No fear, just love

From Helen

I used to work with Church schools and every summer Bishop John and I would visit the schools. The children were used to seeing me around but they were very excited about seeing the Bishop – imagine what they would be like now seeing an Archbishop ?

Anyway in one school we were having lunch and a little girl who was sat by me asked who the important man was. I explained. She was about 6 and she kept looking at the Bishop. I asked if she wanted to meet him, she said no. She kept looking so I asked again and I assured her that he was very nice. She waited and asked if she was allowed to touch him. Again I said yes, and has was very nice would she like to meet him. No she said but this time added, ‘if he would like to meet me I am in the classroom around the corner and I will say hello !’

I thought of that rather fun incident when I was looking at the gospel reading for this morning (Mark 5:21-43). In this reading we heard of people approaching Jesus with fear and being met with love and healing. 

The gospel reading has two stories in one. Its almost like a sandwich ! We heard about Jairus then there was a woman with a haemorrhage and then back to Jairus.

Jairus was an official of the synagogue. This meant that he would have been very high up and well respected. The last thing you would expect someone of the social and religious standing of Jairus to do, would be to go to an itinerant preacher like Jesus. 

Jairus didn’t just go to Jesus and ask politely, or even get one of his servants to do the asking for him, no, in fear for the life of his child he fell at the feet of Jesus and he begged him. 

We all have moments of desperation when we are fearful of something dreadful happening and so we move to do anything we can to make a situation better. We will move anything that gets in the way of someone we love experiencing healing when they are in pain. 

Jairus risked being ostracised by the other leaders at the synagogue as he turnedto Jesus in desperation. 

In fear he went to Jesus and Jesus responded with love by going straight to help Jairus and his daughter.

Of course we know that something else happened on the way which was the woman with a haemorrhage trying to get to Jesus in desperation and fear. This woman because of her condition would have been outside of society and unable to show herself in public. She must have heard of all the stir about Jesus and decided to see what He could offer her.

The fear of the woman was such that she could not even bring herself to push through the crowds or to come close to this holy man. You can almost picture this woman in desperation trying to reach Jesus as best she could and she touched His cloak.

It always sounds a bit strange the idea of Jesus knowing the power had gone out of Him, once again a bit like a superhero but it is more that Jesus knew someone needed Him. 

Jesus knows when we need Him. He knows when we are desperate for His love. We may not always be able to describe it, but we can all know that we are missing something.

We can turn to God in our desperation for more of Him in our lives, and we can also turn to God when we are in fear.

That little girl with the Archbishop seemed to see him almost as if he was some mythical figure that she couldn’t touch. I think we can be like that with God. 

God became one of us in Jesus so that we would know that He has felt what we feel. That means He knows all about us and in the same way that He knew the woman needed Him so He sees into our hearts and lives not in a frightening way but in a way that casts out all fear. 

Jesus looks at us and says that He loves us, He turns to us and asks us to go to Him whether we are in fear or desperation – why don’t we do that enough? We all try and get on with life and carry on when we actually need more of Jesus.

Back to the story, the woman was healed and Jesus looked at the woman. In her fear she had not been able to look at Jesus but He looked directly at her and offered His words that her faith had made her well. He sent her off in peace. 

By being healed this woman now had a place back in society, she didn’t need to hide away anymore. 

Back to Jairus, well for him it seemed as if his desperate reaching out to Jesus had left him in a place where he had made a mistake in turning to Jesus. After all, he had embarrassed himself by falling at the feet of Jesus and now that which he had wanted had not happened. Or so it seemed. Jesus was able to heal the little girl. 

Jesus responded to Jairus’ fear with love. Jesus responds to all our fear with love. Everytime we reach out to Jesus whether it’s in desperation or with full confidence we can know that we will be met with love. 

There is a reflection I use sometimes which talks about the fact that God is awesome and when we turn to Him we will be met with love. We do not need to fear because we can turn to God who is not far away from us but God who is with us always.

Let us pray…

Drop thy still dews of quietness, 

Till all our striving cease,

Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess

the beauty of they peace.

Awesome, all powerful God we come into your presence knowing that we will be met with love. AMEN