Daughter, your faith has made you well

Jesus healing the woman with the blood flow, Michael Astrapas, 1320.  Fresco, Church of St. Nicetas (Serbia), Banjane, North Macedonia

 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 sad, "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

On Saturday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the sea in their boat, 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.  Jesus and the disciples return back "home" to their ministry headquarters, so to speak, in Capernaum.  They are greeted by a ruler of the synagogue, who presents Jesus with a universal concern:  his little daughter lies at the point of death.  He desperately seeks Jesus' healing to save his daughter, so that she will live.

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."   This event has numerous Scriptural interpretations which are understood through it.  First of all, we must consider that this woman's flow of blood excludes her from community.    In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which in turn imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  But Jesus' power to cleanse and to heal is expressed here, including restoration to community.  He corrects her thinking, shows that she is not excluded from Him because of her illness, and applauds her faith, so that all might imitate her.  A traditional spiritual interpretation of this story views this woman as symbolic of human nature in general:  my study bible notes that humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death, which is symbolized by the flow of blood.  The many physicians could not cure her; they stand for the various religions of the world, as well as the Old Testament Law, which were unable to grant life to humanity.  It is only through Christ that we are freed from suffering and bondage to sin. 

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who sad, "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.  This is one of three resurrections which the Gospels record Christ as performing (see also Luke 7:11-17, John 11:1-44).  My study bible says that they confirm the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).   It reminds us that there are many who have exercised authority over the living, but as the Orthodox funeral service reminds us, only Christ "has power over both the living and the dead."  Note that Jesus can heal by the power of His word alone (John 11:43), but here He also touched the child by the hand,  showing the life-giving power of His body.

Let us note Jesus' tremendous emphasis on faith in both of today's healings.  First there is the woman with the blood flow, who through her affliction, and despite the precepts of the Law, and the crowds who may respond with such anger that she is harshly penalized, she approaches Christ with great faith.  She says to herself, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."   Then Jesus praises her faith before the crowd, telling her, "Your faith has made you well."  After some come from Jairus' home, telling him that his daughter has died, Jesus tells him, "Do not be afraid; only believe."   Moreover, after Jesus is ridiculed, He goes so far as to put all those who do so outside, to shore up the faith of the parents.  He takes with Him only His closest disciples whose faith is the strongest:  Peter, James, and John, the same who will be present for the Transfiguration (9:1-10).   So far in Mark's Gospel, this is the strongest emphasis on faith yet:  on the depth and quality of faith, and the necessity for endurance of great temptation, stress, and fear.  At the present moment, most of the world is experiencing a time of great temptation, stress, and fear due to an epidemic afflicting many places around the globe.  But if we pay attention to today's reading, and Jesus' teachings and emphasis on the quality of faith, then we understand how we are to respond to such a time.  It is a time to strengthen, deepen, and shore up our faith -- even when that means staying away and separating from ourselves for a time those who will simply respond with ridicule or other forms of denial for our faith.  Furthermore, Lent is the very period in our faith made for this time of "going within."  Many of us are in a voluntary quarantine, told to stay at home as much as possible, or rather to avoid crowds.  But this is precisely the prescription for the Lenten period from the earliest times of the Church.  We are taught that festivities might be given a rest for a while, including the need to pursue endless social networking, parties, gatherings.  While many of us are in contact with friends and loved ones through all kinds of modern media, let us remember also what a time this is for:  for caring, for practicing our faith in ministering to others, for letting others -- especially the isolated -- know that they are not alone.  It's not a time for gossiping; and that prohibition, too, is a traditional prescription for the Lenten period.  In some sense, the unprecedented time of quarantine on such a widespread scale is a perfect experience for Lent, as it gives us much needed room for prayer and silence, for meditation, for study, for making time for God, and being mindful of the things of God.  It suits us that we are able back off from the frenetic preparations of worldly life and start to think instead about our inner life.  It is a time to remember that our faith -- especially as shown in our reading today -- is shown to be one that does not separate the spiritual from the rest of life, but on the contrary, addresses and shores up our health on all levels:  body, soul, and spirit.  And this, of all things right now, is the perfect time to remember that, to work on it, and to emphasize our own abilities to do what is prescribed for us as medicine in the time of Lent.  Let us go forward and work on that faith which makes us well.  Let us take courage in the example of the woman with the blood flow, symbolizing humanity who, while suffering, is yet capable of great faith.   This is a time to shore up our faith, and to be mindful that, with all the emphasis on physical affliction and scientific data, we need not neglect the understanding that it is our faith that indeed makes us well.   God gave us understanding, the capability to investigate every mystery of science, philosophy, and all that our minds can grasp.  But it is our faith that is capable of strengthening us on every level of our existence, from our depths within to the wholeness and healing we seek in every other way as well.  Let us remind ourselves that this, in the cycle of the Church, a time to simplify, to get down to basics, and to focus on our most basic need which nurtures and strengthen all the rest.