This week we’re looking at four different actions of Jesus. In this first one, I see clearly the compassion Jesus had for this woman, the compassion he has for us. As he sees a young man being carried out in a coffin and he realizes that he is the only son of a widow, he is moved with compassion.
I learned this word for compassion means his bowels were yearning. When my bowels yearn, action is coming next. :-). That’s true here with Jesus. He told the woman to not cry. But this was not “Woman, you’re embarrassing us. So stop crying.” or the “Get over it. There’s nothing you can do about it so move on.” It was an “I am going to give you a reason to rejoice. So stop crying.”
Then he once again touched the untouchable. He clearly was not concerned about being unclean more than he was concerned about touching the lives God called him to touch.
You know the men carrying the coffin were startled when he touched it. This was so against the status quo of the day. At minimum it was disrespectful. And as we have seen he would be unclean by touching it. Why would anyone do that?
He told the young man to get up…and he did. Of course, everyone was thrilled. But more than that they were in awe and they praised God for what happened here.
The next action we’re looking at is familiar to anyone who has spent any time in church. Jesus calmed a storm.
I have wrestled with Jesus’ rebuke of those on the boat. Why in the world would he be upset with them for being afraid of the storm? Was it because of their lack of faith that he could calm the storm? Was it that he needed his sleep and was angry he woke them?
I’m beginning to think it was for a different reason. A reason that gave me a little different perspective on my life storms.
Jesus knew exactly what his lot in life was. Where he was supposed to go. What he was supposed to do. His relationship with God, his father, left him know doubt. He trusted God implicitly.
Since God was guiding his steps daily, he knew he was right where he was supposed to be. So if God allowed a storm in his path, it didn’t diminish the call on his life. Therefore, there was no need for alarm.
Either God would calm the storm, give him what he needed to endure the storm or he would receive him in heaven beyond the storm. There was no reason to fret.
How often I let the storms of life get to me. Even this holiday season I’m doing that.
When I was in Israel I had a little epiphany about this. A few weeks before the trip I injured my back/hip. Knowing I was headed on a long journey I was extremely proactive about it. I went to the chiropractor a half a dozen times and went to the doctor a couple times. Had hot pads, ice bags, a TENS unit, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, pain medicine, medicine to help me sleep. I did stretches a couple times a day and I was praying like a mad dog. I did not want this silly injury to hamper my trip. And I was sure God would agree.
Needless to say, at the end if the first day of travel I was in so much pain I was nearly in tears. “God!!! Really???? I should not be suffering in this trip! This is a trip if a lifetime!! Seriously??? How can I grasp everything you have for me here if I’m….suffering?”
“Oh yeah. You did a little suffering here,” I answered my own silly questions.
How presumptuous of me to think suffering shouldn’t be part of my tidy life. Ridiculous to think that personal pain shouldn’t be a part of my journey to the place where Jesus trod so faithfully.
What a humbling moment. Oh, my desire to have my “storm” cease didn’t diminish. But my plea for mercy and forgiveness rose firmly. My prayer became, “Lord, I’m hurting horribly. And I know you are the God of miracles. Will you please heal me? And yet, as I walk this journey of your footsteps, if you know I will walk it wiser in pain, your will be done!”
And he heard my prayers. My pain did not disappear. But it did diminish to a tolerable level with a constant reminder of the severe suffering Jesus did on my behalf and on your behalf.
And I think this may have been part of what Jesus was conveying to his sojourners on this boat. If God is directing your life the bumps in the road are just that.
Should we beckon God to remove them? Of course we can and maybe even should. He totally can! But his sovereignty may think it better to not.
But if he allows it, we can be sure he will grow us through it and at times allow us to be an encouragement to others because of it.
Now on to the demoniac(s). It was interesting to me that in a couple of the accounts, he went out to meet Jesus. There was this battle raging in him. Yet, for the most part the demons were winning.
They recognized the authority of Jesus right away. They demanded to know whether or not he was coming there to torture them early. They knew there ultimate fate, but they thought they still had time to taunt and torture others.
In Mark’s account, he shows that the man did homage to Jesus. This has the idea of a dog licking the hand of his master.
Now I call that serious petitioning for help. After the demons were gone the man sat clothed and in his right mind. Only God can do that! And then he gave the man the responsibility to tell everyone he knew what he had done. Often our personal testimony speaks volumes to those who knew us before.
And finally this week we look at the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. So she had suffered and was ostracized (because she was considered unclean) for twelve long years.
Longing to be healed by Jesus she believed that even if she touched his cloak she would be healed. Now she didn’t just touch his cloak, she grabbed a hold of it as if to suck the power from it. And when she did, her gushing blood completely dried up.
Then Jesus asked who touched her. I love Peter’s response, “Seriously Jesus? Are you kidding me? Do you not see and feel the throngs of people that are pressing in on you?? Dude, who touched you???
But I love that Jesus knew. He knew who touched him. He knows when we reach out to him in faith. He sees. He feels. He hears. He listens. He can’t not respond.
God, you know our sufferings. You don’t just know about them. You know them. You walk among us wanting us to touch you. You want to heal us. To heal our eternal souls.
That’s what it is all about, isn’t it. You, our creator, restoring our relationship with you.
Please forgive me when I run from you. Heal the part of my soul that, like the demoniac, runs from you out of fear.
Thank you for responding every time I reach out to touch you. Guide my steps today as I seek to follow your will…not mine.
Thanks for the touch today!
Your daughter, G
Next set of miracles:
Dec. 3-9
15 Raises Jairus’ Daughter to Life – Mt 9:18, 23-26, Mk 5:21-24, 35-43,
Lk 8:40-42, 49-56
16 Heals Two Blind Men – Mt 9:27-31
17 Heals a Man Unable to Speak – Mt 9:32-34
18 Heals an Invalid at Bethesda – Jn 5:1-15
19 Feeds 5,000 – Mt 14:13-21, Mk 6:30-44, Lk 9:10-17, Jn 6:1-15
Digging Deeper 