There are many things in society that are common to us. For example, if I were to ask, “How many of you have either experienced firsthand or know someone who has gone through a divorce, endured abuse, grieved the loss of a loved one, endured domestic violence, or have gone through alcoholism, or drug addiction?” Probably every single one of you could raise your hand. But what if I asked you the same question about intellectual and developmental disabilities? How many of you could raise your hand and say that you have a family member or friend with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or perhaps it applies personally to yourself? What about at church? Do you have members with intellectual and developmental disabilities? Because although we may not hear a lot about it, it’s very prevalent in our world. And there are wonderful organizations that help provide resources and minister to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as their families.
Sadly, it seems this specific category of disabilities is often considered among the many topics referred to as taboo. Discussions about intellectual and developmental disabilities are subjects that society often feels uncomfortable talking about, and maybe even possibly offensive. This is a horrible way of looking at it, because those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are specially made by God, and we like to call them God’s VIPs.
Who are some of God’s VIPs in the Bible? And how does the world treat them? What lessons can we learn from them?
Well the first one that comes to mind is Mephibosheth. We find his name mentioned in 2 Samuel 4:4 where it says, “Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child’s nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.” If you continue reading in 2 Samuel, you will learn in chapter 9 that both of his feet were hurt so that he couldn’t walk. This disability wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t born this way, but rather experienced this traumatic event as a young child.
Another VIP in the Bible that comes to mind is the blind man, Bartimaeus. We find his name mentioned in Mark 10:46-52 where it says, “And they came to Jericho, and as He was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart, get up, he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” This blind man is crying out for the Lord and what are the people doing that are nearby him? They’re telling him to be quiet, they’re yelling at him, and that’s something that we often see in society today. Those with disabilities are called a mistake. The world wants to call them castaways, discards, and treat them as a nuisance. This man, Bartimaeus, is blind; he can’t help that he’s blind. He’s crying out for Jesus, and he wants Jesus to have mercy on him – yet the world is telling him to be quiet and stop talking, as if Jesus shouldn’t be bothered with his simple request.
Another account we find in the Bible is the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-9 where we read, “Afterward, Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city near the Sheep Gate was the Pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people, blind, lame, or paralyzed, lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.” Instantly, the man was healed. He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking. But this miracle happened on the Sabbath.”
This account, like the others mentioned above, show us that God is compassionate toward those with disabilities of all kinds. Consider, for example, in the verses above from John 5, the words, “Jesus saw him and knew.” Jesus didn’t have to ask; He just knew. Out of the crowd, Jesus saw this particular man and knew. He knew that he had been dealing with his situation for 38 years. Don’t miss the details we are given in verse 3 regarding the crowds of the people and the way they are described: it was a multitude, but they were all sick in some way, blind, lame, paralyzed. They were seemingly hopeless and did not have anyone to help them.
Perhaps you are reading this right now and you have an intellectual or developmental disability, how encouraging to see the way God views disability. We should view it the same, through His eyes. In each one of the Scripture passages above about God’s VIPs, one thing about all of them is that God gives the reason why they have the story they do. And all of those reasons can be summed up in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29:
“For consider your calling brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. Not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
Don’t miss this: God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong!
Personally, I have several people in my family and extended family, and in our circle of friends, and at church, who are intellectually and developmentally disabled. What I love the most about these VIPs is that they show me how to love like Christ. They are so good at showing me the right way to love other people. They love selflessly and unconditionally, and it has often been convicting to see and experience because I know that I don’t act like that all the time. So I’m put in my place; I’m humbled to see someone else living out something that I haven’t conquered yet. It’s truly amazing and it really brings to light the last part of that passage from 1 Corinthians1, verse 29, which says “so that no human being can boast in the presence of God.”
When I think of someone considered “weak” shaming the “strong”, I think of Moses in Exodus chapter 4 where we read of God telling Moses that He wants him to go to the Pharaoh of Egypt and tell the Pharaoh to let the people go. Moses is protesting and he’s just worried about how this will work out. Moses pleads with the Lord in Exodus 4:10 expressing how he is not very good with words and that even though God has spoken to him, he still gets tongue-tied, and his words get tangled. The Lord asked Moses in verse 11, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go. I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” Isn’t that such a good reminder that God made you just the way you are! The world would have you believe that it’s a curse, that whatever disability you have or someone you know has is a curse from God because he’s displeased. But these verses are saying the exact opposite. God made you the way you are because he is all-powerful and all-knowing. God is the One Who made us. He made all of us. It doesn’t matter if you have intellectual and developmental disabilities or not. God made each one of us.
