Who touched Me?

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 5:21–43 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus and the disciples, following a harrowing, stormy journey across the Sea of Galilee, 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 in 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 Jesus has returned to Capernaum, the "headquarters" of His Galilean ministry, where all know Him.   We can see that Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, is completely familiar with Jesus.  

 

 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."   My study Bible comments that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Christ is of one essence with the Father, He has such authority (John 5:21).  This woman's healing, it says, is a demonstration of Christ's power to cleanse and heal (see Matthew 8:1-4).   In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, and it imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This woman has suffered for twelve years, not only from her ailment but also from the many physicians she's already consulted and only grown worse.  Although she accounts herself unclean, she nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Jesus tells her to go in peace, that her faith has made her well.  He corrects her thinking, as she could not hide her touch, neither was she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, He exhibits her faith to everyone. so they might imitate 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.  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.  The resurrection of Jairus' daughter is an affirmation of Christ's power over life and death.  According to my study Bible, this healing, together with other resurrections performed by Christ in the Gospels (such as the raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-44) confirm the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  My study Bible comments that while many people have exercised authority over the living, it's only the Son of God who "has power over both the living and the dead" (words found in the Eastern Orthodox funeral service).  Let us note here that while Christ has power through His word alone (John 11:43), he also touched the child in taking her by the hand, showing (as in the healing of the woman's blood flow) that His body is life-giving.  

 

Touch plays a significant part in today's reading.  That is, the touch that allows people to receive the power of Christ to heal, even to restore life.  We should not be surprised at this, for we are to understand that it is the Incarnation itself that restores us.  God became human to assume all the things of humanity, so that humanity could be healed.  Therefore (and thereby) His body is life-giving.  In the first instance in today's reading,  this woman with the twelve-years flow of blood comes behind Him, in a crowd, and believes, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Surely the text indicates to us that this crowd was bumping into one another as it was, for the disciples are incredulous that He'd like them to tell Him who touched Him.  They say, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  The impossibility for them of telling Jesus just who it was tells us how crowded this scene was.  But what is the difference between her touch and the possible accidental touch of others in crowd that throngs Jesus?  It is her faith that makes the difference.  Jesus tells her, and the crowd, and His disciples, and us as well that this is so, when He tells her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  It's remarkable that we're also told she came and confessed to Him what she'd done, even as she feared and trembled, for this is a kind of face-to-face meeting with God.  It is the same sense in coming to repentance and coming before God for reconciliation.  She is reconciled indeed, even as "unclean" as her blood flow makes her, for He calls her "Daughter."  Then there is the case of the little girl, a daughter of one of the rulers of the synagogue.  She is just twelve years old, St. Mark tells us, the age of the number of years the older woman had suffered.  Jesus raises her up, taking her by the hand, commanding the little girl to arise.  In the first case of the woman with the blood flow, the faith was hers that made the difference, and effectively Christ felt His own power go out of Him to heal her.  In this case, the faith of the parents, so desperately needing to be strengthened by Jesus and His closest disciples, is what is at work.  This says to us that the prayers of the Church have an effect, even that we, in our prayers and in our faith, can take stewardship of a kind to help others to come to that healing touch of Christ.  Just as we pay even for the dead in the Church, so our prayers are heard for others even for God's mercy after death.  Surely the stories of resurrection in the Gospels teach us that as well.  (In addition to the story of the raising of Lazarus in John 11, see also the raising of the son of the widow of Nain at Luke 7:11-17).  Surely the power of God is everywhere, and thus our prayers to God are effectively without barrier.  Let us not forget that Christ's body, life-giving as it is for us, also was part of His Ascension, thus the power to heal humanity follows into territory we can't possibly limit nor predict.  Let us not forget our great gift of the Incarnation, feeding us in the Eucharist, and the tremendous and irreplaceable gift of faith.

 

 

 

 

 

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 her to eat.

