June 27, 2021: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
How many of us have struggled with a particular issue for years and years, and felt like perhaps there is no hope for us – that God has abandoned us? The woman who had suffered from the hemorrhage for twelve years must have been incredibly discouraged, but she hadn’t given up. She still chose to trust in Jesus’ saving power to heal her.
Jairus, the synagogue leader, also believed in Jesus’ ability to heal his daughter even though she was close to dying. Jairus sought Jesus out to cure his daughter, and begged him to make her better.
By healing Jairus’ daughter, Jesus restored her family relationship. He brought her back to her parents, who were then able to joyfully address her as “daughter” in the here and now.
In ancient Israel the woman suffering from a hemorrhage would have been considered unclean and therefore ostracized by others. Jesus not only healed her physically, he restored her relationship in the community by calling her “Daughter.”
Jesus longs to heal us, too, from whatever affliction is plaguing us. We need to trust, like the woman with the hemorrhage, that God intends goodness and wholeness for us. We need to believe that we, too, will have broken family relationships, something that happens all too frequently, made whole again. But what if we have difficulty trusting God?
I often tell patients at the hospital where I work that the gift of trust is just that – a gift – and not something we can always produce on our own. Sometimes it’s necessary to pray for the grace to trust before we can do so. Oftentimes the ability to trust in God requires patience and fortitude.
It can be helpful to look back at times in our lives when we have known God’s faithfulness to us, and remind ourselves, “God was faithful to me before. God will be faithful again.” I often encourage people to keep a journal of God’s faithfulness to them, so that during difficult times they can look back at this written testimony of God’s fidelity.
Though Jesus had to cross from one side of the lake at Gerasenes to the other, though he was pressed in on every side by the crowd, he never wavered in his desire to help others. Time and time again in Scripture we read examples of Jesus’ goodness – his teachings about love, his exhortations to treat others with kindness, his miracles of healing. Jesus embodied God’s desire to give to us in these situations, and showed us by his faithfulness to others that God is always there for us, too.
Wonderful message. Many people I see speak about difficulty with trust also. . Looking at God’s faithfulness in the past can be a source of comfort in the present
Thank you, Greg. Yes, so true!