“Firm faith vs. making fun”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, May 12, 2023
Luke 8:40-56 (Forward, p. 14) CEV p. 1069
I have often looked at today’s two accounts of healing and wondered if it was a mere coincidence that the time span of twelve years figures in both of them, the little girl being twelve years old and the woman having suffered with debilitating hemorrhages for twelve years. I guess that is one question that we will probably never have a definitive answer for while here on earth.
That said, there is one commonality between the two incidences. It has to do with the responses of people around Jesus, whether of faith on the one hand, or of incredulity or derision on the other.
With the poor harassed and suffering woman, she was quite clear about it, quite sure about her faith. She was certain that if she ‘only touched the hem of His garment’, Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. And she was indeed healed, at that very instant, and Jesus knew it and commented on it. However, the bystanders were incredulous—here Peter is named—that there could have been any particular touch that was significant. After all, people had been crowding and pushing against Him on every side. Jesus, however, knew for sure about this ‘touch of faith’ and about mentioning it, brought out of hiding the now healed and restored woman.
With the little girl, Jairus’ daughter, it was the crowds, the mourners at the house, that were derisive. They laughed at the prospect of the little girl being returned to life—they knew for certain that she was dead—and cast scorn upon Jesus. Jesus, however, simply ignored them and told the girl’s parents to have faith. And apparently they did, for the little girl was brought back to life.
These two dramatic, and intensely stirring, tales of the seemingly ‘impossible’ certainly challenge my faith—or the lack thereof. While I have certainly seen incredible answers to prayer, including some very dramatic and seemingly impossible things, I am still pretty reluctant to pray with this kind of faith. And, it is not just the ‘big things’ that I have trouble praying for, but even the more mundane, ‘doable’ things as well. So, to me, today’s two incidents are a strong challenge and a strong prompting to have more faith.
Forward notes: “Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.’ When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace’” (verses 46-48).
“We recently had a young man visit the church in need of some financial assistance. He was a former Marine whose family died in a tragic accident. He was struggling to find permanent housing and slept most nights in his car. What struck me most was the way he apologized for nearly everything: for taking my time, for needing help, for being in this position at all. Before we prayed, I grabbed his hand and told him he didn’t need to apologize because I was there to help.
“The woman who desperately needed Jesus’s help was also scared and apologetic for reaching out and feared the consequences of her actions. Jesus’s tender response reminds us to care for the social and emotional needs of those who are hurting or on the margins when they seek our help.”
Moving Forward: “How can you offer help (with no strings attached)?”