Daily Devotion for Lent - Day 14

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:26-56

Death and dying seems to be a theme in today's reading.  But a more triumphant theme is that of the holiness of Jesus overcoming what is ritually unclean (unholy).  Touching a corpse will make a person unclean.  But this doesn't seem to stop Jesus from providing life.  We've got a foreshadowing here of the resurrection!

The Gerasene possessed by demons was living among the tombs.  His demonic possessions, foreign status and chosen dwelling would be the trifecta of ritual uncleanliness!

The woman with bleeding illness shouldn't have been in the crowd in the first place because everyone who touches her would also be considered unclean.  This would account for her rather stealthy encroachment and her nervous response.

The daughter of the leader of the synagogue had already died and so was unclean when Jesus brought her back to life.

We have a need to touch.
Just make sure you have permission!

For each of these situations, as they would say on Arrested Development, "No touching!"

In the exorcism, there is implied touching and in the last two, it is stated overtly.

That should make Jesus unclean and yet, he remains powerful to the point of raising a person from the dead.  He is the Lord of life!

We see in this passage that the chaos of life affects us all.  The old adage that you must have deserved it if illness befell you dissolves when the leader of the synagogue has a casualty in his own family.  It is a reminder that death comes to all of us, no matter what we do.

As I think about the chaos in the world today, we have gone through a lot of change (and lost beloved friends and family) due to the pandemic.  We are further divided as a nation (this may be true no matter where you reside).  This division has infected the church.  If you are United Methodist, the reality of congregations leaving has arrived with the postponement of General Conference.  And as the conflict in Ukraine intensifies and the irrational mental state of Russia's leader becomes clearer, I find the old childhood worry of possible nuclear war creeping around again.

It is at this time that I may need to imagine Jesus touching me.  I may need to hear Jesus say to me, "Child, get up!"  I may need to shake off my fear and recognize that I've got some living left to do.

During this season of Lent, how is Jesus Lord of your life?

Prayer for the day:

God of the living, we give thanks that you instill in us the breath of life.  Even when we encounter illness and loss of life, you remain with us.  When we separate from the community, you remain with us and seek to pull us back into fellowship.  As we tire of human contact, you provide healing and nudge us to return.  May we feel your touch and be renewed.  In Christ's name we pray.  Amen.

Photo by Angelina Earley via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.