We find proof of this in Psalm 139:13-16 where it says, “You formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Don’t miss this! God is the One Who formed our inward parts. He is the One Who knit us together in our mother’s womb. He made us the way we are. Please notice the psalmist does not say, “You did a horrible job, God. You messed up. You made a mistake. You ruined me.” No! Instead, he says in v. 14, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Also note, the psalmist doesn’t say, “Thank you for making me better than everyone else.” Because what’s the next part of the verse? The psalmist says to God, “Your works are wonderful.” Works, plural. Everybody is a work of God. We are all wonderfully made. Ephesians 2 tells us that we are God’s workmanship. God created us; He fashioned and formed us – every single part. Don’t skip over verse 15, where it says, “My frame was not hidden from you.” God’s not ashamed of you. God doesn’t look at people with disabilities and say, “Oh, I have to shield my eyes from this view. I don’t want to see it.” Remember in the account above from Mark 10 where we read that Jesus saw the blind man, Bartimaeus. He saw him. He wasn’t afraid to look at him. He didn’t shy away when the people told Bartimaeus to go away and quit bothering Jesus. Praise God for His compassionate heart!
I don’t think we can talk about disabilities without mentioned the wonderful truth found in John 9:1-3 where we read, “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. This man was blind his whole life. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” And Jesus says, “it was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins.” Jesus answered, “this happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” The disciples asked Jesus, “Why is he blind?” Isn’t that the age-old question? Why, why, why, why? And, and the disciples want to know, “Did he cause this himself? Did his parents cause this? Who caused this? Why is this guy blind? Jesus, we need answers. We need to know.” And don’t we do that too? When we have a disability, or maybe we have a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or we know someone with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We ask that question, why – why did this happen to them? Why is it happening to me? We need to remember this passage where Jesus says it happened so the power of God could be seen. Isn’t that amazing that He would choose these special VIPs to be proof and evidence of God’s power! It’s so God’s power could be seen. Wow! These verses are not meant to be patronizing, they are meant to give us hope and peace. We may be wondering, “Why is this happening to me? And what do I do with it?” I think that’s the question for those of us who are intimately acquainted with intellectual and developmental disabilities, whether we have them or someone we love has them. And we constantly go back to God and say, how am I supposed to process this? What do I do with this? How do I reconcile this in my mind? What am I supposed to do? How do I live my life in this way? How do I take care of someone in this way so that God’s glory may be displayed in His power?
Let me ask you a different question: “How do you steward those gifts?” People with disabilities are like a gift to us. Those of us with disabilities have gifts we can share with others. Daily life may ebb and flow. We may have good days and bad days – whether we are afflicted with those disabilities ourselves, or we know someone who is. But we need to remember there is a purpose in all of this (Psalm 139). As I was maturing in my walk and trying to wrap my mind around special needs and disabilities, I often struggled with the topic of faith. Are they saved? Can I help them get saved? Do they comprehend spiritual things? How are others going to deal with them? Do others have the same compassion for God’s VIPs that I do?
I want you to consider one more thing: Whether you are directly affected with an intellectual and developmental disability, or you have a family member and close friend who is affected, what do you do? The answer: You treat them like Jesus does. The Bible gives us a ton of examples of what not to do and what we are supposed to do regarding the treatment of God’s VIPs. One really good example in Leviticus 19:14 where it says, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.” Did you catch those last four words? “I am the Lord.” What’s funny about Leviticus chapter 19, and really part of chapter 18 also, is that almost every paragraph where God is giving instructions, He ends with the phrase, “I am the Lord.” I think that’s the answer to our great “why” question. Why are people born this way? Why am I born this way? Why do we have people in our family who are like this? “I am the Lord.” God says, “I’m the Lord.” That’s all we need to know. That’s sufficient. God is the Lord. He created them. He created us. That’s all there is to it. And we overthink it. We overanalyze it. We get all wrapped up in our emotions and our feelings, and we just try to overthink it. And God’s saying, “I’m the Lord.”
