Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 

 

 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  

 

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, and took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

- Luke 8:40-56 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.   

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  My study Bible explains that, for the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to religious and social isolation (Leviticus 15:19-27).  This woman, it says, displays bold faith by approaching both Jesus and a ruler of the synagogue in a crowd -- thus, potentially defiling all of them and subjecting herself to ridicule. 

 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  My study Bible comments that "Who touched Me?" does not simply mean a physical touch.  Instead, Jesus might be better understood as asking, "Who touched Me in faith?"  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says that "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), and so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation, and the power of Christ, my study Bible says, works even through His garment.  To touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him.  In the Church, Christ is touched through icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc.  When this is done in faith, the power of Christ is received.  My study Bible adds here that Jesus calls this healed woman forth both to take away her fear and trembling, and also to strengthen Jairus for the forthcoming news of his daughter's death.

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, and took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.  Again we note the importance of faith to healing.  Jesus makes every effort to separate Jairus and his family from those who ridicule, as the text tells us that He put them all outside.  Moreover, Jesus brought only those disciples of His "inner circle;" that is, those with the deepest faith, with Him:  Peter, James, and John.  

Today's reading underscores the importance of women in Christ's gracious expression of the kingdom of God.   The woman with the bloodflow would have been considered to be ritually unclean, as my study Bible notes.  But Jesus does not fault her for being in the crowd, nor for touching Him.  On the contrary, her faith is praised by Jesus, for it is her faith that has made the connection to Christ's power, and that is the secret to the kingdom of God.  She is praised by Jesus as one whose faith has made her well.  Jairus' daughter is but twelve years old, but nonetheless becomes one more important example of Christ's spectacular power of resurrection.  Even a "little girl," in this kingdom, becomes one singularly cared for and saved.  It seems that the issue of the bloodflow itself is important, because it affirms powerfully the gender of one with such faith, and for whom it would seem a great exception in the law is made by God, and in order to heal.  Where her affliction would have been added to by the "unclean" nature of her illness (and specifically seems to be a uterine haemorrhage), it becomes instead a stunning example of faith, healing, and the power of Christ.  In fact, it seems to be the only occasion on which Christ declares that He understood power going out of Himself.  Therefore, in this healing, what is specifically a woman's problem becomes not simply noticed, but proclaimed, when Jesus draws her out and separates her from the crowd in order to praise her, and her action done in faith.  What we find from the two examples of this older woman, who has had this twelve-years-long issue of bloodflow, and Jairus' daughter who has lived only about twelve years herself, is a a very strong affirmation of the place of women in Christ's economy of salvation, for both become precious signs of the Kingdom, of God among us, and occasions for the glorification of God.  Anyone faulting the woman for touching the clothing of Christ while she had her bloodflow, or even faulting Christ for taking the little girl by the hand in a private part of the home, would only be subject to censure in light of the bountiful abundance of God's grace evidenced in both healings.  Given that we are speaking of Christ Himself and the chosen acts of His ministry, one would have to acknowledge that this is not simply an affirmation of equality, but one that specifically proclaims the necessity of the place of women in the grand scheme of salvation.   It is often said that Luke's Gospel is distinctive in the ways that it shows us Christ's genuine sympathy for women, going against the predominant grain of His time and place.  But this Gospel also teaches us about the specific need for women, which includes Tuesday's reading in which we were told that there were several women who formed a part of His ministry (And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance).  These healed women -- of whatever infirmity or spiritual illness -- are like the "gold sanctified by the altar" (Matthew 23:17) which my study Bible references in a note, as reported above.  They all have been made clean, holy, healed by their proximity to Christ, and set apart as part of His ministry also.  Mary Magdalene was the first to bring the news of the risen Christ to the rest of the disciples.  John's Gospel tells us that Jesus spoke to her at the tomb:  "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God'" (John 20:17).   His words give us a sense of His caring treatment of women, a kind of tender sympathy uncharacteristic of His time.  Of course, John's Gospel also tells us of Jesus' great love for Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary (that is, Mary of Bethany, not to be confused with Mary Magdalene), and Jesus' personal conversations with the women (John 11).  Luke's 10th chapter will also give us another very personal interaction between Jesus and the two sisters (Luke 10:38-42).  Let us consider the stories we're given today in this light, of the necessity of women to Christ's ministry, and therefore to the whole sense of God's economy of salvation.  The vulnerability of each -- the woman who has lost her entire livelihood to doctors and has only grown more ill, together with the young girl whose parents must intervene for her -- teach us something about how God works even through the meek and infirm.  Note that Luke's Gospel says that each of these women who supports Christ has been healed by Him in one way or another.  It reminds us of the power of grace, working through infirmity or weakness, as testified to by St. Paul:  "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Let us be always grateful!

