Beginning in Mark 5:21 we read a powerful story about not one but two healings. Jesus gets out of the boat, after traveling from the region of the Gerasenes. Jairus, leader of the local synagogue, seeks Jesus out for help because his daughter is dying. He asks Jesus to come and heal her. Jesus immediately sets out with Jairus, and crowds of people follow.
Mark tells us about a woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for twelve years. No one had been able to help her; in fact, she had only gotten worse. Her bleeding would also make her ceremonially unclean - she wouldn't be able to fulfill any of the Jewish rituals, so her bleeding blocked ways for her Jewish faith to help her. And because she was "unclean," it wasn't even appropriate for her to approach Jesus, a Jewish teacher. But she is desperate. Can you imagine living with this for twelve years?
"She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, 'If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.' Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition." (Mark 5:27-29, NLT)
It was a miracle! But amazingly, Jesus was aware of what happened, feeling the healing flow out through him, the Bible tells us, and he wants to know who touched his robe. The disciples can't believe what Jesus is saying, because he's surrounded by this large crowd, with all the jostling and pushing. How could he know a miracle had happened?
Yet it had! And the frightened woman came forward, fell to her knees, and told Jesus what had happened. It's obvious that Jesus was thrilled with her act of faith: "...'Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, Your suffering is over.'" (5:34) I can just imagine her relief and joy as she got up and left to tell the world what had happened to her.
But in the meantime, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, telling him his daughter had died and there was no use bothering the Teacher now. I wonder if Jairus was resentful in that moment. He had sought Jesus out and was bringing him to his daughter, when this unclean woman barged in and touched him. Jesus had stopped, sought her out, and blessed her. Could that time have made the difference? The Bible doesn't tell us one way or another, but Jesus assures Jairus not to be afraid but have faith.
So, they proceed on to Jairus' home, where word of the daughter's death had spread and ceremonial mourners had arrived to weep and wail on behalf of the family. Jesus says the little girl isn't dead, just sleeping, and the crowd just laughs. It must have been pretty obvious to all that the girl really was dead.
But Jesus commands the girl to get up, and immediately she does and begins to walk around. Everyone was "...overwhelmed and totally amazed." (5:42) Jesus' delay with the woman had not changed the outcome. In fact, it may have heightened the miracle, causing more praise to go to God.
The thing that strikes me about this whole story is how often I get focused on something I'm going to do, and I plan it and set the plan in motion and then head off to do it. It may be a good plan, even a great plan, but sometimes God has the best plan - if I'm paying attention. Life really is about the journey, more than the destination. Sometimes the interruptions along the way are really doors God opens to allow us to see Him and His work. Rather than interruptions, they're really opportunities to grow our faith. I'm trying to remember this, because sometimes I just feel annoyed, until the "ah-ha!" moment arrives and I see what God was really up to.
I'm convinced that the reason we're often not too aware of God working in our world is because we're not looking for Him to work. We're moving forward with our plans, and we become blind to what God might do on the way. This is one of the reasons I believe reading our Bibles and praying daily are both important - they remind me each day about God and get me looking for Him, even in the interruptions of life. I really am trying to live my life with my "God" radar up and scanning all the time, and I'm seeing God working more than ever. In fact, sometimes the interruptions turn out to be the most important part of my day.
