Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well

While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hands on her and she will live." So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.

- Matthew 9:18-26

Yesterday, we read of Jesus' call to Matthew, the tax collector, also known as Levi - who is the author of our gospel. As He sat with tax collectors and sinners who came to dine in the house of Matthew, some Pharisees saw it and asked Jesus' disciples why He did so. Jesus explained to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice. ' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Later, John the Baptist's disciples asked why Jesus' disciples did not fast, as did they and the Pharisees. Jesus asked, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?" The days would come when they would fast, after He is gone. He added that no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment . . . Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins . . . "But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hands on her and she will live." So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. We notice the worship of the ruler -- He fully accepts Jesus in His divinity! He kneels down before Jesus as Lord. We observe the tremendous faith of this man: he believes his daughter has died, but that Jesus can revive her. Such a power or authority can only belong to God.

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. While Jesus is on His way to the ruler's house, this woman touches His hem. Even though the local official (who may be the ruler of the synagogue) shows Him extraordinary faith and even worship in his request of Jesus, Jesus makes time for this woman. He's in no hurry. And she, who is on the margins of the society, a woman alone and unclean, who, in other gospel passages we are told is also bankrupt because of her long illness -- she merits all of Jesus' attention although He is going to the house where the ruler's daughter has "just died." The ruler has prostrated himself openly before Jesus, and this woman has secretly touched the hem of His garment -- but He knows her faith as well. In other passages, we're told that "He felt the power go out of Him." The connection of faith is always known by the "knower-of-hearts" - and here it works to heal this woman. My study bible says, "The healing of the ailing woman is another demonstration of Christ's power to cleanse and make whole. In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, imposing religious and social restrictions, for contact with blood was strictly prohibited. . . . [Jesus] exhibits her faith to all, that they might imitate her."

When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land. The flute players and the noisy wailing crowd are images of mourning, signs that the girl has died and the community is grieving her death. But He is never one to allow crowds to interfere with His work and the reality He brings to the world. It doesn't matter what they are doing or what they think, just as it didn't matter that the woman with the twelve years flow of blood touched His hem secretly, midst a crowd of people. Jesus knows what He is about. He puts the wailing crowd out of the room, after they ridicule Him for His statement that they should make room, for the girl is sleeping. He will do His work despite them, even putting the noisy crowd outside if necessary. He takes her by the hand and she is healed. Of course, this simply adds to Jesus' fame.

In today's reading, we have a lot of notable elements. There is a local ruler, a highly-regarded man by all the people, who comes and kneels before Jesus, worshiping Him. His young daughter, about twelve years old (we're told elsewhere) has just died. And in secret, the woman with the hopeless blood flow of twelve years, who in faith and in the middle of the crowd, touches Jesus' hem as He walks. And there is always the issue of the crowds, who can't see the woman's faith -- but Jesus knows. And they also ridicule His understanding, and must be put out of the room so that He can heal the girl. There is always this contrast between what the crowds know, and what Jesus knows, the reality of the world of faith that He is here to present to us, and to develop. He shows the woman of faith to all the world, and presents her as His daughter. It just doesn't matter what the crowds think. Elsewhere in my study bible, there is a note that reads: "The crowd follows the crowd." So let us think today about the crowd, and about faith. As the woman touches His hem in secret, let us think about Our Father who is in the secret place, and to whom we pray in secret. Let us think about the girl in the privacy of her room with Christ, with the noisy crowds put outside. And let us think about our place, in our inner room with Him, as we pray in secret. How does your faith work for you today, despite the noisy crowds? Where does He lead you in your relationship with Him? The crowd will think what the crowd thinks - one moment this and the next moment that. But faith will take us to relationship. Stay in that place, and hear His inner voice to us, of love and care, in the secret place. We are His precious children, and He is there for us, and knows our faith.