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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. Jesus returns to Capernaum from their mission across the Sea of Galilee. Here is His makeshift ministry "headquarters," where Peter has a family home, and He is well-known.
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." For the community of the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to social and religious isolation (see Leviticus 15:25-30). This woman, therefore, has a bold faith in approaching both Christ and a ruler of the synagogue in a crowd. It means that she is potentially defiling all of them (so that they all would be considered unclean) and subjecting herself to ridicule or worse. My study bible says that Jesus' question, "Who touched Me?" doesn't simply mean a physical touch. As He perceived power going out from Himself, Jesus is asking, "Who touched Me in faith?" It notes that just as "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation, and the power of Christ works through even His garment. To touch Christ's garment, it says, is to touch Him. Perhaps our most clear Incarnational "understanding" is in the sacrament of bread and wine. When done in faith, the power of Christ is received. But oil, icons, water, and other forms take on the same power in the overall context of the Church. We may compare Jesus saying to this woman, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace" with His words to the woman who anointed Him with the alabaster flask of fragrant oil, "Your faith has saved you. 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. Both healing stories are about faith. In this one, Jesus goes so far as to put those who ridicule Him out of the house, and to take along with Him those disciples of His inner circle with the greatest faith. Everything is done to strengthen Jairus and his wife in faith. Again, the healing is by touch. Let us note that He tells them to tell no one what happened. We can be certain all will be amazed as this has already been quite a public event, but the implication is not only that His messianic secret must be kept for His own reasons, but also that faith is an intimate understanding, a communion between God and those immediately concerned -- and not the business of the unfaithful.
The two women, of both this reading from Monday, and the woman with the blood flow in today's reading, are interesting to think about in tandem. Both, in some sense, have made spectacles of themselves for the sake of their faith in Christ. Each has been called out from a place identified with sin or uncleanness. But each, through her faith, has been rewarded with praise from Christ. Maybe a key element to all of this is the inclusion that Christ brings to them. Both are cast out of society by their violations of the Law, one through sin and the other because of her blood flow. But Jesus sees both as clean, both are allowed to touch Him, something questionable within the society under even normal circumstances and without the other issues of violation of the Law. But the great good news is clearly augmented by the communion that Christ brings to them, their inclusion in His community. He resets all relationships, and perhaps these women are illustrations that are most dramatic of how that happens in His presence and through His ministry, even through touch directly. We think of touch as part of communion: we shake hands, in the Middle East there is the formal kiss that shows good will to right relationship. But Christ's touch brings so much more: part of His healing is communion. In the case of Jairus' daughter, let us not forget also that this is a girl who is just on the verge of womanhood as she is about twelve years of age. She is still living under the protection of her father's house, and far from being like the other women, religious and social outcasts, she is the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue who has come to plead with Jesus for her life. And yet, there is still this intimate element of touch, perhaps made more clearly intimate by the fact that Jesus puts all the servants and mourners out who ridicule, making it a private moment indeed. And He also teaches them that they must tell no one what had happened, giving another private and intimate aspect to this healing. But all of them center on faith, and it is faith that makes not only the connection with Christ, but which somehow engages the power of Christ. What that power is and does we can't fully define nor contain, as that's not ours to do. But we do see its evidence, and we have His word about what it means for us. He tells both women that in some sense their faith has delivered them from their afflictions, and gives a kind of command, "Go in peace," which also signifies relationship and communion. In today's lectionary reading, we may take note also of St. Paul's words from Romans 14. Verse 17 reads, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." We may assume that the faith of these women (and the young girl, via the faith of her parents) is accounted to them as righteousness by Christ; included in His kingdom, they are given peace and joy.
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. Both healing stories are about faith. In this one, Jesus goes so far as to put those who ridicule Him out of the house, and to take along with Him those disciples of His inner circle with the greatest faith. Everything is done to strengthen Jairus and his wife in faith. Again, the healing is by touch. Let us note that He tells them to tell no one what happened. We can be certain all will be amazed as this has already been quite a public event, but the implication is not only that His messianic secret must be kept for His own reasons, but also that faith is an intimate understanding, a communion between God and those immediately concerned -- and not the business of the unfaithful.
The two women, of both this reading from Monday, and the woman with the blood flow in today's reading, are interesting to think about in tandem. Both, in some sense, have made spectacles of themselves for the sake of their faith in Christ. Each has been called out from a place identified with sin or uncleanness. But each, through her faith, has been rewarded with praise from Christ. Maybe a key element to all of this is the inclusion that Christ brings to them. Both are cast out of society by their violations of the Law, one through sin and the other because of her blood flow. But Jesus sees both as clean, both are allowed to touch Him, something questionable within the society under even normal circumstances and without the other issues of violation of the Law. But the great good news is clearly augmented by the communion that Christ brings to them, their inclusion in His community. He resets all relationships, and perhaps these women are illustrations that are most dramatic of how that happens in His presence and through His ministry, even through touch directly. We think of touch as part of communion: we shake hands, in the Middle East there is the formal kiss that shows good will to right relationship. But Christ's touch brings so much more: part of His healing is communion. In the case of Jairus' daughter, let us not forget also that this is a girl who is just on the verge of womanhood as she is about twelve years of age. She is still living under the protection of her father's house, and far from being like the other women, religious and social outcasts, she is the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue who has come to plead with Jesus for her life. And yet, there is still this intimate element of touch, perhaps made more clearly intimate by the fact that Jesus puts all the servants and mourners out who ridicule, making it a private moment indeed. And He also teaches them that they must tell no one what had happened, giving another private and intimate aspect to this healing. But all of them center on faith, and it is faith that makes not only the connection with Christ, but which somehow engages the power of Christ. What that power is and does we can't fully define nor contain, as that's not ours to do. But we do see its evidence, and we have His word about what it means for us. He tells both women that in some sense their faith has delivered them from their afflictions, and gives a kind of command, "Go in peace," which also signifies relationship and communion. In today's lectionary reading, we may take note also of St. Paul's words from Romans 14. Verse 17 reads, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." We may assume that the faith of these women (and the young girl, via the faith of her parents) is accounted to them as righteousness by Christ; included in His kingdom, they are given peace and joy.
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