Interruptions
/Who touched my clothes? -Mark 5:30
Reading this Sunday’s gospel, it strikes me that Jesus’ usual day was much like a mom’s day - constantly interrupted by unexpected needs. He was on his way to help the temple leader’s dying child when the woman with the hemorrhage stops him on the way. Notice the contrast between the two - the first person in need is of the most powerful people in the community and the second is an anonymous and destitute woman who would have been considered completely unclean. When the woman approaches Jesus, the disciples seem to be trying to hurry Jesus along to get to the more important person, but Jesus stops and fully engages with the woman.
Jesus recognizes that interruptions are not distracting him from his ministry, they are his ministry.
As I sat down to write this blog, which in my mind needed to be completed by 10am, three different people crossed my path. Someone stopped by to drop something off, someone else called on the phone who needed to talk about a dying loved one, and then my oldest son sent me a text. I got a laugh out of this, considering what I had intended to write about!
My 25 year old self might have gotten anxious about how these “interruptions” were keeping me from finishing my blog by 10. But three children and many years later, I now know that “interruptions” are what my life and work are all about.
As I read this Gospel passage today, I noticed the poor, outcast woman was as important to Jesus as the powerful temple leader’s family. He assumed all people and things before him were sent by God, no matter how unexpected. I also see how Jesus trusted that even death could not interrupt his ministry of love and healing.
This passage shows me that all our assumptions about what is important, as well as our assumptions about what must be a terminal obstacle in our path, may not actually be as important or terminal as we think. And when we stick with Jesus, step by step, one interruption at a time, we are actually living more deeply into our God-given lives and callings.
There - done at 10:07!
