Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction

 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 for her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

On Saturday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and 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."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to 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.  We get a picture of Jesus back in the area where all know Him.  He's returned from the country of the Gadarenes, a place where Jews have forgotten or ignored their own traditions, where he's healed a man who was living among the tombs, and brought him back to his place in the world.  Here, the ruler of the synagogue comes to Him with an urgent appeal, even as Jesus is teaching again among the crowds who throng Him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The people throng Him even as He goes with Jairus.

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.   All the details included here are important to consider.  The flow of blood, her hemorrhage, makes her unclean under the Law.  Contact with blood was strictly prohibited, meaning that she was subject to exclusion in both religious and social practices (see Leviticus 15:25-31).   Not only had this woman suffered for twelve years from such an affliction, she's suffered many more things from many physicians.  To add to her woes, she's now spent all that she had, and in addition to everything, she's not only no better, but  has simply grown worse.   This is a story of multiple afflictions, all of which render her outside of normal community inclusion.

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."   She understands her "unclean" state, but approaches Jesus secretly -- and with great 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?"  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."  Jesus' power is at work immediately from the touch in faith.  He knows what has happened, although no one else can be aware of this wonderful healing.  And it is a momentous occasion, for Christ is the One who makes a great commotion, even as He is on His way to Jairus' gravely ill daughter.  But this woman comes to Him and tells Him the truth.  It is important to observe Him call her "Daughter."  Christ responds to faith with love; this relationship is all there is.  We have to understand the basic issue of trust in faith (and the Greek word for faith really means "trust"), and what that has to do with love and relationship.  "Go in peace" is His word for her.

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.  The notion of ridicule is, in my opinion, one not examined enough in connection with the Gospels and the work of Christ.  It is linked not only to faith, but also the voice of those who simply follow the crowd.

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 for her to eat.  We note that Jesus puts those who ridicule outside, and establishes what is necessary for the healing environment.  Jesus heals the girl by touch, signifying another "daughter."  This girl is twelve, we may suppose just on the verge of puberty and eligibility for betrothal.  The love, care, and tenderness here, both from Jairus, and on the part of Jesus, is tangible.

We have essentially two women in today's reading as subjects, although Jesus -- importantly, to my mind -- calls Jairus' daughter, "little girl."  If we think about childbearing and the role of women particularly in this society at Jesus' time and place, we witness the tremendous value placed on women by Jesus.  There is value here on both of these for their own sake.  The one woman is past childbearing age.  She is also destitute.  She is not only in a position of social and religious restriction, she has no relative value or importance in terms of the community.  The "little girl" is just on the verge marriageable age, we may assume about to enter into puberty.  But as yet there are indications only  that she is still the little girl and dependent of Jairus, also someone without stature in the wider community.  The "touch" that is admitted here, both by the older woman and of Jesus touching the little girl by the hand, are in some way aberrations, made permissible because it is Christ who sanctions both.  The care for each "daughter" is made clear:  for their own sake, they are each beloved, valuable, worthy of restoration -- even necessary to restore in the cosmic order of the viewpoint of Christ the Son, as for each He goes out of His way to make time.  This is the Savior who loves each of us for our own sake, not just for what we contribute to the society in one form of currency or another.  Our social status, even religious status, become irrelevant in His mind's eye, His healing, restorative purview.  What matters is His love and our response to it, our trust.  It clearly doesn't matter to Christ what the crowds think, although He does seek to avoid unnecessary conflict with the religious authorities until it is the proper time for the crisis to happen that will lead to the Passion and His crucifixion.  He puts aside those who ridicule, who believe they know all there is to know about the facts.  He demands to know who touched Him in the midst of the crowd in which the disciples can have no idea who is who, or what has happened.  We yet live in a world where social order and status, "usefulness" and belonging, make a difference in how we see others, and how we relate to one another.  But Jesus teaches us about the love of God for each one of us, always pulling in and restoring those just on the "outside" for one reason or another.  It is in that love that loves us first that we always trust, that we turn to when we ourselves might be "outside" or feel that we are left out, or unclean, or unworthy.  There is where faith starts, in the knowledge that we are loved, in the trust that we are welcomed back to restoration.