Visionary

We've heard of visionary leaders, but what is meant by this description of a person?  What do visionaries see that others miss, either due to inattention or "blindness"?  Why are some people's intuitions more intuitive than others?  How is it that some people proactively anticipate, while others simply react?   In short, visionaries see not what has been or what is, but what is possible and maybe inevitable.  But they don't ignore the past and the present, rather they are those who have a gift of analyzing the past, of understanding the present, and then put that knowledge to work as they plan their future.  Visionaries see in three dimensions - the dimensions of the past, the present, and the future.

But visionaries are often not the smartest people in the room.  They don't necessarily possess the most dynamic gifts.  They might even lack some of the most basic of skills.  Though they are well aware of their limitations, they don't allow those limitations to limit their dreams.  Because, at their heart, visionaries are dreamers.  But they don't live in fantasyland.  Their visions are the kinds of dreams that sometimes come true.  And even when their dreams do not pan out the way they had envisioned, they file those unrealized dreams away and utilize the information for another day.  

Who might we label a visionary in Mark's gospel?  Of all the characters who come and go, of all the actors who grace Mark's stage, who sees clearly, where others see with less than 20/20 accuracy?  Who has perfect vision, where others fail to see at all?  

"They came to Jericho.  As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'  Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'  Jesus stood still and said, 'Call him here.'  And they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Take heart; get up, he is calling you.'  So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  Then Jesus said to him, 'What do you want for me to do for you?'  The blind man said to him, 'My teacher, let me see again.'  Jesus said to him, 'Go; your faith has made you well.'  Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way." (Mark 10:46-52, NRSV).

Though his 12 disciples had been hand-picked and had followed him for most of Mark's gospel, they often misunderstood Jesus.  They failed to grasp the nuances of Jesus' kingdom mission and though they had physical sight, they usually failed to see clearly.  Their vision was blurry.  They were not what we would call visionaries.  

Mark 8 makes this clear in narrative form.  While sailing across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus scolds his followers for failing to understand that the political and religious leaders in Israel had it all wrong.  After disembarking from the boat, Jesus then heals a blind man, but he seemingly gets the healing all wrong.  The blind man regains his sight, but all that he sees are globs and blotches, instead of the finely contoured lines of people and objects.  The blind man requires a second touch to see clearly.  Instead of speaking in parables, in this instance Jesus enacts a parable.  The blind man represents the disciples.  They are blind but are slowly gaining at least limited vision.  But they require Jesus' continual presence and touch if they are to see clearly.  

Then, in Mark 10 as Jesus approaches Jericho, the blind beggar Bartimaeus sees what the sighted disciples have failed to see.  Though living his life in darkness, ironically, he sees the light of Jesus' ministry and mission.  He has the foresight to see where Jesus' path is taking him and what the kingdom of God is all about.  He has faith that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah - that's why he calls him the 'Son of David'.  He believes that Jesus has the power to heal him, because from the time of Isaiah, God's people had been promised that when God came back to them, he would do a new thing.  And that new thing would include not only the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the mute speaking, but also the blind seeing.  And Bartimaeus could also see that Jesus' healing touch required a response.  It was the beginning of a journey - a journey to Jerusalem where God's kingdom would be established (Isaiah 35:5-10).  This journey later became known as The Way.  It was the way of discipleship and it always included following Jesus, but it did not necessarily have Jerusalem as its destination.  Sometimes following Jesus along The Way meant following Jesus all the way to Rome (as in the Apostle Paul's case) or maybe to the ends of the earth (Matt 28:19-20).  Wherever the destination, it always included moving through death, before discovering life (Mark 8:34-35).  In a sense, to truly see, one first had to become "blind".  Blind Bartimaeus was the true visionary in Mark's gospel!

What prevents us from seeing clearly in our world?  What blinds us from the truth that Jesus wants us to see?  How do we become a visionary like Bartimaeus?  

I don't know the specifics in any person's story, but I think there are a few general things that hinder us.  Chief among them is a lack of perspective.  Like walking through a canyon with steep walls on all sides, a lack of perspective limits our ability to see beyond our present circumstances.  We might require a rope to pull us out of that steep canyon so that we might see further.  But once we're at the top of the canyon, where should we look first?  I suggest backwards.

