One of the most interesting of Jesus’ healings comes from Luke 8. Jesus, at a father’s request, is on his way to heal a dying girl. The need is urgent. The timeline is tight. We’re right there in the story, feeling the father’s pain and fear, hoping Jesus will get there in time, and then … Jesus comes to a complete stop.
In the middle of the rush and a crowd that surrounds him, Jesus stops.
It seems that someone, reaching through the crowd, has touched his cloak. And in that moment, everything pauses. Jesus notices something different. The touch wasn’t accidental. It came from someone who wanted, needed, something from him. From someone who believed that touching not just him, but his cloak, would heal them. From someone who wanted to remain invisible in the crowd but was desperate for what only he could offer.
From a purely practical standpoint, what Jesus did was terribly inefficient. There was somewhere important to be. There was something important to be done. Someone else was waiting.
But Jesus is never governed by urgency. He’s governed by love.
In the kingdom of God, interruptions are rarely obstacles. More often, they’re invitations—opportunities to see what we would otherwise overlook. Opportunities to see others we might otherwise overlook.
We tend to measure our days by what we accomplish. We tend to measure our success by boxes checked and tasks completed. Jesus seems to measure them by how we love.
If you don’t know the story, Jesus commends the woman who reached out to him for her faith. Then he continues on to heal the man’s daughter. Both were part of his ministry. On the other hand, perhaps the interruptions were … and are for us … the ministry.
Prayer: Jesus, slow me down enough to notice the people you place in front of me. Make me interruptible in the way you were. Open my eyes to see interruptions as opportunities for ministry. Amen.
