That’s the Rule

June 30, 2024

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 5:21-43

I once volunteered for Overnight Supervision at a rotating homeless shelter. The organization that runs the shelter is very professional and has the system dialed in tight. They have their guidelines and rules that all the guests and volunteers are required to follow. If a guest breaks a rule, they have to leave the shelter. It’s a system that helps keep everything well ordered and safe for all involved.

As an Overnight Supervisor, I was told that when the doors close at 10pm, no one else is allowed inside. If a guest is late, they are on their own for the night and will have to deal with the staff in the morning. I understood and agreed with the rule. And then, at 11:30pm, there was a knock at the door. I went and opened it, prepared to brush off the tardy guest. What I saw was a drenched man. It had been raining so very hard and he had walked a good distance. He said, “I know I’m late, but can I come in please? Its miserable out here.”

I paused and then I let him in. I told him that he better behave, or I would toss him out in a heartbeat. I showed him where he was to sleep, and without the standard intake procedure completed, I bid him good night.

Needless to say, the next morning, we both got in trouble. But, to tell you the truth, as often as I have replayed that night in my mind, I would do it all over again exactly the same way every time. To have refused entry to that man, particularly in that horrible weather, would not have been a loving act. Sometimes you have to break a rule in order to do God’s work.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus managed to break a social taboo rule and look good doing it. First, he is asked to go to the home of a synagogue official and cure his daughter. It is a reasonable request and Jesus is happy to oblige. But along the way, Jesus is interrupted by a woman who was suffering from a hemorrhage. And yes, Jesus heals her.

The Jewish priests and leaders were wringing their hands and shaking their heads that Jesus would do these things. Why in heavens name is he helping her instead of hurrying to Jarius’ house?! This one is not OUR people! She is impure! She is untouchable! There are reasons why we keep her and of THEM like her separate from us! We have rules! How dare this misguided rabbi do good things for these outcasts. And in the name of God?!

God loves ME, not THEM!

And how many times have I been guilty of uttering that exact phrase?

It is too easy for me to look around and declare that my tribe is better than another’s tribe. And if I can give that tribe a name, well, all the easier to scapegoat them. That is so-and-so’s group. That’s the Republicans. That’s the Democrats. That’s the Russians. That’s the Ukrainians. That's the Palestinians. That’s the Israelis. That’s the poor. That’s the homeless. God loves ME, not THEM!

So, I read todays Gospel one more time. Jesus showed us was that there is no ME, there is no THEM. There is only US. When Jarius comes to Jesus, he did not see a synagogue officer. What Jesus saw was a father who loved his daughter. And so, he decided to help him. And along the way, when a woman stops him and asks for a moment of his time, Jesus does not see an interruption, he sees a person who is suffering. And so, he decided to help her.

God does not see tribes or groups or names. God sees the soul. God sees me (and you) as God created me. I carry the image of God and I have the likeness of God. That means that I and every other person and creature and creation on earth are good. That means that I am capable of loving, just like God loves. I don’t do it nearly as well as I should, but I am capable.

When Jesus said yes to Jarius and yes to the woman, he did not ask to see their passport or what religion they are. He did not ask what political affiliation they have or what neighborhood they lived in. The rules didn’t matter. They asked and Jesus said “Yes.” Because Jesus is love and he loves THEM.

I am challenged to hear this Gospel and think about how I respond to the marginalized in my world and in my heart. Its easy to “care about the poor and homeless” and just drop a donation in the mail. But it’s a little tougher for me to care about those I have pushed to the margins of my heart.

In this highly charged and highly polarized political season, I have to challenge myself not to view “them” as distinct groups, but as all beloved of God. As the world devolves into a more violent place, I have to remember that God is not on one side or another in any war. Jesus urges me to love everyone, not to isolate or exclude anyone. He wants me to respond to suffering with compassion and to recognize the worth of every person. God loves me AND them, and so must I. That’s the rule.

Every Day.

© 2024 by Timothy J. Doppel

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