Despite all of today's modern advancements, we are not the first humans to have ever lived and we are not the smartest people to have walked the face of the earth.  All of our modern achievements have been built on the accomplishments of those who have come before us. Christians have a canon of scripture that dates back thousands of years to the ancient Israelites, was compiled by and contributed to by the Jews of the second temple period, and was brought to canonical completion by the early disciples of Jesus.  We also have hundreds of years of church history and theology from which to learn.  I believe that we better glimpse our present, when we have gazed upon the past.   

But we cannot exclusively fixate on the past.  We also have to take time to reflect upon the present.  As T.S. Eliot so prophetically wrote in the early 20th century; it is easy to be "distracted from distraction by distraction."  Eliot went onto write in Burnt Norton that we are "filled with fancies and empty of meaning - tumid apathy with no concentration...in this twittering world."  It may feel like we are fully engaged in the present when we jump from texting to Twitter (or X) to Facebook to Instagram to TikTok to whatever the next thing will be.  But while we are busy taking selfies - we are missing the others, both things and people.  As we fixate on our devices - we miss the larger world outside just waiting to be discovered.  To more clearly see the present - we must be present.

With an appreciation of the past and a depth of understanding in the present, we gain a platform to dream our way into the future.  We learn to see not only what has been and what is, but what might be possible.  For the visionary, the future isn't predetermined, its waiting to be written.  The "seer" sees with creativity.  She is both realistic and idealistic.  He is not bound by limitations, but rather motivated and inspired by challenges.  The visionary dreams of what could be, what might be, and what surely must be.  To quote one such "seer", the visionary "dreams of the world he wants to live in - he dreams out loud." - Shay 

God's Not a Control Freak!

Have you ever heard the phrase, "God is in control."?  I believe these words with all of my heart.  But have you ever thought about this?  Though God is in control, he's not a control freak.  God's in control - but he's not a control freak!  

Whether you agree with this second statement or not, sit with this idea for a moment or two.  We've all probably seen people who exercise control in some sphere of life.  People's leadership styles vary from person to person and there is no uniform way to exercise control.  We've all probably witnessed individuals who we would label "control freaks".  And normally, we don't consider the label of "control freak" to be a compliment.  Usually, a control freak either grasps for more power than is warranted or exercises their power in an unhealthy or unethical way.  Sometimes control freaks don't even have much control or power, they just obsessively pine for it.  

There is probably nothing more corrosive than unchecked power and control.  And where complete control is made manifest, ego and pride are soon to be corrupted and distorted.  But where power is displayed humbly and for the benefit of others, humility and gratitude are normally present.  Let's consider an anecdote from Mark's gospel.

"And they came to Capernaum.  And when he (Jesus) was in the house he asked them, 'What were you discussing on the way?'  But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve.  And he said to them, 'If any would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'  And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him into his arms, he said to them, 'Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me.'  

"John said to him, 'Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.'  But Jesus said, 'Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterword to speak evil of me.  For the one not against us is for us.  For truly, I say to you whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.'" - Mark 9:33-41 (ESV).

At the root of this story are the sins of unchecked pride and ego, resulting in an unhealthy desire for power and control.  Jesus' disciples still believe that his mission entails storming into Jerusalem at the head of an army, driving the Romans from the land, and establishing the long-awaited messianic kingdom.  When the kingdom is established, there will be differing levels of power and some roles will offer more control than others.  There will undoubtedly be a pecking order, and so Jesus' followers are trying to solidify their place in that order.   The disciples still cannot fathom that the Messiah will achieve his victory through service and submission, rather than revolt and the subjugation of others.  As the rest of Mark's narrative will demonstrate, Jesus is in control, but he's not a control freak.  But the disciples aren't on the same page!

Jesus' character is in keeping with his Father's.  From the beginning, God has been in control, but he's never been a control freak.  He created humanity in his image, not to live as automatons (robots), but as flesh and blood individuals with the capacity to love and to hate, and the freedom to choose.  We were made for relationship with God, and as all of us know the healthiest and best relationships are not rooted in coercion and control, but in freedom, love, and trust.  God desired a genuine relationship with humanity so much so that he became one of us in the person of Jesus.  He opened himself up to the possibility of rejection and scorn.  He chose us, but he didn't force us to choose him.  In humility, he became the least, and in the process showed us what love and relationship really look like.

