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 comments for us to recognize 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 God the Father, He has this authority (John 5:21).  The healing of the woman demonstrates yet again Christ's power to cleanse and to heal (see this reading).  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, and so imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  My study Bible says that this suffering woman -- who accounts herself unclean -- nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  He, in turn, brings her good cheer because of her faith.  Moreover, He corrects her thinking, because she couldn't hide her touch from Him nor was she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, He exhibits her faith to all, so that they might imitate her.  

 

This is yet another time, as with the paralytic, that Jesus' touch (that is, the woman secretly touches the hem of His garment) He heals what is considered to be unclean.  Jesus makes it perfectly clear that He embraces her healing and her action, as He displays her faith to all as an example, and calls her "daughter."  There is also another daughter in this story, and wherever in the Gospels we read the story of one, we also read the story of the other.  The older woman is past her capacity for child-bearing (and certainly her chronic hemorrhage indicates this also), while the younger is on the cusp of maturing.  In a kind of parallel irony, St. Matthew's text tells us that this woman had suffered from this affliction for twelve years; in the stories according to Sts. Mark and Luke we're told that the daughter is also twelve years of age.  In another ironic comparison, the older woman has suffered everything from doctors, spent all of her money seeking treatment, and has only grown worse (Mark 5:25-26); on the other hand the young daughter of a ruler of the synagogue is a child of a person of rank and likely substantial possessions.  She has her father and mother to plead for her, and hired flute players and a noisy crowd come to mourn her.  The first approaches Christ with the humility of her circumstances; the second cannot speak for herself, but is a daughter of relative privilege with a father to speak to Him for her.  In these strange parallels and inverses, we see once again the breadth and depth of Christ.  He can speak with anybody, turns no one away who comes in faith, is approached by all, even the humblest and poorest and most powerless.  He gives equal time to all.  And yet we see He lifts up the lowly, while the proud are humbled (those who ridiculed Him).  And this, also, teaches us that He is God; see Luke 1:46-55, especially verses 51-52.  Thus, He both transcends and traverses all things and people as well.  Above all, we know His compassion, for this is the characteristic of the Incarnation as a whole.  Out of everlasting love, He has been sent to us, and He has been sent to heal all things in all ways (John 3:16).  He is the Physician for all and for all things, even death.  There is another ironic parallel of death and resurrection in today's reading, as blood was considered life and containing the life of all living creatures; while this woman's chronic blood flow was life-threatening and seemingly incurable, He not only heals her but also revives the daughter who was understood to have died.  In all of these things we see Christ at the center, and for all who need what He has to offer.  But in all cases, it is faith that makes the connection, whether it be by a woman coming to Him in secret and without His knowing, or a ruler of the synagogue pleading for his daughter.  High and low, it is faith that is the thread between the Healer and the healed.

 

 

 

But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "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 as Jesus passed on from healing the paralytic, He saw a man named Matthew siting 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 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 comments here 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, He has this authority (John 5:21).  The healing of the woman with the flow of blood shows once again Christ's power as Physician (see yesterday's reading, above) in which He cleanses and heals (8:1-4).   This is yet another example of what was considered unclean, for in the Old Testament hemorrhage constituted ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions -- as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  My study bible comments that as this woman accounts herself unclean, she nevertheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Jesus brings her good cheer because of her faith.  But He also corrects her thinking, because she couldn't hide her touch from Him and neither is she excluded from Him by her illness.  Finally, Jesus exhibits and praises her faith to all, so that they might imitate her.

