Disability: Care And Honour

Disabled people are differently abled people who were also made or Created by the Lord for His glory. We see many disabled people in and around the society, in our families and even in the ministries that we have today with the different talents and abilities to support the families, ministries and even in the government sectors for the welfare of the society. in fact we are the real disabled people who are not accepting the mentally and physically challenged people in the society, in our families and in the ministries.

we are not accepting their talents..

we are not including them amongst us..

we are not taking care about them..

we do not have any concern towards them..

and Not respecting the mentally and physically challenged people.

WHAT MEANS BEING DISABLED?

According to the legal definition set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a person with a disability is ‘someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.

WHAT ARE THE EXAMPLES OF DISABLED?

According to the World Health Organization, disability has three dimensions: Impairment in a person’s body structure or function, or mental functioning; examples of impairments include ‘Loss of a limb, loss of vision or memory’. Activity limitation, such as difficulty seeing, hearing, walking or problem solving.

The metaphoric use of disability in the Bible further reinforces the view linking disability with disobedience to God. Israel’s disobedience is compared with disability. In ISAIAH 43:8 – The children off Israel are asked to lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE DISABLED PEOPLE?

EXODUS 4:11 - Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

LEVITICUS 19:14 – You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God; I am the Lord.

ST JOHN 9:2-7 - And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud...

ST MATTHEWS 15:31 - So that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

ST MARK 7:32cf - And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ...

DEUTERONOMY 27:18 - “‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Q. why God allows the people to be disabled / handicapped?

Ans: Before we proceed, we should acknowledge that we are all disabled or handicapped in some way.

The need for eyeglasses indicates - impaired or “handicapped” vision.

Dental braces are a sign of imperfect teeth.

In the Old Testament we see that the reason for the disability is the sin.

Coming to the New Testament, we can see it as the God's plan.

Another basic reason that God allows some people to be disabled or handicapped is that God will glorify Himself through it.

? When the disciples wondered about the man born blind, Jesus told them, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3).

? When the same disciples later wondered about Lazarus’ sickness, Jesus told them, “It is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).

In both instances, God was glorified through the disability

In the case of the man born blind, the temple rulers had incontrovertible proof of Jesus’ power to heal;

In the case of Lazarus, “many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him” (John 11:45).