Mephibosheth: 2 Samuel 9 v 1-13: ‘For I will surely show you kindness’.
There is a long political history of those assuming power ruthlessly eliminating anybody who might pose even a potential threat to their new found authority. It was this mindset that sealed the fate of Tsar Nicholas II and his family following the Russian revolution of 1917 (noting in passing that, although it certainly doesn’t justify the slaughter of his entire family, Tsar Nicholas was himself no stranger to this kind of behaviour). There is more than a whiff of this in the air following David’s accession to the throne. Saul’s death whilst fighting Israel’s perennial opponents the Philistines on Mount Galboa exacerbated political instability and David only became king following a drawn out civil war between his supporters and members of Saul’s family (2 Sam 3 v 1). Jonathan, who died in battle beside his father, was not Saul’s only son and his remaining brothers were not going to go quietly, which is why David, once his throne is secure, arranges for several members of Saul’s family to meet a nasty end courtesy of a group of old enemies thirsty for revenge (2 Sam 21 v 7-9).
Before the killing begins there is a note indicating that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth (who, as a grandson of Saul could have been seen as a potential threat) had been allowed to live by David because of the covenant of friendship with Jonathan we were considering yesterday. It’s an unusual offer to say the least - covenants of friendship notwithstanding, he was still a descendant of Saul and if David had followed the standard operating procedures of kings in the ancient world he would have had him killed without compunction.
But he doesn’t. Mephibosheth is brought into the king’s household and given the honour, usually reserved for royal sons, of eating at the king’s table. A cynic might suggest that this made it easier for David to keep an eye on him but it does appear more than likely that this is a genuine expression of the importance to him of the dear friendship he had had with Jonathan. This is underlined following the slight wobble later in the story when Ziba, Mephibosheth’s steward, accuses Mephibosheth of plotting to usurp the throne at a time of national emergency with Absalom’s revolt in full swing (2 Sam 16 v 1-4). When David arrives in Jerusalem and meets him his demeanour and willingness to let go of property that was his by right suggests that Ziba has been less than truthful in his accusation. Through it all David holds remarkably true to his commitment to his late and much lamented friend Jonathan.
David’s treatment of the other members of Saul’s family reminds us that when we read the Old Testament narrative we need to be realistic about the dog eat dog world in which it is set. The brutality we encounter, sometimes understood to be at the behest of God, tells us more about their culture (to my mind, at least) then it does about what God is really like. It is in reading the Gospels and reflecting on events from Jesus’ ministry, such as the healing of another disabled man at the pool of Bethsaida (John 5 v 1-9), that we see the divine nature much more clearly. Yet this episode with Mephibosheth seems to offer a ray of light and anticipate this clearer vision of God in the kindness that is offered, the loyalty it represents and the gracious way it is received.
An important aspect of this story is the disability of Mephibosheth; a result of him having been accidentally dropped by his nurse in the rush to get him to safety during the chaos following Saul’s death (2 Sam 4 v 4). It is a major reason why it is unlikely that Mephibosheth would actually have betrayed the one who had offered him home, hospitality and respect as he would have been all too aware that his disability meant that he would never have been accepted as king of Israel. This echoes, albeit in a different context, teaching in the book of Leviticus which lists a whole string of disabilities barring any individual, notwithstanding the fact that he could claim descent from Aaron, from undertaking priestly ministry (Lev 21 v 16-23). Afflictions in the ancient world tended to be understood as punishments from God which explains the whole force of the book of Job in which he maintains his innocence while his friends peddle the official line and try to get him to ‘fess up’.
Let’s return to the man born blind healed by Jesus who we were thinking about in connection with Hagar and Ishmael. Jesus says very plainly that his blindness is not a punishment from God for something he or his parents had done wrong (John 9 v 1-3). Whilst Jesus seizes this opportunity to demonstrate the power of God, when we segue across to the letters of St Paul, we find a man who is himself carrying a ‘thorn in the flesh’, very probably a disability and thought by some to be a problem with his eyes; a thought backed up by his words at the end of Galatians, ‘See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand’ (Gal 6 v 11). Paul is characteristically open and honest about the distress this thorn caused him but came to understand (after much pleading with God) that his call was to live and work with the pain. The bottom line is expressed in God’s reply to his cry for deliverance, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12 v 9). I find an echo here of my own struggles with mental health (very much a thorn in the flesh), something that reshaped life and ministry in unforeseen ways. Similarly this was not a visitation of divine wrath and I feel enormously grateful for the unconditional and loving acceptance of me and my struggles by the congregation I served, through which God’s ongoing call to ministry, complete with thorn, was affirmed.
The Church of England has committed itself to fully enabling the participation of disabled people in the life and ministry of the church. That includes those with any kind of physical disability as well as those, like myself, who have had mental health issues. Being church should be about enabling all to feel that they can be absolutely who they are without feeling excluded or discriminated against in any way and understanding that God speaks with a unique voice through every human being.
Questions: Do you have a ‘thorn in the flesh’? Have you ever spoken to God about it?
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you made us as we are and love us unconditionally. Help your church to offer a welcome to all as we live out that love in our common life. Amen.