Matthew 9:18-25 has been shared a bit before but we are backing it up to look at the whole picture.

Ever noticed that most of our frustrations come from being interrupted or inconvenienced? I finally get to sit down for the day or drink a coffee and then suddenly… someone needs something. Or I’m doing a study and one of my kids’ voices comes at volume level 8 either asking me a question or babbling a story. I grumble as I pause what I’m doing or have to leave the cozy chair I finally got to “rest” in.

First of all, my lead pastor’s sermon was about foundations yesterday. Something that stuck out was how even when our kids pray, we get frustrated when it goes long because we are hungry or want hot food. They want to pray and we want selfish gain. Our heart posture gets clouded by the performance of doing what we know to be good so we rush it and get grumpy and impatient. I kind of gleaned “interruption to our expectation”. Even though we know that it’s better to be in relationship with The Father, we still seek ritual so our expectations are not interrupted. This was a gut wrenching conviction. I think most of us can say we have fallen guilty.

Then I was re-reading the story of the woman with a bleeding problem. Because God knew I missed something. But I zoomed out a bit. Look at what happened before, during, and after.

Jesus was already engaged with a group of disciples.

“¹⁸ While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her,and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.”

I bolded the word “while” for you. He was interrupted.

As He is on His way to the leader’s house (actively doing something important), another interruption occurs.

“²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.””

It would be easy to argue that the dead daughter was important. He could have kept going, but He was interruptible. He was stopped yet again from the mission He was already on and yet Jesus took the time to be present in it.

When he gets to the house, it’s noisy. Back then, they called in people playing pipes or wailing loudly which is how they processed grief. It was a place of chaos.

I don’t know about you, but I’d be so overstimulated and frustrated by this point. I’m trying to have a conversation and I am interrupted twice and then walk in to a room of chaos. While I’m not raising someone from the dead, I see similar imagery of when I try to sit down and read or talk to someone walking through a hard time and my kids come in. Or my husband asks me for help with something. I can hear the sigh coming from my mouth. Then I walk in to the chaos of the house and I immediately feel grumpy or overwhelmed or irritated. Inconvenienced is the word I put here.

Jesus was constantly interrupted. Yet he was the calm in the chaos. He was busy but unrushed. If we are to be like him, we too must be interruptible. In the same breath, we must be like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Smack center of this story, we are reminded of the bleeding woman’s faith and boldness mixed with Jesus’ compassion and power. She knew where to go to find healing. In the chaos or frustrations we must cling to the one who is peace. We must desperately seek after the source of our sustenance. The one who keep us steadfast. We can trust He can heal our hearts in these moments. We must call on Holy Spirit to be our help and guide as we navigate the battle between our flesh and our hearts…

Under The Sun