At the temple, these are metal receptacles shaped like trumpets. Into them people throw coins which clank inside. Large heavy coins make a loud clank. Small coins make a little clank. Listen and you soon figure out who are the big shot contributors.
In the moment that I touched Jesus’ hem something happened to me. The pain that ravaged my abdomen for 12 years disappeared. He stopped. He turned. He spoke. WHO TOUCHED ME? He asked.
Jairus came to Jesus in broad daylight and fell at his feet and begged him to heal his daughter. He threw whatever modesty he may have had to the wind. When it comes to those we love, we'll do whatever it takes.
Jesus offers the widow as a model of faith. He warns against the corrupt scribes for their selfishness. He presents us with characters of two types. The corrupt scribes are concerned with enriching themselves. The widow, on the other hand, surrenders power over herself in order that God may work through her.
Jairus cried, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and lay your hands on her.” Can you hear the urgency in his voice? Though Jairus was a religious expert, he was powerless to help his own daughter, so he reaches out to this traveling preacher who had a reputation of healing and begs Jesus for a miracle.
Jairus' daughter is his pride and joy, the apple of his eye, his very soul. She falls into the deep sleep, and he is devastated. He is humble enough, wise enough, to seek help. Jesus comes and calls her back to life. Before long, Jairus' house is again full of her laughter.
The bottom came when William's father showed up outside the crack-house. He showed up along with a couple of marshals who took him into custody and threw him handcuffed into a van where his father was waiting. His father said, "I hate you." William said, "I hate me too."
"Giving from the heart is a wonderful thing," the rabbi said, "It is a very high act and should never be demeaned. But there is something much more important that happens when somebody gives charity out of obligation.
Loving God and loving our neighbors is not just a matter of believing. It requires energy, effort and passion. Too often believers live as though they have already arrived. But, to be persons of faith is to be on a journey, every day, doing all we can, giving our best for the sake of the kingdom of God.
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