Something Needs to Change by David PlattExemplo

Day 2: Physical Need

One purpose of this study is to take you on a journey to see the beauty and the brokenness of the Himalayas. In this region of the world, people die of preventable diseases, traffickers taking advantage of vulnerable families, and minor medical needs become a debilitating crises. When confronted with such desperate need, we aren’t always sure how to respond. 

What’s your typical response to physical suffering? To be momentarily appalled and move on? To do something? For many of us, our typical response to urgent physical need is to walk away. Perhaps your response is similar. Maybe you simply don’t know what to do or how to engage. Whatever the reason, Christians shouldn’t walk away from need. On the contrary, Jesus calls us to run to need. 

In Luke 4, Jesus quoted Isaiah and used those verses to describe what His earthly ministry would be like. Although these verses refer to a spiritual state and can thus apply to materially rich or poor people, Jesus clearly focused His earthly ministry on the vulnerable and marginalized in society. As Jesus would later say, the sick need a doctor; the healthy don’t (see Luke 5:31). Often people who are physically needy are more inclined to realize their deep spiritual needs and to receive the deliverance Jesus offers. 

When confronted with physical suffering, it is natural to ask God why. However, why questions should always lead to what questions. Jesus wasn’t content to look at suffering and move on. He took action.    

We see Jesus do that in Luke 5. In that passage, Jesus touched a man whom society deemed untouchable and unclean. Jesus didn’t turn from need; He ran to need. The Gospels are filled with accounts when Jesus alleviated suffering, healed sickness, and treated people with mercy.

However, if we're not careful, it’s dangerously possible to live our Christian lives insulated and isolated from urgent need around us. A Christian’s impulse should be to run to need and proclaim the goodness, grace, and favor of our God to those in need.