The good seats.

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” Mark 12:38-40 (NIV)

Jesus warned his followers about the hypocritical teachers of the law. They were selfish and self-important; they cared about their dress and their image; they didn’t care about others and they didn’t care about God. They wore long, fancy robes. They always sat in the best seats. When they walked into the temple, people sprang to their feet, rushing to offer them the best seats. They made gestures, indicating that they were perfectly content to sit in the back; they came to praise God and not to be seen. “No, really, it’s ok,” they would say. But it wasn’t ok. They came to be seen. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago a man brought his son to the hospital. His son had cleft lip, and needed a surgical correction. At the CURE hospital, we treat a lot of patients with cleft lip and cleft palate. Most of them are children, and most of them face severe ostracization from their communities, and even from their own families. This man understood what his son was going through, and the persecution he faced because he was also born with a cleft lip. His condition he was forced to leave home at a very early age. His family didn’t want him around. He left his village and made his way to the nearest town, where he survived by selling cola nuts on the street. Many people refused to buy from him because of his cleft lip. He has been married more than once, and each time his wife left him because of his lips. He knew what it is like to be treated like a freak, to be rejected and forced to live on the fringe of society. He wanted something better for his son, so he brought him to the hospital. Read the rest of this entry »