Taking Time for the Ordinary

The buds and blooms in the above photograph are Asclepias tuberosa. Its common name is butterfly weed. This is a fairly ordinary wildflower – not too surprising with the word “weed” in its name. And yet, the bright, cheery, makes-you-want-to-smile colors helped this become one of my wife’s favorite spring photos.

Luke 8:40-56 (also Matthew 9:18-25 and Mark 5:21-43) relate the familiar encounter Jesus had with Jairus and his family. This man was a well-known, well-respected, and probably well-to-do member of the Capernaum Jewish community. In the middle of dealing with the life-and-death situation of Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter, Jesus pushed the Pause button. A physically-exhausted, financially-drained woman was in the crowd that day. She unobtrusively but intentionally touched the fringe of Jesus’ robe, immediately healing her bleeding disorder – a problem she’d dealt with since about the time Jairus’ daughter was born. Jesus, who was involved in creating the very concept of Time, demonstrated he was not in a hurry. He wanted to know who’d been the recipient of his healing power. This now physically-restored woman came forward and confessed. Then Jesus did something that was nearly as remarkable as the healing itself. Jesus called this ordinary, unknown, unnamed supplicant, “Daughter.” There is no scriptural record that God’s Son ever used that term for any other female.

Would you like to know something else amazing? Through God’s love, grace, mercy and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, this ordinary writer and nature photographer has been welcomed into God’s family as spiritual brother to this daughter.

(And, in case you are wondering, Jesus did continue on and restored Jairus’ daughter.)