In Detail (blog)

One man broke the chains that would restrain him and paced the graveyard day and night, crying out and cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:3-5).  Another was unable to speak and often fell rigid to the ground, mouth foaming and teeth gnashing (9:17-18).In his Gospel, Mark writes in detail about the people who came to Jesus, about their ailments and how they suffered, and about how they came to the attention of the one with the power to heal them.Simon Peter's mother-in-law lay languishing in bed with a fever (1:30), a man with leprosy knelt humbly before Jesus begging to be made clean (1:40), some determined men lowered a paralyzed friend on a mat down to Jesus through the roof of a house (2:3-4), and a man with a shriveled hand just happened to be in the right place at the right time (3:1).One woman, who had suffered with bleeding for 12 years, never even came to Jesus' attention until after she had reached through the crowd crushing around him, touched his cloak and been healed.  Knowing that "power had gone out from him," Jesus asked "Who touched my clothes?"  The woman "came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.""Daughter, your faith has healed you," Jesus replied.  "Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (5:25-34).At other times when Jesus healed someone he said "Your sins are forgiven" (2:5), but we never learn from the Gospel accounts what those specific sins were.  We aren't given any details.Jesus connected the people's healings with the forgiveness of their sins, but he didn't speak in detail about that when they came before him.  What mattered at the bleeding woman's moment of healing was her faith in Jesus and in his power to heal her.  By believing in him she was forgiven and healed, and by that healing other people came to believe in Jesus.And they followed him."All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away," Jesus said (John 6:37).  Word of this must have gotten out, because surely the people coming to Jesus in droves were not without sin and guilt.  Even the tax collectors came!Crowds of people who had heard John the Baptist cry out, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near," (Matthew 3:2) now came to Jesus to hear that same message.Jesus taught them in detail about the true nature of sin and human suffering, which goes beyond the letter of the law to what's in a person's heart.  He exposed sin itself in all of its various and hidden forms, dragging it out into the open for the people to see clearly so that they would be able to recognize it in themselves.But Jesus never shamed suffering people who came to him by exposing their personal sins to the crowds gathered around.Others did that.The teachers of the law and Pharisees also exposed sin, but they did it by dragging sinners out into the open for all to see.Taking hold of a woman caught in adultery, they "made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman.  Now what do you say?'" (John 8:3-5)Jesus' reply is just as compelling to us today as it was to everyone gathered around the woman then: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).Can't you just hear the sound, of the stones falling from their hands to the ground?  Resonant!Jesus shamed the Pharisees and teachers of the law, openly and in searing detail:"Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness...you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God..." (Luke 11:39-44)."And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them..." (Luke 11:46-52).They hadn't heeded John's call to repentance or come to Jesus for healing, because they didn't think they needed to.  People all around them were experiencing the love and mercy of God, and the wonders of the Kingdom coming, but they themselves missed it.How sad!Jesus came into the world not to expose, but to bear the shame of all people.  He came to help us see the power that sin has over us - to see that we are in chains.  He came to lift the crushing burden of sin off of us and take it upon himself on The Cross, so that we can see and experience his greater power to break us free!  He did this because he loves us so much, and he wants us to believe in him and come to him for forgiveness and for healing."For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  (John 3:17)