Healing

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Medicine To Die For Part VIII

To Gag A Maggot

Inspired in part by II Kings 5:13; Jonah 4:6-11; Matthew 18:19-20; Matthew 19:16-24; Luke 14:28-33; John 5:14; I John 2:16; and Revelation 3:16

Maggot’s initial reaction to Mr. Shipwreck’s refusal of his services was to gag. He couldn’t believe his ears when he heard that his number one stock holder and major sponsor of fetal tissue research had reneged on his decision to invest thousands of dollars on a controversial new treatment to repair a damaged spinal cord - a treatment that purportedly had a five percent chance of success. With odds like that, it was the deal of a lifetime!

But apparently it wasn’t enough to persuade the man to reconsider his decision. For Mr. Shipwreck had a strong support system in the form of four friends: Max, Mohammed, Esperanza, and LaShawna. These people worked night and day to tear down all the strongholds that had been erected in their employer’s mind through worldly philosophy and vain deceit.

In the end, Maggot got tired of being put on hold. So he changed phone companies. Then he decided to pay Mr. Shipwreck a little visit on his own, dropping in on him at a most importune time - Sunday morning, right before church. Just to ensure the success of his visit, he brought along a few friends. They came armed with every book, picture, and statistic they could find, along with a thirty-minute slide show praising the use of embryonic stem cells to cure Parkinson’s.

But the presentation didn’t fly, for not only did Mr. Shipwreck’s servants disagree with Maggot’s so-called “facts and figures” as well as his immoral philosophy, every single one of them was determined to get their paralyzed friend to church - on time, come hell or high water. And although the four of them found themselves vastly outnumbered by the large group of businessmen who had showed up unannounced at their doorstep, they knew they had a God in heaven on whom they could rely to answer their prayers. Therefore it came as no surprise when five minutes into the presentation Maggot found himself suddenly overcome by a “bathroom attack.” Strangely enough, his colleagues suffered similar internal rumblings. They blamed it on the fast food they’d eaten that morning and vowed to boycott the franchise that “forced” it on them.

Needless to say, the men cleared out of the mansion in a hurry. Mr. Shipwreck’s friends were able to bring him to church, and on time. There Mr. Shipwreck felt a warmth he had never before experienced. For the first time in his life he knew that God was real. But for some reason he wasn’t quite ready to make the commitment that he knew God desired. For something told him that if he was ever to walk again, the Lord would expect him to sell all his possessions and move to Africa as a missionary to the pigmies. And that was the last thing in the world he wanted to do.

His decision to hold off on accepting Christ as Lord came as a huge disappointment to Mr. Shipwreck’s employees, who had worked so hard to convert him. What they didn’t know was that God was doing a deep work inside Mr. Shipwreck - a work which would reveal itself in due time.

Two months after his accident the paralyzed man was staring at the ceiling, thinking of all the things he might do could he walk again.

He could sail a ship, jump from an airplane, go parasailing, travel the world (to every place except Africa), surf a tsunami, check off every item on his “bucket list,” and stuff his face full of junk food.

If only his life hadn’t slowed down to less than a crawl!

Why, it was as tasteless as the white of an egg! Oh for a little spice to perk up his routine existence!

Just as he was getting ready to yell for Chinese carryout, who should stroll in the room but Max, dressed like a bum and smacking on a hamburger and fries!

Shlurp! A contented sigh. “That was a good milk shake.” The lazy servant smacked his lips and let out a big burp. Then with a quick “excuse me,” he set the remainder of his lunch on the floor and gave his chin a quick wipe.

With a sigh Mr. Shipwreck complained, “How can you do this to me, Max?”

“How can I do what?” asked Max.

“How can you eat at a time like this?”

“Uh. . . Because it’s easy?”

“You’re making me hungry!” Mr. Shipwreck suddenly snapped. “Give me a French fry!”

“But. . .”

“I know you’re hiding them somewhere.”

“I - er. . . Oh, all right.” Max reluctantly pulled a soggy bag out of his pant pocket and removed the desired item. He dropped it in his boss’s open mouth.

Mr. Shipwreck started chewing.

“Yuck! This is cold!”

“I beg your pardon!” He dare he insult the French fry?

Ptui! The half-chewed potato landed on the floor.

“Oh no!” cried Max with tears in his eyes. “My beloved fry, for which I labored night and day, has died for nothing!” He rushed out of the room holding his stomach.

Mr. Shipwreck rolled his eyes. “You’re being ridiculous. It’s just a fry!”

“I’ve been keeping it warm in my pocket all this time,” sobbed Max, voice muffled, head stuck in the linen closet. “But you tossed it out of your mouth as if it was nothing! You - you called it ‘cold’!” He sniffed.

“Oh come on, Max. When I say it’s cold, I don’t mean it’s cold cold. I mean it’s stale cold. There’s a big difference.”

“Not to me,” whined Max. He returned to the room, towel in hand, and began cleaning up the mess. As soon as he finished making his memorial speech, Mr. Shipwreck launched into another lecture.

“And another thing, Max,” he said, “I‘ve been meaning to talk to you about the way you’ve been letting yourself go lately. Just a few weeks ago you were strutting around in a business suit, eating only the finest of kosher health foods, maintaining an impeccable set of manners, and acting confident as a rooster in a henhouse. But now look at you: shlumping about in an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt, munching on junk food, and wiping your mouth on your sleeve. You’ve become a regular slob!”

So what? thought Max. True, he’d gotten a little carried away lately - a little lust of the flesh, a little lust of the eyes, and much pride of life. But what about his big shot employer? He had everything going for him and he threw it all away! Given the circumstances, Max felt he had every right to be angry.

“And what about you, Do-It-Yourself?” he asked, deflecting the spotlight from the log in his own eye and focusing it on his employer’s brazen transgression. “Four weeks ago you heard Jesus knocking on your heart, loud and clear. But then when it came time to make a decision you immediately chickened out. The same guy that can’t wait to jump out of an airplane or surf a tsunami loses his nerve when it comes to making that all-important leap of faith out of the lake of fire and into the arms of the Savior!”

Bull’s eye! How was it that Max always knew how to throw the dagger just where it hurt the most? Mr. Shipwreck knew he should have made a decision for Christ when he had the chance. He knew he should have struck when the iron was hot. Now he was beginning to wonder if it was too late to make that all-important decision.

Both men were feeling the heat of their lukewarm lifestyles. They knew God had called them to a higher place of faith and commitment. But it was always easier to point a finger at someone else than to take responsibility for one’s own inadequate actions. So each kept throwing the other’s disobedience back in his face until finally Mr. Shipwreck could take it no longer. He had to face the heat.

So he asked Max to tell him a Bible story, right in the middle of the argument.

“Tell you a what?” asked Max, suddenly dumbfounded.

“Tell me a Bible story.”

“What kind of story?” replied Max, irritated at having his train of thought so rudely interrupted.

“I don’t know,” said Mr. Shipwreck. “Just find one and read it. There’s a Bible in my middle dresser drawer. You know - the one you like to raid for its designer underwear.”

No doubt about it, Mr. Shipwreck sure had an uncanny way of putting his “number one” on the spot. Max hurriedly scooted out of the room to retrieve the desired item. He pulled up a chair next to the wheel chair in which his employer lay languishing and opened the Word of God. Interestingly it just so happened to flip open to I Kings chapter 18, the story of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal.

A story that was all about being on fire for God.

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