King
James Version of Matt. 13: 45-46 - "Again the kingdom of heaven is like
unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he has found one pearl of
great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
The
reason I chose to begin with the KJV is the way the pearl is described:
"one pearl of great price."
The phrase "great price" evokes two ways of understanding that
pearl: first, a very expensive gem stone made by an oyster and brought out of
the ocean by a brave diver, as a sign of the amazingly wonderful relationship
we will have with God--if we commit all to God or, second, something you desire
so completely that you give all that you have to possess it--as in "What
price are you willing to pay?"
The
Rev. David Lose, a Lutheran pastor, describes Jesus’ parables in his blog, “In
the meantime:”
“Jesus’
parables remind us that the faith we preach and the kingdom we announce finally
isn’t an intellectual idea but an experience, an experience of the creative and
redemptive power of God that continues to change lives. And sometimes the only
way to get beyond our head and into our hearts is to, as Emily Dickenson
advised, “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” And so parables come at us
sideways, catching us by surprise to take our breath away at the beauty and
depth of God’s promises.”
To
come at this parable slant, I want to share the story of two lives with
you. They chose a pearl that many would
say is no pearl at all, but I say it is. They each changed lives through an act
of redemptive power. This was the pearl
they chose. In Jesus we believe the kingdom of heaven came here among us, but was
not fully manifested. In ways small and
large we can recognize the reign of God is "already; not yet." The "already" part of that phrase
can lead us to choose to pay whatever price we need to pay for the pearl.
First,
I was to tell you about Dr. Sheik Umar Khan. In Sierra Leone he headed a
treatment facility for patients with the Ebola virus. The is a bad outbreak: Guinea - 310 deaths, 410 cases, Liberia - 116 deaths, 196 cases, Sierra Leone - 206 deaths, 442
cases.*
On
Friday [7/25/14] during the NPR radio program, “All things considered,” Audie
Cornish interviewed the doctor who hired Dr. Khan, Dr. Daniel Barusch. Dr. Barusch, a researcher in tropical
medicine at Tulane, said that he first recruited Dr. Khan 10 years ago to study
another dread disease called Lassa fever.
He was so pleased to have a doctor of Dr. Khan’s caliber when many
doctors were unwilling to undertake this dangerous work. Many nurses are fearful and unwilling to work
with these patients as well. It is hard
work to be so careful with procedures and to work in protective gear from head
to toe in the tropical heat. He spoke
about what a positive attitude Dr. Khan has.
But now he has contracted the virus and is struggling for his life.
Now
I want to tell you about Constance of Memphis [Tennessee] and her
companions. In 1878 a yellow fever
epidemic raged. Here is their story**: “In
August, 1878, Yellow Fever invaded the city of Memphis for the third time in
ten years. By the month’s end the disease had become epidemic and a quarantine
was ordered. While 30,000 citizens had fled in terror, 20,000 more remained to
face the pestilence. As cases multiplied, death tolls averaged 200 daily. When
the worst was over ninety percent of the population had contracted the Fever;
more than 5,000 people had died.
“In
that time of panic and flight, many brave men and women, both lay and cleric,
remained at their posts of duty or came as volunteers to assist despite the
terrible risk. Notable among these heroes were Constance, Superior of the work
of the Sisters of St. Mary in Memphis, and her Companions. The Sisters had come
to Memphis in 1873, at Bishop Quintard’s request, to found a Girls School adjacent
to St. Mary’s Cathedral.
“When
the 1878 epidemic began, George C. Harris, the Cathedral Dean, and Sister
Constance immediately organized relief work among the stricken. Helping were
six of Constance’s fellow Sisters of St. Mary; Sister Clare from St. Margaret’s
House, Boston; the Reverend Charles C. Parsons, Rector of Grace and St. Lazarus
Church, Memphis; and the Reverend Louis S. Schuyler, assistant at Holy
Innocents, Hoboken. The Cathedral group also included three physicians, two of
whom were ordained Episcopal priests, the Sisters’ two matrons, and several
volunteer nurses from New York.
“The
Cathedral buildings were located in the most infected region of Memphis. Here,
amid sweltering heat and scenes of indescribable horror, these men and women of
God gave relief to the sick, comfort to the dying, and homes to the many orphaned
children. Only two of the workers escaped the Fever. Among those who died were
Constance, Thecla, Ruth and Frances, the Reverend Charles Parsons and the
Reverend Louis Schuyler.”
The
pearl that Dr. Khan and Constance and her companions purchased was the pearl of
compassion for and service to those in desperate need. It cost them everything
or in Dr. Khan’s case, perhaps almost everything.*** Yes, this is what the kingdom of heaven is
like!
* BBC online
7/23/14
***Dr. Khan has died (July 29, 1914 – www.huffingtonpost.com).
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