Diseases of the Mind and the Healing Gift of a Generous Heart

Preached at Hanover Street Presbyterian Church

On June 25, 2006

By Pastor Thomas C. Davis

Text:

Samuel 24: 1-19

When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the wilderness of En-gedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to look for David and his men in the direction of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. The men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, "I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.' " Then David went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's cloak. Afterward David was stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul's cloak. He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to raise my hand against him; for he is the Lord's anointed." So David scolded his men severely and did not permit them to attack Saul. Then Saul got up and left the cave, and went on his way. Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the cave and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of those who say, "David seeks to do you harm'? This very day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave; and some urged me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, "I will not raise my hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed.' See, my father, see the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are hunting me to take my life. May the Lord judge between me and you! May the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. As the ancient proverb says, "Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness'; but my hand shall not be against you. Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? May the Lord therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and vindicate me against you." When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. Today you have explained how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. For who has ever found an enemy, and sent the enemy safely away? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.

Sermon Text

"Diseases of the Mind, and the Healing Gift of a Generous Heart"--  That title aptly describes what happened between King Saul of Israel, and his court musician, the former shepherd boy turned warrior, David.  But, let me set that story aside for a while, because I'd first like to share with you my joy about being chosen to serve on our denomination's task force to study serious mental illness.  As you may remember, I was named to that task force with eleven other people from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  We are pastors, lay people, psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, pastoral counselors, and family members of persons with mental illness.  We have already met with numerous people with mental illness to learn about their struggles to find acceptance in the church, and to obtain the medical and economic assistance which federal and state laws say they should receive.  We have witnessed what marvelous work churches can perform when the Holy Spirit gives their members courage to try things that they have never tried before.  There is a Presbyterian church in Kalamazoo in which sixty percent of the members have serious mental illness.  That same church still feels it is not doing enough to witness to God's wide, wide mercy; and so, it is now investigating how to welcome people with blindness into the congregation.  Yes, it has been so inspiring to see what can be done when people open themselves to God's healing Spirit, so that they lose their fears and do amazing things together.

Now, back to our Bible story.  I've often thought that the story of Saul and David and Saul's son, Jonathan, would make a great movie, because the characters are so vivid, and their triangular relationship is so classic.  When I was studying counseling I learned that triangles are very common in families, and other larger emotional systems, like congregations.  Where there is an ongoing conflict between two people, a third person often gets emotionally drawn in, to reduce the stress between them.  In the story before us, king Saul turns suspicious of young David, who has won more battles than he.  Saul also loses the support of the prophet who anointed him, Samuel, who predicts that David will one day be king of Israel in Saul's place. Because David is is such a hero in the people's eyes, Saul goes crazy with jealousy and anxiety.  On two occasions scripture says that an evil spirit of God possesses him and he goes into a rage, threatening to kill David. 

During this emotional crescendo,  Saul's son, Jonathan, gets triangled in, and relieves somewhat the tension between them.  Jonathan and David become soul-brothers.  Jonathan loves David just as deeply as he is loyal to his father.  He sees David in secret at least twice, passing information to him about how enraged and dangerous Saul has become.  Jonathan illustrates that the third person in a triangle helps two people in agonizing conflict to cope, but doesn't help to solve their problems, only manage them.  In fact, you could say that the third person in a triangle saves the other two from having to change.  Just as a geometric triangle is a very stable figure, so an emotional triangle is a very stable structure.  As long as the third person does his thing, the two people in agonizing conflict are not likely to change.  Things might not be comfortable, but they are relatively stable, thanks to the third person, Jonathan in this case. 

To bring this sermon a bit closer to home, think about someone with whom you have come into conflict.  Now, think:  Is there someone else who has helped to manage this conflict:  perhaps a counselor, or a friend, or a relative?  As long as that person has kept helping you to cope, you didn't have to change anything about yourself, right?  You could just keep on keeping on.  But woe the day when your third isn't available!  Then, you are on your own!  (Well, except for the help of Spirit, that is.  We'll get to that in a minute).  Flesh-and-blood wise, you're on your own.  That happened to David.  There he was in a cave, side by side with a madman who had tried on several occasions to kill him.  David could have ended the conflict right there, by murdering his nemesis.  But he didn't.  And not because of his love for Jonathan, who would be losing a father.  Scripture says David didn't kill Saul because he realized that God had called him to be king.  David saw Saul as another child of God, called just like himself.  So, he spared him.  Right then the triangle was broken, not when Jonathan got killed in battle, and not when Saul got killed in battle, but right then, because David took responsibility for his relationship with Saul.  He said to God:  God, I'm not going to take Saul's life.  You can take it if that's the answer.  But I'm not going to take his life into my hands.  Saul is in your hands, God.  He is as much your child as I. 

As one who has experienced mental illness myself, and spent about a third of my career counseling people with emotional problems, I'm fascinated with Saul.  He experienced fits of rage.  Sometimes he sought serenity by asking David to play the harp.  Sometimes he experienced ecstasy, dancing with the spirit-moved prophets.  Sometimes, as in the passage today, he spoke with composure, and wisely.  Saul had a volatile personality.  Perhaps we could say that he suffered mental illness.  Perhaps he might be diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, or a person with bi-polar disorder.  People like Saul experience much pain, even as they draw others into their orbit and make life painful for them too. 

Today we tend not to understand problems like Saul's as afflictions of the spirit (remember scripture says that it was an evil spirit from God that made Saul go off).  Rather, we tend to understand mental illness as a medical phenomenon, something that ought to be treated by medication.  Our modern understanding of mental illness is scientific, and most people would say, sounder than the ancient mythical one.  Medications do help, most times.  But there is nevertheless truth in this morning's ancient story about two men who were caught in a spiral of egotism and paranoia.  The truth is this:  A person who is suffering great mental anguish, who has even lost his senses, may respond well to the gift of a kind and generous heart, a heart enabled by sacred Spirit to recognize that the person with whom one has been in strident conflict is, after all, a child of God too.  Think about your own nemesis.  Might you be able to see him or her as a child of God, just like you?  How might that perspective change your relationship?  Would you be able to cope with the conflict some other way than the one to which you have grown accustomed?

As the Task Force on Serious Mental Illness has listened to the life stories of people who suffer from diseases of the mind we have noticed how precious are friends with kind and generous hearts.  You see, we don't have to understand the causes of their illness to help them greatly.  Just by regarding them as children of God, lovable people, we help to break the stigma of mental illness, and that makes a world of difference to people with that affliction.  Hanover Church, you are already welcoming people with serious mental illness into worship and fellowship.  May the Holy Spirit continue to bless you with kind and generous hearts, and may people suffering with mental illness continue to find welcome and solace and healing here, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.