Let's consider what a "flow of blood" might symbolize.  As blood is frequently symbolic for life, and the color red often associated in icons with divinity (or the origin of life), we might see this woman as losing life.  Her illness is a constant reminder of weakness and frailty, and she is being drained of life and substance in some symbolic sense.  This woman's hemorrhage has lasted twelve years, a number suggesting the fullness of the people of God.  Luke tells us that she has exhausted all of her means on physicians but was not healed (Luke 8:43).  So, parallel to the blood flow is the outflowing loss of material substance, all her money having been spent.  But keeping that in mind, what the story tells us about faith is its capacity for compensating no matter what our weaknesses or liabilities are.  She's steadily losing life, most likely suffering from anemia at the very least from such an ailment.  Her condition not only steadily weakened her but she also has no social support, as she's excluded due to being considered unclean.  In her state she is likely unable to cook for or associate with her family; she will also be excluded from religious community.  So not only is she physically weakened, and unable to be helped by doctors, but she is further deprived of emotional and spiritual strength through community.   Her isolation puts her in great contrast with the paralytic in Thursday's reading, who was able to be helped by his friends.  She has no parents nor family as the young girl who would be willing to request Jesus to come to her.  All of this must be taken into account when we observe Jesus separating her from the crowd and praising her for her faith in front of all, for indeed it is her faith that has overcome all of those handicaps and weaknesses robbing her of life.   In such a context, we remind ourselves that St. Paul regarding having prayed for healing himself:  "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).  Her faith connects her with the power of Christ which flows to her to heal.  It is through faith that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness.  Therefore when we read of Jesus' praise for her faith, let us consider how many strikes she has against her, how deprived she truly is of strength.  As Jesus signals to us, it is her faith that has made her well.  She approaches in a hidden way, in secret, but her healing is made public by Christ.  Let us consider how powerful faith must be that it can override so many strikes against this woman, and overcome such great isolation and weakness.  Let us remember the power we access when we seek help in our secret and hidden prayer.

This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him

St. John the Baptist icon. St. George Greek Orthodox Church, rebuilt late 1800s.  Madaba, Jordan

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

- Matthew 14:1-12

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had finished teaching parables we read in chapter 13,  He departed from there.  When He had come into His own country of Nazareth, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  The story of the death of John the Baptist is given parenthetically in the Gospels; that is, it's a type of flashback, because it is given as explanation for why Herod believes that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead.  It gives us a picture of Herod's dread, and assumption of why such power is at work in Jesus.  My study bible adds that in the tradition of the Church, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades.  John is therefore Forerunner (his title in the Church) not only to Christ on earth, but also to all souls who came before.   John is also seen as a defender of marriage.  This story about John tells us of the great esteem in which the people held him, believing that he was a prophet and holy man.

In this story of the beheading of John, we're given a glimpse into the life of the palace of King Herod.  This Herod is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great.  While Herod the Great ruled Judea for Rome, and was known as both ruthless tyrant (in a world in which rulers were known for their harshness, Herod stood out), and also a great builder, whose projects included the magnificent second temple.  Herod the Great was the king who slew the infants of Bethlehem.  Herod Antipas is his son, who is known as the tetrarch of Galilee, Jesus' home territory.  For those of the early Church, and the Jews of the time of Jesus, the story of Herod Antipas is quite shocking.  First of all, to ask a daughter to dance before men is already an insult to the contemporary importance of modesty, just as under particular circumstances it could also be to us today.  It is at once an indication of the excesses of this court.  Herod is married to his living brother's wife, which was a violation of Jewish laws of marriage.  (The contemporary historian Josephus writes that she violated Jewish law by divorcing her first husband; possible for a Roman woman, but not legal for a woman under Jewish law.)   Her daughter, who dances before the guests at this birthday party, is from her first marriage.   John's denunciation of this violation of the law is the reason why he was imprisoned in the first place, at the behest of Herodias.  Herodias herself was equally ambitious for power and position as any other figure of the time.    Their marriage would spark a war for political reasons that was disastrous for them.  Eventually both Herod and Herodias were sent to Gaul in exile.  But the events described in today's reading give us a sense of the selfishness that categorizes these royals:  all Herodias cares about is ridding herself of John the Baptist, the daughter's dance prompts a lavish and rash promise of whatever goods she wants, the daughter is manipulated by her mother into a horrific bargain for the head of a prophet and holy man.  It culminates in the gruesome image of John's head brought in on a platter at this birthday party, and given to the girl, who then gives it to her mother.  It is an absolute picture of selfishness, which the Gospel ultimately connects the worst sort of violence and murder.  Here we come to an important understanding of our faith:  while Christ's death on the Cross is the ultimate unselfish act, the greatest sacrifice made from love, the lives of Herod and Herodias resemble the worst excesses of selfishness, self-centeredness.  John the Baptist also has lived his life for God; he will be the model for the Christian monastics to come.  Ultimately, we can see in these figures a basic understanding of our faith.  We live in a world dominated by violence sparked from selfishness, for which the antidote is a life in which we seek to love God with all our heart and soul and strength, and neighbor as oneself (see 22:35-40).  The lives of John the Baptist and Jesus give us examples of those who lived such teachings to the fullest, as events unfolded for each, and we are to do likewise, with God's help.   In a world in which so much is offered to us through commerce, entertainment, and advertising, we may be tempted to feel that a life of selfish excess is not only a worthwhile goal, but one which the world chases around us.  In truth, our faith asks us to live differently, and not to go along with the easy lure of selfishness as a guide to happiness.  Just as that life gave no peace nor happiness to Herod or Herodias, so we also seek something wiser and better.  We hold to our faith to bring us a better life, one in which we have the peace of knowing and understanding that we are loved and we love in return, and that we have something more meaningful and better to live for.  Through our faith, we may consider that we live for a truly better world, in which we may leave traces of that love which God gives to us first, and asks us to return.  Whatever form the questions of your life take, consider this difference.  Look around at the violence in our own contemporary world, and consider where it comes from.  If we think today we are in any less of a struggle than the world into which Christ was born, we are mistaken.  Our mission, following Him, is as essential to this world as ever.  His struggle remains, and He asks us to join Him.   In the icon above, we read the story of John.  He's titled "Forerunner" for his message of preparation for the Messiah.  He holds his head on a platter, and a scroll upon which is his message of repentance (3:2).  He has wings like an angel, as John was the messenger of Christ, and the Greek word for angel (αγγελος/angelos) means "messenger."

