Person-2-Person - August, 2024

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

The An family, in Cypress, Texas, heard screams near their place of business and went to see what was happening. They found a woman being assaulted and took action to stop her attacker. What the unfortunate attacker didn’t know was that the An family owns and operates the Yong-In Tae Kwon Do dojo and are all proficient in the martial art, including their father, Grandmaster Han An. Afterward, the family was praised as heroes but sister Hannah An said, “I thank everybody who’s calling us that, but still, I think anybody can do it.”

Perhaps Hannah An is correct, perhaps “anybody” could have intervened, but it was she and her family who did. They rescued the unidentified victim and in the process became heroes. In our own faith community, when our retiring Pastor, Kim, was ill and unable to be in church on what was to have been her final Sunday at our church, our new Pastor, Andy, graciously agreed to fill in for her. In so doing, he “rescued” Kim and all of us.

More recently, during an assassination attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump, retired Fire Chief Corey Comperatore used his body to “rescue” his family from the gunman’s bullets, and died from a head wound. Sites connected to the former President were selling shirts and sneakers with his image following the assassination attempt but there were no products with the image of Corey Comperatore.

Jesus “rescued” people who were in trouble on various occasions. One evening when he and his disciples were in a small boat on the Sea of Galilee, a storm came up (Mark 4:35-41.) Jesus was asleep in the stern (vs. 38a). The disciples were frightened and shouted, “‘Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?’” (vs. 38b World English Bible). Jesus “. . . rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’” (vs. 39a WEB.) The wind died and the water became calm (vs. 39b). He had “rescued” the disciples.

On another occasion, while Jesus was teaching at the temple, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery (John 8:2-3). They said to him, “‘Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?’” (vs. 4 WEB). (Interestingly, the law specified stoning for both the man and woman [Deut. 22:22] but the teachers and Pharisees were apparently only interested in the woman.)

Instead of giving a direct answer, Jesus bent down and began writing in the dirt with his finger (vs. 6b). When they persisted, he answered, “‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.’” (vs. 7b WEB). Then he returned to writing in the dirt (vs. 8). One at a time, the accusers walked away until only Jesus and the woman were left (vs. 9). He straightened and asked her, “‘Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?’” (vs. 10b WEB). She responded, “‘No one, Lord.’” (vs. 11a WEB). He replied, “‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.’” (vs. 11b WEB). Jesus rescued her from both her sin and its consequences.

Corey Comperatore spread his body over his family to shield them from harm. In the same way, Psalm 91 says, “He will cover you with his feathers. / Under his wings you will take refuge. / His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.” (Psa. 91:4 WEB). The image is one of God protecting God’s people like a mother bird protects her young. It’s reminiscent of another biblical image, that of Jesus with his arms spread on the cross, protecting us from the consequences of sin, absorbing the “bullets” of condemnation (2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:24).

That is the image our faith represents. That is the message we have to share: Jesus interceding for us and for everyone (Rom. 8:34), and calling us to bear one another’s burdens and hurts in community (2 Cor. 1:3-7).

“For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps, . . . He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.” (1 Pet. 2:21, 24 WEB.)

(Inspired in part by a series of devotionals by Daniel Jongsma.)