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

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given for her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

On Saturday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  We get a picture of Jesus back in the area where all know Him.  He's returned from the country of the Gadarenes, a place where Jews have forgotten or ignored their own traditions, where he's healed a man who was living among the tombs, and brought him back to his place in the world.  Here, the ruler of the synagogue comes to Him with an urgent appeal, even as Jesus is teaching again among the crowds who throng Him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The people throng Him even as He goes with Jairus.

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

When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."   She understands her "unclean" state, but approaches Jesus secretly -- and with great faith.

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  Jesus' power is at work immediately from the touch in faith.  He knows what has happened, although no one else can be aware of this wonderful healing.  And it is a momentous occasion, for Christ is the One who makes a great commotion, even as He is on His way to Jairus' gravely ill daughter.  But this woman comes to Him and tells Him the truth.  It is important to observe Him call her "Daughter."  Christ responds to faith with love; this relationship is all there is.  We have to understand the basic issue of trust in faith (and the Greek word for faith really means "trust"), and what that has to do with love and relationship.  "Go in peace" is His word for her.

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  The notion of ridicule is, in my opinion, one not examined enough in connection with the Gospels and the work of Christ.  It is linked not only to faith, but also the voice of those who simply follow the crowd.

But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given for her to eat.  We note that Jesus puts those who ridicule outside, and establishes what is necessary for the healing environment.  Jesus heals the girl by touch, signifying another "daughter."  This girl is twelve, we may suppose just on the verge of puberty and eligibility for betrothal.  The love, care, and tenderness here, both from Jairus, and on the part of Jesus, is tangible.

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

Your faith has made you well

 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 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

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.  My study bible says that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).   Jesus is back on home territory here, where His ministry has been centered, and the crowds throng Him again.  My study bible adds, "Being of one essence with the Father, Jesus has this authority (John 5:21)."

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 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."   Here again we have a demonstration of Jesus' power to cleanse and to heal.  My study bible says that in the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, and imposed religious and social restrictions, because contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This woman thinks of herself this way, as unclean, but she approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  It is this faith that makes her well, as Jesus says.  She may "go in peace" -- she couldn't hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness.  My study bible suggests that He exhibits her as an example of faith to all the multitude, so they might imitate her.  One historical spiritual interpretation of this event is that the woman symbolizes all of humanity, and her blood symbolizes a suffering human nature -- our vulnerabilities to all kinds  of things.  That is, the doctors can't cure the depth of what ails us spiritually, and neither could the Old Covenant, but with faith and Christ's power there's nothing that can't be "healed" or "cleansed."

 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.  My study bible notes that this is one of three resurrection stories in the Gospels (besides of course the Resurrection of Christ) -- see the stories of the widow of Nain, and of course the resurrection of Lazarus, Luke 7:-11-17 and John 11:1-44.  My study bible suggests that these stories confirm the promise given to Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  It says that many people have exercised authority over the living, but only the Son of God has power over both the living and the dead.  Again, it is the touch of Christ that heals, and an act of His compassion, as He takes the little girl by the hand and speaks directly to her.

