Sometimes our way to Jesus is blocked by the demands of the world.  This is not a new phenomenon
 

Luke 8:40-56
(Revised Standard Version)

'Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Ja'irus, who was a ruler of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus' feet he besought him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As he went, the people pressed round him. And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by any one, came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased. And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the multitudes surround you and press upon you!" But Jesus said, "Some one touched me; for I perceive that power has gone forth from me." And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." While he was still speaking, a man from the ruler's house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more." But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she shall be well." And when he came to the house, he permitted no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and bewailing her; but he said, "Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once; and he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed; but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.'

Millions of Christians around the globe are frustrated because of their beliefs: because they have to live out those beliefs in an increasingly hostile and secular world.

In Luke 8 (vv 40-56) we read about two such people who were desperate to find God. The first, a father, a man of wealth and status, is desperately seeking healing for his dying daughter; the second, a mature woman is seeking healing for herself. Both came in expectation and trust to Jesus for their salvation.

The dying girl was twelve years old; in the culture of the time, that was the age of womanhood, and her life should have stretched far before her. The woman, on the other hand, had been haemorrhaging for twelve years (the evangelist is inviting us to note the coincidence), and for her that meant her womanhood was almost over, in the sense that she could no longer bear children. Within the social context of the time, therefore, she had in a sense outlived her usefulness. For both Jairus and the woman, Jesus was the last chance.

Notice first the social extremes of the main players in the story. Jairus, was a high ranking official of the synagogue, and had possibly even been hostile to Jesus; the woman was poor and had no name. The fact that one has a name and the other doesn't is perhaps meant to underscore the wide social class between them. Notice, too, how each of them approached Jesus. Jairus, forsaking his rank and social status, humbles himself publicly before Jesus, throwing himself at the Lord's feet and begging. The woman, on the other hand, seeks the anonymity of the crowd because she knows she is ritually unclean and is taking a risk simply by being there. Not only that, but she commits the grave sin of touching Jesus and ritually defiling him, too.

Despite the crowds, Jesus felt her touch and asked who had touched him. Why do you think he persisted in seeking the person who had touched him? The woman had to own up, because in doing so she would have to proclaim her faith and acknowledge her sins publicly; in the act of doing so, however, she was cleansed instantly. "My daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has cured you. Go in peace." The Greek word for 'cure' in the passage is also the word for 'saved', in other words, her confession led not just to her physical healing, but more importantly to her salvation. This is an important lesson for us all, because if we desire wholeness and healing, if we earnestly desire salvation, then we, too, must confess our sins before Christ, so that we too may go in His peace. Fortunately for us, we don't have to confess them publicly, like the woman, but the importance of formal confession cannot be over-emphasised: without the acknowledgement of our sins and shortcomings before God, without His forgiveness, there can be no real peace in our lives. There will always be something there holding us back, blocking our wholeness and marring our communion with God and perhaps even with one and other.

The crowd in the story is also a powerful allegory, a metaphor for what stops people getting to Jesus. There are many examples in the gospels of crowds getting between individuals and the Lord. Blind Bartimaeus, for example, the beggar who was sitting by the roadside listening to the bustle of the crowd; when he heard that Jesus was passing He began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" The crowd just told him to shut up. But he cried out all the more, until Jesus stopped and called him. This is how Mark (10) describes it: 'And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.'

I wonder how long Bartimaeus had sat by that roadside patiently waiting the moment of his salvation. When that moment came, he had to fight the crowd to take it. Sometimes people suffer many years with an affliction, but their trust in Christ brings a patient expectancy, so that when their moment comes, they're ready to stand boldly before him and ask for salvation. But there is a lesson here for all of us, for there are times when we have to make sure our voices are raised above that of the crowds. When we see an injustice, for example, it is our duty as Christians to raise our voices and bring it to the world's attention. Sometimes we have to scream above the tumult, but Jesus hears us all, and says to us: "What do you want me to do for you?"

Doesn't it seem a bit of a daft question for Jesus to ask Bartimaeus, for he could see the man was blind, but then sometimes we desire things that are less obvious. After all, Bartimaeus could have asked: "Make me a millionaire" then he wouldn't have had to change himself in any way. He could have remained sitting in the sun by the roadside doing nothing and letting others do everything for him, but he chose instead to allow himself to be changed by Jesus, to take control of his own life, to make his own decisions and to become a full member of the community once again. In the end, Bartimaeus made his choice to follow Jesus.

Then there was Zacchaeus, who had to climb a tree to be able to see Jesus, showing that we too must sometimes rise above the crowd and the social thinking of the day in order to keep Christ as the focal point of our lives. And then there was the paralytic, who had to be taken by a group of men onto the roof of a building and lowered through it because the crowd around Jesus was too big, showing that sometimes we must be the instruments of salvation, helping to bring others to Christ no matter how hard it may seem. This is not just a challenge to you and me, but to the whole Church.

Who or what is your crowd? Who or what is standing between you and God today? Is it society, which demands that you act in a certain way, that you compromise your beliefs and values in order to be accepted as part of the community? Is it the family, whose unbelief is blocking you having a real relationship with God? Is it doubt or frustration? Is it the fear of being laughed at, just as the crowd laughed at Jesus when he said Jairus' daughter was only sleeping? Is it your own self will which demands that you satisfy your own worldly needs and desires? Perhaps it is a long standing sin or an illness? Whatever it is, God can help you overcome it as long as you continue to have faith in Him.

Persist in your prayers. Persist in your reading of Scripture. Persist in your faith, for in doing so, your relationship with God will grow stronger day by day, your voice will be heard above the crowd, and you shall be saved.