GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 5:31
Insensitivity: A Barrier to Connection
There is a story about a young preacher delivering his first sermon. He had prepared his sermon well. He had the exegesis of the text correct, his points were all in order, his illustrations were appropriate, and his conclusion was well thought out. When the presiding elder introduced him, the young preacher proudly elevated his chin, strode to the lectern, and delivered his well-prepared sermon. He sensed, however, that the congregation did not connect with the sermon. There was no show of appreciation—his sermon was, to put it mildly, a flop. With his head bowed and shoulders slumped, he humbly left the platform and returned to his seat. As the congregation left, an elderly minister put his arm around the downcast young preacher and said, “Son, if you’d’ve gone up like you came down, you’d’ve come down like you went up.” The young preacher lacked the sensitivity to connect with his sermon beforehand.
An actor may have his lines well memorized and the scene committed to memory, but the performance will be flat if the actor’s tears are not real and his emotions do not come from his heart. His performance will be viewed as insensitive. A concert pianist may have practiced his piece for months and have every keystroke timed to the nanosecond, but if his emotion is not behind the well-played piece, it will be flat.
Jesus and his disciples began their walk from the shore of the Sea of Galilee to the home of a prominent citizen with the intention of praying for his daughter, who was dying. On the way, a chronically ill woman mustered up the faith and determination to get through the crowd to Jesus, even if it was to touch his garment, which she did. Jesus, sensing that someone had touched him, stopped and sought out the one person in the crowd whose faith had led her to press forward and touch his garment. “And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing around you, and you say, “Who touched me?”’” (Mark 5:31) The word Mark used for “press around” (συνθλίβω, soon-thlee’-bo) is an intense compound word that can be translated “crush together” or “press upon all sides.” The word describes a situation in which a crowd was crushing against Jesus on all sides. The crowd was also pressing against the insensitive disciples. Only Jesus sensed that someone’s touch was different.
The insensitivity of the disciples and the crowd in general could have arisen from a sense of duty—“Don’t bother us, for we’re on the way to do something.” The insensitivity could have arisen from culture—“She is a woman, after all.” It could have arisen from custom—“She’s an unclean woman.” It could have arisen from empathic blindness—their failure to see that this rail-thin, anemic, ashen woman needed help. Or the insensitivity could have arisen from racial prejudice; the woman was likely from Caesarea Philippi, so she may have been a Gentile, or even worse, a Roman—shudder! Maybe their sensative prayer could have brought healing to the poor woman–maybe.
Insensitivity is not new; it has led and can lead to terrible miscarriages of justice, disservice, or even atrocity.
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