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.  This man is the ruler of the synagogue; it is significant that He worshiped Christ, and also that he understood that his daughter had died.  My study bible says that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  Being of one essence with the Father, Jesus has this authority; His is the power of life itself (John 5:21). 

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.  Jesus' power to cleanse and to heal is displayed here.  This is another occasion where Jesus heals and breaks boundaries against the "unclean" -- her hemorrhage would be cause for ceremonial defilement, which included imposed restrictions on religious and social contact.  Contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  But what we see is her faith -- which Jesus deliberately points out.  She could not hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Her faith becomes an example to the rest of the people with Him (in the other Gospel versions of this story, the detail is included that they are in the midst of a great crowd).

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."   This is another defiance of the mindset of "the crowd" by Jesus, and a teaching about faith.  He puts the wailing, mourning crowd outside in order to effect the healing, again by touch of the little girl.

We see great faith reported throughout this story; first in the ruler, and second in the woman with the blood flow.  Jesus does everything He can to shore up faith:  by immediately following in the faith of the ruler to heal his daughter, by praising the woman with the blood flow, by putting those who ridicule out of the house.  It's an affirmation of the power of life, a picture of Christ that teaches us something:  the mourning and wailing crowd, too busy with its proclamation of death to do anything but ridicule Christ, must be put outside.  It opens up a question for us to ask:  what is it that we have faith in, exactly?  Clearly, it is Christ's power of life that is absolutely affirmed here -- and that life is unequivocally inseparable from faith.  Even the woman's blood flow is symbolic of loss of life:  it is Christ's power to restore her, and His work to display her faith and proclaim that it is that faith that has made her well.  At the raising of Lazarus, Jesus says to Martha:  “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live"  (John 11:25).   We have to think about what this life means, what resurrection is.  What does it mean to have life more abundantly?   The word in Greek for resurrection means literally to "stand again," to be once more upright, and we can think of a number of figurative ways in which Christ restores us, renews us.  To have life "more abundantly" opens up many questions about just what life is and what constitutes life:  He offers us more than what we expect and know.  But faith is connected with this offer of life, and it is faith that both shores it up and makes the connection with His life and His power of life extended to and at work in us.  Once we begin to think about it, there are any measure of things that need such life in abundance, that may benefit from the influence of faith.  What ails us?  Do our lives feel stuck?  Is there a place where we need "restoration"?  How do we need to be "upright" again and restored to our true natural places?  And life more abundantly is a promise of more, things to come, things we don't yet know.  This is something to think about and to pray about, as life therefore is so much more than we understand and expect.  We tend to dismiss, in our "materialistic" outlook on life, that which is seemingly imperfect or "less than."   But in Christ's life, everything begins with the tiniest mustard seed, power is perfected particularly in our weakness, and illness or limitation are seen as opportunity for the glory of God.  We turn to the source, the One who breaks all boundaries and understanding, who rebukes those who ridicule, in order to give us an abundance of life, to continually show us what that is.

