Stop The Pain

Several years ago a friend said to me “hurt people, hurt people.”

 A simple but profound statement that describes the perpetual pain we inflict on one another because we carry the pain infected on us from someone else. This type of pain that is passed from one person to the next can only be removed through the healing touch of the Holy Spirit.

 There is a story in the Bible recorded in the 8^th chapter of Mark about some guys who brought their blind friend to Jesus asking him to heal him. Jesus took the man out of town away from the faithless hearts of those around him in order to heal the guy. Jesus is a peculiar person, most likely because he always does things that don’t make sense to us. He spit on the mans eyes, rubbed them, then asked him what do you see?” Really? I’m thinking I’d have to ask “what do you think you are you doing?” But I'm not blind. The guy says “I see people walking around who look like trees.” So Jesus goes back in and rubs his eyes a second time, then the man sees clearly.

 Why did Jesus need to touch him a second time? Did he lack the power to heal or was his faith weak? No. Jesus is God; he doesn’t lack power or faith. He’s the embodiment of power and faith. Colossians 2:9 says “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” So why was there a second touch before the man was healed? I believe Jesus wanted to teach his disciples and us an important lesson.

Mark chapter eight opens with Jesus feeding 4000 people with 7 loaves of bread. Sound familiar? That’s because He also fed 5000 people in somewhat the same manner.

 Here as he feeds the 4000 then the disciples collect 7 basketful's of left overs after everyone ate until full. They leave the area and some Pharisees find him, testing him they ask for a sign from Heaven. He says, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? No I won’t give a sign.” Jesus and the 12 get back into the boat to return to the Galilean area. While in the boat Jesus warns them, “Be careful, watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.” They thought He was talking about them not bringing any bread with them.

 Ok here’s why Jesus double clutched when healing the blind man. Ready? Jesus said to them: “really guys?” did you actually think I was taking about your lack of planning? Don’t you get it? Are you so dull and your hearts so hard that you don’t understand? Don’t you remember? When I broke 5 loaves and fed 5000, how many basketful's of pieces did you pick up? “12” they said. And when I broke the 7 loaves how many basketful's did you pick up? “7” they answered. He looks at them and asks, “SOOOOO? Don’t you get it?”  Then He heals the blind man and makes the choice to touch him twice before the healing is complete.

When the 12 were with him they understood very little of what he did and taught, Not until after he was crucified, had risen then ascended to the Father did they begin to understand fully what he was doing and teaching, because the Holy Spirit began to teach them and reveal the words Jesus to them.

 They knew Jesus and experienced his teachings and the things he did first hand but didn’t understand them fully. The Holy Spirit was given as a gift to them and us to illuminate the words Jesus taught and they understood. Colossians 2:9 says for in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form.” He was all God in every aspect in human form. In John 14:6 Jesus promised them “I will ask and the Father will send another advocate to help you and he will be with you forever.” The word “another” used here is Greek New Testament meaning word meaning “one exactly alike.”

Jesus touched the blind man the second time because he couldn’t see clearly the first time. The 12 didn’t fully understand his teachings until the Holy Spirit enlightened their minds revealing the  words of Jesus to them with a more intimate touch that involved their hearts.

Our application involves the phrase my friend told me: “hurt people hurt people.”

 I’ve experienced the painful situation of being pushed out of a group. It came from 2 separate people in the same gathering, at first not understanding until I made the choice to not be offended but asking the Lord why. People who have been pushed out of what I will call a tribe then being accepted, those same people have a tendency to inflict the same pain of rejection they received onto other people who are on the outside, but not people who already belonged to an existing tribe then come into the new tribe as if making a tribe change. This pain of rejection even after being accepted is inflicted on other rejected people, as if to say I paid my dues, now its your turn before you get into our tribe.

Wow how is the connection made between Mark 8 and my friend’s phrase? I’m Glad you asked. We like the 12 we spend time with Jesus but often don’t fully understand everything he is saying to us until we actually allow his words to probe the deep areas inside our hearts, the ones we protect , that no other person is allowed to see. When we honestly, willfully expose the painful things inflicted on us, trusting him and dropping our guard, he will heal us, but it can’t stop there. We have to make the choice to also reject the feelings of empowerment from our new freedom and make the conscious choice to humbly continue to make him Lord over everything, even freedom from rejection or freedom from any other pain. We have not actually experienced freedom only escape from our experiences that caused us pain if we continue to inflict pain and rejection on other hurting people. There is a difference and that difference is how we treat others who suffer in the pain we lived in, especially when no one else is looking.

 Jesus double clutches more times than not because he wants us to be made whole not just for the pain to stop. He will continue to return until he has completed what he has started in us.