Mark 5:21-43 “When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around Him; and He was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw Him, fell at His feet and begged Him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So He went with him.
And a large crowd followed Him and pressed in on Him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch His clothes, I will be made well.’ Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from Him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, He saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, He said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at Him. Then He put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with Him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum,’ which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.”
*********************************
When spending time in the Word every day, reading the various verses of scripture prescribed by the Daily Office, the rule “less is more” usually applies. Although I enjoy going through each of the readings in total, on most days I find just a small snippet of a certain section brings inspiration and clip that part out as the introduction for my mental meanderings.
Today, however, there is so much here that I could not leave anything out. The three examples of giving freely that Jesus provides for us in these stories of healing are wonderful, simple and yet of great meaning all at the same time.
First, Jesus shows us that we should give to all those who ask. When Jairus, who in all likelihood, being a leader in the synagogue, was a persecutor of Jesus, begs Him to heal his daughter, we do not see Jesus rebuking him. Christ does not say, “You don’t believe in my teachings, you selfish man. Go away from me!”. He went with Jairus to go heal his daughter without comment or question.
Second, Jesus makes His power easily available to all, without Him even having to take direct action. The woman who wanted healing only needed to believe and to reach out, barely touching His cloak. For her to be healed, Jesus did not have to lay His hands on her or speak words; He did not even require direct contact with His body. She was healed easily, without complexity.
Third, we see Jesus exemplifying the importance of giving without fanfare. He does not bring the young girl out into the crowd shouting His healing words loudly for all to see and hear. He only brings His closest friends and the girl’s family to witness His power. He also then tells them to keep it quiet. No one needed to be aware of this gift besides those who received it.
We all possess varying degrees of time, talent and treasure which we can offer to others. We may not have any of these things in great abundance, but what we do have is meant for us to use and share, even in small portions if that is all we are able to do. I am reminded of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-42. Even though her gift was small in comparison to all those around her, throwing large amounts in the temple treasury, her two very small copper coins were infinitely more valuable.
My friend Bob Irvin gives a great example of giving, when he talks about handing money over to people begging on street corners or highway exit ramps. When he gives these people money, his friends often say to him, “How do you know what they will spend it on? What if they are going to by alcohol or drugs?” His response to them is, “That’s between them and God. God does not call me to give with condition, just to give. Once I give it over to them, it’s not mine any more...not that it was ‘mine’ anyway, since God gave it to me in the first place.”
We have the same opportunities to give as the widow did. The small things we do sometimes have the largest impact. A genuine smile to the clerk in the store; a kind word to the person laboring for us; spending time with someone who needs a listening ear or crying shoulder. We also have the opportunity to give as Christ did; freely, simply and quietly.
So, my friends, consider what you have to give. Do you offer it without condition or expectation? Each of us brings a talent, a gift, to almost any situation. I encourage you to give of it freely with love, wanting nothing in return. Be reminded that we are merely jars of clay, continually be refilled and emptied as a means for God to show His great love. He gives to us, we take these gifts, we pass them along.
No comments:
Post a Comment