Jesus explains to his disciples that rather than mimicking the Roman Empire or even the Jewish civic and religious leaders, his kingdom is one where the least becomes the greatest and the master is the one who serves.  Greatness isn't to be found in pomp and circumstance, but in the openness and innocence of a child.  

And Jesus' kingdom isn't based on control, but freedom.  John is concerned that some of the acts of healing in Jesus' name are potentially being performed by individuals with less than kosher credentials.  But, like his Father, Jesus emphasizes relationship over rules.  If someone is connected to Jesus and is acting in his name, the good wrought from those actions won't be overcome by any unorthodox dispositions.

I have much to learn from this story.  Like the disciples, I have sometimes sought to be the greatest.  At other times, I have tried to control situations and even people.  Rather than trusting the Spirit's work in other people's lives, I have in the past tried to police the beliefs and actions of those who were following Jesus on a slightly different path than the one I traversed.  But more and more as I mature in my faith, I have discovered that the path of discipleship looks quite different for each and every individual.  My job isn't to judge or control, but rather to love, to learn, and to serve.  If in humility, I not only serve my sister, but celebrate God's work in her life, no matter what stage of the journey she finds herself on, I will discover far more joy and freedom in the process.  And when in the name of Jesus, communities of people further Christ's kingdom in ways that are different than my own tribe of disciples, I won't feel threatened, but empowered.  If God's not a control freak, then maybe I shouldn't be either. - Shay 

I'm All In

 As the gospel of Mark reaches its halfway point, Jesus is surrounded by a committed bunch of followers, who are, if nothing else, confused.  Their lack of understanding does not disqualify them from following him, but Jesus knows that they do not fully know what they are getting into.  In fact, it won't be until after the resurrection that Jesus' disciples will truly understand what his kingdom is all about (and even then, in a still limited fashion).  Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah at this middle point of the story, but it is clear that Peter does not fully comprehend what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah.  Let's jump into the story in Mark 8:31-38 (ESV).

"And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.  And he said this plainly.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But turning to Peter and seeing his disciples he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me Satan!  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  For what can a man give in return for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy angels.'" 

Though the disciples, including Peter didn't know it, their commitment to Jesus would cost them their lives.  It would cost them every single thing that they considered precious.  It would cost some of them friends, family, and their standing in their communities.  It would cost others of them their vocations.  But it would cost all of them their lives - their souls - their very selves!  The decision to follow Jesus is an "all-in" move.  There's no going back, there's no hedging bets, it's his way or the highway.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it like this, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him, 'Come and die!'."  

Peter and many of the earliest followers of Jesus did suffer death for their faith.  But even the disciples who did not die for their commitment to Jesus, were still required to alter their whole way of living.  Each morning when they woke up, the question that would have (or at least should have) come to their mind was not, "What's this day have in store for me?", but rather, "Where is Jesus and his Spirit leading me this day?".  

Please don't misunderstand me.  I am not saying that the earliest disciples always understood what Jesus and his Spirit was doing in their lives.  Nor am I suggesting that they always followed Jesus in complete fidelity or perfection.  One only needs to read the previous thirty verses in Mark 8 to see this.  One only needs to read the rest of the New Testament to grasp this.  And one only needs to look at his or her own life to be made painfully aware of this.  But what I am suggesting is that when one decides to follow Jesus, this cannot be a half-hearted endeavor.  We may not get it right all the time, but if we get it at all, we will not get it by only going half-way.  

According to Jesus, our decision to follow him is a life and death decision.  It is the life and death decision.  If we bet on Jesus - if we are willing to go all in with the belief that he is the Messiah, the King, the Son of God, then we will suffer loss and defeat according to how the world keeps score.  But we will win the ultimate prize in the end.  We'll enjoy eternal life under his rule and reign in the age to come.  But if we hedge our bets, or if we simply deny that Jesus is Lord, though we might win our fair share in this life, we'll miss out on eternal life in the world to come.  

