LENT 2011, Day 29

The chapter that should have been yesterday's is Mark 5. Mark 4 placed Jesus in a boat with his disciples - Jesus asleep, the waves threatening the disciples' lives. Jesus calmed the storm. Even the wind and the waves obeyed Him.

In the first story in chapter 5, a legion of demons obey him. At Legion's request, Jesus sends them out of the 'insane' man into a herd of 2000 pigs - who all promptly dive off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee and drown.

Again, their response baffles me. Instead of falling at Jesus' feet in worship and adoration - acclaiming Him for the amazing miracle He had just performed - they were afraid and begged Him to leave. In some cases when Jesus healed someone he told them to be silent - but not this time. Rather than let the man go with Him, he instructed him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." The man obeyed. Mark reports that he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. His mini-missionary journey!

That's what we are to do: tell our story as it is connected to His. I am a child of His grace. He has forgiven me soooooooooo much! And He lets me sit in His presence with Saints.

In fact - what a segue to one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. Mark records it in this chapter. I have to set the stage to tell the story properly.

Jairus - who is one of the big whigs at the synagogue - one of the rulers, Mark says - comes to Jesus and falls at His feet. He's heard - maybe even seen - what Jesus has done for others. Perhaps he was even one to whom others who were healed showed themselves when they were sent to be proclaimed ceremonially clean.... We aren't given details - but however Jairus learned, he knew. He came to Him with humility and confidence. Jairus' daughter was near death, and his only hope was in Jesus. He fell at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come heal his daughter, knowing that if Jesus would just lay His hands on her, she would be well. And Jesus went with him.

As they hustled along to Jairus' house a huge crowd followed, and in that crowd was a woman who had been unclean for 12 long years. She had spent all of her money on doctors to no avail. According to Jewish law, no one could sit on a chair she sat on, or sleep in a bed she slept on. She couldn't go to the synagogue - or to Jewish celebrations. Her illness created incredible isolation. She knew she wasn't supposed to be where anyone would touch her - because of her uncleanness, but she didn't care any more. She had one compelling mission - to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. She wormed her way through the crowd - and succeeded in her quest. She was physically healed immediately.

Jesus could have kept going and found her later. He, too, was on a mission - to heal Jairus' little girl - but he stopped dead in his tracks and asked one of the goofiest questions anyone in a crowd could ever ask, basically, "Who touched my clothes?" As Jesus looked around to see who it was, the woman came, trembling in fear, and confessed. And he called her daughter.

I love, love, love this story. She was impure, rejected, isolated, broken. She met the Master. He made her clean, accepted, embraced and whole. He did her a huge favor by drawing attention to her. It was a public profession of her healing - so there was no longer a reason for others to avoid her for her impurity and uncleanness. He healed her - and gave her back her life - an even better life than she had before, for now she had Him....

Of course, while she delayed Him, the horrible happened.... We see the stories knowing the end - but in that moment what happened was awful. Jairus' daughter died. I can imagine the tenderness of His eyes as He looked into Jairus' eyes in that moment and implored, "Do not fear. Only believe." Poor Jairus. A man can only take so much. At great risk of his reputation - when nothing else had worked - when his 12-year-old daughter was at death's door - he went to Jesus, falling at Jesus' feet in public - in view of the scoffers and Pharisees - and now his daughter was dead - yet Jesus told him, "Only believe."

It's mind boggling. I believe 'as long as there is life there is hope'...but death pretty much closes that door for me.... People were already at the house weeping and wailing. Jesus took her parents, Peter, James and John in with him, took her by the hand and told her to get up. She did. Then he told them no one should know - and to give her something to eat.

Backstep. I get the eating part. It's sort of a commission to 'go live life' - but the 'no one should know'? Hello? There is a whole crowd of weepers and wailers just outside the door who think this kid is dead - and her dad is an important public figure who just threw himself at Jesus feet in public. What do you mean "no one should know?"

Casting out demons. Healing. Raising from the dead. (He said just sleeping.) Wow! What joy to read Mark again - fresh! Writing about what I read forces me to read it fresh and new. I even notice that in the Gospel Mark refers to Simon already as Peter - even though he wasn't actually Peter yet.... That's because he wrote it after the story was complete. After he knew his new name. Just a bit of trivia...but I notice.

My friend gave me a book to read about a week ago. At first I told her I didn't have time - then she shared a little bit of what it was about, and told me it is an easy read. Not only was it a quick read, it was delightful!

The book is titled "Heaven is for REAL" - and it is on my list of recommended 'must-reads' now. Since the book I had was borrowed, I went to Costco and purchased 6 of them to share. I had just completed a book written by a survivor of the holocaust and then this one. The contrast was amazing.

Actually 'Night' by Elie Wiesel is also on my 'must read' list now. It is the account of the holocaust I had just read. It is graphic and horrific. I wonder if my faith could have sustained me through such horrors. He lost his completely.

God knew I needed an upper.... 'Heaven is for REAL' certainly records a journey of pain - but the culmination of that journey is pure joy - and lots of food for thought. Buy it. Read it. Be amazed. Pass it around.

It brought up a couple of things that made me raise my eyebrows - food for thought - and for those details to be confirmed, I'll have to get to heaven....

The poignant reminder in 'Heaven is for REAL' is that it wasn't just while Jesus was alive on the earth that He performed miracles. His miracle-working activity is still alive and well. Thank you, Lord!