Good day dear friends. Again, we have received much thanks from the family of "Uncle Dan" who is amazing doctors and nurses by the strides he's making in his fight against cancer. His recovery after surgery has gone well enough to move Dan out of ICU into another room. Their hope is to start a liquid diet by Thursday after a meeting with his surgeon on Wednesday. There is power in prayer and especially when we pray for one another, so thank you again for prayers!
Our text for this coming week comes from Mark 5: 21 After Jesus crossed over by boat, a large crowd met him at the seaside. 22 One of the meeting-place leaders named Jairus came. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, 23 beside himself as he begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live." 24 Jesus went with him, the whole crowd tagging along, pushing and jostling him. 25 A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years - 26 a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before - 27 had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. 28 She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well."29 The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with. 30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" 31 His disciples said, "What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you're asking, 'Who touched me?' Dozens have touched you!" 32 But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. 33The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. 34 Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague." 35 While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?" 36 Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me." 37 He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. 38 They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. 39 Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping." 40Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about. 41 He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up." 42 At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy. 43 He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat." (The Message)
What do you need from Jesus? What are you willing to do to get it? That could be the questions asked about the characters in this passage. The answer from Jairus is the life of his little daughter. The answer from the woman is healing from a disease that has plagued her for 12 years. The things they were willing to do was whatever it takes! For Jairus that meant falling to his knees to beg from Jesus; for the woman it meant risking the pushing and shoving of the crowd, just to touch Jesus' garment. The result was what they had wanted, but with the usual questions we might throw in: Why did it take so long? Had Jesus come sooner the results might have been different, or at least that is what Jairus could have claimed, for Jesus stopped to talk to the woman after the healing and while this was happening the news from Jairus' home was that his daughter had died.
The message from Jesus in verse 36, "Do not fear, only believe," from NRSV and this version, "Don't listen to them, just trust me." Do you have faith enough to not only believe but to ask in ways that show your complete dependence on Jesus? Or to press against the crowd to receive that which you need? Ours is a faith that comes to us by simply believing, but after we reach that point we exercise our faith to show others Whose we are and who we are. Can it be said of us that we are children of the Living God? Could it be said we have faith enough to ask even for seemingly impossible things? Our Savior still provides that which we need if we but ask and trust like Jesus said.
PRAYER: Loving God, grant to me and this person praying this as their own, the living faith to trust and believe in You and what You can do in our lives, especially with our needs. Bring healing to areas where this is needed, and new life where others have said there is death. We ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
