Onesimus

Today is the feast day of Onesimus, the runaway slave Paul speaks of in Philemon. I know this because I led Evening Prayer today at the Seminary where I teach and had to look up the reading for the day. The Gospel for today was the story of the man blind from birth who was healed by Jesus' application of mud made from his spit.

Actually, the man, who is never named, wasn't healed until he did as Jesus told him and washed the mud away at the Pool of Siloam. It is important to note, the man didn't ask for healing--someone asked Jesus who had sinned that this poor beggar was blind. Jesus responded by saying no one sinned, but that the glory of God was about to be revealed. He then made the mud and told the man to go wash. Bottom line, as in other stories, it's the man's faith that restores his sight--the faith that had him make his way to the Pool as instructed.

I was reminded of last Sunday's OT lesson about Nahum, the great general who had leprosy. He's healed when he bathes in the Jordan seven times. He objects to this requirement. And from the context, it's clear he thinks he should have been asked to do something grand. Instead, he bathes in a dirty little river in this dirty little backwater country.

Is there a lesson for us here? Well of course there is.

You'll be healed when you figure it out for yourself.

Peace,

Jerry+