Sigh.......

Oh, how many times have I sighed, either audibly or to myself, when I felt that somebody just didn't get it, or that it was taking too long for me to accomplish my goal?! It is difficult for non-hearing people to speak clearly when they cannot hear  clearly. They cannot distinguish the subtleties of expression and intonation, so they are unable to express them. When Jesus healed the deaf man with the speech impediment, he first healed his ears, then his tongue, saying, "Open up!" Perhaps I need to be told the same thing....to pay attention, to hear, to listen, and then to speak the Word to others. In this healing, just as in the previous one of the woman with the demon-possessed daughter, Jesus healed a Gentile. Was he disappointed that the Jews, to whom he was sent, were less receptive to his message than the Gentiles? Am I, a Christian, less open to God's guidance, his desires for my life, than one who is a seeking non-Christian?
In the case of the Canaanite woman, she came to Jesus, begging for mercy because of her ill daughter. Yes, she was desperate-- for herself and for her daughter. When a loved one is critically ill, it requires much of the family, who cannot support the ill person without support for themselves. Perhaps Jesus was silent, because he was sighing to himself about the needs of the Gentiles vs. the needs of the Jews. Did he need to consider her worthiness? Was her persistence proof of her faith? I pray that I will always know that Jesus will sustain me, even in my desperation, and that I must continue to seek him in all things.

Body and Spirit

As Jesus continued on his way, he was followed by huge crowds, drawn by his power and his message of love and grace. The two blind men recognized him spiritually as the Messiah and begged for his mercy, not for restoration of physical sight. Mercy is more than pity (feeling sorry for someone) or compassion (feeling sorry with someone), but involves relationship and action--love with hands and feet. In asking for Jesus' mercy, they were seeking more than physical healing, but also the chance to enter into a relationship with the one in whom they had faith to deliver them. I am blessed to have the freedom to pursue a relationship with Christ, and I must remember to be faithful in that by saying, "Yes, Lord," and submitting to his will--his desire for my wholeness of being. The account of the demon-possessed mute man is very terse with very few details, but it implies that people of faith brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus first exorcised the demon, healing the man spiritually, giving him the gift of mercy, allowing his spirit to also be healed by this opportunity to have a relationship with the Messiah. When he spoke, the crowds were once again amazed that Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah that the blind and the mute would be healed, and the Pharisees continued to be angry and afraid of Jesus' power, attributing it to the power of Satan. However, the Holy Spirit is more powerful and always present in that wonderful relationship that brings wholeness to body and spirit. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy, and help me to respond in kind to others.

Along the Way.....

In the accounts of the hemorrhaging woman and Jairus' daughter, it struck me that he was on the way to Jairus' home when the woman encountered him, and was healed simply by touching his cloak. Yes, Jairus had great faith and asked Jesus to heal his daughter, and it was a great testimony to Jesus' power and glory to heal someone who was assumed to be dead. However, this emphasized to me that I don't need an "appointment" with God; that he is available to me at all times "along the way;" that if I follow his Way first and faithfully, I will be blessed with the ability to be a blessing to him. I am so grateful that my parents were as faithful as Jairus and his wife, and that they shared that with me.