How many times do we unconsciously take some water to drink? How many times does our thirst pull us out of our seats to grab some water from the fridge or the sink and to pour ourselves a drink of water. Yet there is something so deep about asking someone for some water. Something so humbling. After all water is something that is so essential for our survival. For it is the liquid that makes up our blood, there’s only so much that we can live without before our kidneys begin to shut down. It is something that is so necessary and yet so humbling to ask for. So why do we shy away from people who have been ostracized by society who are only asking us or water. More than that maybe even a little bit of our time. TO just sit and talk, to ask about their lives. To ask about their today. For the last weeks I have been reminded on our fixation on time, and a story in the Bible keeps coming to my mind. It is in Mark 5.
It talks about this centurion, Jairus, who comes to Jesus asking him to heal his daughter, telling Jesus that she is close to death and he must come quickly.
So Jesus and the centurion embark off to go heal this man’s daughter. They are on the way, in a sea of people-probably rushing as fast as they can. The father probably fretting thinking of his daughter and the little time she has before she enters death’s door, maybe even walks a few steps ahead. Constantly looking back at Jesus in an attempt to get him to hurry.
Jesus is following this man, with his disciples around him. The tip of his cloak is gently touching the ground below him, when suddenly he feels a tug. And as if energy has escaped from his entire body.
Jesus stops.
“Who touched me?” he asks.
The disciples bewildered at his question, probably even laugh and say, “Master, we are surrounded by people. We are elbow to elbow next to people. How can you ask if someone has touched you.”
“No,” he insists, “Someone has touched me.”
Jairus is watching as this unfolds, he watches Jesus as he asks and he can’t help but fear the worst of his daughter. Doesn’t this man care? Isn’t he supposed to be the savior to all? Does he not know that she is dying?
And out of the corner a women escapes her fear and speaks up,
“It is I. I am the one who has touched you.”
She tells Jesus of how she has suffered of a bleeding problem all of her life. But she heard of Jesus and his power to heal and she thought that maybe if she could just even touch the end of his cloak she will be healed.
Jesus looks at her and listens intently, loving her as she shakes in fear as she speaks.
She tells him that as soon as she touched his cloak she felt completely healed. Jesus tells her, “Go. Your faith has healed you.”
Jairus sees one of the synagogue leaders beginning to approach him, and he knows by the look on his face that his daughter is gone. He doesn’t even need to hear him, when he announces, “It is too late. She is dead. Why bother the teacher?” Jairus’ heart breaks. If only they could have gotten there on time. If only they wouldn’t have stopped. If only, if only…
“It is not too late.” Jesus announces. And Jairus dares to hope.” Let’s see the girl.” As soon as he enters Jairus’ house, Jesus sees the weeping women and asks them, “Why are you weeping? For the girl is not dead, she is sleeping.” The weepers laugh at him, for they know that she is dead.
He enters the girls’ room. Bends down to her and says to her, “Rise up!”
and in an instant the girl rises, her eyes open. She is alive again!
He instructs them to give her food and something to drink.
I can’t even imagine what Jairus is feeling at this point. For a moment he lost all hope. He heard of her death, and yet here is Jesus who just raised his daughter up from the dead. Who truly is this man? And wouldn’t this teach him, teach us so much about time, and the importance that we put on time. The importance of reaching out to those in need. Oh that we would stop in our tracks to those living around us and ask them. Ask them about their lives. Ask them about their loves. Offer them a drink of water, when their mouths are so thirsty. Oh that I may be humble enough, and unafraid to approach those around me. Those in the streets that come into coffee shops in the need of water. To see beyond the ticking in our clocks, and see those in deep need. To see beyond our worldly restraints. And trust and love unconditionally, irregardless of the situations. To look at those that cry out for a minute of our attention. Oh that I may be more like Jesus and understand that time is to be spent. Spent wisely in lives. That we may even catch a glimpse and understand what it was that Jesus wanted to say. And to understand why the outcasts, the prostitutes are so important to him.
