Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them

"Christ the Healer" mosaic

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

- Matthew 4:18-25

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  My study bible lets us know that these first disciples -- two sets of brothers -- had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and therefore they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  They are not great scholars of religion nor experts in the Scripture, but they are those faithful who will live the discipleship of Christ.  My study bible calls them "people of the land" who are called by Jesus, and who will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all. 

 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  My study bible remarks upon the fact that the crowds do not swarm Jesus when He commands repentance (verse 17, from yesterday's reading, above), but it is when He begins to heal and work miracles that the crowds come.  It shows that the people misunderstand the real nature of His Kingdom.   It also shows, in the words of Theophan, that Christ gives concession "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the multitudes whose fickle attitude will be a hallmark of the Gospels.  Here Matthew compresses the action of Christ's early ministry into a few verses, so that we understand the broad appeal He effects across the territories of the people of Israel, as His fame spreads everywhere from Galilee.

In the healings that Christ does of the crowds who bring the ill to Him, we see literally great affliction.   The language of the text tells us of oppression (literally, in the Greek word for affliction).  Their torments could could also be translated as "torture."   Their diseases usually would considered to be incurable.  Let us also note the lack of control over their own lives that is implied in the several afflictions listed:  to be demon-possessed speaks for itself.  But also the word translated as epileptic could be literally translated as "lunatic" as it means to be controlled by or under the influence of the moon.  (It was considered that the disease waxed and waned with the moon.)  To be paralyzed is also a kind of involuntary binding and control, an oppressive affliction.  Each of these could be understood as a type of imprisonment, the torment the pain of torture in a prison.  The language speaks to us of a need for liberation, or more specifically, for a liberator -- a redeemer.  It tells us about the action of Christ, which is to set free.  Let us note that it also does so in the context of spiritual battle, as the "demon-possessed" are among those brought to Christ.  It is how we understand Christ's ministry overall and how we understand the work of the "prince of this world," the devil by whom Christ was tempted in this reading, just before He began His public ministry.  There is the power that truly liberates, and then there is the power that oppresses and enslaves and tortures.  Hidden  behind and within all things seems to be this choice, between one and the other.  Of course, even the elements of those things which are brought for Christ to healing have a kind of spectrum in today's reading.  Once Christ's fame spreads, the more serious afflictions are brought to Him for help.  But all of it tells us something about healing and the actions of Christ.  As we understand that the very Incarnation itself is meant to heal, by bringing all the elements of the world and our worldly lives into union with Creator, so we should see in this text Christ's actions in conjunction with that reality.  What He is becomes expressed through His work and action in the world.  He has come to heal and to liberate, to save.  Even His preaching comes under the context of healing and freeing, for as He is the truth (John 14:6), so also He will teach, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).   For every aspect of Christ's being, so His work in the world also reflects that identity.  This is consistent with an important understanding of theology:  that God's mercy (that is, God's work in the world) reflects God's being.  We cannot know God in God's fullness of being.  We are not divine Persons like the Persons of the Holy Trinity.  But we can know God in what are called God's "energies" -- that is, in God's work in the world.  Christ's ministry exemplifies this perfectly.  So it is the same with love as expressed through ourselves and others in the elements of our world.  We can talk about love all we want, but love is more than simply a feeling or emotion.  Love needs expression through action.  Whether that action is prayer or sympathy or particular actions to alleviate suffering or effect healing in other ways, to work at discipleship and to learn to be "pure in heart" is to live from the inside to the outside.  That is, to live a life that reflects a heart that seeks discipleship and to be transformed in that discipleship to be more "like Christ."  If that all seems to complicated, consider this:  what is the purpose of repentance, Christ's first word of ministry?  A repentance is a turn around, a literal "change of mind" in the Greek but which implies a true change of heart and orientation -- and one which is expected to affect how we engage and interact, our actions in the world.  Christ repeatedly emphasizes the heart, and does so, as He says, because it is the heart that creates the action:  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things" (Matthew 12:35).  This is what Christ's ministry is for, so that we become the disciples who in turn may become more like Him.   This is what it is to be truly healed, redeemed, liberated, saved.   The fickle crowds seek the healing He offers -- but it is discipleship that brings us the freedom He offers.

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.

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 her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus led the disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee, they 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.  Jesus is once again back on "home ground" in Capernaum.  We can see the crowds that throng Him, and the renown that is His.   Even one of the rulers of the synagogue comes to Him when his daughter needs to be healed.

