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 to that something should be given 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.  After being on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and their strange encounter with the man who lived in the tombs (see Saturday's reading, above), Jesus returns with the disciples to their home territory, to Capernaum.  All gather to Him as by now is customary in His ministry, to hear Him preach by the sea.  In Saturday's reading, a terribly demon-possessed many came to meet Him, but here a distinguished man of the community comes to to fall at His feet and request healing for his daughter.  He is Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue.  

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."   My study bible tells us that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Jesus is of one essence with the Father, as Son He has this authority (John 5:21).  The healing of this woman with the blood flow of twelve years demonstrates His power to heal and cleanse.  For this woman (and in the Old Testament), hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement.  It imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  Despite all of these barriers, this woman who accounted herself unclean, approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Jesus tells her that it is her faith that has made her well, and He corrects her thinking:  she couldn't hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Furthermore, He exhibits her faith to everyone so they might do the same, telling her to "Go in peace" and calling her "Daughter."

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 to that something should be given her to eat.  The first thing to notice about this story is the conviction in those of Jairus' house that the girl is dead.   They insist that he should not trouble the Teacher any further.  This sad news is met by Jesus' insistence on faith, as He tells Jairus, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  Then He takes only His closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, to Jairus' house.  Once again, they're met by the conviction that the child is dead; those who weep and wail ridicule Jesus' insistence that the child is not dead.  We note the enforcement of faith:  Jesus puts all others outside, taking in only Peter, James, and John and the parents of the girl.  Despite this incredible healing, He tells them strictly that no one should know it; and His main concern is with care for the child.

It always strikes me as significant that Jairus' girl is twelve years old, and that the woman who approaches Christ "in secret" has had her blood flow for twelve years.  In the Bible, twelve is a significant number.  There are twelve tribes of Israel, as there are twelve apostles chosen by Christ.  In Revelation, the tree of life bears twelve kinds of fruits, and each yielding fruit every month (Revelation 22:2).  In line with patristic thought on the symbolism of numbers, twelve can be understood as pointing to God's revelation to God's chosen people.  In that sense, both the older woman with her twelve year affliction, and the younger who is just beginning maturity are welcomed as daughters, those who are blessed and healed by God's love.  Importantly, there are two different examples of faith at work for both.  The one burden of faith is carried by the woman herself, who despite all restrictions seeks through faith to touch the clothing of Christ.  The girl's healing is really dependent upon the faith of her parents, especially her father Jairus, whose faith Christ bolsters in several deliberate ways.  Both stories, intertwined in the Gospels, teach us about the revelation of faith in Christ, and the reality of God's people.  The woman with the blood flow is ceremonially unclean.  She risks severe censure by touching Christ's garment, even being in the crowd.  She is also destitute and has no money, as she has spent it all on doctors.  But her faith makes her well, and she is called daughter by Jesus.  The twelve year old daughter of Jairus was already dead, but through faith now has a life to look forward to.  In both cases, faith restores each one to their place in the society.  This is a parallel to the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, who is restored to a place of honor in her home where she serves Christ and the disciples (see this reading).  While the roles of women in Jesus' society of 2,000 years ago may be debated in many dimensions, there is no doubt of Jesus' encounters and the importance with which He treats the women of the Gospels.  Through faith, each is daughter, beloved with His spiritual sons.  We're told of the women who support His ministry and travel with Him from Galilee (Luke 8:1-3), and His deep friendship with Lazarus and his two sisters Martha and Mary (John 11:1-45, Luke 10:38-42).  Mary Magdalene is the first person to see the risen Christ, and she's commissioned by Him to tell the apostles, thus earning her the title Apostle to the Apostles in the Church (see John 20:17-18, Mark 16:9-11).  In each of these stories,  women are revealed by Christ to be essential, valued, and beloved by Him.  While men and women may play different roles in the culture and society, there is no doubt of each one's cherished and beloved importance to Christ.  Through faith, we each realize our status as beloved.  It is perhaps telling that it is in communion with Him that we find our "right place" through His compassion and unsurpassed love.  All we need is our faith.