Do We Have the Time to be Touched and Take a Child by the Hand?
Good Morning Friends,
There have been times before I looked at the clock I would tell others the exact time… lucky guess maybe. But how much more extensive is God’s sense of timing. It is perfect yesterday, today and tomorrow. We can read about an example of it in Luke 8 where one of the most amazing days in the Bible is chronicled and several events converge perfectly. It is like a race against time. In it Jesus did some traveling but somehow found time to proclaim the good news, tell the parable of the sower and the seeds, recounts its meaning, turn a phrase about not hiding ones light under a bushel and then, with crowds pressing around, decided to escape on a sailing trip from the place near where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount into the territory of the King Herod who cut off John’s head. On the way Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee. But that is not all, on the other side of the lake Jesus heals a man possessed by demons and castes them into pigs. But friends, the day is not done yet, there is more time left and to top it off we have Jesus healing an unclean woman and bringing a young girl back from the dead. It was quite a day when Jesus time after time provided help for the hopeless… where time after time power flowed out of Jesus as a seed sprouting…as an echo of saving faith… and as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own passion and resurrection. The events force us to ask, Do We Have the Time to be Touched and Take a Child by the Hand?
Scripture: 3For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:3 (NRSV)
Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.
Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house
because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother.
Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!”
Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Luke 8: 40-56 (NRSV)
Message: What we have before us this morning are two interwoven stories that combine to teach us some fascinating principles on the seeds of faith. Today we see that faith is sprouted out of need and demands a response that cannot remain anonymous. Today we see that faith revealed is faith that grows into rewards. Today we embrace the miracle of faith that held on for years and years when reason would have given up. In the story line it was twelve years before that two events took place that would come together to witness to the ministry of Jesus as an outreach to the unclean. It is not hard to imagine that time, Jesus himself was a young man still working in Joseph’s carpenter shop in Nazareth. He had not yet been baptized. He had not called any disciples. Few thought of him as anything but Joseph and Mary’s son. Although the plan was not visible to others, the seeding for his future ministry was occurring. The first event was a baby girl being born to an influential family. They were excited at the birth of the child but had no premonition of that future day. Filled with joy, they only looked forward to filling their daughter’s life with happiness and love. The second event was not one of joy. A woman, who had already passed childhood, began to bleed. Filled with fear, she sought care. Nothing could be done to stop the bleeding. She found her social life over because others considered her unclean. She must have been humiliated and filled with despair. Where could she turn? What happens in these two events is the miracle of Jesus. The first was a woman who was alive but knew her need of healing. She came seeking healing and found it. The second was a child who was dead and had no knowledge of her need. She could not seek healing. Instead God sought her and gave her life because of the faith of others. The two converge to paint a more complete picture of God’s saving act. Here we get a better understanding of God’s love as an outreach rather than one of judgment and exclusion. Here we see the Kairos power go out to glorify God. Are you ready to take the time to love?
Pray we sense our true need and come to Jesus for healing. Pray we seek and touch His love to assure us. Pray we believe that others can be healed with His love shared. Pray we have the faith that nothing is beyond God’s love. Pray we have the will to keep praying when things seem beyond hope no matter how long it takes. Pray we realize that with God all things are possible. Pray our faith be rewarded. Pray we pray for those who do not know they need Jesus. Pray we touch Jesus in prayer even as we pray for others who have yet to be touched. Pray we read scripture contemplatively. Pray we know there is a time for things to happen. Pray we plant seeds and wait for the harvest.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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