Shattered

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God. (Luke 9:37-43 ESV). Tucked away in the midst of this account of Jesus healing a young boy is a great word. The word “shatters” is actually a Greek word that means “bruises.” It is the same word used in Isaiah when the prophet tells us that Jesus was bruised for our iniquities (cf. Isaiah 53:5). It is a word that means much more than a “bump.” Here’s what Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary says about this word in our English language: (v. t.) To injure, as by a blow or collision, without laceration; to contuse; as, to bruise one's finger with a hammer; to bruise the bark of a tree with a stone; to bruise an apple by letting it fall. (v. t.) To break; as in a mortar; to bray, as minerals, roots, etc.; to crush. (v. i.) To fight with the fists; to box. (n.) An injury to the flesh of animals, or to plants, fruit, etc., with a blunt or heavy instrument, or by collision with some other body; a contusion; as, a bruise on the head; bruises on fruit. People typically get bruises when they bump into something or when something bumps into them. I have found that some of these bumps can be violent. I think this is the case of the boy in our reading. He was violently attacked and “shattered.” Perhaps you have experienced that kind of hurt in your life. The answer then, and now, is the majesty of God in the work of Jesus. I never have much trouble with the concept of that in my experiences. Rather, it’s the application of that in my life. Usually it starts as a small bump. I ignore those. After all, I’m a tough guy and my threshold of pain is very high. Then that little bruise gets bumped again. It gets worse and worse until I can no longer tolerate the pain. That’s usually when I cry out for help. Can I tell you how strange that is? God does not want me to wait at all. His strength and power is available at the first bump. He heals our iniquities… he soothes our bruises. Turn to him now. It will be much better than waiting!