Jairus, Jesus, and a woman—and me

There are times that the Spirit brings the Bible alive. Right now I feel like Jairus and the woman who was bleeding in Mark 5:21-43.

Tim Keller's The King's Cross helped bring these passages alive to me. Jairus is running to the Lord, and he has enough faith to get him to Jesus, to bring Jesus to his house. "Maybe then…maybe if Jesus can only get to my house in time, maybe then my child will be healed…" You know the desperation of parents. I can only imagine the impatience of Jairus, "Run, Jesus! Run!!! Quick!!! As quick as we can!!!"

And then Jesus stops. To try to solve a puzzle that is unimportant. A million people touched him in the jostling. Why stop and try to figure out who? And why talk to her? Why stop and heal her—her condition is chronic. "And Jesus—my daughter has minutes!!! Minutes!!!! Jesus, Jesus, you are my last hope. And it is so quick, and I'm so desperate!" Can't you hear the desperateness? Why doesn't Jesus respond to that heart-felt cry? Why doesn't Jesus go along with him? Why does Jesus dally? Doesn't Jesus love the girl, doesn't Jesus love Jairus? Why doesn't Jesus think?!

Sometimes we have desperate heart cries. And Jesus seems to dally. Doesn't he care? Where are you? Don't you love me?

Jesus knew. He knew the end, when Jairus didn't see it. He asked of Jairus more than Jairus thought he could give; he asked of Jairus more faith than Jairus had—enough faith that Jesus could not only heal, but also raise the dead.

And Jesus gave to Jairus more than he could have asked—not just a healing from a fever, but a resurrection.

Jesus may ask a lot, may stretch our faith, but he WILL give us more than we could ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20; Rom. 8:28). But there can be those painful moments of desperation, when we don't see it. But Jesus WILL come through. After all, God is the God who made the stars. And He who did not spare his own son, how will he not graciously give us all things along with Christ? (Rom. 8:31-32).

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And the woman…She was sick. I'm sick. She had no other hope. She had been to a million doctors. I feel that too. She didn't know. Neither do I.

She had a magical view of Jesus—"If I just touch Him…" Slightly superstitious: "If I do this = then that happens." We change it a lot in our culture, but the premise is the same. If I pray hard enough… if I serve God….If I'm desperate enough…. = then God will hear me, then he will heal me. It's magic. It's a form of manipulating God, asking Him to respond based on our efforts.

God in his holiness does not respond to our efforts. Sounds harsh. But thank heavens!!!! That would also mean I'd have to be holy enough. And me—holy enough to touch the robe of Jesus??? I know that's impossible… She knew she was not clean—she was a woman, ceremonially unclean, but desperate. She didn't feel clean enough to go to Jesus and ask for healing. But was desperate enough to try to touch him.

Instead, God takes the initiative. Jesus stopped and just talked to her. He affirmed her faith. He broke past all the cultural and religious barriers. And healed her—physically, but of her deeper shame and sin and guilt. She went away, CLEAN!

Our God is the God who takes the initiative. Who is too great to be manipulated—which would get us in some awful messes (if all my prayers came true??! Oh horrible!). Who touches us in our desperation and touches our wounds. Who takes the time to talk to us, just us. Who brushes my cheek, who takes my tears away. Who loves me. And I stay amazed. And I'm clean, because He has taken my disease, my sin, on him. His forgiveness and power has entered into me, because He emptied himself.

How great is the love of Jesus. He has touched me.