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AIDING THE AIDS PATIENTS
At a time the Aids patients are more often than not ostracized in our society so much
so that they pine more for social acceptance than even probably medical treatment, what
ought to be the Christian’s response to this kind of ‘degradation’ of a sick patient.
For an answer, it would be worthwhile to consider Jesus’ response to the shunned lot of
his age. There were primarily 3 types of people who were looked down upon in the Jewish
society of his times for social, spiritual & medical reasons. If the Samaritans were
branded as a ‘mixed breed’ for socio-historical reasons
(II Kings: 17) & kept aside, the
publicans (‘conniving agents’* of the domineering Roman empire*) & prostitutes
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(‘fodder for Hell fires’*) kept at an arm’s length for spiritual motives, then the lepers
were treated as ‘social pariahs’ for socio-medical purposes & kept confined to the city
outskirts.
* Snobbish Jewish parlance of Jesus’ times to describe publicans &
prostitutes mentioned within inverted commas in the above
bracketed sentences’.
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With each of these, we see Jesus’ rubbing shoulders warmly, as it were. If we see him taking the
initiative in introducing the saving gospel to a Samaritan lady of questionable character beside the
Jacob’s well in
John 4:4-30, then we also see him not only accepting the tax-collecting Matthews as
one of his own disciples
(Matt 9:9) but also graciously forgiving a repentant prostitute in
Luke 7:36-50. As for lepers, they always found a caring doctor in Jesus
(Luke 17:11-19).
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Doesn’t Jesus accommodative behavior keeping in view the bigger picture –the need of salvation for
even the so-called ‘scum of the society’- perforce speak ‘loud and clear’ on how we ought to go about
in our disposition with the modern-day ostracized lot? For one thing, let’s remind ourselves of the
fact that not all ‘Aids’ patients are an outcome of moral turpitude such as homosexuality condemned
by the Bible
(Leviticus 18:22) but on the other hand some are also innocent victims of hospital
ineptitude (inadvertent transfusion of HIV infected blood to patients needing blood transfusion).
One prominent victim of such medical inadvertence was that legendary Tennis player A.Ashe.
Even for
the those who have made wrong moral choices’ in their life, whether they are rueful of their acts or
not, we ought to go an ‘extra mile’ in accepting them & lovingly share God’s word with them, hoping
& praying all along for their eventual transformation.
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Once, we have broken the ‘mental barrier’ of accepting them (the most difficult part), the rest
such as referring them to caring, empathetic clinics (my doctor friend Dr Sujai Suneetha who works
amongst Aids patients eats from their plates & drinks from their cups not only to set an example
to others but to boost the morale of his patients), playing a part in footing their medical
expenses’, praying & worshipping along with them etc would duly follow.
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Last but not the least as duty-bound spokesmen of His Kingdom, even while warmly ‘accepting’
the Aids’ patients, lets continue to forewarn the world with due love & concern (all with the
intention of nipping the problems in the bud) that it doesn’t pay to flout God’s laws for when
we break them, they do not really break rather we break ourselves
(John 5:14).
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Suresh Manoharan
The list of essays to follow
- Doing away with the dowry
- In the Sports field....
- Honouring the National flag
- Don't tax the tax man
- Employer satisfaction nay... delight
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