Sometimes it gets difficult. It’s not always a loving, peaceful time with family members and friends who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Sometimes it’s very difficult. Sometimes it’s taxing mentally, spiritually, physically, and we’re left wondering, couldn’t it have been someone else? Remember God’s Word: “I am the Lord.” Let’s also consider the beautiful testimony of the paralytic and his friends found in Luke 5:17-39. This man couldn’t walk. He couldn’t get himself to Jesus, but he had a few friends who loved him and cared about him and knew where he needed to go. They picked him up on his bed. They cut a hole in the roof where Jesus was teaching because it was too crowded to walk in the front door. They lowered him through the ceiling so that he could get to Jesus. They saw his condition and they knew they could not help him, but they knew Who could. And that’s the most important thing! We may not be able to help our friends and loved ones with disabilities. We may not always understand them. We know Who can fill in the gap where we are weak. Whenever I pray for my friends and family with disabilities, I always ask the Lord to fill in the gap. Whatever area in their life that may be lacking: mentally, developmentally, physically – whatever it is, I pray and ask the Lord to fill in the gap. I ask the Lord to meet them right where they are, right as they are, and give them what they need, provide the rest.
Isaiah 42:16 says, “I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know in paths that they have not known. I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do and I do not forsake them.” Isn’t that comforting! Open up your Bibles to that verse and circle every time you read the words: I or I will. God says in this verse, “I will lead. I will guide them. I will turn. I. These are the things I do.” What a great reminder that He is God and we are not! He is our Creator. He is the One Who made us. He fashioned and formed you. Don’t miss those words at the end of Isaiah 42:16 where God says, “I do not forsake them.” We may feel alone. We may feel like nobody understands us. And yet God says, “I will not forsake you.” If we’re a parent and we have a child that’s afflicted in some way with a disability, we may worry and stress about their future and what’s going to happen to them. And God says, “I will not forsake them.” I pray you find comfort in that verse!
If you have friends with disabilities and you struggle with how to love them like Jesus, can I give you some wisdom from God’s Word? In Luke 14, Jesus is teaching about humility. He was noticing how the people who had come to dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table. And so He starts telling them when, “When you’re invited to someone’s house, don’t sit in the seat of honor.” The idea is to humble yourself so you are not embarrassed later. And then as Jesus is talking to them and telling these guests how to be humble, He turns to the host of the dinner in verse 12 and He says, “When you put on a lunch or a banquet, don’t invite your friends and your brothers, your relatives and rich neighbors, because they’re going to invite you back. And that’s your reward. Instead, invite the poor, invite the crippled, invite the lame and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” Do you remember earlier when we gave the example of Mephibosheth? If you read the rest of his story, you will see where the king treated him with honor. The king invited Mephibosheth to dinner and let him sit at the king’s table. That’s what we need to be doing for those in our family, those who are friends and those at church, or wherever our paths cross with those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We should honor them, bring them into our homes, do not shun them or cast them away. Don’t hide our eyes from them. Invite them to the table. Bring them into our life. Show them respect and put them in places of honor. Respect them as God’s creation, because they are!
Something else God tells us to do in regards how to treat others with disabilities is found in Proverbs 31:8-9 where it says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor.” It goes beyond just being nice and extending an invitation to your home or talking to them. It’s being an advocate for them, because maybe they can’t defend themselves. Maybe they can’t speak for themselves and share how they are God’s creation. So we have to tell people who don’t know that, the truth. We find something similar instruction in Psalm 82:3 where it says, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless. Maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” Yet I think one of the most important things that the Bible tells us to do is found in Mark 16:15 where Jesus says, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” I really want you to focus on those last two words, “…the whole creation.” The whole creation includes those with disabilities, those especially with intellectual and developmental disabilities! They are included in that “whole creation.” They are part of the whole creation. So we are to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to them too. They are not to be excluded from hearing the gospel. If you are someone who has an intellectual or developmental disability, God wants you to know Who He is, that He sent His son to die for you. You’re just as capable of receiving salvation as anyone else in the world. And if you’re a family member of someone who is intellectually or developmentally disabled, and you’re wondering about that, how to witness to them, how to share the gospel and show them Jesus, please know that God knows their level of understanding. He knows how much understanding He created them with. However much they can understand salvation, that is all that is needed in order for them to receive salvation.
I want you to consider something else as well. If you are a caregiver of someone with special needs or a disability – for example a parent/guardian, a family member, or even just a close friend, you are displaying the gospel. That relationship is something that God has presented you with as an opportunity to selflessly give so much more of yourself in service to someone else than most people in this world are willing to give. It’s a picture of the gospel because you are sacrificing, humbling serving someone else, and loving them just like Jesus does. If you are in that caregiving capacity, stay focused on your task and know that people are watching. You are witnessing through your actions and your words and how you treat your friends, loved ones, or strangers with disabilities. Your testimony is on display, and you are showing the lost world (as well as believers) that you are like an extension of God’s arms. You’re reaching out to love and accept those who are impacted in this way. What another great reminder that we are not alone!