 

- Mark 5:21-43 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, 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.   By this time in Mark's Gospel, we see the great fuss made over Jesus wherever He goes in His Galilean ministry headquarters:  the moment He arrives back from the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a great multitude greets Him.  At this stage, despite Jesus having already had a dispute with the Pharisees, one of the rulers of the synagogue now approaches Him, for the healing of his little daughter.  He expresses faith that Jesus can heal her and she will live, but we will observe Jesus' approach to that faith.  My study Bible comments that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Christ is of one essence with the Father, He 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 her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  My study Bible comments that the healing of this woman demonstrates Christ's power to cleanse and heal.  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This suffering woman, who has accounted herself unclean, nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Similarly to Jairus, she is desperate for help.   We observe that Jesus blesses her with peace, as her faith has made her well.  Her thinking is corrected in that she could not hide her touch from Him, nor was she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, my study Bible says, He exhibits her faith to all, that she might be imitated.  There is another note in which we are given to understand that there is also a patristic spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  In that spiritual understanding, this woman symbolizes human nature in general, as humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death, which is symbolized by the flow of blood.  The physicians who could not cure her stand for the various religions of the world, as well as the Law of the Old Testament, which were unable to grant life to human beings.  Only through Christ, it says, are we freed from suffering and bondage to sin.

 

 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 resurrections which were performed by Christ as recorded in the Gospels; see also Luke 7:11-17; John 11:1-44. 

There are important ties which we can observe between these two stories in today's reading.  We might observe first the desperation of the father, Jairus, who is a ruler of the synagogue.  Although he holds an important position, his need for the healing of his daughter is extreme, as she is at the point of death.  Note how Christ becomes a focal point for authority and trust (faith) as Jairus faces the possible death of his daughter.  On the other hand, there is the woman who reaches in secret, in the midst of this jostling, thronging crowd, to simply touch Jesus' clothes.  Imagine her desperation, as we're told that she 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.  There is another parallel to be observed here, as Luke 8:42 tells us that Jairus' daughter was about twelve years of age.  The number twelve is clearly significant in the Bible in a number of cases, but what might it signify here?  Perhaps it has something to do with maturity and suffering, a kind of hallmark of experience as both the young woman and the old are at the limit of suffering and receive Christ's healing as an answer to desperation.  We might assume that the older woman's flow of blood is linked to childbearing, while the young woman is simply on the verge of her reproductive years.  Most importantly, the tie between these two intertwined stories is faith, and lessons about faith.  Although both represent exhausted and desperate cases, each one is about persistence and the importance of shoring up and maintaining faith.  Jesus ascribes the older woman's healing to her faith, for which she is rewarded not only with health but the praise of Christ, an astonishing blessing indeed.  As for the young girl, her parents, and her whole household, are taught a lesson in faith by Christ, as He puts out those who ridicule, and takes in only the parents and His disciples of greatest faith (Luke 8:51).  Here we also have a very useful contrast, as the faith and courage of the woman who's exhausted all of her savings and her search for doctors is hers alone -- but Jairus' daughter is saved by the courage and faith of her father and mother, Christ's closest disciples, and the intervention of Christ Himself to separate them from the scoffers and those who ridiculed.  It's an important distinction, because each "works" to bring about healing, but each teaches us about the varied possibilities of the ways that faith can work, even through friends and loved ones and strangers.  And in each case, we might consider the force of faith as a sort of network.  The woman's faith draws power from Christ, so that He understands it but not where it went or who touched Him.  Jesus deliberately creates a circle of faithful, concerned people around Jairus' daughter which suggests a circuit or network through which faith is effectively powerful (and powerful enough to reject the unbelievers' ridicule).  These are all ways in which we can look at today's reading and its central message about faith.  Let us take most heart in Christ's praise for courage and persistence through both.  We are not to lose heart when a struggle becomes difficult, but to persist in our faithful efforts nonetheless, using all means at our disposal to strengthen that faith, even putting aside those who challenge and hinder our chosen faith, and therefore its peace and its joy.  Finally, Jesus calls the older woman "daughter," while it's clear that Jairus' daughter is indeed a "daughter."  We have in His words Christ's loving care, like words of protection for His children.  We note how faith works together with His compassion, and in this we are His family indeed.

 

Do not be afraid; only believe

 

 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, following a storm on the Sea of Galilee, 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 25).  The woman shows a bold faith by approaching both Christ and a ruler of the synagogue in the 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?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   My study Bible comments that "Who touched Me?" does not simply mean a physical touch.  Rather, this question means, "Who touched Me in faith?"  Just as "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation.  The power of Christ therefore works even through His garment.  To touch His garment in faith is to touch Him.  In the Church, my study Bible explains, we touch Christ through many means such as icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc.   When this is done in faith, the power of Christ is received.  

