The Blistering Truth

Jesus often taught in parables. One of the most memorable was that of the Prodigal Son. The story goes that the younger son demanded his inheritance and then left for a far country, where he wasted all he had. When he grew hungry, he returned humble and needy. The father’s joy and forgiveness have been preached about millions of times. It is a beautiful picture of God’s love and mercy toward us. Many a sinner has come to Jesus upon hearing this story.
The story doesn’t end with the glorious reunion, however. It continues with the faithful older brother, standing behind his smiling father and watching as his years of service were seemingly discarded as though they were nothing. While his little brother was dancing with wanton women, getting drunk, and dishonoring his father’s name, the older brother was working on the homestead and serving his father. He was disgusted.
The fatted calf that the father slaughtered and cooked for the younger brother’s feast would have been part of the herd the older son would have eventually inherited. The older brother watched as servants scurried to bring out his father’s own coat, the best dishes, and all the other expensive items that were reserved for rare events. He had a valid reason for his contempt. Now, without a word of rebuke or a time of working off the family’s loss, the father gladly received his younger son. It was as if the years the faithful son had toiled meant nothing. It wasn’t fair.
Life isn’t fair.
We get offended. The old righteous indignation rises. It is so easy to be deceived into believing we are the righteous one, because in some ways, we are.
Contempt can be silent or loud. It can disguise itself as being concerned for someone. It can be as small as irritation for someone’s poor performance. Having contempt is so pervasive that it almost seems to be a personality trait.
It is a hard lesson to learn because we all want fairness; we all want the faithful man to be appreciated. So, God gave us this parable—not to diminish the faithful son—but to let us see the contempt in our own hearts.
Contempt is akin to anger. Jesus portrayed both at the cleansing of the temple. Like anger, on rare occasions, contempt is needful. It takes a very clean heart to use either.
The great majority of time, contempt is ugly. It destroys relationships. It creates bitterness. It clouds the soul from future creativity. It cancels truth for speculation. It sours the stomach and softens the bones. It destroys ministries. It takes the joy out of good days by simply having a slow driver in front of us. Contempt, held long enough, will slowly corrode the brain. (See: The Nun Study found in Create a Better Brain Through Neuroplasticity.) But contempt in marriage is especially lethal. It eats up love, honor, and desire, leaving children dangling loose for predators.
Contempt is a reflection of ourselves as we judge another as less than what we appreciate or value. It might be our son or daughter, or mother or father that triggers our contempt. God sees our heart and he allows our contempt to play its terrible game on our body.
In this article, our focus will be on what contempt does to the immune system.

Contempt in the Immune System
A research study done in Ohio State in 2005 proves that even mild contempt immediately affects the immune system by causing the body to produce toxic inflammation. This noxiousness can lead to most any malfunction in the body and/or mind—great or small. As you read this study, think about how much damage you are doing to your own body—including your brain—by having unforgiveness toward someone, by not trusting God when your life does not go as planned, for not dwelling in peace when tragedy comes to you or to someone you love, and by allowing your mind to wander to past hurts.

Ohio State Study

First Visit
The Ohio State study began with researchers asking 42 couples to check into a hospital research unit. The first visit was designed to be relaxing, encouraging, and romantic. Upon entering the unit, each person was given a blister on their arm. During the study, the researcher examined the healing process which also included the fluid in the blister. All information, including the couple’s enjoyment of the visit and how fast the healing of the blister occurred, was recorded.

Second Visit
After a few weeks, the same couples were again asked to check into the hospital research unit and were again given a blister on their arm. The couples expected a similar relaxing visit. But instead, the researchers’ goal was to trigger contempt. Each couple was called in to answer a series of questions designed to provoke a response. Most of the couples rose to the occasion: Eyes rolled, voices were raised, silences and nasty looks were given, as well as other very negative feedback which gave the researchers what they were hoping for. Thankfully, several of the married couples had different responses to the triggering questions. They laughed and poked at each other, winked and agreed with the questioners that their spouse was guilty, but they chose to view each other’s bad habits with good humor, rather than with hostility. These sessions were brief, yet these fleeting moments had staggering results on their physical bodies.
Several times, over the next few days, the blisters were examined, and the healing time was carefully recorded, along with the analysis of the blister’s fluid.

The Findings
The results from the first visit showed that the healing time for most of the couples was basically the same. This is interesting. Regardless of the couples’ health, all the blisters appeared to heal at the same rate. The second visit, where the couples were briefly triggered, showed a glaring truth: Contempt—even minor contempt—slows healing.
The blisters from the couples who showed contempt took two extra days to heal compared to their first visit. There was a remarkable difference between the healing time of the contemptuous couples and the couples who chose tolerance. Clearly, it was not the trigger, nor the guilt of the spouse, but the contempt that slowed the immune system; both for the spouse with bad habits and the spouse who was contemptuous.
Does this surprise you? It should. The fact that something so tiny as a blister, with so little inflammation, would take two extra days to heal—simply because the victim had brief contempt for someone—is revealing. The most fascinating thing was what the researchers discovered in the blister’s fluid. The composition of the fluid from the contemptuous couples was very different from those of the forgiving couples. The fluid had antibodies for those who were happy to overlook the shortcomings of their spouse…but the fluid of the contemptuous couple was inflammatory.
Compare this tiny blister to a terrible disease or accident that our bodies will suffer in our lifetime. Now, multiply the daily irritation and contempt that the average couple experiences. Enough said.

The Conclusion

The brain controls our body: how it functions and how it heals.
We do have a choice. God’s answer is found in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”