Writing in the Margins

Two of my favorite Bible stories are found in the gospels--the story of the man with the demon, called Legion, and the story of the woman who suffered from bleeding. I like the way that Luke tells these stories.

Jesus heads out to the Gerasenes via boat. As soon as he hits shore, a demon-possessed man who lives in the tombs gives him a warm welcome. “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, You Son of the Most High God?” Jesus commands the unclean spirit out of him and right into a herd of pigs, who flee off a cliff and into the lake. The cleansed man begs Jesus to go with him, but Jesus commands him to go into the town and proclaim all that God has done for him.

Jumping forward in chapter eight, Jesus is on his way to help someone else, in the midst of an oppressive crowd. As he moves, he feels power leave him because someone who so desperately believes he can heal her has touched his robes. The disciples doubt him when he says this is so, but the truth comes out when the woman who has suffered from bleeding for twelve years comes forward.

My affection for these stories is not solely motivated by the stories themselves; I like where and how they are positioned in the gospel story. Luke includes the testimony of the prophetess, Anna, in chapter two. He tells of the cleansing of a leper, the healing of a crippled man, the calling of a tax collector, and Jesus dining with sinners in chapter five. In chapter six, he blesses the poor, hungry, and those who weep, then calls down woes on the self-satisfied--a little different from Matthew’s beatitudes. Chapter seven includes the story of a widow’s son who is raised to life, praise of John the Baptist, then moves into chapter eight with stories of women who do Christ’s work. Chapter eight ends with the story of thousands of demons driven out of a lunatic and the healing of an unclean woman.

More than anything else, this gospel emphasizes the fact that Jesus is very intentional with the marginalized. In a culture where women could not do much, Jesus invites them to serve Him and do His work. In a culture where tax collectors are looked down upon as cheating scum, Jesus invites them not only dine with him, but to be his disciples. He heals those who are banished from the city--a leper and a crazed, demon-possessed man. Pharisees and teachers of the law look at John the Baptist and deem him crazy, but not Jesus. Jesus praises John, despite his lack of luxurious clothes and living conditions. “But the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).

There are many “leasts of these” who we encounter daily. If I bumped into a demon-possessed man or a woman who was unclean going on thirteen years, I would probably head for the hills. The succession of stories in Luke--with the story of these two standing out most vividly for me--commands us repeatedly to hang tight when we bump into these people. Jesus cares about them.

When he is on his way to heal Jairus’s daughter he stops to heal a woman who people had probably been overlooking for years. Jairus is a leader of the synagogue. Jesus should take care of him first, right? Wrong. Jesus constantly goes out of His way to heal, spend time with, teach, and love those who the rest of society shoves to the margins.

These words ring out in my mind: “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, You Son of the Most High God?” I think the man associates Jesus with the town leaders, teachers of the law, and “clean” people who are above his affliction. Jesus is the “Son of the Most High God.” Too good for a demon-possessed man. Well, we all have our own metaphorical “demons.” And just because some of us can hide them better with expensive clothes, shiny accomplishments, or “holy” works, it doesn’t mean that Jesus will show us more favor or that God’s people should show care to us first and in a more intentional way.

Right after Luke tells these stories, he records Jesus’ commission of the twelve: “He gave them power and authority over all the demons, and power to heal diseases. Then He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2). That’s very specific, and this is what I read in between those lines: “Go out and find the people who are shoved to the margins. Write compassion, tenderness, and grace all over their hearts in My name.” I see modern versions of that demon-possessed man and woman with the hemorrhage everyday. It makes me want to pick up my pen and venture out into the margins.

God of the afflicted,
I praise You for the way that You show care to all people. Thank you for Jesus and the life that He lived--a life in which He was constantly seeking out those whom the world rejected. Help us to remember that we should love the way that He loved and expect nothing in return, because that is what You have called us to. We praise You for teaching us through the life of Your Son.
In His name, Amen.

Erin Daugherty
Abilene Christian University

Tie a String Aound Your Finger

When my mother moved to town, one of the first things she wanted was a city map.  “I want to know where all the bad things are happening when I watch TV or read the paper,” she said.  Those few words expressed poignantly how most of us feel about the stability of our environment, the security of our government, the solvency of our assets, and the safety of those we love.

When you feel paralyzed by fear or alone in your desolation, open your Bible to Psalms.  It’s the 16th book in the Old Testament.  This is a hymnbook of Hebrew poetry where mankind talks to God and God answers.  It is as powerful and beautiful today as it was in ancient times.

In Psalm 77 the writer is in such distress he can neither eat nor sleep.  In Psalm 42 his soul is dying of thirst from lack of Godly fellowship.  All he can do is cry.  In 43 he’s so oppressed by his enemies that his bones “suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’”

It isn’t uncommon to wonder if God’s unfailing love has vanished forever, or if he’s forgotten to be merciful or if, in his anger, he’s withholding his compassion (77:8, 9), and in this earthly body our souls will sometimes be downcast.  At times like these, we can do what the psalmist did:  

“Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal:  The years of the right hand of the Most High.  I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds’” (77:10); and,  “Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise [Hebrew todah – thanks] him, my Savior and my God.” (42:5, 11 & 43:5).

When we feel helpless and afraid, and when we are bursting with joy and thanksgiving, a string around our finger – figuratively or literally – will remind us where our Hope lies.

God, you are my joy and my delight, and with the music of my heart I praise you, through Christ, amen. 

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas

When the Sun Stands Still

Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”
 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
 12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
   “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
   and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still,
   and the moon stopped,
   till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
   as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
   The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!  (Joshua 10: 1-14 - NIV)

Can you believe this??!!  The sun stood still!  AND, because Joshua, a human, asked God to make this happen! 

If you live in Texas or even the continental US, you do not experience the sun not setting or the moon standing still.  I realize this actually can be observed in regions near the earth’s poles, but since I have never been to Alaska or Antarctica, I haven’t witnessed this!  The sun setting and rising every day is something so routine yet important to my day.  I take for granted that the sun came up today and will set this evening.  This same occurrence happened yesterday and I anticipate it happening tomorrow – that is, assuming our Savior doesn’t return by then!

I absolutely love this bible story!  The bible is FULL of accounts of battles won by the Lord, miracles, supernatural powers, and God demonstrating His AWESOME - ness!  But this particular story resonates with me.  Joshua, chosen by God to lead an army, came to the rescue of the Gibeonites. 

The Lord spoke to him and said ”Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”   I think it’s interesting that more men died from the hail than from the hand of another man!  God completely orchestrated this encounter!  Add to that, Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun and moon stand still for a full day!  AND GOD LISTENED TO HIM!  God shows His power all of the time, and I am so amazed by this!  During creation, God set into motion the cycle of life, day and night.  This is how we keep time!  It’s as if time stood still!  That there was an interruption in a cycle that had occurred uninterrupted for hundreds of years is really amazing! 

It just reiterates the point that God does listen to us.  He is with us always and His power to orchestrate such magnificent occurrences should create a sense of awe within us.  So many great stories can be found in the Old Testament and I encourage you to seek these out.  You might find that they help spark a greater awe for our Lord and His majesty.  Each of these scenarios were for the greater plan – His plan to redeem His sinful children and to provide the ultimate sacrifice.  We can experience His AWESOME-ness as we learn more about these stories!

Father, thank you for protecting your people and for providing opportunities to experience your love.  Help me to seek you more and find you in ways I have yet to experience.  Thank you for sending Jesus to be the ultimate rescuer.

In His name,
Michelle Tittor
Grapevine, TX