconveniencing anyone, friend or acquaintance. You're already feeling miserable because of whatever illness you're struggling to get over, or have been doomed to live with. You've even already humbled yourself by putting your need "out there" for others to see—this can be so humiliating, not merely humbling, because you are saying to others, "Please, I need help because I'm sick or I've got this condition with which I have to live." This is no small feat in a culture that prizes strength, health, vim, & vigor.
5. And then there are those who do absolutely nothing, or it seems like nothing to the sick person because they receive no interaction from the person(s) whom they have informed that they are sick. I have been guilty of this one in that I learn of a need & then I quietly pray for the person in the privacy of my own home. While this is good & God hears our prayer, does it communicate to the sick person God's & our love for him/her? The key phrase in this question is "communicate to the sick person"? I think the honest answer is no, it does not. I assert this since there is not point of contact with the sick person who is in need of so much more than prayer. He/she is in need of what I term "body ministry". You see, when a person is sick he/she is removed, albeit hopefully only temporarily, from his/her community of friends with whom he/she normally tends to associate or fellowship.
Some Concluding Thoughts:
Since we are to respond to the sick among us in a manner in which our Lord God would be pleased let us actually reach out with a tangible act of kindness not merely a well-wish or well-intended offer of help.
Remember in Matthew 10.6-8 Jesus told His twelve disciples to “Go” to “the lost” and to “the sick”.
Matthew 10.6-8 (NIV) (emphasis mine)
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,b drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
How should we interpret this? Might it be that God does not want us to wait for those in need to ask for our assistance before we go? Perhaps Jesus’ words, “Freely you have received, freely give” are best understood as a command and not as a suggestion to wait until someone contacts us first? Do you know any sick person/people? If so, then it might truly be best to simply go, preach, and minster healing to those who are lost and/or sick.
Also, we need to remember that in each instance when Jesus encountered a sick person he/she was completely transformed as a result of his/her time with Jesus. May the sick among us also be completely transformed due to the actual time we spend with them. God bless you as you minster to the sick God brings across your path in life! May you minister in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit!
b The Greek word was used for various diseases affecting the skin—not necessarily leprosy.
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