Faith: the place of earnest pleas

by Carolyn Ehrlich

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Seeing him [Jesus], he [Jairus] fell at his feet … But the woman … came in fear and trembling and fell down before him (Mark 5:22b,33a).

Read Mark 5:21–43

Today, we read about two people with desperate needs and no place to turn but to Jesus. A dying daughter and an unrelenting health condition. A ruler and an outcast. A man and a woman. One is included and respected in society, and the other is excluded and removed from society. One seemingly powerful, the other seemingly powerless. Both were powerless in the face of what was going on in their lives. Two different people, two different sets of life circumstances. Both experience loss – the loss of a beloved family member and the loss of a community. Both have earnest needs that only Jesus can provide. And so, both come to Jesus. Both place their entire trust in him. They have faith – faith that Jesus can and will heal, faith that Jesus will restore their sense of family/community.

At the same time, it seems to me there is a sense of busyness and chaos surrounding Jesus when Jairus and the woman come to him. Crowds jostling. It seems there are competing needs. There would have been a sense of urgency for Jairus, but then Jesus stopped to attend to someone else. For the woman, there would have been a sense of having only one chance. There was an apparent need among the crowds to know more about this Jesus. I wonder how Jairus would have felt when an outcast woman forced her way into the space that he had with Jesus. He had implored Jesus earnestly. He seemed to have Jesus’ attention. But then Jesus’ attention was seemingly diverted to this woman. I wonder how the woman would have felt when his attention was focused solely on her. She was in a place that she shouldn’t have been. Both were desperate. Both had earnest pleas. And Jesus met them both in their desperation, healing and restoring them.

So, what does this say to us? Jesus heals. Yes. And he restores. It says that no matter who we are – respected or outcast, man or woman, powerful or powerless, seeking help for another or ourselves – Jesus sees us, and he restores us. It says that Jesus is all-powerful and that even when things in our lives seem beyond restoration, Jesus restores. It says we can bring our earnest pleas to Jesus, and he will give us his attention. He has a perfect plan, even if we think he is being diverted by things that are of no importance to us. So, today, if you have an earnest plea right now, bring it to Jesus in faith. Today, if you have already brought your plea to Jesus, know that he is walking with you and that his plan is perfect.

Loving Father, you are the great healer and have a perfect plan. Just as Jesus went with Jairus, you are with me. Just as Jesus healed an outcast woman, you see me, and you call me your son or daughter. Thank you. No matter what the crowds around me say, whether they laugh, I fall before you and place my faith in you. Amen. 

Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles and supporting her family.

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