Stop Everything!

Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” Mark 5:30 (NLT)

Jesus was surrounded by throngs of people. The definition of a throng is a large, densely packed crowd of people. They were everywhere. You probably couldn’t move much and if the crowd moved, I bet you would move with them by default.

One of the people in the crowd was Jairus. He was a leader at the local synagogue so probably pretty important. He came and pleaded with Jesus for help. He could. He was important. I guess he felt comfortable going to Jesus and asking. Jesus started to walk with him and the crowd, of course, was following.

There was a woman in the crowd that wasn’t supposed to be there though. She had been bleeding for twelve years. In the Jewish culture, she was unclean. Unclean meant she shouldn’t be around anyone. Ever. She was basically quarantined from society.

She had tried everything to get better. Spent all her money. Tried many doctors. Nothing was working and I guess after being alone for twelve years….maybe she was just done. So, she snuck into the crowd and made her way to the only hope she had left. She touched his robe and could feel her body heal.

Jesus, being Jesus, said “Who touched my robe?” I love that line because there were probably a ton of people touching his robe but this was obviously different. And he stopped what he was doing to pay attention. This woman was so desperately seeking what he had to offer and Jesus noticed. He stopped in the middle of this throng and took notice of a woman who had nothing, not even social connections, because she was looking to him for help.

Jesus, was willing to stop what he was doing to get into her messiness. He put aside the important guy standing next to him. He put aside his task list (going to heal Jairus’ daughter). He focused on this one, inconsequential, needing to be healed woman.

He did it for her. He does it for you. Will you do it for others?

Not In Our Neighborhood

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured.  Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.  Luke 8:34-37 (NLT)

Jesus cast the demons into the herd of pigs. The herd of pigs immediately ran off the cliff and dove into the water, drowning. The man, however, was at peace and for the first time in a very long time sat calmly and participated in a conversation.

The folks tending the sheep ran off and told the entire town what happened. Keep in mind that a town in that part of the world at that time was not like the towns we think about now. They were little villages where word spread quickly. All the curious came to see if it was true and there, to their amazement, sat this man listening to Jesus and talking to the others around. He was even dressed!

Their reaction was one of joy and happiness. They ran to Jesus and asked him to help their friends and loved ones by healing them too. They recognized who he was and they too wanted to talk to him and be near him.

NOT.

That is not what they did.  They were afraid because they didn't understand this power. They only knew that this was different and too much out of their control so they asked Jesus to leave. They sent away the one who could bring them joy, happiness and healing because he wasn't what they were used to.

How often do we do the same?

One Touch At A Time

It had been twelve long years since she'd started this journey. Twelve years of trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Once this illness started, life became unbearably hard. People saw her as an outcast. She wasn't allowed to associate with family or friends. She couldn't be near anyone in public. She was wasn’t allowed to be near people - which meant she was terribly lonely. 

She tried everything. She tried every natural remedy. She tried every medication anyone recommended. She went to multiple doctors trying to find relief. But the only thing that brought her was poverty. She spent everything she had on trying to restore her life - the life she loved and desperately wanted to participate in again.

It's a wonder she didn't give up long ago. But something kept driving her. Something kept telling her this was not it. This was not what her life was supposed to be about. As she sat on the outskirts of the town, unable to mingle and be part of the conversations, she heard people talking about a man. This man was able to heal people. He'd healed blind men, lame men and even lepers. He wasn't afraid of the labels or the common beliefs about associating with those who were sick. And from the rumors, he was headed to her town.

She made a plan. It was risky. She was not supposed to be near everyone else because she was considered unclean. She hated that word. She hated that people saw her as a disease instead of a person. What did she have to lose? She had no money, no family and friends to support her; heck, they weren't allowed near her. She made a plan, said a prayer and waited.

Jesus did pass through the town and as always, there was a throng of people around him. They pressed in on every side. How was she going to get to him? They weren't going to part to let her through - she was after all a woman and she was unclean. She could be severely punished for touching anyone and making them unclean. At that moment, a man named Jairus came and started telling Jesus that his daughter was dying. The crowd stopped to listen. This was her chance. She dropped to her knees and crawled through the sea of robes and feet careful not to touch anyone. Her heart was pounding. As she neared to Jesus, she reached out. She just needed to touch him.

As she heard Jesus say "Let's go see your daughter", her fingers brushed the edge of his robe. She felt a surge of energy in her body. She knew something had changed and she quickly tried to back out of the crowd before she was caught.

The crowd stopped and Jesus said "Who touched by robe?" The disciples thought he was joking because well, everyone was touching his robe! But he was serious. "Who touched my robe?" Was there a no way to escape without being noticed? Terrified, she stood up and faced him. "It was me." And she told him the whole, sordid story. His response? Daughter (Can you believe it? He called me Daughter!), your faith has made you well. Your suffering is over."

As she stood there trying to process what just happened, she was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with relief, with unbelief, and with shock at what just happened. But there was something more. She was taken with this man. This man that had so much power and was in such demand yet he stopped to talk to her. He stopped to focus on her and to encourage her. She couldn’t really comprehend it all. What she did know was she walked away and headed toward her family was that she was loved and because of her encounter with Jesus, she was healed.

Adapted from Mark 5:21-34