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 woman's story is full of pathos -- and quite literally so.   To write that she suffered many things from many physicians is literally in the Greek to use the word pathos, meaning both suffering and being afflicted.  In that sense, Christ, the One who will suffer, heals our afflictions and suffering.  And it is her faith in Him that heals her, as His own words remarkably testify to all.  Her connection with Him is made complete in her truthful confession.  Through her faith, her reconciliation to Christ, she is healed of her 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 her to eat.  Again, the emphasis here is on faith.  The words of the world are dismal:  "Your daughter is dead."  They tell Jairus he should not trouble the Teacher any further.  But Jesus gives him hope:  "Do not be afraid; only believe."  What we observe Jesus doing in this story is shoring up faith.  He takes only His closest disciples with Him, the ones who form the inner circle, who were present at the Transfiguration.  Those who wail and weep inside the house ridicule Christ and His statement that the child is sleeping.  He puts them all outside, while He takes only the parents and His three disciples. 

 There is a traditional spiritual interpretation of the story of the woman with the blood flow.  In it the woman is seen as symbolizing human nature in general.  As my study bible puts it, "Humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death, symbolized by the flow of blood."  The physicians who couldn't cure her stand for the various religions of the world, as well as the Old Testament Law, which were unable to grant life to humanity.  Through Christ we are freed from suffering and bondage to sin.  In another kinship between the story of this woman and of Christ Himself, we recall (as was alluded to above) Christ's own suffering and affliction.  His Passion is, in the same sense, a universal experience of humanity, freely shared by Christ as part of His fully human life.  And as the flow of blood is symbolic of death, we also are to remember His death and Resurrection, the transfiguring power of the Cross and of Christ's suffering.  In this sense, God has fully participated in our lives in this afflicted world, so that we may fully participate in God's life.  Jesus says as much when He tells Nicodemus, in John's Gospel, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  Ultimately, all suffering and affliction is contained in the life of Christ and particularly in His Passion -- suffering, death, and Resurrection.  And it is through His redemptive mission and voluntary death and suffering and Resurrection, that we may also find redemption in our lives.  We are enabled to participate in the energies of God's love through this saving power of God's life which has been given and lived for us.  It really does not matter what situation we find ourselves in, there the life of Christ awaits our attention and participation.  There is a way to rehabilitate our lives through the exchange of the life of "the world" -- that world of the negative voices that deny faith and ridicule Christ -- for the life of Christ.  But just as Christ went up upon the Cross, so we, too, have to take up our own crosses, and that is not an easy nor a simple thing to do.  It may involve sacrifice on our part.  Perhaps the outcome we wanted isn't really where God takes us, or what is truly best for the soul.  We must work to accept the outcome God has in mind, and give up the things we think we want.  Christ gave up His very life as Jesus; He went before us.  But He took on all the suffering and affliction of the world so that He can also take on what afflicts and causes us to suffer.  The power of the Cross is right there, but depends on our voluntary acceptance of His offer and His life for us.  Let us remember that He does everything to shore up faith in today's reading; faith is the crux that bears us forward.

What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

 Then they 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.

- Mark 5:1-20

In yesterday's reading, we were told that after a day of preaching in many parables, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  My study bible points out about this passage:  "The Gadarenes were Gentiles, so they could raise pigs, which were considered unclean by Jews."  We are now on the "other side" of the sea of Galilee, in Gentile territory, where Jesus has instructed His disciples to go.  He carries His ministry to the Gentiles.

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.   These tombs, my study bible says, were caves cut out of soft rock.  We see the damaged and constantly damaging state of this poor man.  He's wild, untamable and uncontrollable.  This gives us a message about his state of being, that it is in chaos, like the wind and the wild surf in yesterday's reading.  But in this case, it is a human being who is so terribly afflicted by disorder that he lives among the tombs, with the dead.  He cannot control himself, not even with shackles and chains can he be in order at all.  Night and day, he's in the mountains and in the tombs, outside of all civilized life, "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!"  My study bible says, "The deranged man worshiped Jesus; the demons see Him and fear torment.  Not only are the demons unable to resist Jesus' command, they are unable to escape confrontation with Him.  Though they have power over the man, they have no power over Jesus.  Jesus' words accomplish in an instant what shackles and chains cannot."  There's a kind of state of war going on within this man, a war for possession of his life, including his mind and heart:  it is his own natural impulse to worship Christ.  But the demons fear the same torment with which they afflict the man.  Jesus comes to save and to heal.