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 into all that land.

- Matthew 9:18-26

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus passed on from healing a paralytic (He is in Capernaum), 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.  In other Gospels, this ruler is identified as Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue at Capernaum.  We see his faith in the "Teacher."  My study bible says that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39).  Jesus shares this authority as Son (John 5:21).  As Matthew tells it, we see Jesus' immediate positive response.  There's a sort of interesting parallel here to yesterday's reading.  There, Jesus commanded Matthew the tax collector, "Follow Me."  Here, Jesus follows the ruler of the synagogue to His home, and His disciples follow as well.  It seems to tell us something about Jesus' own obedience to the institutions of faith, although this ruler worships Him.

 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.   As He's on His way to the ruler's daughter, another expression of His power takes place -- and this time it comes literally from behind Him.  This is another example of His power to cleanse and to heal.  And it's also another example of His actions which seem to directly violate the Law.  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage would cause ceremonial defilement, imposing religious and social restrictions, because contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  But this woman, while thinking of herself as unclean (and she would have been prohibited from community contact as well), approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Her faith makes contact with His power.  Nothing can really be hidden from Him, but it is faith that makes the connection.  She's not excluded from Him because of her illness, and far from putting her away, He shows her to the whole crowd as an example of faith for everyone.

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 into all that land.   Jesus goes through ridicule from the noisy crowd to heal the girl.  It won't be the last time.  It's another emphasis on faith that everyone is put outside, with the exception of a handful of disciples and the girl's parents (Mark 5:36-43).

Jesus once again exemplifies faith as our highest good.  The unclean woman, officially or legally (according to the Law of Moses) is not supposed to be in community, let alone touching a man -- and particularly this Man, Christ, the Teacher.  But faith makes her bold, even to just touch the hem of His clothing.  Jesus draws her out and praises her, in complete contradiction to her expectations, and most likely those of the crowd.  This is something astonishing.  And all of it is couched, justified, made possible through faith.  He shows her off to the crowds, saying, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  So again, as we have observed so far throughout Matthew's Gospel, it is faith that makes all the difference.  In this case in today's reading, it seems that her faith has somehow "unlocked" His power.  He was prepared to go with the synagogue ruler to his house in order to heal his daughter.  Would we think, possibly, that Christ's power was somehow ready for use?  The story might give us some sort of impression like that.  But in His authority as Son, Christ's power is always present and ready for us.  In Orthodox theology, God's grace and mercy are always active as God's energies.  And again, we note that in this Gospel (and in others) grace and mercy are synonymous with healing.  Just as in yesterday's reading, when we noted that Jesus sits with tax collectors who have become His disciples, and He calls Himself "Physician," while teaching the Pharisees, "Go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' "  The point of the Law was to heal, and He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.  Let us understand, then, healing not just as some sort of example of miraculous power and a sign to the world, for it is more than that.  Healing is the whole Way of Christ.  It is the path, the journey.  Our repentance and transformation in God's love, our correction in that faith process, is healing.  It is setting aright.  It is bringing us into right-relatedness with the whole of the creation.  This is the gospel message.  Let us find ways in which it manifests in all of our lives and in all kinds of ways and expressions, and treasure those moments.  And we note what we might need to do to shore up faith.  Jesus puts the noisy crowd outside.  Let us remember to do that when we need to, as well.