Reflection on the Gospel of the Tuesday Of The Fourth Week In Ordinary Time |
Mark 5:21-43 |
This story is about small steps towards growing in faith. Both, Jairus and the woman with the haemorrhage are not total believers, they have heard about Jesus, they want to believe compelled by their necessity. At first the reason to approach Jesus seems wrong. But it would have been more wrong if because of a self righteous attitude, they did not approach Jesus. many a times we find ourselves in such a scenario, and because of false humility, we forgo asking for help.
But the beauty of the story lies in the humility of these two. It is like ‘Lord I want to believe, help my unbelief’, in action. One wins healing and wholeness, the other restoration of life.
But this story can also be seen as a whole, telling the Jewish Nation, your reproach, your sin, your exile from God (Gen 3:15), is over. Now you can come and share once again in God’s Wholeness.
Do not deter then, say with the woman with the haemorrhage, let me just touch touch the hem of his garment. Let me just surrender myself in Jesus hands, Let me just try Jesus. There is no loss trying Jesus. You will either be as is, or have God’s Kingdom come to reside in you.
2 Responses
Why do you say that the reason to approach Jesus seems wrong. I like the advice in the last paragraph.
The reason at first to those who prefer to be right in all their ways (i.e. the self righteous), would look be to look at their actions and say, ‘this is not the right way to come before God, so let us wait before we have a right thought and motive.’ But in the fuller scope of things, Jesus knows our weaknesses, and does not hold that against us. We fail to realise this. All he wants is for us to be walking with Him.
I have seen this in my life, I have looked at my weaknesses, realised I needed help, but also realised that I was turning to him only in the hour of my need. It is something like students going to Church when the exams arrive. And in my self righteous attitude, I refrained from coming before Jesus. I had not understood Jesus as Love and Mercy.