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 the woman forward 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, 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.  At the moment Christ is still speaking to the healed woman, news of the death of Jairus' daughter comes.  Let us again take note of the role of faith here.  Jesus takes careful pains to bring in with Him only Peter, James, and John (the disciples with the strongest faith) and the mother and father of the girl.  This is how He dealt with those who ridiculed Him.   The text notes that Christ acts to put them all outside.  This is one of three resurrections in the Gospels (see also Luke 7:11-17, John 11:1-44).  In the earlier story of the widow of Nain, Jesus touched the coffin of her son; at the raising of Lazarus, Jesus called out to him.  Here again Jesus uses a life-giving touch (He took her by the hand) and also gives a command ("Little girl, arise").

 

 There is an important understanding given in Scripture about things which are set apart for the glory of God, things given over and sanctified for holiness.  This applies to the temple and all of its services and functions in the Old Testament, to the workings of the Mosaic Law, and various other ways of understanding holiness.  In the New Testament it applies also to the people of God, the faithful, whom Jesus says at the Last Supper He has called out of the world.  See John 15:19, in which Jesus tells the disciples, "I chose you out of the world" in explaining that they are not "of the world."  See also 1 Peter 2:9.  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we read about the man afflicted by a "Legion" of demons, and his healing by Jesus.  As part of the context of the story, the people by whom that man was surrounded were fine with the circumstances in which they freely raised their swine, and he lived among the tombs -- but they were sorely troubled both with fear at his healing and by the loss of their swine.  This man had to return to his home where he could proclaim the great things God had done for him; clearly the environment among these people allowed no room for what was healthy, and there was no welcome for Christ there.  In today's reading, we may observe the importance of setting apart what is spiritually healthy from what is not.  Christ heals through touch which works via faith, is effective together with the faith of the individuals involved.  He goes so far as to separate all the people in the household of Jairus away from the girl and His act of healing, and He takes only Peter, James, and John with Him into her room (besides the mother and father, whom He's counseled "Do not be afraid" and "only believe").  While the woman with the blood flow took a great risk herself in being a part of that crowd, and had great faith to touch the hem of His garment, He separates her to display her faith and make her an example to the others, adding, "Your faith has made you well."   Although she has violated the law regarding contact with blood and interaction with community, He tells her to "be of good cheer" and, "Go in peace."  In taking specific steps to set people apart in each scenario in today's reading, Jesus is doing so to protect and to shore up faith.  We are given a teaching, through Christ's acts, about how important it is to take all the steps necessary to protect our faith -- and by doing so, effectively to protect our health, be that spiritual, mental, or physical.  In whatever ways we are healed through Christ, it becomes essential to understand this notion of being set apart as that which guards our strengths, and helps to have boundaries against that which will in some way harm faith -- and therefore well-being.  Since healing depends so much upon the quality of faith, and the associated characteristics with faith, such as strength of character, persistence, joy even amid suffering, and especially hope, we are given examples whereby we may take positive steps to protect the real gains for well-being that our faith helps to bring about.  The person struggling with addiction who is helped through prayer and the "Higher Power" of Christian faith, the one who must get healthcare for a family member and struggles with despair or depression but is taught persistence via their faith, or the person who struggles with their own sense of purpose which is fed by faith -- and so many other possible examples -- all must take steps to protect positive forward movement for healing, and this means taking all steps necessary to protect and cultivate faith.  It means surrounding ourselves with those who may help build our faith, who affirm the positive outcomes of prayer and its effect in us, who will not tear down the things we do to help ourselves within a struggle for well-being.  Jesus gives us an affirmative courage to do as He did, and to remember and protect the one thing needed.  Let us take steps to protect our identity as those whom He has called out of the world that offers despair and defeat -- and hold firm to the hope He gives for our lives.

 

Talitha, cumi

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 5:21-43 

 

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

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Jesus is once again in Capernaum, His ministry "headquarters" in Galilee.  Here we see He is well-known enough that one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus, comes to seek Him, for Jairus' daughter is ill to the point of death. 

