Jesus the Healer

Today's story is from the book of Luke, chapter 8 (paraphrased from The Jesus Storybook Bible). There was a man named Jairus whose daughter was sick. He went to find Jesus, desperate to see his daughter live. He fell at Jesus' feet. "Please!" he said, "My daughter..." Jesus knew. He said, "I'll come."

They must hurry. But there were so many people! Jesus' disciples helped clear the way for them to get through. Then, suddenly, Jesus stopped. "Who touched me?" he said. His friends said, "There are many people, what do you mean?" Jesus had felt power going out of him.
Finally, an older woman, bent low to the ground, said fearfully, "It was me! I thought if I could just touch the edge of your garment, I would be healed." Jesus looked at her. He had compassion on her. His friends said, "We need to hurry!" But Jesus always had time. "Jesus reached out his hands and gently lifted the woman to her feet. 'You believed,' he said, wiping a tear from her eye, "and now you are well."

Just then, Jairus' servant came up and said, "It's too late, your daughter is dead." But Jesus said, "It's not too late," and they continued on towards the house. When they arrived, everyone was crying. Jesus said, "I'm going to wake her up." At this, they laughed bitterly. Jesus went into her room. He sat on her bed and took her hand. "Sweetheart, it's time to wake up." And he pulled her up gently out of death. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around her sleepily. "Give the little girl something to eat" he said.
Jesus healed many other people, too: he made deaf people hear and blind people see. He made lame people walk. "Jesus was making the sad things come untrue. He was mending God's broken world."

+++
Jesus, you are the gentle and powerful healer that our very beings long for.