A Sin-Ectomy

I have a gall bladder.  I know several people who have had theirs removed, but I still have mine.  It seems like an infected gal bladder can cause all kinds of problems.  I know a person who was having back problems that turned out to be related to gal bladder, another had intestinal problems.  Getting that out of there seems to fix the problem.

Some things aren't so clearly solved.  Some medical problems are more systemic or are not connected to a single removable problem.  How many people with diabetes or heart disease wish that they could go in for a procedure and fix it all.  Those conditions need to be managed.  Diet, exercise, life style, maybe some medication, all go together to manage an ongoing problem.

Some problems are not medical but spiritual.  They arise from a moral problem that plague us.  These are conflicts between what we think, what we feel and what we do.  Sometimes we find ourselves full of hate, bitterness or anger.  We wish it was gone but there it is.  For these problems there is so little that the medical profession can do.  It's too bad that there isn't a hate-ectomy that doctors could perform.  

Christians refer to these moral dilemmas as sin.  Sin isn't just what we do, but what is in our hearts.  It is the difference between coveting and theft.  Coveting is desire, jealousy and resentment all wrapped up in one.  You want what they have and you are none too happy about it.  Coveting can consume you and make you miserable even if you never act inappropriately.  But removing sin is God's specialty.

I find it interesting that so much attention is placed on the healing that Jesus did.  In many ways, physical ailments are easier to manage or at least understand.  For example in this story from the book of Mark

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Forgiving sins is God's business.  Get your sin-ectomy today.