Jesus doesn't require us to get it right all the time.  Discipleship is a journey and a process with a fair amount of stumbles and false steps along the way.  And following Jesus does not depend on us fully understanding everything now - or ever.  But the decision to follow Jesus is not one to be taken lightly.  Either, we are in, or we are out.  I'm all in! - Shay 

Tradition?

In religious circles, it seems "tradition" has fallen on hard times.  And this makes sense.  Throughout his ministry, Jesus consistently called out the religious leaders of his day for their reliance on human teaching or tradition at the expense of God's larger re-creational intention for people and society.  It seems they had missed the forest for the trees.  

Mark 7 gives us some insight into Jesus' battle with the Pharisees.  "Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is without washing them.  (For Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)  So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, 'Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?'  He said to them, 'Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.'  You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.'" (Mark 7:1-8).

The rest of Mark 7 deals with the issue of human tradition vs. God's commands and what it actually means to be "unclean".  Later in the chapter, after Jesus journeys north to Gentile territory, he encounters a Syrophoenician woman whose daughter is possessed by an unclean spirit.  Being a Gentile, many Jews would have considered the woman to be unclean as well.  Jesus hits this issue head-on, even using a common "racial" slur that Jews would throw around regarding Gentiles (dogs).  Jesus' tactic really brought the message home!  He points his disciples ahead to a time when the global reign of the kingdom of God will extend far beyond the borders of Israel.  God's kingdom will be for male and female, slave and free, Jew and Gentile.  His disciples needed to know that it wasn't just the religious leaders who had held onto some cherished traditions that Jesus was more than happy to dismantle.

And that brings us back to the value, or lack-there-of, of tradition.  Are traditions valuable?  Do they play an important role in society and church?  Or are they "merely" human teachings that must be discarded at the first opportunity?  It depends.

It's been said that "tradition" is the living faith of dead people and that "traditionalism" is the dead faith of living people.  In other words, if we hold to tradition, simply for the sake of the tradition itself, we've probably missed the point.  But if we utilize the tradition to either remind us of the main point, or to use the tradition to aid us in achieving the main point, then the tradition is probably worthwhile and a benefit to us and our communities.

I've also heard tradition being described as a vessel.  Let's imagine that you have some very valuable cargo that you want to get from one side of the river to the other.  The water is deep, and the current is fast and there's no way you can get these valuable goods across without some reliable boat.  So, you use the barge as long as it's in good condition.  If it springs a leak, you fix the leak.  But if it gets to a point where the boat is no longer river-worthy, then it might be time to get a new vessel - a new tradition.  You see, what's most valuable is the cargo that you are transporting across the river, not the vessel.  The vessel is valuable, because of the purpose it serves, but it isn't valuable in and of itself.  It exists for the sake of the cargo, not vice versa.

The Pharisees that Jesus confronted in Mark 7 had flipped the script.  They had made the "tradition" the main thing.  They believed the cargo existed in order to facilitate the use of the vessel.  But their boat had sprung an unfixable leak, and it was time to get a new watercraft that might better handle the loads of the coming kingdom of God. 

So, what about us?  How do we discern the value of our traditions?  How do we know when it's time to fix a leaking vessel and when it might be time to get a brand-new boat?  How do we avoid making the tradition "the thing" - in other words, how do we continue to see the forest for the trees?  I think it takes three things.  Study, reflection, and prayer (in the context of community).

To understand what we believe and what we do, we need to understand why we believe it and why we do it.  It is unwise to simply discard traditions that have served God's people well simply for the sake of novelty.  So, we need to dig down to the roots under the tree, before we uproot the tree.  To mix metaphors, we need to uncover and test the foundation, before we demolish the building.

And then we need to reflect on what we've learned.  We need to consider God's larger purposes and how our past traditions may have faithfully served those purposes.  And then we would want to critically examine our current world and context, to see if those past traditions are capable of continuing to serve their older purposes.  It may be that we need to uproot an old plant, it may be that we need to bulldoze a dilapidated structure, and it may be that we need a brand-new boat.  Or maybe the tree just needs to be groomed a little.  It may be that we should restore the old building - renovate it.  Our old barge might simply need some TLC.  

