Be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. Go in peace

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

- Luke 8:40-56

Yesterday, we read that Jesus and the disciples sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.   Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  We can see that here, at least, Jesus is widely welcomed not only by common people, but also by the ruler of the synagogue.  My study bible says, "Authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  Being of one essence with the Father, Jesus has this authority (John 5:21)."  We can see this father is motivated by his love for his only daughter.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  My study bible tells us that the healing of this woman demonstrates Christ's power to cleanse and heal.  It says that in the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, and that there were religious and social restrictions imposed, because contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  A note says, "This suffering woman, accounting herself unclean, nevertheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith."  Jesus gives her good cheer because of her faith.  He also corrects her thinking, as she could neither hide her touch from Him, nor was she excluded because of her illness.  He also exhibits her faith to everyone, so that all might imitate her.  He gives her peace.

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.  Again, the emphasis is on faith. And again, as in recent readings, it's on faith in the word of God.  We note how far Jesus goes to preserve that faith, keeping out those who ridicule.  Even admonishing the parents to tell no one is in a sense the preservation of peace in this faith; the news of such a healing will have tremendous effect, not only in terms of how the world understands Jesus, but on everyone who has received a healing of such kind.

We note once again the total emphasis on faith, and the power of faith, in Jesus' ministry.  It's not just a simple matter of "only believing" (although these are the words he tells to Jairus.  It's a question of an entire pattern of life being tinged by that faith, a world created out of it, and the possibilities this faith opens up to us.  Perhaps most starkly, we see the difference faith makes in the life of the woman with the twelve years' blood flow.   It's not just a question of His healing her, but of her restoration to the entire community.  This is a kind of rehabilitation that is absolutely complete.  He draws her out of the crowd, and before everyone, praises her.  The message is clear, that in this community built by this kind of faith in this Person, Jesus Christ, there is no outsider.  Nobody is excluded; rather His faith works to include.  That inclusion isn't just a simple matter of being a part of a group.  This inclusion is restoration, making well, rehabilitating; in a sense, we could say that this is the example of "making all things new."  (Revelation 21:5:  He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new!"  And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful.")   We have to see that constant renewal (for in the original Greek, this reads as if the One on the throne is always making all things new) as part of the power of our faith, part of the action of this Kingdom as it works within us and among us.  And it is made clear here in Jesus' ministry, this constant state of renewal is always at work in His "love in action."    Here we have a kind of universal renewal in the two examples of these two females in the story:  one a woman well-past the ability to bear children, and the other just beginning to grow into maturity.  In fact, the number twelve plays an important role:  the woman with the blood flow or hemorrhage, who has spent all of her wealth on doctors who failed to help her (and we recall St. Luke, the author of our Gospel, was also a physician), has suffered for twelve years.  The little girl who is Jairus' daughter is twelve years old.  Twelve is a very important spiritual number in Jewish tradition.  We first know the Twelve Apostles, as chosen by Christ, but twelve is a number that repeatedly figures in the history of the people of God:  twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve was the symbolic number for many sacrificial elements in the Jewish temple.  In this context, this number gives us a significance for all the "people of God."   This woman and this girl are included, too, in the fullness of Christ's expansion in His gospel of the Kingdom -- and it is a powerful message.   That expansion itself -- as in the parable He gave us of new wine needing new wineskins -- is a part of this action of "always making all things new."   Whether it is a woman who has hemorrhaged for twelve years, or a twelve year old girl, each becomes "new."  And this is really the effect of our faith life, if we think about it, if we live in "dialogue" (prayer) with Christ.  We will find all kinds of things that need healing or restoration that come up in the course of our lives, to be handed over to Christ for His way of "making all things new."  This is the way in which we become "the people of God" and live within His Kingdom.