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."   Again, we understand the renown of Jesus and His ministry in Capernaum, for this crowd is thronging Him.  Included is a woman with a chronic flow of blood, a hemorrhage which even many physicians have failed to heal, although she has spent all that she had.  We are meant to understand her desperation, and that in the Old Testament, hormorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, and it imposed religious and social restrictions on a person, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  She accounts herself unclean, but nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Jesus understands that power had gone out of Him, and wants to seek the person whose faith was garnered such a healing response, telling her, "Your faith has made you well."  He tells her to "Go in peace" because through her faith, her illness did not exclude her from Him.  My study Bible comments that He exhibits her faith to all, so that they might imitate her.  My study Bible also adds that there is a spiritual interpretation of this encounter in patristic commentary:  this woman symbolizes human nature in general.  Humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death, which is symbolized by her flow of blood.  Those many physicians who could not cure her stand for the various religions of the world, including the Old Testament Law,  which were unable to grant life to humanity.  Only through Christ, my study Bible says, are we freed from suffering and bondage to sin.

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.   Note that as Jesus took time for the encounter with the woman healed of the blood flow, in the meantime Jairus' daughter has died.  But Jesus' emphasis is on faith; His confidence in the power of God at work through Him and in His ministry.  So essential is faith that He takes with Him only Peter, James, and John, those disciples who are of the strongest faith and the closest to Him.  The people in the house are already lamenting and wailing; they ridicule Jesus when He says the child is not dead.  My study Bible comments that this is one of three resurrections performed by Christ  as recorded in the Gospels (see also Luke 7:11-17, John 11:1-44).  It says that they confirm the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  Many people have exercised authority over the living; only the Son of God "has power over both the living and the dead" (quoting from the Orthodox funeral service).  While Jesus has power through His word alone (John 11:43), we observe from the touch of the woman with the blood flow that even His very body is life-giving; with both His word ("Little girl, I say to you, arise") and His touch He raises Jairus' daughter.  