As we reflect, we must commit ourselves to prayer, individually, and even more importantly, collectively.  We must never forget that traditions serve whole communities, not just us as individuals.  Any changes we make affect more than ourselves, and so we must be wise in making those changes.  Some of those changes will happen swiftly, while others may take more time.  No two situations are exactly alike, so we must consistently study, reflect, and pray as our communities evolve.

And at the end of the day, we are not involved in building our own personal, or even our own collective kingdoms.  For followers of Jesus, it's all about him and his Father.  It's God's kingdom, not ours.  That's why we pray, "Your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven."  That's a tradition we should definitely hold onto! - Shay 

More Than We Think We Are

 

Are people capable of changing?  Is it possible to understand the inner workings of another's thoughts and motivations?  Do we really know other people like we think we do?  Do we even know ourselves?

There's an idea in Ireland (and probably other places around the world as well) that you shouldn't put yourself too far out in front of the pack.  You should be satisfied with your place in life and not aspire to greatness.  Self-confidence is only one step removed from hubris.  The tallest poppy is the first to get cut down.  

If you combine the ideas from these two paragraphs together (that we sometimes don't even fully understand ourselves, let alone others, that we as well as others are capable of change, and that there is a human tendency to want to pull others back to the pack when they venture too far out in front), then we might have a pretty good idea of what was going on in the minds of Jesus' neighbors from his hometown of Nazareth in Mark 6:1-6a (NRSV).

"He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.  On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded.  They said, 'Where did this man get all this?  What is this wisdom that has been given him?  What deeds of power are being done by his hands!  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?'  And they took offense at him.  Then Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.'  And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief."

I didn't grow up around anyone who has "hit the big time!"  No one from my hometown or the schools I attended has become famous.  I can imagine that though there would be great pride held by others on behalf of a local guy or gal done well, there might also be some level of envy directed towards them.  I played basketball my senior year in High School with a teammate who excelled in baseball and who pitched in college, the minors, in the Chinese league, had a brief stint in the majors.  Successful, yes, but a household name, no.  I should also mention that he's one of the most likeable and humble people I've ever met.  So, I don't personally know what it would be like to have grown up around someone who became renowned or acclaimed, but it must illicit mixed feelings on behalf of those who knew, or at least thought they knew them well.

Humans sometimes struggle with envy, but we also tend to put others in boxes.  We categorize people.  Someone is either introverted or extroverted.  They are either logical or creative.  They are a jock or a nerd.  Rather than acknowledging that most people reside somewhere on a spectrum in all of these categories (and that it is possible that these categories can be blended together), it's tidier to keep others safely behind the lock and key of our own, often imagined cages of categorization.  It might be hard to believe that the shy kid in the far corner, might have people skills just waiting to be unlocked at the right time and in the right situation.  It's easier to assume that the star football player, probably can't play an instrument, would never be an avid reader, or isn't possibly a gifted actor.  It's also easy to assume that what we see now, is what we'll get forever.  We often forget that people can and do change.  We are all capable of evolving and becoming more tomorrow, than what we are today.

So, for the people of Nazareth, it was hard to believe that Jesus, the local carpenter, had not only become a famous rabbi, but that his powerful teaching and his powerful acts of healing were legitimate.  They had seen this young man when he was but a toddler.  They had witnessed him, and his younger siblings attend synagogue and other local events with their parents through the years.  He might have been an awkward adolescent, as many precocious young people are.  Like every human being who has ever lived, it would have taken time for Jesus to develop and to slowly figure out this complex world and his place within it.  As the people of Nazareth attested, Jesus' upbringing was not extraordinary - probably no more extraordinary than most of ours.  Like all of us, Jesus could and did change.  He wasn't exactly the same person at the age of 30, as he had been at the age of 12, much less at those younger ages.  He was not one who fit easily into a box.

This story reminds us that it's probably unwise to try to fit anyone neatly into a box.  People are complex.  People are diverse.  People have the ability to change.  And people are also capable of achieving great things, even unexpected things if given the opportunity.  Who knows what might be possible if a person is in the right place at the right time under the right circumstances!!? 