Today's reading has a remarkable sense of the compassion of Jesus.  He's so far outside of the normal range of "allowable" expressions of men in His time and place.  Normally speaking, He should have nothing directly to do with either this woman or this little girl (for example, a touch).  But Jesus goes so far beyond the norm in His actions that we can't help but be impacted by the extraordinary message of compassion -- and strength -- in His ministry.  This isn't a weepy kind of compassion, it's a compassion that acts from authority, from power, an invincible kind of personal dignity.  That's an important thing to identify.  A woman "defiled" by bloodflow (twelve years, at that!) that no doctor can help, stealthily touches Him in a way that He doesn't see, but perceives.  Think of it, in this story we are given a glimpse into Jesus' internal perspective:  we're told that He knew in Himself that power had gone out of Him.  And this is such an important thing to think about:  it's her faith that made her well, He tells her, and us -- because we're all a part of that crowd.  It's something wild to think about, that He would be seen to defy convention so strongly, bringing this woman out with a public confession, and then embrace her faith as an example in front of everybody there, and of course, for us as well.  This is a radical compassion, with great and unimpeachable strength.  This woman is also someone on the outskirts of the society, being ritually unclean, and also destitute.  On the other hand, we have a little girl, just on the verge of becoming mature, daughter of the ruler of the synagogue.  But again, Jesus' strength in compassion is so great in this example:  He's subject to ridicule by this particular crowd at the house of Jairus, and His way of healing is to personally go to the child, take her by the hand, and speak to her directly.  That's a kind of attention not to the ruler of the synagogue himself, but rather immediately and fully to a little girl, someone who of herself really has no standing at all.  How can we strive to be like Christ in these pictures of healing?  He's someone above any form of ridicule or embarrassment.  He's not just assured in His own authority but rather in His identity; it's a kind of humility in Christ (if we can use that word for One who is divine) that just sets straight out to be only the person He really is.  As Creator, His time and attention are for each person -- the woman and the girl.  Moreover, there's never a pretense with Him.  He defies convention with both compassion and strength, but not a hint of arrogance or self-exaltation.   Rather, He's the opposite:  He tells the woman, "Your faith has made you well" and He forbids the witnesses to the girls' resurrection to speak of it.  Everything He does is in service to God the Father or to the world, to us, to humanity.  And that's the strength of His power; it is always used in service of truth and the reality of God who is love.  It is always to honor God the Father.  I wonder if we can hold this picture of the One who heals, who touches the unclean and insignificant with His personal touch and permits miracles, and the One who works together with our faith?  We note that He put the "ridiculers" outside the room, and allowed in only His particular inner circle of disciples.  Let us remember our faith, even tiny like a mustard seed, and what it can spark in the power and mastery of Christ, His strength and His compassion, which is shared with us.




 

She is not dead, but sleeping

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

- Luke 8:40-56

Yesterday, we read that Jesus and the disciples sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with a great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  Jesus and the disciples return "home" to Capernaum and familiar territory, only to find the ruler of the synagogue with a disastrous problem:  his only daughter is dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.   My study bible says, "For the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to religious and social isolation (Leviticus 25).  The woman displays bold faith by approaching both Christ and a ruler of the synagogue in a crowd, potentially defiling all of them and subjecting herself to ridicule."

And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  A note here explains that the question, "Who touched Me?" doesn't mean a mere physical touch but rather could be stated, "Who touched Me in faith?"  It says, "Just as 'the temple sanctifies the gold' (Matthew 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation, and the power of Christ works through even His garment.  To touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him.  In the Church, we touch Christ through oil, water, bread, wine, etc.  When this is done in faith, the power of Christ is received."  The traditional use of icons is also done in this spirit of faith in Christ and the power of Christ.

But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."   My study bible says that Jesus calls this woman forward for two reasons:  to take away her fear and trembling, and also to strengthen Jairus for the forthcoming news of his daughter's death.

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.   Jesus' statement, "Only believe," is reinforced (as my study bible pointed out) by the intervening experience of the healing of the woman with the bloodflow.  She was told, "Your faith has made you well."   It seems to me that the presence of only those closest to Jesus (Peter, James, and John) is also acting as enforcement for the idea that it is faith in Christ which is going to complete this "healing circuit," as we might call it.  The ridiculers must be kept out, those who think they know.  It's interesting also that here Jesus also says she's sleeping, as he said for Lazarus.  Even afterward, He charges her parents to tell no one what happened.  This may be because it's not yet time for such a revelation of His power to the public -- but given the circumstances, it is also an avoidance of those who might trample pearls underfoot, and threaten faith.

