Mankind Diseased Broken and Condemned, Jesus is the Healing Living Water

What is the purpose of brokenness? If God loves us, why doesn’t he just give us beautiful lives and sit up there on a cloud smiling as we laugh and sing and prosper and celebrate his gifts as we live it up in this world? Why would he allow sickness, depression, oppression, broken hearts, sadness, loss, tragedy, struggle, fear, insecurity – and the list goes on and on? Do we know the nature of what we are?

I remember when I was a kid, one of the saddest movies I’d ever seen was Old Yellar, (not sure if Im spelling that right). The beautiful dog got into a fight with a wild animal and was infected with rabies. If my memory serves me correctly, the owner was trying to keep Old Yellar away from the situation but the dog did what it did and upon mingling with that wild beast, this dog was sentenced to death. The disease changed the dog – made it mean and ferocious. The dog could no longer live with the family the way it did before. That awful disease took away the dog’s characteristics of love and companionship that it once had for his family and his masters (the dog’s owners). Once infected with the disease, it was changed into a creature that only wanted to kill and destroy. Sadly, the only answer was the put the dog down.

When Adam and Eve chose to believe a lie and go against the warnings of their Father, they became infected. Their very nature was changed. The evidence was immediately seen not only physically (as God had to clothe them upon a physical change) but in character also as Adam blamed Eve and even blamed God for giving him Eve. Love and compassion had left in their new nature and the evidence grew more evident as they multiplied. Of their sons, Cain was jealous of his brother Abel and killed him. Then Abel’s blood cried out to God – the spirits of jealousy, hatred, revenge and a slew of other dark traits that oppose LOVE grew stronger in mankind – a diseased, sick and broken world. In Romans, the Word of God explains that by one man’s sin, all were condemned. A death sentence (much like what happened to Old Yellar when he became infected), came upon mankind. As it is written, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Death, decay and sin was now the nature of mankind – separated from God, and from the nature of love – God is LOVE. All mankind (from Adam to Moses and beyond), are sinners against God. Also in Romans, the Word of God explains that by one man’s righteousness, (none other than Jesus Christ of Nazareth), a free gift was given so that mankind could be saved.

For me, to understand brokenness was to have my eyes opened to what we truly are – the nature of our flesh. Brokenness doesn’t enter our lives on a set date in our journeys. We don’t become broken because we make mistakes or bad choices. We are born into this state of a fallen mankind. Is it fair that some of us are born healthy and some of us come out of the womb inflicted with horrid diseases and disabilities? Well, God isn’t a respector or of persons. And to understand our nature is to understand that all of us are broken in the flesh, from the very first breath we take here – whether it’s evident on the outside or not. The world we live in is broken, mankind is fallen and death and decay by the sin of mankind is a sentence that we are born into (the darkness of this world). Now, to consider this truth is to see that our journeys aren’t so different, regardless if we are presented with trouble right away or later on in life – we can be sure that the evidence of a broken world and our fallen state will eventually surface in our individual lives. Whether it’s through sickness or health problems, financial struggles, (also discussed in the laboring curse placed upon Adam), or through emotional battles we face with loved ones or lack of love in our lives – insecurities, depression, loss, heartbreak – all of this is the state of mankind’s brokenness…. The sentence of Adam and Eve, separated from God.

Jesus said that Abraham was excited for the day that he would come. God established a promise long ago, as the prophets spoke of his coming, that God would make a way for mankind to be healed – to be brought out of this darkness back into the light of God. Jesus is the only way – he is THE WAY, THE LIFE, THE TRUTH. Jesus is the only one, that could reverse the curse upon mankind (the Second Adam). Back to my childhood memory of Old Yellar and the infection that took his life, I imagine a cure that could’ve saved that sweet dog. I see the answer (the living water), that could have been fed to him that would heal him of the disease that took over his being after he mingled with the beast. Jesus is the medicine for mankind. And sadly, sometimes we have to fall into complete devastation before we’re able to take a step back and see the world and ourselves for what we really are – broken, without hope, without purpose and without resolution, outside of Christ. All of us are in a way, that dog in the movie that I loved so much as a child – separated from Love, vicious and incapable of returning to what we were created to be before Adam and Even sinned against God. We’re living in death and the evidence is everywhere, if we can only open our eyes and look around at the state of mankind. If we can see the children starving, the elderly suffering, the sick, the oppressed, the broken hearted and the hopeless. Is life really so great because I’m having a good day? Can I really look around through the seasons of plenty and rejoice, turning a cheek to all those who suffer? Can I really believe in my heart of hearts that I’m somehow immune to the evidence of a broken world?

In brokenness, I was given the opportunity to step away from the world and open my eyes – REALLY open my eyes. I was given the chance to search myself and ask hard questions like, Why am I here? What is life? Is this little short journey here on earth all that is and all that I was created to see? No. In brokenness, I was able to see my disease and the countless symptoms that had kept me from God. In brokenness I was able to realize that I’m powerless to heal my state of despair or save myself from the condemnation of this filthy flesh.

The medicine that can heal us of from our diseased flesh isn’t something coming in the future. It’s already here. It was already FINISHED when Jesus defeated death and was raised up and resurrected by God. That living water can be inside of me right now. I can eat of it and be healed. I can walk in HIM and be made whole. I can pick up my cross and follow Jesus out of this darkness and into the light as soon as I’m ready to make the choice to leave this fallen state and be transformed into a new creature – an everlasting creature – a son of GOD (John 5).

Lord, today I thank you for making a way for me to be healed. Father, I thank you for the unthinkable sacrifice and pain and hurt that you took on for our sakes in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ so that we may have life, be cleaned of the death and decay and that we may have life through HIM. God, I know that many things remain a mystery to me, but I thank you for opening my eyes more each day, in the work that you are completing in me as you lead me to your truth and understanding of what I am, why I’m here and what I was created to be. Father, I don’t deserve anything but you give me life because you love me. You restore me and heal me and bring me out of the darkness into the light because you love me. And I can only love you because you loved me first and I thank you and thank you again because you love me. Thank you for the brokenness that led me to you and thank you for the trials that have shown me my weakness, necessary in order for me to see your strength. Father thank you for your promises and the everlasting hope that we have in Jesus, for which my soul rejoices in confidence that my best days are yet to come. Thank you for giving me the choice to choose life and for leading me to the freedom found only in Jesus.  Father thank you for not simply putting us down and throwing us in the trash after we became infected with sin, death and decay.  Father, thank you for being the Lord who heals us, strips away layers of sickness and fills our hearts with your Son, the Living Water that restores us to you.

In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach, My Lord and Savior I claim the free gift that you have given to me and open my hands to receive you today.