MARK - My Words (5)

 

Arriving at the far shore, the friends saw a wild man running towards them.  In his hands he carried sharp rocks.  His mood softened as he saw Jesus, and as he came near he fell on his knees.  “What do you want with me Jesus?”  He asked.  This man was very unwell and terrorised the neighbourhood, and himself.

“What is your name?” asked Jesus, “I am called multitude”, he replied, “because I can be so many people at once.”  Jesus said, this wrong thing will be put right.  The man became calm, but some sheep nearby suddenly went berserk, and charging around ending up falling into the lake.

The farmer who owned the sheep saw what happened and was terrified.  He ran off to warn the locals what had happened.  Soon a group appeared and found Jesus talking to the wild man, who was clothed, and in his right mind.  They begged Jesus to move on to some other place.  Jesus graciously agreed, and his party returned to their boat.  The wild man asked if he could join them, but Jesus urged him to find his family, and reassure them that he was well.  Give thanks to the Creator and know that your life is special.

Returning to the other side of the lake, people again saw Jesus in the boat, and soon he was surrounded.  A very important dignitary pushed his way through and sunk down in distress at Jesus’ feet.  “Come to my house.  My daughter is gravely ill”, he pleaded.  Jesus reassured him that he would.  But movement became impossible as the throng of people grew.  One person in particular believed that Jesus could help her.  She had spent all her savings on medical cures for a painful condition she experienced for the last twelve years.  It was destroying her life.  “If I can but touch the hem of his coat” she told herself. 

Jesus felt this contact and stopped.  “Who just touched me?” he enquired.  The people about smiled, for Jesus was being jostled by the surge of people.  “No”, Jesus checked them, “someone intentionally touched me.”  In trepidation the one who touched him raised her hand.  She knew she was now well, for the pain had gone.  “Because you believe in me, you are now well.  Go in peace” Jesus reassured her.

Just then, someone from the big house ran over to the dignitary and reported that his daughter had just died.  “Don’t bother the great man” he suggested.  “There is nothing more to be done.”  Jesus looked to the father, “hold back your fear, and believe,” he said.  They continued to the house, where already there were the sounds and smell of death.

Taking just Peter, Jesus asked to be let into the daughter’s room.  Jesus approached the lifeless body of the girl, and said “Talitha koum”, which translates ‘little girl, get up.’

The girl woke as if from a sleep, and got up.  Jesus took her by the hand to her father.  “She is well again, he said, but I think she is hunger.”

Two people - a crazy man, and a young girl.  

The man is 'managed' (care in the community).  His situation is tolerated.  "We will always have the the sick, the crazy and criminals."  Jesus does not fit with this Status Quo.  But 'we' like our world order.  We do not want the boat rocked.  We prefer our 'care in the community'.

The girl is part of any normal family tragedy.  Children die.  These days we hope that our 'Basic Life Support', or 'get them to a hospital quickly' is the solution.  But children continue to die.  Now and again this is not the case.  Here, a father's trust in this 'different' person just held on.  It was an occasion when a miracle occurred, and we are all talking about it still.  Tragedy and miracles often live together, like 'nettles and doc leaves'.