Vicks Vapor Rub
I grew up with the notion that there was a magical ointment that could cure everything. At school, we had a joke that the only thing that the school nurse needed to have in her first aid kit was some Vicks Vapor Rub. Apparently, it cured everything... from headaches to scraps and bruises.
This was the substance of anointment of my youth, and it still an important part of dealing with colds and sinuses. To me, Vicks reminds me of health... but it also reminds me of my father, who seemed to be attached to Vicks as the father from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was attached to Windex. He also used it for everything and apparently left this as another of his legacies for my life.
So... this ointment will always remind me of my father, but also as a gift of health... even if my mother does not like it very much.
Anointments in two different stories
David's election as the next king of Israel, and Jesus healing a blind man seem like two different stories. The Lectionary presents them together, so we read them knowing that there are some connections. This time around, as I was reading them, they reminded me of anointment, even if one uses oil and the other uses mud and water.
Anointment in Scripture has several meanings:
- Ordinary: Anointing with oil was a common practice. Could be used to smell good. Could also be used to protect from insects. It was also a mark of respect and welcome, like the woman that anointed Jesus with oil.
- Official: It was a rite of inauguration for prophets, priests and kings, like we see with King David. Sometimes inanimate objects, like altars dedicated to God, were anointed.
- Ecclesiastical: This one could be more familiar to Christians, as I remember participating in worship services where people that were sick were anointed. This could be the case of Jesus using spit and mud to "anoint" the man who is blind and then sending him to Siloam to wash the mud out of his eyes.
In 1 Samuel, God chooses a man to be King. This man has been invisible to all the others. He is the youngest. He is the weakest. He is only a shepherd. But the passage states that the one that receives the anointment may be invisible to others, but not invisible to God: “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven’t selected him. God doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.”
In John's passage, we can also see an invisible man. A man who is blind. A man that was probably shunned as a sinner, as damaged goods. But Jesus sees the man, and looks at him so intently that the disciples start having a conversation about him. This man that is seen by Jesus is healed, is “anointed with mud and water”, and his sight is restored by the one who is the Light of the World.
God sees and God makes us see
Even though it seems like these two instances of anointment are different in materials and in purpose, there are two things that connect them:
God sees: Anointment in both cases means that God sees. God sees the invisible ones. God sees the ones that are considered weak and powerless. God sees the ones that are considered sinners and unworthy. God sees and God anoints, announcing that God cares for those that the world has rejected because of their appearance or stature, because of the condition of their health or their disabilities: God doesn’t look at things like humans do. God sees into the heart.
God gives sight: In the case of the blind man this is obvious. Jesus heals the blind man. He is able to see things that he has never seen. With David, is not as obvious. But imagine being called from looking after sheep and being told that you are going to be the King of Israel. Sometimes we don’t hear God’s voice calling. Sometimes we don’t see the path that God wants us to take. And then, there is a voice that calls you out because they see something that you don’t see. They see God's call into your life and invite you to discern that call. David could not see it... but God did... and God gave David a vision for an unexpected life, that turn him into the leader of God's people. And that still happens today.
God sees us and gives us sight and signs. But what do we do with this anointment? What do we do with this sight and with the knowledge that God sees us and loves us and has chosen and restored us?
Let the works of God be revealed in you!
There are two interesting things in the story of Jesus and the man who is blind that might give us some answers to these question.
Jesus states that the man is blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. God’s work in this man's life reveals God’s providence and grace. This revelation is for the people around him and for the disciples. Granted that he does not understand it fully at first; the Pharisees do not understand, and the parents do not understand… but the man who is blind finally sees after Jesus explains he is the Son of Man. After hearing this great truth and light, the man who is no longer blind says “Lord I believe”, and then worshipped Jesus. God’s work of grace is revealed. The man believes, and the man worships. He becomes a sign of God’s grace and an invitation for others to ask the question about Jesus: "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" This event will be a story that will become an essential part of this man's life. Every time he opens his eyes, gratitude will fill his body like the light fills his eyes. That is amazing! God sees us and we receive sight so that we can reveal God’s work in our lives.
The other thing in the story is that right after the man’s eyes are covered with mud, Jesus sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam (which means SENT). This man is restored. His life will never be the same because his life is God’s revelation. Therefore, he is marked and sent. Sent to share his witness. Sent to see others as he has been seen. Sent to see the invisible, the disabled, the rejected. He has been anointed and he has been sent to worship and give thanks for God’s grace all his life. God has seen him. His eyes can see. His heart can see.
These two stories remind us of the grace that anoints our lives. You are not alone. You are not invisible. You are not rejected. You are not unloved. God sees you. God chooses you. God is there for you. God gives you sight.
With that sight, you are sent to see. You are sent to be a revelation of God’s works in you. Go and worship. Go and see others that are invisible, rejected, unloved, alone, and share the witness of grace and love that you have been given. Don’t look like humans look. Look through God’s eyes, as one that has been anointed by God.
And as I said when doing the sending, and putting a drop of Vicks Vapor Rub on the hands of the people in the worship service: God sees you! Go and see!
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