This story also alerts us to the danger of envy and incredulity.  In Jesus' case, these two reactions went hand in hand.  The fact that the local carpenter's son was capable of far more than his friends, neighbors, and even family members were willing to give him credit for, reminds us that seeing isn't always believing.  They heard with their own ears his eloquent and wise teaching.  Some of them saw with their own eyes his ability to lay hands on people and cure them of their illnesses.  But their jealousy prevented them from even considering that God might actually be at work in the ministry of this young local upstart.  Rather than being amazed at what God was doing through Jesus, Jesus was amazed at their almost supernatural ability not to believe.

So, if you have put your faith in this humble, regular guy from Nazareth.  If you have imagined that it might be possible for the creator of everything, in the person of his Son, to incarnate himself and live a most ordinary, and yet extraordinary life.  If you believe that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God, then you owe your brother and your sister, your friend and your neighbor an open mind.  Not only should you not chain them to a real or imagined past, but you should also allow them the freedom to become more than you or even they might imagine they can be.  God is at work in our world, and he usually does his most important work through people.  Many times, it's those we least expect through whom God does his greatest work.  As we interact with those whom God places in our path, may we be open enough to avoid placing people in a box, may we be humble enough to celebrate his work through the unexpected, and may we be hopeful enough to embrace our own possibilities for the future. - Shay  

Twelve Years A Slave

As we move through the gospel of Mark, we come to a story from chapter 5:21-43.  In my old blog, Near St. Anne's and the Sea, http://northdublinsmiths.blogspot.com/, I wrote a post a few years back that I believe is still worth a read.  In this post, I try to imagine what a couple of the characters in the story may have experienced as they encountered Jesus in trying circumstances.  The first character, I call Martha, though we do not know her name.  The second character is Jairus.  Let's discover the amazing ways these two individual's stories intertwine.  

The Gospel According to Martha

My name is Martha and I can still remember the month it happened.  It was like any other month, maybe just a bit heavier than usual, but nothing to be alarmed about.  I did what I would usually do – what I was required to do by the Law of Moses.  I kept myself separate and I made sure that I didn’t touch anyone or anything that might cause someone else to become unclean.  But at the end of the week, my period didn’t stop.  It seemed like it would get lighter, but then, it would come back heavy.  It went like this for days and days.  I began to get worried.  I was in my unclean state for weeks and so I began to see healers, physicians, anyone who could help me.  I spent all I had trying to be cured, but I never got any better, I only got worse.  I never could have imagined that this ailment, this affliction would stay with me for months, even years.  I struggled so much just to have enough energy to get through the day.  No matter how much I would eat, I always felt weak.  And isolated.  I got so lonely.  I gave up on ever trying to have a husband.  No man in his right mind would ever want to marry me.  They would be unclean, unable to live a normal life, unable to have children, or even be able to enjoy making love to their wife.  Eventually, after a few years, I learned to accept my status as an outsider, as one unclean -   unable to worship at the temple and unable to be in normal fellowship with the rest of my countrymen and women.  For 12 long years, this was my reality.  I was a slave, 12 years a slave, until…

The Gospel According to Jairus

My name is Jairus and I will never forget the day my little girl was born.  I was so proud!  She was my firstborn – my only child.  My wife and I wanted other sons and daughters, but she was the only one that God had seen fit to give us.  But, oh, did we love her.  Our nickname for her was Talitha – little girl.  Even as she grew older, we affectionately called her by this name.  She was a daddy’s girl, though she loved her momma too and wanted to be just like her.  Sometimes, I would take her with me to the Synagogue as I would prepare for our worship the day before the Sabbath.  I also remember taking her on walks along the shore at the sea.  We would walk along the rocky beaches, taking time to skip rocks or wade out into the shallows.  As she got older, I could see that she was becoming more and more like her mom.  She was beautiful.  I'll never forget the day she got sick.  It wasn’t long after her 12^th birthday.  She had complained of a headache that morning and a few hours later, she collapsed in our kitchen.  We took her into the back room of our home and tried to cool her fevered body with wet rags.  Nothing seemed to work.  We tried to give her every herb and every medicinal concoction that we could find, but she only got worse.  And then it hit me.  I had heard of a miracle worker, a rabbi from Nazareth who had become famous across Galilee for his healing abilities.  In fact, once, when Talitha and I were out on one of our seaside walks, we had witnessed a crowd who had gathered to hear him teach.  The crowd was so large he had got into a boat and floated out on the water to give himself some room.  I knew that he frequently crossed the sea.  In fact, some of his disciples were fisherman, so maybe if I went down by the shore I could find him.  Maybe, just maybe he would be able to do something!