It's interesting that Jesus speaks frequently linking sleep and death (as in today's reading and the statement to the disciples about Lazarus).  Various branches of the Church, for example, commemorate the Dormition (falling asleep) of Mary.  At other times sleeping is linked to the kind of ignorance of spiritual life that allows us to miss the promise of life in Christ (as in the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins).   So we see sleep used as metaphor for death in positive and negative ways.  To think of the young girl, or our own beloved, as those who sleep is a very positive way to view physical death.  From a Christian point of view, it is an accurate way to view death, in the sense that we don't believe it is the end of life.  To be a human being means there is much more to us, to our life and what is alive as us, beyond physical being.  There is soul and spirit, there is mind and emotions.  There is faith.  There is relationship to God, and to God as mediator in our relationship to other creatures in our world.  The image of sleep as death emphasizes the life that still exists, that it goes on, where we are still linked through love, through spirit, through memory and mindful presence.  This understanding even leads us to another concept of time, an eternal present, that differs from how we live in the worldly life.  (It was Einstein who told us scientifically that space and time are linked; that in another "space" beyond how we live in the world there is a different sort of time is something the Church has always accepted.  "For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night"  Psalm 90:4.)   It gives us the truth of the hope of the Resurrection and Christ's promise of even more life than we can imagine, life in abundance.  Sleep in the negative sense (as metaphor for a lack of spiritual "wakefulness")  becomes akin to being deaf and blind, unperceptive, unaware of the true reality in one's situation.  It is a lack of awareness of the return of the Bridegroom in the parable of the Virgins, noted above, it's a failure to take note of the time at hand.  In Luke 12, we'll read about how Jesus likens servants who are awake and alert, awaiting the master even through the night, to those who can discern the signs of the times.  To be like the true faithful servant is to always be aware of what one is doing, awake to duty, how one lives with the other servants - carrying out the commands with justice and mercy -  in awaiting even the very late return of the Master.  For those who sleep on the job, the result is death - both a kind of living death, and a failure to receive the greater Life that awaits.  Jesus tells His followers, and all who will read the Gospels, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man returns" (Matthew 25:13).  In the Greek, the word we've had translated as "watch" really means to "stay awake."  Let us always remember both the hope in death, and also the proper state of life as "awake" in so many ways.  Ultimately, it is our Savior who has conquered death on the Cross for all of us.  Let us think even more deeply about all the meanings therein, and how that means we must live our lives in the state of wakefulness He exemplified.  Let us also remember the eternal communion of the saints, living in our midst, together with Him.  In a broken and imperfect world, life is all around.  Let us not sleepwalk while we can be awake to all of it.

Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

- Matthew 9:18-26

In yesterday's reading, we were told that as Jesus passed on from the healing of a paralytic, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."


While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.  Of today's entire passage, my study bible says that only God has authority over life and death (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  Since Jesus is of one essence with the Father, He has this authority (John 5:21).   It tells us that the healing of this woman shows Jesus' power both to cleanse and to heal (8:1-4).  Referring to the perspective of the Old Testament, it notes that hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which meant the imposition of both religious and social restrictions, because contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  My study bible notes:  "This suffering woman, accounting herself unclean, nevertheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  In verse 22, Jesus (1) brings her good cheer because of her faith; (2) corrects her thinking, for neither could she hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness; and (3) exhibits her faith to all, so that they might imitate her."

We note also the ridicule with which Jesus is met at the ruler's house, when He tells those who mourn to make room, because she's not dead, only asleep.  He's just made a tremendous healing -- a sort of "on the way" miraculous cure for a woman so oppressed by her illness she wants to approach Jesus in a hidden way, and yet He's ridiculed despite all that He has done (and obviously His reputation is by now, at least in this place, extraordinary and wide-spread).  I think it's important to make note of the limitations of our own experience and assumptions, and particularly within a kind of crowd or "mob" environment.  All too easily, when we don't really pay attention to the things of the heart, of real faith, we "go along" with a crowd that is bent on its own mission, its own self-importance, and get down to that lowest common denominator which is - in the end - negative, destructive, ridiculing of wisdom, of those who may know better.  I think it's an important thing to observe here, because it tells us a great truth which, 2,000 years later, has exemplified itself certainly in various aspects of the past century and our own "recent" history.  This "small example" here may be a great example from the Gospels of the truth that is suggested to us in all of Jesus' mission, the truth about what is all-too-easily dismissed, forgotten, condemned, ridiculed, unless we take the time and the awareness to remember and to recall what we are supposed to be all about, the One who has the true power of life and death, and all ultimate truth -- especially about the ways in which we are to treat one another.  This one small example teaches us so much about current ideas of consensus and why it is important to be truly mindful of the things we are to be about, despite the "crowds."  It's all too easy to fall into the thinking that we are a part of a crowd, a movement, and that our loyalty is to a vague concept of the communal or collective.  This is true in so many varied examples that we can't speak of any particular group, but has manifested itself repeatedly in widely varying contexts and movements.  But Christ works in each one of us, intersects with the hearts of each one of us, calls each one of us.  Let us remember to be mindful of this call, no matter where we find ourselves, or in what company.  In the end, it is the faith of this woman with the bloodflow, who comes to Him - she thinks - in secret, and on her own, that is truly praised by Him.

Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well

While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

- Matthew 9:18-26

Yesterday, we read that Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.  My study bible has a note that applies to the whole of today's passage.  It tells us that "authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone . . . Being of one essence with the Father, Jesus has this authority.  The healing of the ailing woman is another demonstration of Christ's power to cleanse and make whole.  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, imposing religious and social restrictions, for contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Lev. 15:25).  This suffering woman, accounting herself unclean, approaches Jesus secretly, but with great faith.  In verse 22, Jesus (1) brings her good cheer because of her simple faith; (2) corrects her thinking, for she could not hide her touch from Him; and (3) exhibits her faith to all, that they might imitate her.  Note that Jesus was not so disturbed by the news of the death of the ruler's daughter that He could not also attend to the needs of the suffering woman."

One thing we note about several of the healings so far in Matthew's Gospel is the "forbidden" nature that doesn't stop Jesus from expressing His love and care to those who have faith in Him.  Here, the woman with the bloodflow is clearly in the territory of the "unclean" -- and yet, He singles her out for her faith.  He calls her "daughter."  His love is a bridge, not only to health, but to inclusion.  The young girl in the story is a beloved daughter, with a father (called a ruler here; elsewhere he's named as Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue) who cares for and protects her.  This care in today's setting is so strong that even though the girl has passed, her father has faith that Jesus can restore her to life, and so he comes to Christ.  We can also note who's excluded here in today's story:  the crowds that have no faith, who ridicule Jesus, the professionals who mourn:  the flute players and the noisy crowd that wails her death.  It's as if somehow they are feeding on death, but Jesus is life itself.  They must be put out, in order to bolster faith.  The circle of faith in these stories is the circle of love; it's the circle of care made through Christ, through faith in Christ.  So far in Matthew's gospel, what we have observed is that Christ will go to all lengths, will break through all barriers and taboos and conventions, to act on that love.  He will touch what is untouchable.  He travels to the possessed demoniacs to free them.  He sits at table and celebrates with notorious sinners.  Here in today's reading, an action which could easily have resulted in a strong chastisement is welcomed with "Be of good cheer, daughter."  There is nothing that stops Him from healing the ones He loves, but perhaps even more importantly, nothing that keeps us from Him, from being included in that love.  All barriers are broken by that love.  All bonds are off.  Nothing can hold us back from it because He holds nothing back.  Faith has the power to move mountains because that love bridges everything, because there is nothing that can stop it.  Even more powerfully than the healings, the message of Christ's love and inclusion calls us through each of these stories.  It calls us to imitate and to learn and to trust.  Prayer, we must remember, isn't just about asking for what we want, and hoping for our fondest wishes.  Prayer is about dialogue with Christ, communion, and love and trust.  It is about calling to the One whose love doesn't accept boundaries, and whose family includes the woman with the bloodflow.  Whatever astonishes us in the Gospels, let us remember the power of His love, because in that love is truly where life is.  Let us remember what He will do to shore up and protect that tie of love, as He put the noisy ridiculing and wailing crowd outside, the one that speaks only of death, and take note of that for ourselves as well.

Daughter, your faith has made you well

 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 she said to her, "Tabitha, 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 of Jesus' arrival across the sea of Galilee, in Gentile territory.  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.  Here we are again, back on the "home" side of the sea of Galilee, once again in Jewish territory.  My study bible says, "Not all Jewish leaders were opposed to Jesus."  It's important that the Gospels tell us so, and this includes prominent members of the Sanhedrin who would become key followers of Jesus and play a significant role in the story of His life.  Here, once again we're back in the place where Jesus is known and His fame is spread so that the multitudes simply throng Him, as opposed to the desolate place He went and found the Gadarene demoniac in Saturday's reading.  The leader of the synagogue is motivated by a great love for his young daughter, who is twelve years old, just on the verge of becoming a young woman.  He puts his trust in Christ to help her.

