Humpty Dumpty

On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:6-11 ESV).

It might seem a little unusual to use a nursery rhyme to start a devotional for the day; however, it seemed an appropriate place to start. Humpty Dumpty may be one of the most familiar characters in the cast of rhymes that have been passed on from generation to generation for centuries. Nobody knows exactly who or what Humpty Dumpty was. The rhyme was first printed in 1810 and became famous through Lewis Caroll's book, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” where Humpty Dumpty is shown as a round egg. However, it is a very old rhyme and goes back much earlier than this. It can be placed in the early 1600’s. The rhyme has often been changed, though in its original verse it reads very simply: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again. There have been many lessons ascribed to the simple rhyme. Today I merely want to focus on one that emerges in our reading. After Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, the religious leaders of the day “were filled with fury.” That’s a perfect description of hostility. Hostility is the settled state of being enemies. Anger, appropriately expressed and properly handled, can be a sign of good mental health. But there is no health in hostility. I once heard of a psychologist whose first question to every new patient was: “Who is wrong with you?” We live in such a world today. Just as no one seemed to really care about the man with the disability except Jesus, no one seems to care about people unless they fit into a personal agenda. Without naming all the names or listing all the interest groups, it cannot be denied that we have not found a way to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Our streets erupt in riots and our cities burn; innocent people are murdered; and, all the while the fragile egg of peace lays in ruin where it has fallen. Jesus has the cure. He said, “Love your enemies.” He explained, “Do good to those who hate you.” “Pray for those who abuse you,” said Jesus. Pray, not once, but persistently. It is not easy to remain hostile toward someone for whom you pray on a daily basis. That may be the only way for us to truly behave as if everyone matters. By the way, they all matter to Jesus. Perhaps it is time for us to start working together in Christ to accomplish His agenda.