Talitha cumi is the phrase given here as the one Jesus says to the little girl, Jairus' daughter.  It is Aramaic.  "Talitha" is a kind of affectionate diminutive term translated for us as "little girl."   Some sources suggest that it is etymologically related to the Aramaic and Hebrew word for "lamb."  Cum, or cumi, is "arise."  In a certain sense, the words remind us of those who will arise to the word of Christ at the Resurrection.  (It also echoes in the Aramaic-related language of the Paschal Troparion in Arabic, "Masīh qām," "Christ is risen.")    Christ Himself is the Word, the Son who commands by word, and words echo with meanings and poetic reminders of the things of God and the power of Christ.  So His raising of the daughter of Jairus is an echo of the spiritual truths to come and the hope we have in Christ for each of us and all of those whom we love, just the way that Jairus loves His daughter.  On the other hand, we have the woman with the blood flow, who seems quite alone in life, made solitary and excluded through her hemorrhage, the laws of the society, and her exhaustive and failed efforts to find a solution, having "suffered many things from many physicians" and depleting her resources in the process, having "spent all that she had."  Even more distressing is Mark's note that her health had not gotten better, but rather she had simply grown worse.  She is seemingly the opposite of Jairus' daughter, having no one and nothing.  But, there are similarities here.  Mark tells us that Jairus' daughter is twelve years old, while the older woman has spent the equivalent of that lifetime, twelve years, in suffering with her ailment.  But ultimately, both are daughters and "lambs" of Christ through faith.  Remarkably there is still a place for this woman to come for healing, one last place where her endurance through her affliction still has reserves to spend, and that is in her faith in Christ, a faith strong enough to unleash the power of God to heal.  Jesus clearly makes this distinction when He praises her faith, declaring that it is her faith that has made her well.  This is not to say that faith is some kind of magic trick, but rather a testimony to the things we have when we think we have nothing.  It is our faith that calls upon the power of God at work in life.  Let us note that Jesus does not restore all of her money, nor does He somehow reverse time and give her back her twelve years of suffering and ostracization.  But He returns her to community, and through Him, she is beloved by God, and praised for her faith.  She has a new start to make, albeit twelve years on, but she has her health restored and she has her faith and a community to be a part of.  We may presume that for Jairus and his family, this also is a start of a new life, for how could things remain the same for them -- and especially the young girl who is risen from death -- after the healing power of Christ has touched their lives, and similarly to the healed woman with the blood flow, becomes known to all?  And these resources of faith and renewal we may also find in our own lives, when through affliction and difficulties, we are turned with our faith to Christ.  Faith is not a magic restoration of things we once had, but we might find that it is a renewal in the midst of despair, a starting over with a different kind of start and a different kind of life from what we have known:  we find a family and community in Christ, we find that we have something to build up, a new start to make, and new meanings to construct for ourselves, even new roles to play in the world through our faith.  What would become of Jairus and his family after Christ was crucified?  We don't know.  What of this woman?  We don't know that either.  Would she become one of those who followed Him from Galilee to Jerusalem?  Was she a part of the early Church?  Would Jairus and his daughter also face exile for their role in His ministry?  Would he go from a position as ruler in the synagogue to a member of the early Christian church, and endure persecution even from his fellow rulers of the synagogue?  In the persecutions that followed by the Jewish religious authorities (such as those enforced by the young St. Paul, then called Saul, who guarded the garments of those who stoned St. Stephen the first martyr), would they renounce their faith?  We don't know the answers to these questions, but we may easily pose them.  And although we don't today (at least in the West) endure the same types of persecutions as those early Christians, we might still ask ourselves what it means to be healed by Christ and to profess faith in times of despair and distress.  For the new start we encounter may also ask of us some forms of sacrifice and loss, where we're challenged to build a life on new foundations, and a new sense of self.  This is common with people who have struggled with addictions, for example, for whom a new environment, new friends, and a detachment from the old circumstances that seem to enforce their past behavior becomes necessary, but which must accompany faith in a "higher power" as well.   On Saturday, we read about the healed man who had been afflicted with a legion of demons (see above); he also could not return to his environment but was sent back to his friends he knew beforehand, but with a message of the compassion of the Lord who had done great things for him.  Nonetheless, it was a new start, one in which he would have to find his way as the new person he had become, who preached the good news of Christ the Lord.  Let us be prepared to understand that faith in Christ, and especially deep encounters with the power of God which acts upon that faith, is going to change us and change our lives.  When we pray, we call upon God in the exercise of that faith, and should not be surprised if life asks of us a new start from a new place, for God's life adds to us new life, and calls us out of the old.  This renewal for these people can never be a return to the past but a calling to the new, for the healing of Christ gives us a call to Christ, which we may choose to follow or possibly ignore -- but one can't imagine the sad consequences of turning one's back upon a Savior and the power that healed and transformed.  We recall Jesus' words to the man healed by the Sheep Gate, in John's Gospel, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14).  So often these miraculous stories are presented as if Christ is simply One who bestows great material blessings.  But this was a mistaken view of the Messiah in His own time and remains a mistaken view among us today, even as we read these Gospel stories.  In Christ's healing power, there is also a call to discipleship, and in that call is a challenge for our future lives and how we will choose to build them -- if we will, in fact, grow in our faith.  Let us consider the power of God, for it is the power of life and death (John 5:21).   Even in the midst of our lives, Christ brings the power of resurrection to renew, but then we are called to follow.  For we are all His sheep, and He is at once the Good Shepherd and the true Lamb of God.

Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace

 

 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 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.  Jesus and the disciples have just returned from a frightening, adventurous trip across the Sea of Galilee, where they sailed to a place of strangers and Jesus healed a man possessed of a legion of demons.  Here, they return to the "home" of Jesus' Galilean ministry, where He is well known, and a ruler of the synagogue comes and begs for Christ's help for his only daughter.  The contrast with the setting of His healing of the demon-possessed man is stark.

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."   My study bible offers varied commentary on this part of the reading.  First, it tells us that the healing of this woman demonstrates Christ's power to cleanse and heal (see Matthew 8:1-4).  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This suffering woman accounted herself unclean, but nevertheless she approached Christ secretly and with great faith.  Jesus tells her to be of good cheer because of her faith.  He also corrects her thinking, as she could not hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from Him because of her illness.  Finally, He exhibits her faith to all, so that they might imitate her.  Additionally, there is also a traditional spiritual interpretation of this healing miracle given in Patristic commentary.  In that understanding, the woman symbolizes human nature in general.  Humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death, which is symbolized by the flow of blood.  The physicians who could not heal her stand for the various religions of the world, as well as the Old Testament Law, which were not able to grant life to humanity.  Only through Christ are we freed from suffering and bondage to sin.

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.  My study bible notes that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Christ is of one essence with the Father, Jesus has this authority (John 5:21).  Note that Jesus heals the girl with a touch, taking her by the hand, and His call.