According to Martha

I saw the crowd swarming him down by the sea as he climbed out of the boat.  But then, he paused.  In the middle of this mass of humanity, a man had fallen at Jesus’ feet and seemed to be desperately begging him for something.  Jesus lifted the man up and began to follow him.  The crowd also pressed in and went with them.  I struggled to catch up and as I wedged my way in-between the people a thought crossed my mind.  “This rabbi is so godly, so righteous, so full of God’s power, that if I only touch his clothes, then God will heal me through that single touch.”  I anxiously approached, weaving my way through the herd, until finally, I was able to reach out and skim the edge of his cloak with my fingertips.  I immediately felt a feeling I hadn’t had for 12 years.  My bleeding stopped and I felt a rush of energy cascade through my body.  I was healed!  But before I could make my way out of the crowd, Jesus turned around and shouted, “Who touched my clothes?”  What was I to do?  I was so afraid.  Maybe I shouldn’t have gone about things this way?  I had hoped to make a quiet escape, to draw no attention to myself, but it was obvious that Jesus realized that power had left him.  He wanted to know who had been healed and though I was scared to death, I slowly pushed my way through the people and fell down at his feet and told him everything.  With a tear in his eye and the sound of hope in his voice he simply said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”  For 12 long years I had been a slave to my bleeding womb.  What God had designed to be an instrument of life, for me had become an instrument of death, until - until that day when I reached out to Jesus and he spoke those words of life.

According to Jairus

“Jesus, I know that if you will just come and lay your hands on my little girl, she’ll be healed, she’ll live.”  Those were the words I uttered as I fell on my face and begged Jesus to come and do something for my dying daughter.  Jesus immediately went with me, no questions asked - he just agreed and followed me.  I didn’t even notice the large crowd that was following us as we hurriedly made our way to my home, until – until Jesus all of the sudden froze.  He spun around and shouted “Who touched my clothes?”  “What’s going on?” I thought.  Why is he stopping?  Doesn’t he know my daughter will die if we don’t get there soon!  Jesus and his disciples seemed to be arguing about something and then a woman fell down at Jesus’ feet and began to timidly tell him how for 12 years she had lived in a state of uncleanness, bleeding, living in isolation, but that now, after having touched his clothes she was free from her affliction.  While Jesus responded to the woman, all I could do was think about my 12 year old daughter who laid dying in our home.  And then I saw them approaching us - some of the local professional mourners.  They had already begun to gather at our house.  That could only mean one thing.  Our little Talitha had died.  They confirmed the bad news and told us that Jesus shouldn’t be bothered any longer.  There’s nothing that could be done now.  Our girl who had emerged from the womb only 12 years prior would soon enter the cold dark womb of a tomb.  Death had stung.  Death had won. 

But Jesus turned back towards me, overhearing the mourners’ lamentation.  He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in my tear-filled eyes and said, “Do not fear, only believe!”  Then he motioned for me and three of his disciples to follow him.  When we arrived at the house, the professional mourners were in full flight.  They were weeping, wailing, hollering, and screaming.  What a production they were putting on!  But Jesus calmly eyed the scene and confidently said, “Why are you making such a commotion?  The child isn’t dead, she’s just asleep.”  Even professionals sometimes slip up.  They went from crying for my daughter to laughing at Jesus.  I didn’t know what to think at this point – was I to hope or was I to fear?  I feared the worst and hoped for the best as Jesus dismissed the mourners and took my wife and his disciples in to see our lifeless little girl.  Jesus gently grasped her hand and softly spoke the words, “Talitha cum – little girl, get up.”  Talitha gasped for breath, opened her eyes, and began to walk around the room.  My little girl was alive!  For 12 short years, I had raised my daughter, expecting that one day she would be married and have children of her own.  But death had come and done its worst and for a moment, my hopes and dreams were shattered.  I had lost my only daughter and the hopes of grandchildren had vanished as well.  Until…until he took her by the hand and he spoke those words of life. - Shay

Why Are You Afraid?

