Psalm 130:1-8 • 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 • 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 • Mark 5:21-43

This week’s theme is Jesus heals our chronic and critical condition. In our call to worship Psalm, we have a cry for deep deliverance that concludes with an acknowledgment of God’s steadfast and redeeming love. The Old Testament story in 2 Samuel includes David’s poetic tribute to Saul and Jonathan, who were killed in battle. In 2 Corinthians, based on the generosity of the Lord, Paul makes an appeal to provide relief for the Jerusalem church. The gospel reading in Mark recounts Jesus healing both a woman who lived with a twelve-year chronic condition, and a young girl who had died at the age of twelve.

A Double Healing

Mark 5:21-43 – ESV

Today we will continue to journey with Mark as he recounts story after story of Jesus. Last week we found ourselves in a boat with Jesus in the middle of a storm in the middle of the sea. In this story we see Jesus performing what amounts to an exorcism of the demonic in a storm. Jesus is shown to be, not only Lord over nature, but conqueror of the realm of evil and the demonic. His mastery gets echoed in the story directly following the storm episode when Jesus arrives on the other side of the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. In that story, which is not included in our lectionary passages for the season, we have Jesus performing an extraordinary exorcism of a legion of demons from a Gentile man, among swine keepers at that. Mark is definitely establishing that Jesus has authority over the satanic realm. And that is very good news.

Additionally, Mark is establishing another nugget of good news with the setting of the stories. Let’s begin the story to see how Mark describes the scene and see what more we can see about who Jesus is and what he has done.

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “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.” (Mark 5:21-23 ESV)

Notice that Jesus has “crossed again in the boat to the other side.” Remember, Jesus was teaching his disciples during the raging storm that he is the one to put their trust in. He is the one who will get them to “the other side.” It just so turns out that the “other side” happens to be Gentile territory. Mark makes this unmistakable with the story of demons entering swine. Today’s story will take place after Jesus crosses back over the sea again, which will land them back in Jewish territory. Here, we will see Jesus’ ministry of healing on full display. The way Mark weaves the stories together leaves the impression that what Jesus does in the middle of the sea between the two shores of Gentle and Jewish territories, will be carried out on both shores. God does not choose one shore over the other. The peace he pronounces that calms the storm in the middle of the sea, will ripple out to both shores.

Now we are about to see another aspect of Jesus’ saving work as he performs two miracles of healing to two different Jewish daughters. The disciples are about to witness the ripples of peace reaching their own shore. May this story make us more receptive to the healing and peace that comes by placing our trust in Jesus.

We are introduced to a synagogue ruler by name—Jairus. Notice the Jewish emphasis Mark has made by starting the story this way. Jairus comes to Jesus for healing of his daughter after “seeing” Jesus. This is Mark’s way of introducing the topic of faith. That was the topic Jesus zeroed in on for the disciples who were fearful of the storm. He challenged them with the question, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Mark is not moving on from this challenge for us today. He wants us to see who Jesus is so we too can grow in our faith in him, or grow to trust him for the first time, whatever shore you find yourself on.

Jairus is presented as having faith in Jesus by coming to Jesus after “seeing him” and then falling “at his feet.” However, Jesus wants to grow his faith even more, as well as his disciples who are caught up in these stories. Jairus’ concern is a critical one. He does not come to Jesus with a petty plea. His daughter is on the verge of death. Jairus is also living in a lot of fear. His fear is that time will run out. He is in a hurry to get Jesus to “Come and lay [his] hands on her.” Is this not a fear we constantly battle? Perhaps we do indeed know that Jesus can heal but will he do it now? Can we trust Jesus’ timing? Is Jesus Lord of time as well? That’s a point of faith Jairus will have to wrestle with through this agonizing story. His patience will be challenged in the very next moment.

And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:24-34 ESV)

The first thing that Mark establishes is the same thing we saw with Jesus in the boat with the disciples. Jesus does not leave Jairus alone in his critical situation. Jesus “went with him” just as Jesus went with the disciples into the storm. That’s the most central importance in this story and in our stories. Jesus is with us. He doesn’t leave us to our own devices to “get to the other side” or to save ourselves or others we love who are in a critical state. We can trust that Jesus is with us and that is enough. As we will see in the story, this does not automatically mean all our problems go away. But we are assured that Jesus doesn’t go away.

