If you’re a Christian, you’re familiar with the Jairus story and the woman with the issue of blood. The story is found in Mark 5:21–43. In a nutshell, Jairus, a local synagogue official had gone to Jesus so that He could heal his sick daughter. However, their journey was interrupted by a woman with the issue of blood. And Jesus stopped to attend to her despite the large crowd following Him. By the time they were resuming their journey, Jairus daughter had died.
Today, my interest isn’t in the miracles that happened in the story, but in the people involved and how we relate to them today. Jairus was a well known synagogue official in that town. The woman was known, but for the wrong reasons. She had a label instead of a name; the woman with the issue of blood.
In those times, the woman, because of her issue, was unclean. And she had been unclean for 12 good years. She was rejected, despised, ridiculed and alone. In today’s metrics, she was probably depressed.
Can you imagine living unclean for 12 years with no one associating with you? Imagine being in her shoes?
Brings me to the issue about the clean and the unclean. Jairus was a clean guy; known both in the town and in the synagogue. His issue was urgent and he got to Jesus first. Logically, Jesus should respond to him asap. And He was going to. Until He was interrupted by a woman; an unclean woman for that matter.
Since the Bible doesn’t tell us Jairus reaction at this interruption, I like to indulge my imagination. And how in reality, we respond to God stopping for those we consider unclean.
Like Jairus, we get to Jesus first. We are clean, righteousness, have a good reputation and with a cocktail of good works. We approach Jesus thinking, “I deserve to be attended to first. I have done this and this for Him. He surely knows me by now. I have been saved for 15 years and been serving Him faithfully for years.”
Well……..
Then comes in that annoying interruption and Jesus stops while on His way to your place. And who stops Him? That drunkard you despise so much. That prostitute you keep saying she’ll go to hell. That good-for-nothing drug addict son of your neighbor.
And you’re boiling with rage. “You mean Jesus stopped for them? Really God? You’re choosing them over me? I have been serving you for years? I have been good and clean and this is how you treat me?
Well, maybe I’m exaggerating in my imagination…..hahahaha. But isn’t that how we think when someone we consider unclean and unworthy interrupts Jesus. When He stops for them and it drives us insane?
Christians and their baloney, self-righteousness and stupid arrogance make me laugh. And I love me savage Jesus. Because when we think what disqualifies people from us will disqualify them from God, He just smiles and does the exact opposite.
Don’t suffer from amnesia and forget that Jesus stopped for you once when you were unclean.