 

 Let us note Christ's great emphasis on faith in the healing of the little girl.  He first permits only Peter, James, and John to enter, besides the father and mother of the girl.  Peter, James, and John form Christ's inner circle, so to speak.  They are those among the disciples who have the strongest faith.  It is these three who will be present at the Transfiguration as well (Luke 9:28-36).  At the same time, we also see the extent to which Christ goes to keep those who ridiculed away, as the text specifically tells us that He put them all outside.  He also heals with His touch and His call.  Each of these things emphasizes the idea that it is faith in Christ that is central to our healing and the setting of all things in proper order; moreover, it is the one thing that is life-giving.  This is not about following a set of rules and priorities, nor a moral code, or a legalistic prescription or aphorism.  It is all about a faith in which Christ is central, and it is our relationship to Christ that sets things in place and creates right-relatedness, or righteousness.  The same is powerfully true and illustrated through the healing of the woman with the blood flow.  She is ceremonially unclean because of her hemorrhage, but it is her faith that makes her well, and for which Christ points her out to the crowds and praises her.  He tells her, "Go in peace," meaning that all things are in right-relationship for her.  This is an important understanding about His language.  "Go in peace" is also a blessing.  If we break down the Greek word for peace and how it is used in the New Testament (εἰρήνη/eirene; from which is derived the name Irene in English), we understand this word to mean wholeness, things joined together.  In Hebrew, and Jewish tradition, "go in peace" is a common form of farewell.  To quote from Strong's definitions, it is meant "in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual," thus emphasizing wholeness.   But taking account of the text, and the faith the text teaches, to have this wholeness -- to have all things joined together in proper peace -- centers on Christ.  He proclaims to this healed woman Himself that it is her faith that has made her well.  In a modern world, we have an endless supply of moralistic do's and don'ts, and countless aphorisms to teach us moralistic behavior.  There seems to be an inexhaustible line-up of others who will watch what we do and tell us what is proper, even in new forms of correctness.  We have an army of finger-pointers on social media, who will even comb through by-now decades-old communications to announce to the world that someone needs to be shunned for violating a new taboo.  We can take a look back over the past century in various places around the world, and see systems evolve and change that amount to a set of new political commands (almost always accompanied by a kind of nostalgia for a utopian past that never was), and severe penalties for breaking them.  And even persistent through the ages, despite Christianity's long reach through two millennia, are still taboos on women and blood flow that might surprise some.  There are superstitions about women on boats, and in some pagan and traditional religious practices, menstruating women are not welcome, despite the embrace of such traditions by modern political activists as liberating.  But the faith of Christ dispels as secondary all such rules, regulations, and moralistic lists of what we can do and what we cannot, because it is our relationship to Him that is central to all things.  It doesn't matter what taboos this woman has broken, because it is her faith that has made her well.  She may be viewed as unclean, contaminating those around her by her presence, but it is her relatedness to Christ that changes all of that.  In the healing of the young girl, the primary form of restoration comes as shoring up this faith in Christ Himself -- and the touch and call that comes from Him is the healing act.  In Jesus' view on offer here, we are not made perfect by following every rule, or by making every correct appearance to the judging world around us.  We are not made perfect by being perfectly made, perfectly clean, without blemish, and without stain, or illness, or ailment.  As we have seen in our previous reading (above), not even occupation by a legion of demons excludes us from salvation.  We are, in fact, beings capable of faith which transcends all of those things, who are healed through an ongoing and persistent relationship to this Person, Christ.  That is, to God who is love (1 John 4:8), to the Person who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  Pagan and gnostic systems of all kinds placed great emphasis on rules and systems.  New modern forms of the same -- even some who embrace the ancient pre-Christian past in hope of a modern form of liberation -- continue to embrace various systems of rules that come down to a worldly sense of perfection, taboos, and rigid systems of conduct that allow for no nuance, and enable merciless judgments without regard for human frailty or mistaken perceptions.  But the faith that Christ offers us is one that is both transcendent of our flaws and at the same time offers us a way through them, envisions a lifelong process of growing in likeness to Him, grants us love and forgiveness, and gives us grace as its centerpiece of mercy.   This faith is about trust in the Person of Christ, and a right-relatedness -- a peace and righteousness -- whose center is there, and not dependent upon how perfectly we follow a set of rules or avoid social taboos.  Let us remember how powerful this great gift is, as did our pagan ancestors, and how blessed a gift it remains as a response to the new social conventions which exclude and vilify and scapegoat.

