John spoke this morning from John 5:1-15 about being at the back of the queue.
Queuing is seen as being quintessentially British – so much so that the Royal Mint, in their A-Z of what is British, put ‘queue’ for the letter Q! Sometimes we are quite happy to queue, but most of the time we find it tiresome, whether it is waiting in a queue on the telephone, waiting in shops or being stuck in traffic queues for hours on end… Apparently, we spend about 5 years of an average life in a queue!
A queue is in some ways a hierarchy of entitlement. Those at the front of the queue are seen as privileged, advantage, often rich. Those at the back of the queue are disadvantaged, poor or, as in the case of this man, disabled. We talk of ‘Postcode lotteries’ regarding healthcare and schools, so if we are at the back of a queue, we feel we are less important, less deserving or insignificant.
The man in this story had no way to get to the front of the queue, but the presence of Jesus rendered this unimportant. He didn’t need to get into the pool to be healed, because Jesus healed him there and then. Clearly, he had tried in his own strength to get to the pool of healing and so often we try to rely on our own strength, instead of letting God sort things out. We need to learn to trust God.
In Mark 5:21-24, we see the story of the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus’ daughter. Jairus, a leader, had no trouble getting to the front of the queue to speak to Jesus, but the woman had to push through the queue to reach Jesus. Her determination and persistence were what is needed, and we too must seek God and desire God with all our hearts if we are to receive from Him.
In Mark 2:1-12, four friends are not put off by the crowds, but find a way through the roof to bring their friend in need to Jesus. Their support and help were needed for the paralysed man to come to Jesus and be healed. We are called to support one another in faith and prayer.
In Acts 3:1-10, we read of a man for whom there were no queues. He was left at the Temple gates, forgotten and apparently forsaken. He probably felt that his opportunity for healing had gone, for Jesus was no longer present. He may have felt there was no future for him, but Peter and John prayed for him and his life was transformed. We too need to be confident in God. We so often feel we have missed our opportunities in God and write ourselves off. God never writes us off, however. We are never at the back of the queue as far as He is concerned, for He has given us all free access to His presence (Heb 4:15-16)