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 the Gospel gives us a woman in contrast to the young girl.  As opposed to the young girl full of the promise of a future life, daughter of the synagogue ruler, this one has spent all of her savings, "all that she had" and was no better, but rather worse!  She has "suffered many things from many physicians."  Her suffering and illness has lasted as long as the young girl's life.  We can imagine her struggle simply for hope.  The blood flow itself would take her out of community, making her unclean; we can surmise it is a source of shame and grief, something that isolates her from others in an unjust way.

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.  Here's an interesting parallel:  she feels in her body that she is healed of the affliction, just as Christ "knows in Himself" that power has gone out of Him.  My study bible points out that "healing takes energy.  Jesus is aware that divine energy had gone out of Him when He was touched.  This power (Gr. dynamis) is a manifestation of the one, uncreated power of God,  'the power of God to salvation' (Rom. 1:16)."

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 says here:  "God's power or energy is available to people as grace from Him.  Jesus says, Daughter, your faith has made you well, showing that while divine power healed her, the woman's faith participated in the healing."  We note the word "affliction" used by Jesus, and again return to the metaphor running through Mark's Gospel of the oppressive rule that afflicts human beings, from which Jesus comes to liberate us.  Here the root of affliction is to scourge or whip in a most painful way; the severe pain of disease or plague is indicated by this term as well. He restores her to peace as 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."  Here, my study bible says, "No situation is hopeless when Christ is present.  As the woman needed faith to be healed, so these parents need to persist in faith, even now that their daughter's condition seems past hope."  In today's lectionary reading, we also find a passage from Galatians 1 in which St. Paul writes, "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."  He is referring to the Gospel message that he felt was being distorted into a gospel of man.  In today's reading we see illustrated a similar concept for us:  the popular understanding is that Jairus' daughter is dead, there is no hope.  But the revelation of Jesus tells us something else and asks of us (and Jairus) faith. 

And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.   My study bible notes, "Peter, James and John:  the inner circle of the disciples, on whose faith and understanding Jesus could rely."

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.  Here we have another example of what the crowds believe, as contrasted with the message of Christ.  They ridicule 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 she said to her, "Tabitha, 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.  We note again the emphasis on faith and what it does and what should be done for it.  Jesus takes only His inner circle with Him.  He puts "them all outside" -- all of those who ridicule His message, His revelation of what is happening here.  Taking the child by the hand is an action that for me is very symbolic, it shows His action, His initiation of the healing, just as He took Peter's mother-in-law by the hand in an earlier reading.  My study bible points out, "Jesus speaks Aramaic here, the spoken language of Jews in His time.  Jesus commands demons and they obey, the stormy seas and they obey, and here, the dead and she 'obeys.'."  It also notes that Jesus once again commanded silence to avoid misunderstanding.  Sometimes, silence and mystery are necessary in order to preserve in truth the gospel message for the true time of its public revelation.  Again, a paradox, something contrary to the beliefs of the crowds.

Today's reading teaches us all about faith, and how it connects us to a divine power, the energy of Christ.  What we see in today's manifestations of faith are the private messages, the secret, hidden communication that goes on between Christ and those who come to Him in faith.  First there is Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue who puts all his trust in Christ as he fears what will come to his daughter.  And then there is the woman who trusts despite her seemingly hopeless condition that there is one thing that she can try, if she can only just touch the hem of His garment in that crowd.  My study bible has a note that "Jesus never seems to be in a hurry, or ever interrupted from His mission.  Here He attends to both needs.  The woman goes away healed, Jairus is amazed and happy, and Jesus is not detained!  Only God in the flesh brings such things to pass."  But what we notice is the private faith that becomes (eventually) public doctrine.  It all begins with that spark that makes a connection with Him and with His divine energy or power.  In private, He heals the girl so as to avoid the crowds that ridicule and diminish the spark of faith in these people who hold on to hope despite what they hear.  In private, she (the woman with the bloodflow) reaches out to touch Him, and He reveals her as His "daughter" to the crowds.  We read in the Gospel the revelation of these things, the doctrine of Christ, the power and the spark of faith "even as a mustard seed" that grows into a gospel proclaimed to the world.  So, how is faith revealed in you and to you? Does it start as a spark, despite the lack of hope a "worldly" view would point out to you?  Do you nurture it in your heart?  What private moments have turned to public joy?  Let us consider faith and revelation, and remember that healing grace doesn't have to be proclaimed from the rooftops to prove its power, just nurtured as we are guided to do so.