Descending through a thunderstorm into Miami on a short flight from Orlando, our plane suddenly dropped several hundred feet.  About 5 or 6 rows in front of me, a young man flew out of his seat, smashing his head into the overhead compartment.  Maybe he was "stunned" or just slow to react, but he didn't immediately fasten his seatbelt and when the plane dropped another several hundred feet, he again smashed into the overhead compartment!  It would have been funny, had I not been white-knuckle gripping my seat's armrests.  I was terrified.  I don't like the feeling of free-falling, even on amusement park rides. So, to unexpectedly drop twice in a matter of seconds on this flight was disconcerting to say the least.  My prayer at that moment was short, simple, and on repeat: "Lord, please help us land safely and quickly, but not too quickly!  God, just get this plane on the ground!  But again, not immediately!"

Jesus' disciples must have felt similar emotions as they traversed the chaotic Sea of Galilee in the middle of a terrifying storm.  "On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.'  And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.  Other boats were with him.  A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'  He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace!  Be still!'  Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.  He said to them, 'Why are you afraid?  Have you still no faith?'  And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'' (Mark 4:35-41, NRSV).

Have you ever been there - in the middle of a sheer moment of terror?  Fear is one of the most visceral emotions we feel.  Our heartrate explodes, our palms sweat profusely, our thinking rapidly speeds up, while time seems to slow down.  Every resource our body can muster is devoted to this one moment, this one issue, this one crisis.  It's no wonder that we feel "spent" when the moment passes.

But sometimes fear doesn't come and go in quite such a rush.  There are moments in our lives when instead of being unexpectantly tossed into terror, we are forced to labor through a long, slow sense of dread.  But this feeling is just as real as the more visceral feelings of fear, and quite possibly, more damaging.  Persistent anxiety can be even more toxic as the most frightening of scares. 

But maybe the worst kind of fear is the kind of fear that develops out of perfectionism and the desire to be a "control freak".  When we are afraid to fail, and so fail to try, we have allowed fear to win.  When we are unwilling to relinquish control, we again have handed fear a victory.

According to the gospel of Mark, fear, not doubt is the enemy of faith.  Any of us who trust in God have at times doubted.  In fact, if we've never experienced a doubt, I doubt our faith is mature and tested.  Doubting is normal.  When doubts arise, I can still act in faith.  I can hold my faith and my doubts in tension.  In fact, faith isn't the absence of doubt, but the capacity to trust and to act despite our doubts.  But fear on the other hand, can be crippling.  Fear has the power to leave us in a perpetual state of floundering.

When Jesus called his disciples, he invited them to join him on the adventure of a lifetime.  It was an adventure that would take them, at least temporarily, away from their friends and family.  It was a calling that would force them to reevaluate all they previously held dear.  It was a journey that would place them in challenging circumstances, physically, mentally, relationally, and spiritually.  Essentially, Jesus was calling them to take a leap of faith, to put their trust in him, and to be willing go "all in" for his kingdom movement.  The majority of their kinsmen would think they were nuts, but if Jesus was right and God's kingdom really was coming through this ministry, then their role in this mission had the power to not only change their own lives, but the world!  Would this require faith?  Absolutely!  Would this inevitably be accompanied by doubt?  Surely.  Was this a scary proposition?  Totally.  But, if through faith, they could manage their doubt, while overcoming their fear, they would be a part of the greatest revolution in human history.  One that still resonates in our world today!

The fear the disciples faced on that boat that stormy evening so long ago wasn't the biggest test their faith would face.  That would come later.  But it was a great opportunity for Jesus to plant tiny seeds of faith in their hearts.  Jesus knew that those tiny seeds had the power to grow into massive plants of faith in the future (Mark 4:30-32).  He knew that faith isn't the absence of fear, it's the ability to overcome that fear.  And slowly, but surely the disciples would begin to take those faithful steps that evening on the Sea of Galilee.  

What about us?  What are we afraid of?  Is there some gnawing fear that's holding us back?  Is God calling us to take a step of faith - maybe even a leap of faith into the unknown?  If so, Jesus asks us this question: "Why are you afraid?  Have you still no faith?" - Shay