The Gospel of Loneliness

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. – Matthew 8:1-3

Yesterday at church we talked about loneliness and how it is more a natural condition of life than anything else. We can so easily talk about big spiritual principles while missing out on the all too real condition of the people around us. The poison of loneliness is that it colors the world around us. It changes our perspective and rationale in ways few things can. This is not a surprise when we take in account God’s plan for us to be in deep relationship with each other. Jesus was perhaps the best model of this. He spent plenty of time alone, often at the expense of ministry production, but He also engaged in deep friendship with those in and out of His circle of disciples. When we break away from this design, we grow resentful and bitter. Every heartbeat becomes an enemy and every word a deception. It’s our fallen nature.

Lord, if you will, you can make me clean . . . 

The thing I like about this line is that it connects so well with the duty of the Church. It is often not a matter of inability to break the loneliness in others, but a lack of will. We are so inundated with tasks and deadlines, that we miss the will to connect with those around us. We have overemphasized evangelism, or leading people to Christ, that we have missed the laid back art of living for relationship in Christ. We can see people as projects instead of hearts desperate for Jesus. We forget our once leper nature; that we too can be an outcast. So the Lord nudges the deepest parts of our soul and says “If you are willing . . .” 

Today, be willing. See the people before the tasks.