Sunday Musings- Jarius

I was reading from Chapter 10 of the Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter today. I normally am able to read it during the lesson, but I was following the discussion more than normal today and kept getting distracted from reading. (Which is probably how it should be. You know...actually paying attention to the lesson.) So I read the lesson after I got home. The teacher had told us that section 4 of the lesson is a part where President Hunter elaborates on a story that was just a few verses long in the New Testament. I love when apostles and prophets have done that... give "the rest of the story" or make you think deeper about a few verses in a way that help bring the story to life. It's so easy to read scriptures as a story and not remember that these were real people and these were their lives that we can learn from. How much do we miss when we don't think about that? I remember when I took a Bible as Literature class at BYU, we spent over an hour during the first class, elaborating on just nine verses of scripture (about Abraham and Isaac). It was amazing. I loved that class. But I have let some of that type of studying and pondering go by the wayside as time as gone one, unfortunately. There is so much we can gain from the scriptures 

Anyways, the fourth section of the lesson gave an example of how to expound the scriptures like that. President Hunter took just three verses from the story of Jarius and delves into it. He gives some cultural/historical background (which can really help in helping to better understand the scriptures) and then he makes the following observation:

"Matthew doesn't give the name of this chief elder, but Mark identifies him by adding to his title the words, 'Jarius by name.' Nowhere else in the scriptures does this man or his name appear except on this occasion, yet his memory lives in history because of a brief contact with Jesus. Many, many lives have become memorable that otherwise would have been lost in obscurity had it not been for the touch of the Master's hand that made a significant change of thought and action and a new and better life." (Emphasis added.)

For some reason, that just sent a jolt through my body. And then I kept reading and another section stood out to me:

"Then comes a great acknowledgment of faith: 'I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.' These are not only the words of faith of a father torn with grief but are also a reminder to us that whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives." (Emphasis added.)

I need to let Christ lay His hand on my life, on my faith, on my heart. I've been fighting it some lately. It's been easier for me to get angry and hurt and blame Him for things that are going on that are hard, and pushing Him away instead of turning to Him for help. I wish I could better express my thoughts about these verses and President Hunter's thoughts about them, but it's a bit hard for me to do so. I just know that I need to keep working towards trusting God more (an ongoing theme in my life) and let Him lay His hands on my life. To let Him in to my life and make it even better just because He is in it.