Love & Chaos
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray that this reading of Your Word today will strengthen and deepen my faith.
Read Mark 5:21-34
[21] When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. [22] Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet [23] and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” [24] So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. [25] And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. [26] She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. [27] When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, [28] because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” [29] Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. [30] At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” [31] “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” [32] But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. [33] Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. [34] He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
Why did Jesus commend the woman after healing her?I hate days in which I don’t get a moment to stop, and each demand overlaps with the next. Jesus was having one of those days. He got swamped by yet another demanding crowd (21). One of those demands was more urgent than all the others (23), so he dropped whatever he had planned to do to meet that need. Then, yet another demand overtook him (27), and he sensed the urgency of that one, too (30).
It was hard work being Jesus. When I have days like that, I get very bad-tempered about everything that interferes with my plan. I wonder how you cope. There are numerous selfish strategies to choose from.
But look at Jesus. He allowed his day to be pulled from plan A, to plan B, and then to plan C. On each occasion he made his decision for the benefit of someone other than himself. That is a great example of love.
Loving days are very likely to be chaotic days. On loving days, other people’s needs rule our lives. Loving days are frustrating, and exhausting. Jesus was having one of those days.
Apply
Look at the day ahead of you. Will you allow other people’s needs to divert your agenda? Will you have a loving day?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to have the same commitment to show love to others as You had—no matter what.
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