Jairus’ attempt to get Jesus to his daughter before time runs out is interrupted by the woman who touches Jesus’ robe and is healed. This woman who Jesus says was healed because of her faith came after “hearing” about Jesus. Seeing and hearing are often ways for talking about faith. Jesus is using this situation with the woman not only to heal her, but also to help Jairus grow in his faith. And again, that is the focus Mark has had for us these last few weeks. Whether by way of parable or stories of Jesus’ word and actions, we are being put in a position to respond to the question the disciples had asked after the calming of the storm, “Who then is this?” That’s the question we are called to ponder today. If we arrive at the answer Mark assumes, that is, Jesus is Lord and Savior as God’s very own Son, then we are freed to respond with the only fitting response left to us. Trust in Jesus completely.

There is more in the interchange between Jesus and woman than we could possibly cover in one sermon. However, we should make mention of some important revelations about Jesus and what he does that will help us answer the question, “Who then is this?”

First, this suffering woman has reached rock bottom. For twelve years she has been struggling with a physical infirmary that no one seems able to solve. She was betrayed by the medical system, that not only took all her money, but left her in a worse condition than she was found. Not only does she retain her physical ailment, but this particular ailment carries a stigma. She is considered unclean because of her condition of having a “discharge of blood” and therefore has been excluded from the community. The twelve years of dealing with her suffering has been faced alone. No one is with her. In fact, she is in a nothing-to-lose situation. By entering the “crowd” and especially by sneaking up and touching Jesus, she is risking everything. If she is found out, she could be seriously punished for breaking the cultural expectations.

But no one sneaks up on Jesus. He is the only one in the crowd who knows what is going on. Everyone else seems clueless, including the disciples. How often do our crowded lives prevent us from truly seeing another, their situation, their need, and who they really are? For the crowd, this woman is hidden. For the disciples, she is indistinguishable from everyone else. And for Jairus, she is surely an unwelcome interruption. To make matters worse for Jairus, Jesus lets this woman tell her story. Jesus gives this woman all the time in the world when Jairus’ time is about to run out. Surely if we were in Jairus’ sandals we would be asking questions like: Doesn’t Jesus know what’s at stake? Does he not care that my daughter is about to die? How can he be so unaware, so careless? In a word, how can Jesus be so out of touch with what’s going on? Jairus may be thinking, “If only Jesus had a daughter, then he would understand.”

But it is only Jesus’ question that needs to be answered. He asks, “Who touched my garments?” That’s the real issue that needed to be addressed in that moment in time. What Jairus doesn’t understand is that Jesus’ Father has a daughter. And it is this unnamed, unknown, and unwanted woman. She came to touch Jesus’ cloak to have her physical condition healed. However, it is Jesus who puts his finger on her deeper issue, and Jairus’. And with a word he addresses it. Daughter! The Father’s love for this daughter, seen in Jesus, mirrors Jairus’ love for his own. Jesus will not walk away from either without bringing what every father would want for any of their children—wholeness. Jesus not only heals her of her physical brokenness, but by calling her out and calling her “daughter” he restores her back to community. Jairus at this point may be running out of patience, but he is learning that Jesus will never run out on him…or his daughter.

And now the story gets very intense:

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (Mark 5:35 ESV)

Just when Jairus is coming to see Jesus’ love for a daughter, he gets the most devastating news about his own daughter. She is dead. The question put to him is the same question that is often put to us when we face great loss, “Why trouble the Teacher any further?” Do you ever feel that way? Jesus was too late. The story is over. Why trouble the Teacher any further? I should just go on with my life without him at this point. There is nothing further to gain. If you feel that way, as we all may be tempted to do at times, listen to the conclusion of the story. Jesus has something to say.

But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But 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. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:36-43 ESV)

“Do not fear, only believe.” Those are the words our Lord and Savior says to us in the face of great loss, even when all looks hopeless and beyond saving. But he doesn’t just leave Jairus with these words, he backs them up with his actions. Jairus is about to learn that Jesus loves all the Father’s “daughters” and time is not an obstacle for his purposes. He raises Jairus’ daughter to life. And Mark includes the important detail that this little girl was only twelve years old. That’s an important Jewish number that bookends the story of the woman who had a condition for twelve years and a little girl who has lived for twelve years. The number twelve is a communal number. It is a reference to the twelve tribes of Israel, a number that signifies the people both these daughters belong to. Jesus is restoring them both to community. He restores the little girl to her father and mother, and he will restore all our losses in his perfect timing.

In the meantime, we do not live in fear that the Father doesn’t care about or see our chronic and critical condition. We are told in Jesus’ words and actions that we can “believe,” or in other words, “trust” in our Father’s love for us and his timing. In this story, Jesus ignored the jeering and laughing crowds and the questioning of the disciples and stays on mission to heal and make whole. And in Mark’s account, he will do the same all the way to the cross. It is there that he will restore all things to wholeness and make all things new.

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