Little girl, I say to you, arise

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him, and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came 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 affliction."

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid, only believe." And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

In the last reading, on Saturday, we read of Jesus and the disciples having crossed over the Sea of Galilee to the land of the Gadarenes, a Gentile territory. There He met a man living among the tombs. This man was wild, possessed by an unclean spirit; even chains and fetters couldn't hold him. He ran to Jesus and worshiped Him. But he said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." This was because Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to leave. Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." He begged not to be sent out of the country, but into a herd of swine. Jesus agreed, but immediately after they entered the swine, the swine ran down a cliff and drowned. The people who cared for the swine ran away in fear, and all the town returned with them; They pleaded with Jesus to leave their region. The healed man wanted to come with Jesus into the boat, but Jesus told Him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had compassion on you." And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him, and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. Jesus is once more back in Jewish territory. As has become usual, He is teaching at the sea and a great multitude is listening to Him preach. My study bible points out that, as ruler of the synagogue, Jairus is an example of the religious leadership that was not opposed to Jesus. Jairus' love for his daughter is clear; he is a devoted and deeply loving father, in addition to leading the synagogue. She is precious to him, and he has faith that Jesus can heal her, even though she is at the point of death. The whole crowd, from which Jesus doesn't seem to be able to escape, "throngs" Him even as He goes toward Jairus' house. Maybe they want to see a spectacle of healing.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." Here we see the woman's faith; "If only she can touch His clothes," she thinks to herself, she can be well. It is also an intriguing understanding of spiritual power, in her faith.

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" Again, we have an intriguing understanding of spiritual power in this passage; it's like we are let in a little bit into a real secret, part of the mystery of this Kingdom. A circuit is created, and Jesus feels the power go out of Him. Jesus' question, "Who touched My clothes?" tells us about the significance of this moment, and its importance to Jesus. Her faith is great; in that faith is this great power somehow discharged, in connection with Him. Moreover, He cares to find her, even in this great crowd, even as He is on His way to an urgent need -- Jairus' daughter at the point of death. My study bible points out: "Jesus never seems to be in a hurry, or ever interrupted from His mission. Here, He attends to both needs." It also notes, "Healing takes energy. Jesus is aware that divine energy had gone out of Him when He was touched. This power (Greek dynamis) is a manifestation of the one, uncreated power of God, 'the power of God to salvation' (Rom. 1:16)."

But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came 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 affliction." The disciples can't believe He wants to know, in all this crowd, who touched Him. But Christ is God in the flesh; each individual must be known to Him, and particular this one in whom there is such a connection of faith, and of power. She reveals herself, so that He can speak to her. (We imagine He would have known her anyway, but wanted to draw her out to Himself.) The translation "made you well" is of a word in the Greek that really means "saved." (It is the same word from which we derive the term Savior.) Her faith, in some sense, has "rescued" or "delivered" her. God's grace here (Jesus' power or energy moving toward the woman) has healed her, but as my study bible puts it, her "faith participated in the healing."

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid, only believe." Again, the emphasis is on faith. Here, time has passed so that Jairus is told she is dead. But Jesus knows. Just as in the episode in which the disciples feared they were drowning in the boat, Christ contrasts fear with faith. We remember that this word, to "believe," also conveys a sense of trust.

And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Now Jesus cuts out the crowd. One gets the impression not only of the power that is going to be displayed, but of the necessary prayer and faith that must be focused. The crowds and the "tumult" are among those who ridicule Him. It is time to cut away the extraneous and focus. Just as Jesus was in a sort of "private moment" even among the crowd with the woman healed of the blood flow, so here we have displayed a focused privacy for the sake of faith. Only the father and mother and His closest disciples are allowed in where the child lays. The crowd's tumult, or great commotion and noise, is from those who are formally wailing a death. The crowd is certain it knows, but Jesus knows differently.

Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat. Talitha cumi is Aramaic, the spoken language of the Jews in Jesus' time. Here, in the amazing healing, we are given an even deeper command for privacy: He commanded them strictly that no one should know it. Life goes "back to normal" -- she should be given something to eat; a sign of the power of the living, not the dead.

First, we note about this story the importance of these two female characters who are healed, and their essential importance to Jesus. One is beloved by her father, the twelve year old. And the other, perhaps discarded by all the society, is beloved by Christ who calls her daughter. But the story is also about faith. The woman, though alone in the crowd, has faith enough to spark Jesus' great power, so much so that He calls her out and demands to know her. Jesus tells Jairus, as guardian of the little girl, "Do not be afraid, only believe." In both cases, the certainties of the crowd must be ruled out, cut away. The woman, for her blood flow, is most likely not allowed in community. In Jairus' case, the mourners who loudly weep and wail also ridicule Jesus, and they must be kept out. In the privacy of the loner in the midst of the crowd who thinks to herself, "If I can only touch His hem...", in the little girl's bedroom, the story is the same: the crowd with its commotion doesn't know, it throws up only fear in its "certainty." Thrown into the ridicule, and the story of the woman who has lost all her money on doctors, is a hint of "do not deserve" -- of what cannot be. But faith operates differently. Anywhere we are, in privacy with our Lord (and our Father who is in the secret place), our faith must work in connection and relationship to Christ. It is this that brings us grace, connects us with His love and compassion and power. Jesus even goes so far as to put aside the people in the house. There are times, for the sake of our own faith, when we need to withdraw. We may need to be alone (as Jesus so often practiced) to pray. We may need time to be alone in retreat, in faith practices, to stay away from crowds and tumult and noise for awhile, in order to strengthen and deepen our own faith. Lent is the perfect, designed time for this. It is a time when we may withdraw from the usual commotion in our lives to practice more deeply our faith, to deepen the relationship of faith and trust to God. It seems to me that the message in today's reading is just that: do what you have to do for the sake of your faith whenever you need to. It is always worth it. The woman with the blood flow and the little child are two of those "little ones" who are powerless in the crowd. And yet, with faith, they are alone with the power and grace of God, so that it can work in their lives. Let the message be clear, turn to faith in the way you can and must, shut out the shouting voices that take you away and into fear; go to the place where you can build trust with the One who loves, and fills all things with grace. This is where we find the peace with which He leaves the healed woman: "Go in peace," He tells her. It is always worthwhile to find the sanctuary we need in order to build our faith, our trust, and to leave aside our fear and all the dire certainties in the tumult of the crowd.