Jesus is determined to save us from anything that can hurt or destroy us: physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. He is a game-changing healer in the field of mental and spiritual health, and we should call on him for help.
The French Open is now underway, one of the most important tennis tournaments in the world. Three years ago, Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka surprised many people by withdrawing from the tournament. Her decision came after she was fined $15,000 for refusing to participate in an initial press conference. She said, “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression [and] I have had a really hard time coping with that.”
Osaka’s decision led to a barrage of criticism. British broadcaster Piers Morgan called her a “petulant little madam.” Australian journalist Will Swanton wrote, “The immaturity [of] Naomi Osaka leaves me speechless.” Others were sympathetic to her struggles, including tennis superstar Serena Williams, who said, “I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like.”1
The Bible doesn’t say much about being depressed, but it does speak of people suffering from a variety of afflictions. From the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus encounters people in need, and he responds with compassionate action: Curing those who are sick, casting out demons, cleansing a leper, and healing a paralytic. Jesus launches his ministry in the first chapter by saying that “the kingdom of God has come near.”2 Then, he shows that deliverance from affliction is a sign of the kingdom.
Helping and healing trumps Sabbath-keeping
In the second chapter of Mark, Jesus and his disciples are walking through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and the hungry disciples begin to pluck heads of grain. A group of Jewish leaders called Pharisees criticize them by saying, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” Jesus tells them the story of David and his companions breaking the laws of the temple to eat bread when they were hungry, and then Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath.” He wants them to know that the laws of the Sabbath are created to benefit humans. When they are not beneficial, these laws can be broken. Helping trumps Sabbath-keeping.
In the third chapter, Jesus enters the synagogue, sees a man with a withered hand and asks the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” They do not answer him. Jesus looks at them with anger, feeling grieved by their hardness of heart. Then he says to the cr
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