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.   My study bible says that "out of the country perhaps reflects both the wretched man's fear of being compelled to leave his homeland and the demons' fear of being cast out of the man."  It also seems possible to me that "out of the country" may reflect the demons' fear of being thrown out of the country of this place outside the city, where they dwell among the tombs, the rocks and desolate mountains, perhaps into Jewish territory.  Whatever it is, this phrase reflects the great fear that accompanies their presence. 

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.   My study bible says that "the destruction of the unclean swine was appropriate according to Jewish law."   Mark gives us the number of the swine; this is a "legion" indeed.  Their terrible violence gives us a clue as to the nature of this legion of unclean spirits; not only are they violent, they are wholly self-destructive and destructive of any life they touch.  This mass suicide also reflects the deranged fear that dominates their presence.

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.  My study bible notes:  "They ('those who fed the swine')  fear Jesus' power, which they do not understand, and possible further disturbance from Him.  Their primary concern is with animals and property rights; Jesus is more concerned about the life of a demon-possessed man."  The juxtaposition of the words here in these verses does give us a striking picture:  the people who fed the swine "saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind."  And then they were afraid.

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.  My study bible notes here:  "Jesus allows an exception to the messianic secret:  this man may tell others.  Perhaps in Gentile territory misunderstanding of Jesus' mission was not so much a problem, because the Gentiles had no preconceptions about the Messiah."  At any rate, this saved and healed man becomes an evangelist and an apostle.  Even before the Twelve, he is sent out to "tell what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  He is, in this sense, sent on a mission to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

In the story of the Gadarene demoniac, there are once again many different ways of seeing and looking at this story, many different angles that can tell us something about this Kingdom of Jesus Christ.  First of all, the man is in an absolutely terrible state, "occupied" by a legion of foreign troops in this sense, by those who care nothing for him but only exist to bring him destruction and to exploit him.  He has no control over what happens to his body, his mind and spirit, but nevertheless he struggles under this occupation.  He sees Jesus whom he knows immediately as a saving force, a power that can knock the demons over and claim their power and "save" him.  He worships Jesus immediately.  The metaphors of the strong man (or Legion in this case) and the stronger man who comes to save hold true for this story.  But in another sense, we can see in this story an example of what this demonic power, this afflicting kingdom, does to us as human beings.  It is parasitical.  It thrives on fear.  It leaves us afflicted, self-destructive, in disorder and chaos, and it thrives on this desolate place that it knows best and fears leaving.  What things can you think of in our modern world that reflect these characteristics?  While modern psychology and medical science may tell us many true things about the elements of disease and addiction that trouble us today, we also note their characteristics that are reflected in this story.  There's no doubt that the truth about any illness is an essential part of healing and a cure, but we needn't leave out the obvious understanding that we are also spiritual beings, and that when anything reflects characteristics which we've recognized in spiritual history as that which belongs to an afflictive power, it helps us to understand what loving, and just, and saving power can and will do.  We cannot leave out the grace of God, the spiritual truth of Christ.  It helps us to recognize the insidious sort of power of affliction, that which binds us to what is familiar but destructive and desolate, and the kind of disorder it creates that needs the order of Logos, that which gives us meaning and value and right-relatedness, true justice.  Let us remember the saving power of spiritual truth and prayer and grace at work.  Without it, we may just find we are in a kind of disorder that only faith can help us to adjust back to our true nature, with all the tools we can use to restore our right-relatedness to assist, under a right and true direction.  It is this grace that gives us the faith and hope even against a whole army, a legion, of troubles that afflict and oppress us.

He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.   For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house.

- Mark 3:7-19

On Saturday, we read of Jesus and His disciples going through the grainfields on the Sabbath, the disciples plucking the heads of grain as they went.   And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abaithar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  And they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.   For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.   The Gospel of Mark tells us, now into the third chapter, of Jesus' tremendous fame.  Although His ministry has focused on Galilee, people from everywhere around Israel and beyond are coming to Him.  The crowds press so strongly, there are so many of them, that a boat has to be kept ready just in case He should be crushed.  The drawing power is His healing capacity and power:  so that everyone with any affliction comes to Him.

