A business executive became depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening he would eat his dinner in silence, shutting out his wife and five-year-old daughter. Then he would go into the den and busy himself at the computer to wall his family out of his life.
After several nights of this, one evening his daughter took her little hand and pushed away the computer screen. She then jumped into her father’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him strongly. The father said abruptly, “Honey, you are hugging me to death!” “No, Daddy,” the little girl said,“I’m hugging you to life!”
This was the greatness of Jesus. He took people where they were and hugged them to life. In today’s Gospel (Mark 5:21-43) Jesus he goes to the “upper crust” of society and raises the 12-year old daughter of Jairus, the wealthy the ruler of the synagogue. Jesus raises his daughter back to life again.
On the way to the girl, Jesus cures the hemorrhaging woman in the crowd who was a social outcast. These two vastly different people, the down and out hemorrhaging woman and the upper-crust daughter of Jairus, are loved into life by our Lord.
Maybe subconsciously you and I have it in for people who live in big mansions and drive expensive SUV’s and cars. Maybe subconsciously you and I have it in for the social outcasts, the so-called trouble-makers you see on your TV screen.
We find Jesus at the top and the bottom of the social and economic scale. What is he doing all the time? He is hugging the poor AND the rich and everyone in between back into life.
Thanks Alexander Dummer for the photo.
Who has hugged YOU back into life? Who have YOU hugged back into life?
THE CLOSER YOU GET TO JESUS, THE SMALLER EVERYTHING ELSE APPEARS!
Thanks Alexander Dummer for the photo.
You may have gotten a great sermon at church today. Here is another one to share. Do listen to my Podcast.
