In the House of the Leper

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I started this morning later than I usually do. I slept in. There has been quite a bit going on. First, an answered prayer happened four days ago, a situation I have been praying for many years was answered and answered in a very specific way. Such relief and gratitude. Yet, two days ago another long running prayer need reared its ugly head, again.

Reading this morning in the Gospel of Matthew the phrase in verse 6 of the 26th chapter - "Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper..." I was comforted with that phrase. To be in the house of a leper is a monumental thing. That leper has been cleansed. Jesus was in the house.

In this 26th chapter of Matthew there is a lot going on. A woman pours a flask of very expensive ointment on Jesus's head that caused some conflict as to what should have been done with the ointment, people chiming in that one of the world's problems, that of poverty, might be somewhat aided by the sale of this ointment and giving the proceeds to feed the poor. I even think it might have been the final straw that entered Judas's worldly, greedy heart to betray Jesus. Anyway, Jesus, as always, has his eye fixed on His purpose for being on earth, His death and then His resurrection. He is not distracted from His purpose.

Back to the ugly rearing head I mentioned earlier; the working out in our lives and in the lives of others we love, of illness, whether of the mind, body, or soul, can be situated within a lot of other stuff going on. Life is like that. And within the setting of multiple daily situations, how do we keep our eye on the ultimate purpose of our lives? How do we rest in the knowledge that Jesus is in the house?

Which leads me to the proverbial statement of the person plowing and not looking back. If they look back, they are not fit for the Kingdom of God. That statement is quite challenging when you consider that the looking back may be motivated in either pride or shame. "Look at what I have done" (straight rows) or "Look at the mess I have made" (crooked rows). Perhaps the crooked rows have caused a variety of seed to grow up together in a tangled mess. Yet, Jesus tells us to not look back. Jesus tells us to keep our hand on the plow. Jesus tells us to look forward. And in this looking forward to your purpose regardless of the multi-faceted issues of life, you are fit for the Kingdom of God. Jesus is in the house.