You're not bothering me.

We continue to journey in good news stories in the bible book of Mark this week. We arrive a story about two girls who need to be healed from physical sickness. One is a little girl. Another is a big girl. You can find this story in the bible book of Mark chapter five verses 21 to 43. Here is the backdrop that gets us to our moment of focus. A man comes to Jesus. He is desperate for Jesus to come with him to touch his daughter (little girl) who is sick and needs healing. This needy dad senses that maybe she dies if Jesus doesn't intervene. Jesus lovingly goes with the man.

While they are on the way a huge crowd has gathered in the area around Jesus because He is not stingy in healing. They want to be near the action and whatever this phenomenon is that is happening. While the disciple posse is herding Jesus through the crowd, a woman (big girl) who has been sick with a bleeding disease for 12 years gets close enough to simply touch Jesus' clothes. She determines that this is all she needs to do to receive healing. We could dwell here for a while, but lets keep going. JESUS STOPS! "Who touched me?" Kind of a wild question since there are perhaps hundreds in the area that are in close proximity. The disciples respond very predictably as I would...."It could have been anybody!" And this is still not our focus for today, but I love it anyway. Jesus keeps asking who it is that touched him in a crowd of many people because THE ANYBODY IS A SPECIFIC SOMEBODY. That is the economy of Jesus.

Now imagine the daddy of little girl. "Oh, let's not bog down here. Let's keep moving plllleeeeaaassseee! My little girl needs you." And while Jesus has this really personal conversation with big girl on the way to see little girl, the news turns bad, but the story gets really intimate. Stay with me.

As big girl has been healed and really met Jesus on the road, friends of the little girl's daddy come to say that little girl is dead. Silence. Tears. Maybe frustration and anger are present from little girl's daddy. "If we had of just gone faster, maybe we could have.....". The dad's friends exact words are, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?"

This is the moment that I love. Jesus' response is so intimate for the daddy. This is huge. Verse 36 says, "Ignoring what they said, Jesus told little girl's daddy...don't be afraid, just believe". This is what he said with His words. But what He said with his love blows me away. The friends say, "Why bother Jesus anymore, your little girl is dead." Jesus says with His love in action, "YOU'RE NOT BOTHERING ME."

Silence. Tears. Jesus says,

" Let's keep going to little girl.You're not bothering me."

"But it's too late. She's dead."

"You're not a bother to me".

I sense that perhaps many of us have lived and ARE LIVING with a really hard and sad suspicion....that we are a bother to God. And I believe that He tenderly and lovingly says to you and me RIGHT NOW..."You're not a bother to me. You don't bother me."

That is indescribable good news. Rest in that. You're not a bother. You're wanted.

There's more.