Several years ago an Italian...
Illustration
Several years ago an Italian newspaper reported on a rather strange court case. A fifty-year-old Italian driver was fined for dangerous driving after, as he stated, "he handed the controls of his car over to God." A judge heard the man describe how he let go of his steering wheel and cried, "God, can you drive?" Predictably, the man's car ended up in a ditch.
The motorist's lawyer mounted a rather ingenious defense. He maintained that the court had no jurisdiction, because this constituted a "religious dilemma." The prosecuting attorney, however, was too sharp to let that sort of thing slip by. He reminded the judge that "God is not a legally insured driver and has never passed an official test," so it was illegal for the man to turn the steering wheel over to the Almighty. The judge agreed, and found the man guilty.
In healing the leper, Jesus makes it clear that healing is not something that is done to a person. The sick man must actively desire to be healed, to participate in his healing. "God helps those who help themselves," wrote Benjamin Franklin. A more colorful variation is the anonymous sailors' saying: "Pray to God, but row towards shore."
The motorist's lawyer mounted a rather ingenious defense. He maintained that the court had no jurisdiction, because this constituted a "religious dilemma." The prosecuting attorney, however, was too sharp to let that sort of thing slip by. He reminded the judge that "God is not a legally insured driver and has never passed an official test," so it was illegal for the man to turn the steering wheel over to the Almighty. The judge agreed, and found the man guilty.
In healing the leper, Jesus makes it clear that healing is not something that is done to a person. The sick man must actively desire to be healed, to participate in his healing. "God helps those who help themselves," wrote Benjamin Franklin. A more colorful variation is the anonymous sailors' saying: "Pray to God, but row towards shore."