And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  My study bible notes that "the troublesome demons again recognize the divinity of Jesus (see 1:24), but Jesus commands them to be silent, that the messianic secret may be preserved."  Again, we make note that this revelation of His identity comes in His own way and His own time.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house.  My study bible has a long note here:  "The appointing of the twelve sets forth:  (1) Jesus' authority in calling people to ministry:  many might have volunteered, but He appointed whom He would; (2) the requirement of discipleship before ministry; to be with Him -- for intimate fellowship and training -- and to follow Him in order to be sent by Him; and (3) the commission to share in Jesus' ministry of preaching, healing, and casting out demons.  In Mark's view, demonic oppression is characteristic of human existence under the bondage of evil.  The mission of Jesus' disciples is to liberate humanity from this bondage.  Every age has its own manifestations of demonic power.  Thus, we who are His disciples have a similar mission today -- helping people to break loose from bondage and come to freedom in Christ."  It also adds that Thaddaeus is probably the same man called Judas son of James in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13.

Today's reading sets us off in many ways of thinking about Christ and what it means to be a Christian.  There is first of all the image we've spoken about in several readings so far:  that Jesus as the "stronger man" has come to take a "strong man's" (Satan's) kingdom, by binding him first.  So in the image of healing, we see the "stronger man" taking over where people are afflicted through the evil one.  In a sense, what this does is orient us in terms of how we think of being Christians.  Where we see illness or affliction we try to heal and restore.  We know many ways in which people experience affliction:  it can be as depression and grief, through want, and through pain of every kind.  In His name, how do we seek to alleviate these afflictions we see around us?  The appointing of the Twelve, and the note that follows that passage in my study bible, really appropriate and carry on the expression of this work of Christ's healing, this loving kingdom setting aright what is afflicted in the world through evil, and we learn more, then, about what it means to be a Christian.  One must be a disciple first, and learn.  They, the Twelve, walked with Jesus, lived with Him, were taught by Him.  But we who follow have all kinds of ways to do the same, through Scripture and through Tradition and fellowship, and we also have His Spirit to guide our lives, our time in prayer and worship focusing on the relationship in our hearts.  And through this walk we, too, are disciples, we learn.  We learn to grow to be more like Him, and to give up the things in our own lives, in ourselves, that get in the way of that mystical process.  From there, ministry comes, but first we must be called.  This mystical process, then, becomes one of fellowship in the deepest sense.  We can't ever leave out the powerful spiritual truth through which we are engaged in real fellowship with Him.  Everything comes from that.  Our works are not separate from this trust, and neither is whatever way in which we find we, too, may minister.  Over and over, we turn to this place of intimate fellowship to find who He calls us to be and to become, just as the Twelve are called up to the mountain.  How do you share in this discipleship with Him?  We recall also that Jesus' expression of who He truly is doesn't come with an announcement, but by the way He lives His life.  Let us know that this is the way we also declare who we are as His followers, in His name, and for the glory of His Father.

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 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 her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

In yesterday's reading, we read of the man who was chained and shackled, and forced to live in the tombs among the mountains in the country of the Gadarenes. This is Gentile territory, where swine are herded, animals which are unclean to the Jews. As Jesus comes ashore from the other side of the sea of Galilee, the man worships Him -- because this man is possessed, and Jesus has commanded the demons to come out of him. Jesus asked, "What is your name?" to which came the reply, "My name is Legion; for we are many." The demons begged to be sent into the swine nearby, and Jesus complied -- the swine then raced down a cliff and plunged to their deaths. The healed man wished to come with Jesus, but Jesus told him instead, "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." He will go among the towns of the Decapolis and proclaim all that Jesus had done for him.

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. Mark's Gospel gives us a constant picture of Jesus going to and fro across the Sea of Galilee, from Jewish to Gentile territory and back again. Here, the ruler of the synagogue welcomes Him by falling at His feet, and asking Him to heal his little daughter. My study bible points out that not all the Jewish leaders were opposed to Him. The great crowd follows and "throngs Him"; this is a very public event at this stage.

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. Here is a great contrast, of another who needs healing. The one whom He is going to see is a little girl, the daughter of an important man, one of the rulers of the synagogue. And this is a woman, no doubt well past child-bearing, who has had a chronic ailment for twelve years. So badly does she suffer, over so much time, that all she has is gone from seeking treatments -- and to add more sorrow to the picture, she has only grown worse. It strikes me that we could very well be speaking of a modern scene here, in both patients!

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?" We see her expression of faith, in her deep need to be healed. We note the details in the kinds of events that pass here: she feels in her body that she is healed of her affliction, and Jesus immediately knows that power has gone out of Him. The tremendous thing about Mark's Gospel is in the details it does give us, in this brief book (the shortest of all the Gospels). Here we understand communication that is not only through speaking but also through feeling, other senses -- and more particularly, the connection of faith that creates power between them, which Jesus knows goes out of Him.

