That’s what the speaker
said during the sermon on Sunday as I sat on a hard wooden bench under the
morning sun at worship service with a bunch of other campers. He brought up Jairus in Mark 5:25-34 (also
Mt. 9:20 -22; Lk. 8:43 -48) who asked
Jesus to heal his only daughter (Lk. 8:42 ). Jesus was walking to his house when a woman
with an issue of blood touched him to be healed. He stopped to deal with her.
This woman was unclean for
12 years (see Lev. 15:25 ). Twelve years of everything you touch being
made unclean; of seeking out healing at the hands of doctors that can’t help
and leave you penniless but you still get worse. Whatever the issue was, her life was forever
altered by the flow of blood. Perhaps
she was unable to marry or bear children.
Perhaps she was married but could never touch her husband (would he stay
with her?), or if she had children, would she make them unclean by her touch?
No matter how her life was
going, you can believe it was slowly destroying her. She heard of Jesus and went to see Him believing
for a cure even by only touching His clothing. She pushed through the crowd aware of how many
she was making unclean. Nothing deterred
her for she was determined. She reached
out and touched the hem of his garment, and He felt power leave Him as she was
healed instantly.
And a
certain woman who had had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many
things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and had not been
bettered any, but rather came to worse, having heard about Jesus, she came in
the press behind and touched His garment. For she said, If I may but touch only
His clothes, I will be cured.
And
instantly the fountain of her blood dried up. And she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And
knowing instantly within Himself that power had gone out of Him, Jesus turned
Himself around in the press and said, Who touched My clothes? And His disciples
said to Him, You see the crowd pressing on You, and do You say, Who touched Me?
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
But the
woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done in her, came and fell
down before Him and told Him all the truth. And He said to her, Daughter, your
faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be whole from your plague.
Now Jesus knew who it was
(He was still God after all), stopped, interrupting His plans and called her
out; not to yell, put shame on her for touching Him, or any other negative
reason but to show His love. She
reported her story. He called her
daughter, spoke words of courage or cheer to her, commented on her faith, told
her she was saved and proclaimed peace over her. Jesus was more than okay with delaying His
plans for her. He made time instead of
rushing away to accomplish His own agenda.
Jesus said the two
greatest commandments are that we wholly love God, and love others as much as
we love ourselves (Mt. 22:36 -40). That could be why as we read the Bible we
find He often allowed His plans to be interrupted by people. He wanted to show God’s love for mankind. This all makes me wonder how often I allow my
plans to be interrupted for others. Do I
allow God to use me to show His love to others even when it is inconvenient to
me?
Lord, I need some work in this area.
Please help me improve and help me see others through Your eyes of love
and be willing to interrupt my plans for Yours!