Dear Theophilus,
It’s so fascinating to hear about
the reactions of various people to Jesus throughout these stories we’ve been
discovering. Some people flock to him,
while others want nothing more than to be rid of his presence. He’s such a divisive figure, and for those of
us who stand in the middle, unsure which path to pursue, we see why each side
believes they are correct. For those who
flee from him, or those who beg him to leave their presence, Jesus is such an
oddity, a frightening figure for them to consider, that the peace of their
lives is disturbed by his very presence.
I know I have been unsettled ever since we began this project—and there
are times I wish it had never come into my life. I’m forced to reconcile what I know with what
I previously believed, and it would be easier if Jesus left my life by the same
door he entered. On the other hand,
Jesus is such a fascinating figure, and there’s something about him that draws
me in, that compels me to want to learn more, to uncover every story and detail
of his life. I send out more and more
letters, hoping to discover some unknown detail, some miraculous account or
facet of his personality. Each letter
that arrives at my house is devoured, then read multiple times as I wonder at
the miracle of it all. I can’t tear my
eyes away from the paper as I learn more about Jesus. My life has been forever changed by this
project, and while I occasionally envy those who are not confronted with this
disruptive event, I would not give it up without reaching its conclusion for
all the power in the world.
So while part of my heart stands on
the shore of the lake in Gerasene and silently begs for Jesus to leave this
place, much more of me cries out to him to come near so I can sit at his knee
and learn from him. Perhaps there is
even a small part of me that seeks him out—and I can only imagine how great
that impulse would be if there was a pressing need on my part. We read and discuss these miracles of Jesus,
but it’s even harder to imagine what it would be like to be sick in those days,
to be filled with despair and then have hope break like the sun over the
horizon. Surely you would expend every
ounce of energy and money to seek out Jesus, just so that he might touch you
and make you well. Theophilus, I’ve
found a story of two such people interwoven, all of it, of course, revolving
around Jesus.
When Jesus turned his back to
Gerasene, he left behind a group of people who were afraid of him, afraid of
his power and afraid of what his life might mean for him. When he returned, there was a crowd waiting
for him, including a leader of a synagogue named Jairus. What happened next would have brought tears
to the eyes of any bystander, for this well-known man fell at the feet of Jesus
and begged for him to come and heal his only daughter, a twelve-year old girl
who was dying. Surely a murmur passed
over the crowd as people wondered what Jesus would do, and a roar must have
gone forward as Jesus brought the man to his feet and followed after him. Some probably ran on ahead to Jairus’ house
in hopes of finding a place with a good view, while others peeled off an ran to
the neighborhood to tell all what was about to occur.
The crowd was packed tightly around
Jesus as they made their way to Jairus’ house.
The sense of anticipation was strong within the group, and no one wanted
to miss a word or a movement. Now, this
interruption may be hard to believe, but I assure you, Theophilus, that
multiple sources have confirmed the veracity of it. I don’t quite understand it myself, but Jesus
has proved to be well beyond my realm of understanding often enough that once
more is not too much of a bother!
I’m sure that Jesus was bumped and
jostled by the crowd many times, but one particular bumped caused Jesus, and
thus the entire crowd, to come to a screeching halt. All stared at Jesus, particularly Jairus, a
man whose hopes mixed with a sense of urgency.
But who was he to tell Jesus to hurry up? At that point, Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”
None would admit to it, and Peter
finally spoke what many were thinking when he told Jesus that the crowd was all
around him, but Jesus insisted that someone touched him, and then added the
curious claim that power had gone out from him.
I add that its curious because it seems odd that power would go out
without him sending it, but Jesus clearly is certain that something definite
has happened here, and while I suppose he asks these questions for a specific
reason, to teach something, it’s an odd way of getting to it.
Eventually, the overwhelming
tension broke the woman guilty of the charge, and she fell down before him,
telling a heart-breaking story that all could hear. She had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve
years and had been declared incurable by every physician she visited. All the money she had went off chasing a
cure, but none was to be found, and in the Jewish society, to be constantly
bleeding means one is constantly unclean and thus unable to partake in society. Once more, many in the crowd wept at her
story, and some shouted praises when she declared that she had been healed the
moment she touched Jesus’ cloak.
The look of peace and joy spread
across the face of Jesus, and all in the crowd leaned forward to catch the
words meant for the woman: Daughter, go in peace, secure in the
knowledge that your faith has healed you.
It was overwhelming and still gives me pause as I write this, amazed at
the transformation in this woman’s life because she touched the cloak of Jesus
with faith in him. The peace with which
she left him must have been the first real peace for her in at least twelve
years.
The parabolic joy of the crowd came
crashing back to earth when Jesus turned his attention back to a nervous Jairus
to carry on. In this time, a figure
appeared in the distance and rapidly approached, and surely Jairus’ heart sank
when he saw the man running to find this group.
He must have feared the worst.
His worst fears, a thought he might have prevented considering until
now, were confirmed when the man told Jairus that there was no need for Jesus
to come because the girl had passed.
Before the message could pass from
Jairus’ ears to his heart, Jesus looked directly at him and told him, with
certainty in his voice, not to fear, only to believe, and that the girl will be
saved. In that moment, Jairus would have
clung to anything, and so like a drowning man thrown a final hope, he grabbed
that rope with ferocity.
When the group arrived at the
house, a cloud of mourning had descended on the house, and many wished that Jesus
had only arrived hours earlier. Only
Peter, James, John, Jairus and his wife were permitted to enter, to the crowd’s
great disappointment, but they all pressed close to the entrance in hopes of
catching glimpse of the miracle they expected.
Within the house there was much weeping and wailing for the loss of this
beloved child, but Jesus told them not to weep and insisted the girl was only
sleeping. In their mourning they laughed
at him, for they knew what death was and were certain that it had claimed the
child. Jesus, not to be discouraged or
dismayed, took the girl by the hand and cried, “Arise, Daughter!”
I wish I could have felt the entire
room transform as the girl’s spirit returned and her body got up for all to
witness. Not a soul in the house
breathed—all stared at her as though they couldn’t believe she was really
there! So many things must have rushed
through their minds, but before they could spit any of them out, Jesus
commanded someone to give her some food.
He then gave Jairus and his wife the strenuous command of telling nobody
what had occurred. I haven’t the
slightest idea why, and I don’t know what they were supposed to say to the
waiting crowd that knew the girl was dead and would see her running about the
way little girls do in a matter of days, but they weren’t to tell anyone, and
when someone brings your daughter back to life, you do what they say!
These two healings intertwine and
make for such an incredible story, Theophilus.
I am sure you have many questions, as do I—this is all the information I
could gather that I could be certain of, and I do not wish to convey rumor or
conjecture to you. There is much here to
ponder, but perhaps it is enough to sit back and simply marvel at the wonder of
it all. Miracles! What a marvelous thing Jesus does here for
this woman and the little girl. Both are
restored to new life through the gift of Jesus.
May these stories bring the same joy to your heart that they did to
mine.
Sincerely,
Luke
No comments:
Post a Comment