Sermon 30th June 2024 – 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Text Mark 5:21-43 – Holy disruptions
A couple years ago while I
was driving home from Pastors’ Conference in Adelaide, I hit a pot hole that
took out my front wheel and tyre. In the pouring rain on the Western Highway I
dodged cars and B-Double trucks trying to change with the spare after having to
remove all my luggage from the boot. Finally I got it on and it was one of
those smaller wheels so I had to drive slower which I didn’t mind being pouring
rain outside. At least I was mobile. Until I hit another pot hole 10 minutes
later that took out the spare and the rear wheel. I was now stranded 5 kms from
the nearest town. I drove on the rims and waited 4 hours for the RACV to get me
home. I contemplated “why”? I had left the conference early to get a head start
and get home early.
I pondered and thought to
myself that perhaps God had made this detour for a reason. Did I perhaps avoid
a more tragic accident. I’ll never know. But sometimes God interrupts our plans
with detours. And we’ll never know why or what may have happened if that
distraction had not happened. Have you tried to make sense of a disruption in
your life? Maybe disruptions should be part of our thanksgiving for who knows
what work God has done through them.
In our Gospel reading today
there are 2 disruptions to Jesus’ plans. After having his sleep disrupted by a
storm that was bashing against he boat he was in he finally gets to the other
side and returns. And no sooner has he got out of the boat when he is
confronted by Jairus – his first disruption. When Jairus saw Jesus he fell at
his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of
death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”
So Jesus went with him. On his way he is
disrupted again. This time by a woman who has had a bleeding condition for 12
years. But she knows Jesus is busy so she sneaks up on him not wanting to
disrupt him. She thought to herself – I don’t need to interrupt this busy man. If
I but touch his clothes, I will be made well. And she did – and her bleeding
stopped.
But, just as she felt the
power of Jesus enter her – he felt the power leave him. So, despite his
busyness and urgency to save Jairus’s daughter – he stops. He wants to find out
why this disruption happened. I can imagine Jairus standing there thinking –
come on Jesus. She’s been waiting 12 years – what’s another day. Come and heal
my daughter before it’s too late. And that’s exactly what happens. While Jesus
was speaking to the woman some people came from Jairus’s house to say, It’s too
late - “Your daughter is dead. Why
trouble the teacher any further? What good came out of this disruption?
Jairus’s daughter died. However,
despite the grief and sadness, Jesus sees this disruption as an opportunity to
show the power and authority that he has – not just over the wind and the waves
– but over life and death. A power and authority that will be fully revealed at
his own death through resurrection.
Paul also sees that hidden
behind disruptions and adversity is thanksgiving to God. He says: For you know
the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. As
Paul says in Philippians – Christ emptied himself. The disciples would become
perplexed – forlorn – despondent when they witness the heinous brutality
against Jesus. Like the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus – faces downcast –
“we had hoped”. But, by Jesus’ poverty we have become rich beyond measure. By
his death we have received eternal life. The disciples didn’t understand this
disruption. They thought Jesus was on a different sort of mission. Peter
objected when he heard of death disrupting his mission – NEVER Lord – this will
NEVER happen to you.
It is easy to become
despondent at the way life journeys take us. It is easy to feel that there is
nothing to be thankful for when things don’t work out our way. But here we see
that sometimes disruptions will come for a couple reasons. First – to redirect
us where we are needed. Jesus original plans were interrupted by Jairus. But
his daughter needed healing. And while Jesus was on the way there he
experiences another disruption with the bleeding woman. Had Jesus not been
disrupted by Jairus would the bleeding woman have come across him? We don’t
know. Was she the intended target of Jesus’ healing? We’ll never know but it
doesn’t matter.
But, secondly, sometimes a
disruption may be a guardian angel in disguise. Like my flat tyres that kept me
off the road for almost 5 hours. Did that keep me from something that I’ll
never know about? Likewise, had the bleeding woman not have disrupted Jesus
would he have gotten to Jairus’s daughter in time and performed just another
healing miracle that the people had witnessed before? But because of the
bleeding woman, Jesus’ delay meant Jairus’s daughter died. While on the surface
no one could possible see any good out of this – BUT – through this disruption
and subsequent death – Jesus is able to show his power and authority over life
AND death.
Very similar to Lazarus. Jesus
there creates his own disruption to Mary and Martha’s plans to have Jesus come
immediately – but he delays. So the message for us is – there are many things
for us to give thanks for – even if we don’t see them. Even if on the surface
we feel, not only is there nothing to give thanks for – but we have grievance
with God – we need to trust God in what we call – his providence. Providence is
probably not a word we use too often. Providence means the guardianship and
care provided by God. And sometimes that
care is hidden and we don’t understand it. We don’t always understand God’s
ways but we know that he is our loving heavenly Father who is always looking
out for us.
God doesn’t always create
interruptions but God can certainly always use them to bring about good – as
Joseph discovered. Joseph understood that it was not God’s intention for his
brothers to sell him as a slave to Egypt but through those evil actions of his
brothers he was able to save the world from starvation and bring his family to
a rich land. As he says to his brothers - Even though you intended to do harm
to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he
is doing today. It is easy to feel that there is nothing to be thankful for –
especially when disruptions to our lives come. Disruptions that inconvenience
us. It is easy then to become like the Israelites – who despite all that God
has done for them forget his love and mercy the first time a disruption comes. There’s
no water – there’s no food – They miss
God’s blessings – we hate this detestable manna.
But God’s blessings are
always there. We need to trust God that sometimes he disrupts our lives for a
reason. Or if there’s something outside of God that disrupts our lives, like
Joseph, that God will use it for your good. So gives thanks to the Lord always
for his love for you endures forever.
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