Living in the Image of God M04S04
Christ teaching, based on his interactions with healing recipients, conveys a message that appreciation and public testimony regarding appreciation are important in human interactions and relationships. When God calls a person to provide goods or service to benefit another in need, he also calls the beneficiary to receive the goods and service with appreciation. He calls the beneficiary to appreciate the human provider and appreciate God in thankful recognition that he positioned and empowered others to assist as they can. An appreciating beneficiary could motivate others that in turn motivate chains of more others; thus, generating a network of provider-receiver interactions growing in time and space.
This study focuses on understanding the responsibility of the beneficiary in a call to compassion. Recall that the beneficiary is the receiver of goods and service provided by others to alleviate his or her need. The beneficiary has a responsibility to appreciate the goods and service, appreciate the human provider, and appreciate God for empowering the provider. Further, every person has a responsibility to appreciate others for their intrinsic value as potentially God’s representative in a future human interaction.
We discuss Christ teaching regarding appreciation, based on his interactions with healing recipients. The bible provides accounts of his interactions with the woman healed of persistent bleeding, a man healed of leprosy, and another man freed from demons. His interactions regarding their healing convey a message that appreciation and public testimony regarding appreciation are important in human interactions and relationships. His teaching leads to an understanding that when God calls a person to provide goods or service to benefit another in need, he also calls the beneficiary to receive the goods and service with appreciation. He calls the beneficiary to appreciate the benefactor (that is, the human provider) and appreciate God in thankful recognition that he positioned and empowered the benefactor to provide goods or service to benefit the needy.
An appreciating beneficiary could motivate others that in turn motivate chains of more others. If you appreciate a person, you would be polite to them; respectful of them; and attentive to their needs and communication. Also, you would appreciate God for connecting you with them and empowering them to interact with you. You would be motivated to be good to them and others and, as a result, motivate others that motivate chains of more others. Thus, appreciation of a single act of compassion could generate a network of provider-receiver interactions growing in time and space.
Furthermore, God calls every person to appreciate others for their intrinsic value as potentially his representative in future human interactions. Therefore, every person has an individual responsibility to appreciate others for their intrinsic human value; appreciate goods or service received from others; appreciate the human provider of such goods or service; and appreciate God for empowering others to participate in positive human interactions and relationships.
Call to Compassion and Appreciation
When God calls a person to provide goods or service to benefit another, he also calls the beneficiary to appreciate the act of compassion. Recall that the beneficiary is the receiver of goods and service provided by others to alleviate his or her need. Therefore, a call to compassion also is a call to appreciation, and as such establishes a provider-receiver relationship among the people. As we discuss previously under Individual Responsibility in Call to Compassion, the person called as provider has a responsibility to recognize, care, commit, and persevere; in providing goods or service to alleviate the need. Additionally, God calls the beneficiary to receive the provided goods and service with appreciation.
Meaning of Appreciation
Appreciation means “thankful recognition” (based on dictionary definition) and consists of three steps in the following order. First, there has to be an appreciation of the benefits, that is, goods or service received. Then, appreciation of the benefits leads to appreciation of the benefactor, that is, the human provider of the goods or service. Finally, the appreciation of the benefactor leads to appreciation of God in thankful recognition that he positioned and empowered the benefactor to provide the goods or service. Appreciation begins with the benefits, flows to the benefactor, and then to God. Genuine appreciation does not jump any step or change their order.
Value of Appreciation
Appreciation is important as the initiator of the long-term benefits of human service. An appreciating beneficiary of an act of compassion will be motivated to seek to do likewise for others. His or her “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will likely lead to future interactions that motivate others to do likewise for several others. Thus, the appreciating beneficiary could motivate others that in turn motivate chains of more others to “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” In this way, appreciation of a single act of compassion could generate a network of provider-receiver interactions growing in time and space.
If you appreciate a person, you would be polite to them, respectful of them, and attentive to their needs and communication. Furthermore, you would appreciate God for connecting you with them and empowering positive interactions with them. You would be motivated to be good to them and others that, in turn, would be motivated to be good to chains of more others. That is, your appreciation of others is an important link in a chain of propagating positive interactions among people.
Individual Responsibility for Appreciation
The beneficiary of an act of compassion is individually responsible for appreciation of the goods and service received, appreciation of the human provider, and appreciation of God. Also, every person is individually responsible for appreciation of others for their intrinsic human value as God’s representative in potential future interactions. You are individually responsible for thankful recognition that every other person is potentially God’s representative in a future interaction with you. Every person is individually responsible for the appreciation of others and appreciation of God that empowers positive interactions with them.
Christ Teaching Regarding Appreciation
Christ teaching conveys a message that appreciation is important in human interactions and relationships. He taught appreciation through interactions with healing recipients. We discuss examples regarding the woman healed of persistent long-term bleeding, a man healed of leprosy, and another man he freed from demons.
Woman Healed of Long-Term Bleeding
We discuss the account of the woman Jesus healed of persistent long-term bleeding, focusing on Jesus’ interactions with his disciples and others regarding the healing. The account shows the woman was healed privately when she touched the garment of Jesus. However, Jesus stopped activities thereafter until the woman stepped forward and testified publicly to her appreciation. Then Jesus confirmed that her faith had healed her and released her to “go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
The woman was healed privately when she touched the garment of Jesus [Mark 5:27–29]: “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”
Thereafter, Jesus paused other activities to inquire who touched him. But his disciples were astonished and wondered why he would care about who touched him [Mark 5:30–31]: “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?”’” However, Jesus continued to ask until the woman stepped forward and testified publicly in a show of appreciation [Mark 5:32–34]: “But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’”
The interactions convey a message that Jesus wanted her to testify publicly regarding her appreciation and declared her healed after she testified. The interactions indicate that her appreciation and testimony were essential to complete the public experience regarding her healing.
Man (One of Ten) Healed of Leprosy
The account of the man healed of leprosy is really an account regarding ten men that Jesus healed of leprosy in one event. The ten men had asked for healing as Jesus was passing. In response, he instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests: so that the priests could examine them to determine if they still had leprosy. They went by faith and while on their way realized they had been healed. One of them returned to thank Jesus for the healing.
Jesus welcomed the man that returned but criticized the nine that did not return [Luke 17:17-18]: “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’” Thereafter, he confirmed the man’s healing and released him: “Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well’” [Luke 17:19].
The man had been healed before he turned around to return to thank Jesus. However, Jesus declared him healed after he testified publicly regarding his appreciation. Again, Jesus’ interactions convey a message that the man’s appreciation and public testimony were essential to complete the public experience regarding his healing.
Man Freed from Demons
Christ message regarding appreciation and public testimony was a clear directive in the account of a man freed from demons. Prior to the healing, the man was under complete control by the demons. He had defied every attempt by the people to control him in any way. Jesus expelled the demons and the man regained control of himself.
Thereafter, he wanted to follow Jesus. However, Jesus sent him home to testify among his people [Mark 5:18-19]: “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’”
Again, like in the other two examples, Christ interactions regarding a healing conveys a message that the recipient’s appreciation and public testimony are essential to complete the public experience regarding the healing.
Summary of What We Learned
Christ teaching, based on his interactions with healing recipients, conveys a message that appreciation and public testimony regarding appreciation are important in human interactions and relationships.
When God calls a person to provide goods or service to benefit another in need, he also calls the beneficiary to receive the goods and service with appreciation. He calls the beneficiary to appreciate the human provider and appreciate God in thankful recognition that he positioned and empowered others to assist as they can.
An appreciating beneficiary could motivate others that in turn motivate chains of more others; thus, generating a network of provider-receiver interactions growing in time and space.