But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" And He looked around to 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." She comes to Him and tells Him the whole truth -- it is a kind of confession, an opening of everything to Christ. Jesus explains how His power works, "Daughter, your faith has made you well." It is her faith that sparked the energy, the power, in Him, and this is the power of grace at work for us. It is a picture of our relationship to Him: one touch of faith sparks the whole of the gift, and in turn the whole of our hearts -- the whole truth -- in relationship with Him. It is a bond of love and compassion. And again, as in yesterday's reading, there is the judicial language embedded here, and the contrast between the love of Christ and the oppression suffered from evil in this world (as from the demons). The Greek word for affliction is similar to the one for scourging, lashings, whipping -- it implies the suffering of torture.

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." This is not the only time that we read of Jesus' delay while He is called to someone who is ill in the Gospels. The same thing happens quite deliberately with Lazarus, His great friend to whom He is called. Here Jesus has taken the time to connect and to discover and make the power of relationship to the woman, who has lost all to her disease. (One imagines that He, the knower of hearts, had a sense of who she was before He asked.) But here, even though the word is that Jairus' daughter has died, Jesus emphasizes once again that it is faith in Him that is the important thing. And we get a sense that came also from the story of the storm-tossed boat we read recently, that we choose above all the thing into which we will put our faith: into Christ, or the fears and dread that the world seems to teach us.

And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 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. This is His inner circle He takes with Him (Peter, James and John). Jesus is moving from a very public healing of a lone and destitute woman to a very private one of the child of the leader of the synagogue. Each has its own specific case in these healings; He gives what is needed for each one, even all the circumstances surrounding each healing, and in the ways in which He must work. Despite the commotion, wailing and ridicule of the crowds in the house, He teaches that she merely sleeps -- and still keeps them away from the scene of the healing. Only the faithful are allowed in, the ones closest to Him and the child. It is a very private moment, just as, in some sense, the woman's touch was a very personal one for her, hidden from everyone else.

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. While the healing is extraordinary and defies every expectation, Jesus' concern is with two things: His mission and the needs of the little girl. His is a private relationship here, intimate, and the divine secret of His messianic status must only be expressed at the proper time. It, too, is in conflict with the expectations of the crowds.

What does it mean to have these personal moments with Christ, the ones that are hidden either by the clamor and thronging of a crowd in its excitement, or far away from those who would declare that something must be so, despite what our faith would tell us. We recall Jesus' words about praying to our Father in the secret place, and doing deeds of charity in secret. Everything here is an intimate moment; it is one of relationship and care, the deep sharing of power, and the devotion of faith -- especially the deeper and more full opening of the heart that is in response to healing and grace. How do you go forward in this "secret place" that defies the expectations of the world, the fears and oppressions, the things that torture us? Where do you find the love of God and express your faith? He is with friends, the intimates, and seeks us also as friends and intimates. How do you call upon Him in your most private moments, and seek the energy of grace and power that responds to our touch of faith? We note that in these private moments, our faith can also plead for others who cannot do so for themselves.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

- Mark 9:14-29

In yesterday's reading, we read about Jesus' Transfiguration. He took John, James and Peter, his closest apostles, up to a mountaintop. There they saw Him transfigured, His clothes "shining, exceedingly white, like snow." Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, talking with Him. The apostles had no idea what to do or say, astonished and afraid. A cloud overshadowed Jesus, and the Father's voice spoke: "This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!" Suddenly, it was over. When they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them to tell no one until after His resurrection. The messianic secret must still be kept. See And He was transfigured before them.

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" In the meantime, far from that mountaintop where Jesus has just been revealed as Messiah in Transfiguration to His three closest disciples, we see the disputes that go on. This is the work of the kingdom through the disciples, who are still learning what this work involves, and the difficulties of ministry. My study bible points out, "The Lord is loyal to His own. Jesus does not ask the disciples what they are discussing with the scribes; it is the scribes who must answer." The people in this scene clearly respond to Jesus' presence.

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." The disciples are presented with a problem in their ministry: this boy and his father need help, and this is seen in the context of spiritual - not medical - help. But they are unable to help the boy.

