58 WORD OF GOD
God and Disability
by Ian Paul
Reading what the Bible says about disability is a complex and challenging task for several reasons . First , the language of ‘ disability ’ is a modern one , and the terminology is very recent . The word itself only became the dominant agreed term in the 1970s and 80s . Secondly , when we read scripture , we are going on a cross-cultural journey , into a culture where understandings of disability are quite different from our own .
There are four main objections to what scripture is thought to say in relation to disability .
Imperfection
A strong element of the biblical narrative is that God made the world and humanity perfect , and that imperfection has entered the world because something has gone wrong – what the Bible calls ‘ sin ’. Parts of this narrative imply that physical or mental disabilities are part of ‘ what has gone wrong ’; the most striking example is the prohibition in Leviticus 21:16-23 of anyone with a physical defect from entering the sanctuary .
But it is clear that this prohibition has symbolic significance , pointing to the holiness and perfection of God . In his vision of the restored temple , Ezekiel is told that the priests shall wear cool linen garments , so that they do not sweat [ Ezekiel 44:17 ]. There is no suggestion that sweat is sinful !
The idea that disability is a form of imperfection aligns closely with the ‘ medical ’ model of disability ; those who are disabled are not able to do things which the human body would usually be expected to do – hence the very term ‘ dis-abled ’.
Yet Jesus rejects the idea that we should associate disabilities with personal sin . In John 9 , this question is raised by his disciples , ‘ Rabbi , who sinned , this man or his parents , that he was born blind ?’ and Jesus explicitly denies the premise , ‘ Neither this man nor his parents ’. Disability is an opportunity for grace , not a reason for blame .
Instrument
Some have criticised scripture , and in particular the accounts of Jesus ’ healings , for turning the disabled into mere mechanisms for Jesus to display his power . Jesus is ‘ a cathartic scourge that wanders around eradicating disability from the world … That relegates people with disabilities to just being there to show the power of God ’ ( Candida Moss ).
But a moment ’ s careful reading shows this is the opposite of what the gospels actually say . Those with disabilities are often the centre of the narrative ; they are the rounded characters , in contrast to the disciples who are more peripheral . Jesus frequently asks ‘ What do you want me to do for you ?’ [ Mark 10:51 ], putting their decision and will at the centre of the action , and Jesus often heals in private , avoiding the healing becoming a spectacle or a showcase .
Imitation or image ?
Candida Moss goes on to suggest that scripture portrays God as disabled . Ezekiel 1 describes God on a thronechariot with wheels which allows God to move . ‘ It seems like God is a wheelchair user maybe a thousand years before human beings themselves have thought about wheelchairs .’
This is simply imposing our own contemporary ideas on the ancient text , rather than reading what it actually says . For Ezekiel , this is not an image of limitation , but an image of power , it is an affirmation of the continuing power and reign of God , despite the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of his people . ( In the ancient world , being seated is a symbol of majesty , power and authority .)
But we do not need to make God like us in order to see the dignity and worth of all people . The central affirmation in scripture is that we are all ‘ made in the image of God ’, both male and female , slave and free , ‘ able bodied ’ and ‘ disabled ’. That should be enough for us to treat all with equal care and value .
Identity
The final objection arises from the idea that being ‘ disabled ’ is core to a person ’ s identity – not least because it is felt to be so central to their experience . ‘ If I ’ m not disabled in heaven , I ’ m not myself so I certainly hope I ’ ll still be disabled in heaven ’ ( Moss ).
But this gives ‘ disability ’ an absolute status that it does not warrant . I myself have nine ‘ disabilities ’, ways in which my body does not do what it should , some of which have needed medical intervention . If you took a sample of the population , and lined them up according to ‘ disability ’, you would not have two groups , but a continuum from the obviously ‘ able bodied ’ to the more obviously ‘ disabled ’.
Disability is a particular example of limitations and finitude that we all share – part of what it means to be imperfect creatures in an imperfect world . But we all live in hope , that ‘ when perfection comes , what is partial will pass away .’ [ I Corinthians 13:10 ]
Ian Paul
Rev Dr Ian Paul is a theologian , author and speaker , and Associate Minister at St Nic ’ s Nottingham . He is Managing Editor of Grove Books and runs a lively blog at
www . psephizo . com and Twitter
@ Psephizo .