Today's Scripture Reading (October 2, 2023): Haggai 2
I
recently came down with Covid-19. Three and a half years after the beginning of
the pandemic, and after keeping myself safe throughout the worst days of the
sickness, I was finally sick. Maybe the most frustrating part was that I couldn't
figure out where I picked up the virus; I hadn't been near many people during
the week before the sickness hit me. I was in church on Sunday and went out for
supper with my wife's sister and her husband on Tuesday. And on Thursday, I
began to feel sick. Friday came with a COVID test and a positive COVID-19
result. And everything, in a moment, changed. I had to find someone to take
over my duties on Sunday and cancel any meetings, and for the next ten days, I
lived in my home office and bedroom. My wife slept in the spare room, and I did
everything alone.
I
was symptomatic. In the early days, it was fever, severe body aches, coughing,
and runny nose. In a few days, the fever broke, and it was just the congestion
that was left, but I continued to test positive for COVID-19. So I continued to
isolate, even making the difficult decision to miss a second Sunday. But then
the first negative test, and I admit that I shared some hugs with family
shortly after that negative test, even though some symptoms remained. I had ended
my self-imposed isolation.
It
may frustrate us, but infection only runs in one direction. Because I was sick,
I didn't want to make those around me sick. Some people I am close to are
struggling with other health issues, and the last thing I wanted to happen was to
share my sickness with them. I wish that it was possible to "catch"
health by being around people who are not sick. But that is not the way it
works. The healthy can be made ill by being around those with illnesses such as
COVID-19, but there is no way for any of us who are sick to catch health from
those who are feeling good. I have received four COVID-19 vaccinations;
admittedly, the last one is relatively distant in my past, but even something
like a vaccination can't be shared with the unvaccinated simply by having
contact with them. Infection only runs in one way.
In
the same way, Judaism argues that impurity only goes in one direction. The holy
can become defiled by coming in contact with something unclean, like a dead
body, or even someone who has become unclean through such contact. (Or even
someone who comes in contact with someone who comes in contact with someone –
you get the idea.) This transferability of impurity was the reason why
observant Jews were continually going through ritual cleansing because you just
didn't know for sure who was unclean. But holy people could never transform
someone who was unclean into someone who was clean just through contact. It
just doesn't work that way.
But
if it did, that would be a miracle. And that is what Haggai is about to
declare.
Then
Haggai said," 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,'
declares the Lord.
'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.'"
"'From this day on I will bless you'" (Haggai
2:14, 19b)
Even
though you are unclean, I will allow you to become a holy nation. I will enable
holiness to be caught simply by contact with me. And then, you will be blessed.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Zechariah 1
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