Allow interruptions.

A pattern

This is the fourth Sunday of lent and I want to continue the theme of looking at events in the ministry of Jesus that lead up to the cross.

Last week we moved away from this theme to hear from a great guest speaker, who I must say not only brought a great word but is very attractive too but I would say that I married her.

It is relevant that Jenny brought a message that interupted the series, the message was i believe a necessary interuption as God had a message in what Jenny brought that was for now and could not wait. Allowing interruptions is at the hear of what I want to speak about today.

A drive and a purpose

We read through the gospels that Jesus had a drive and purpose and this was expressed as a pattern of iternerent teaching. Moving from place to place correcting misconceptions on and teaching about the kingdom of God.

Jesus had a drive and a purpose and whether it was speaking to a few is a room over dinner, or to many from a boat or a nearby hill side Jesus had a mission to reveal his Fathers kingdom in word and in action.

The passages in Mark 4 and start of Mark 5 typify the approach of Jesus’ travelling mission with accounts of parables and the release of a man plagued by an unclean spirit and the setting straight of those who would let pattern and practice stand in the way of Gods mercy as Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath.

We pick up this story in Mark 5:21 as Jesus steps off of a boat...

Mark 5:21–23 CSB

21 When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well and live.”

Jesus has his direction sett but in this interruption his path is clear, it is reset to respond to this immediate need for mercy need for an outpouring of God’s love, need for a miracle. Jesus does not miss this just because his pattern dictates he needs to be on a shore, or in a synagogue teaching by a particular time.

It is so easy as we go through life to fall in to the humdrum cycles of the days, 6 am get up, 7 pm breakfast, 8pm pack the kids off to school, 8:15 work, 6PM dog walk, 7pm food, 8 pm or 9pm , or 10pm tv, or book and finally sleep

the weeks

Monday is football, Tuesday is Alpha, Wednesday midweek Group, etc

or the seasons, Christmas follows advent, epiphany follows Christmas, lent follows that, first Sunday of lent, second, third and on the seasonal pattern goes on.

Or we get so wrapped up in our mission, God provided or not, that we rush through life busy, busy, busy that we leave not time for interruption for moments in life that are unplanned, unscripted, unexpected. Moments that change lives, change history.

You will know the story of Saul on the road to Damascus he encounters God and in an instant his life was turned upside down, inside out. Christ hater became a advocate for Jesus, persecutor became defender of believers. - Paul did not see it coming he didn’t have it diarised for the fourth Tueday in April or whenrver it was. It was an unexpected interruption.

I am not saying we should abandon all structure or not have a purpose or drive on the contrary these are good things but we need to make room for interruptions.

That is where we pick up the next part of the story.

Mark 5:24–30 CSB

24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him. 25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years 26 had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” 29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

Here was the opportunity for an interruption to the interruption.

The woman touched Jesus and was healed.

Jesus did not need to stop and find out who she was - but he did

Mark 5:30–34 CSB

30 Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

Why did Jesus stop?

He wouldn’t miss the power

Surely he didn’t begrudge the healing.

He wouldn’t want to point out this poor woman in her time of need?

The answer to this is in what he says to her. Mark 5:34

Mark 5:34 CSB

34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

Jesus knew that the bleeding had stopped, the woman new that the bleeding had stopped, both of them knew that this was only part of what she needed.

This is the only time Jesus addresses someone as daughter, a strange term but one that conveyed the reconnection into society that a woman who had been ‘ceremonially unclean for twelve years, needed. it signalled the restoration that she needed back to being a person not a talking point for the town or object of profit for the doctors of the time (she had spent everything she had). He assures her that her faith has saved her, not her faith has healed her, but she is saved - restored in God’s sight. Jesus tells her to go in peace, a blessing of dismissal that God would be with her and finally the her healing ‘be healed from your affliction’ this was not temporary respite, this healing was to go on.

The woman needed this affirmation as much, if not more than she needed the physical healing . she needed to be restored.

Jesus allowed both Jairus’ and the woman’s interruption. He looked on both situations as individual events, with individual people and responded to the situations and the people in different ways. Jairus is a man in authority, used to giving clear instructions and getting his what. Jesus senses the urgency in his request, stops what he is doing and goes with hime., The woman is afraid, ashamed, vulnerable; Jesus senses that too, and deal with her in quite a different way. what ever their approach Jesus had a personal, individual exchange with each. The same is true for each of us today. It doesn’t matter if you are a successful business woman, used to controlling a company and shaping strategy or a young man, unsure what you have been put on this earth for Jesus has a unique and individual approach for you.

I suppose we better get back to the first interruption verse 35

5:35 This resumes Jairus’s story (vv. 21–24) after the interruption. Precious time had been lost, with the result that the girl had died.

Mark 5:35–40 CSB

35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 When Jesus overheard what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” 37 He did not let anyone accompany him except Peter, James, and John, James’s brother. 38 They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s father, mother, and those who were with him, and entered the place where the child was.

It is important to understand who was laughing here. it wasn’t the croud, they had been left behind.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 5

5:40 The laughing indicates skepticism and mockery. Those who were with him refers to Peter, James, and John (v. 37).

When we let interruptions enter our lives it may seem like folly to those around us.

But when when we allow God to interrupt in our lives God will use the consequences of that interruption for his Glory.

Mark 5:41 CSB

Then he took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum” (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up”).

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 5

5:41 Taking the girl’s body by the hand technically made Jesus unclean. Talitha koum (lit “little lamb, arise!”) is Aramaic. Her spirit returned at this command (Lk 8:55).

Mark 5:42–43 CSB

Immediately the girl got up and began to walk. (She was twelve years old.) At this they were utterly astounded. Then he gave them strict orders that no one should know about this and told them to give her something to eat.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 5

5:42–43 That Jesus arranged for the girl to get something to eat proves his practical concern for her.

Mark 5:44-46

Allow interruptions

Each of Jesus interactions were unique each of them had a purpose in the lives of the people that he encountered.

There is no reason that our interruptions to our lives should not be the same. - Opportunities for God to work in our lives and through our lives.

All of us should be driven by whatever we have been called to be and do. but we should be open to God ordained interruptions. We need to allow others to interrupt in our lives, our plans, our missions.

Interruptions are not the same as distractions. distractions as the name suggest distract us from our purpose, from God they move us away form the Goal.

Interruptions on the other hand move us towards Gods purpose, towards the goal. Admittedly they may take you on a different route, but ultimately they bring God into the lives of you, others and give glory to God.

The biggest distraction that we face is the trap of familiar and pattern, getting trapped in the hun-drum, the repeated patterns of life. The very thing that makes us miss the interruptions that God has ordained in our lives and the very thing that means we miss when god wants to break into our lives.

We need to watch for and allow interruptions especially god interruptions. We should pray for these opportunities to see God mov.

The more we listen to the fathers voice, the more we notice these amazing opportunities.

This week let’s pray for that lets pray that we get interruption, that we are sensitive to where God is placing people and events into our path, where God is destined to get the Glory and lives are scheduled to be changed. Let’s pray that God, through the Holy Spirit breaks into the day to day of out lives.

Pray.