He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." While we see the symptoms described as the medical condition of epilepsy, it seems to me there are clues in this manuscript that point to a spiritual ailment. The father says that "often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him." This affliction, the "mute spirit," is seen as a destructive and malevolent force, and the helpless father can do nothing to stop it. So, he has come to Jesus' disciples for help. Obviously, the scribes - representing the temple leadership - can also do nothing to help. My study bible has a note that reads, "Faithless generation is said of all, including the father of the child and the disciples." It adds, "The man's comment, but if you can do anything, is prompted by the disciples' inability to cast out the demon. What Christ's disciples can or cannot do reflects on the Lord Himself."

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" In some sense, the man's cry reflects all of us, all of our conflict, the cry of our condition - including that of the disciples. We live in a world that tests our faith, with hearts that are capable of receiving and understanding the things of the spirit. "I believe; help my unbelief" is the cry of humanity to God. God's word to us is here, and the Gospels indisputably present this to us: "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." We are in a constant state of this suspended conflict presented in these two verses. My study bible says that all things are possible because of God's power released through faith - and faith is what Jesus seeks to elicit from the child's father. It adds, "The presence of doubt does not imply the absence of faith. Christ honors whatever faith we have and will increase faith when we sincerely desire Him."

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. Clearly, in the spiritual context of the Gospel, this powerful affliction is the result of something truly harmful - causing pain as well as "binding" this man's hearing and speech. It's like a torturer who is deliberately tormenting the afflicted man. And when the spirit leaves, "he became as one dead" - a severely harsh affliction, leaving the man, like a tortured prisoner, as one who is dead. But Jesus' touch lifts the man up, restoring him to his rightful place, upright. On spiritual terms, this affliction is a great metaphor for the powerful forces that diminish us, that take away our will to live, our capacity to speak and to hear, leave us as one who is dead, that cause us great pain in our lives. Afflictions such as this come in many metaphorical forms, and this is a story about faith in the face of oppression and adversity we may feel helpless to alleviate in those whom we love. It is such an overpowering condition that clearly the victim is in no state to help himself. We need, in this case, a much greater and powerful "strong man" to help us under such oppression and affliction.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." My study bible says that "prayer and fasting are essential expressions of the life of faith. The inclusion of and fasting in the text is quite appropriate, though a number of ancient manuscripts lack it." What we have here, then, is a case of dedicated faith, concerted and constant, and unremitting effort to continue in that faith. This is what Jesus describes for the disciples: a faith in which we persist and practice with focus and dedication, and in which we are not deterred by seeming failure.

While most read this passage and assume an affliction of epilepsy, attributed to spiritual causes, I cannot help but see it as a true metaphor of the things that ail us in life. We may suffer under oppressive conditions, things and people that we cannot control, that are beyond our capacity to change. I can think of a myriad of situations and circumstances this would describe for many people. We may ourselves be afflicted by chronic and painful disease under which we suffer, or perhaps a terrible depression, or family circumstances which are a cause of endless pain. Whatever it is, there are circumstances that cause us pain and are seemingly beyond our control. In the Twelve Step programs, the first step is the recognition of our powerlessness to control affliction. And from there, the Steps turn us to a Higher Power to which we give over our problem, to help us to manage it. This is a story of faith in that Higher Power, and of our inability to control - and our apparent failures. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" is the cry we feel midst that type of situation, which may be chronic and ongoing, even a burden since childhood, as in this story. Yet the "strong man" who has come to establish His kingdom, to overthrow the oppressor, is the One we repeatedly must turn to. And how does this happen but through repeated, concerted effort? It is we who are to turn our efforts to prayer, and to the methods that help us to improve "our conscious contact with God" if I may quote Step Eleven of a Twelve Step program. Prayer and fasting are tools of communion, of "conscious contact." They are the efforts we make to deepen our faith - the conscious effort we make and tools we use in the struggle for faith, for a deeper union with God. And this is our struggle; we live in a world in which we are vulnerable. Our choice is to find that faith, and to persist in our efforts and pursue it with every tool that we have on hand, with all that is available to us. In this sense, Jesus assures us that "if you believe, all things are possible to him who believes." "All things are possible" does not mean that our wish is God's command. It means that faith - trust - will show us a way through it, and God's power will be lent to us so that we find our way forward and out of the affliction, whatever it is that binds us spiritually, makes us deaf and mute and seeks to destroy who we are. This story is couched amid the understanding that Jesus Himself will suffer with us, for a purpose, and so will His followers. But the story of faith is one of triumph, of overcoming. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" becomes, in this sense, our own cry of overcoming and perseverance in our lives, and a call for the help we need.