 

 

 

Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace

 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 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.  Back in Capernuam, everyone knows Christ, and the multitude welcomed Him.  A ruler of the synagogue seeks Him out.  We note the contrast, for the disciples, between what is known and what is unknown.  Jesus has just had them go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, in the encounter with the man with a Legion of demons (see above, yesterday's reading).  But then He returns them to what is known to them, and to His ministry here.  In this way, He is constantly "stretching" them as disciples for the mission that will be ahead of them in the Church, after His death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

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 tells us that for the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement, and would lead to religious and social isolation (Leviticus 25).  For this reason, she came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  My study bible says that this woman displays bold faith by approaching both Chris and a ruler of the synagogue in a crowd, which is potentially defiling to all of them and a risk of 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."  Let us consider that Christ, the knower of hearts (Acts 1:24), most likely understands -- or is perfectly capable of discerning for Himself -- who has touched Him.  But He draws her out into a confession of faith.  My study bible says that "Who touched Me?" isn't a question that simply asks about a physical touch, but rather He is asking, "Who touched Me in faith?"  Just as "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), so matter is sanctified by the Incarnation of Christ, and the power of Christ works through even His garment.  It notes that to touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him.  In the Church, my study bible continues, we touch Christ through icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc.  When done in faith, Christ's power is received.

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 Jesus calls the woman forward both to take away her fear and trembling and also to strengthen Jairus for the forthcoming news of his daughter's death.  Let us note that Jesus draws out from her a public confession, and also to give consolation and praise to her publicly, as well as conferring a blessing of peace before all.

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.  Again, what is important in this story?  It is the essential need for shoring up faith amid a crowd of people who may be gainsaying whatever it is that real faith will teach.  Note all the precautions Jesus takes for this:  He allows in only His own inner circle of Peter, James, and John, His closest disciples and those with the strongest faith.  He puts out all the mourners and others who ridicule Him, and keeps only the parents with Him.

In yesterday's reading, Jesus took the disciples to a faraway and strange place, in order to evidence a healing and exorcism of the strongest magnitude, against a legion of demons and among people who had abandoned their faith for material gain (the Jewish swineherders).  In today's reading, however, Jesus is back in home territory, Capernaum, the headquarters of His Galilean ministry and site of Peter's family home.  So the healings that take place before this multitude that greets Him as He returns "home" and in this city (rather than among the tombs of the forlorn man with the demons in yesterday's reading) give us something different.   The action initiated through the power of Christ is still astonishing.  It still shakes up the world of assumptions and what is understood among the people in the scenes we're given in today's reading.  The woman who comes from behind to simply touch Christ's garment amid the crowd that even the disciples can't keep track of does so against the customs of the society, against the religious rules that forbid the touch of blood, what is unclean.  But she does so in great faith, which is drawn out from where it is in secret and her hidden touch, and proclaimed and praised before all.  This is a learning and teaching experience for the home crowds.  It no doubt was astonishing and possibly disturbing to those among the religious establishment.  And yet, it is a ruler of the synagogue who desperately awaits Christ's attention to his dying daughter.  There remains, therefore, yet another deeply astonishing scenario ahead, midst the pause for the healing of the woman with the haemorrhage.  Everyone is certain that Jairus' daughter is dead.  Indeed, Christ's admonition that she is not dead, but sleeping is a phrase used in the Church for death -- indicating the spiritual reality of resurrection and judgment that awaits all who pass.  We're drawn, along with the townspeople, into a place where Christ can astonish and heal, and where we can receive the good news that the Incarnation and hence Christ's power can bring into our world.  Each episode is apt for its time and its place, each circumstance has a particular way to draw out Christ's power and to give us something that teaches us, something whereby God's love and nature may be revealed to us.  Everything, in some sense, depends upon the circumstances -- that within those circumstances Christ's power will astonish and surprise and teach us all, reveal God to us.  We are here to learn, and in this sense all are disciples, meaning, in the Greek, "learners" (mathetes/ μαθητής).  Let us think about our own circumstances.  How, through prayer or other forms of communion in faith, have you received Christ in times and periods of your life?  How has He come to you and what has been revealed about God through your faith?  Does the Holy Spirit reveal the things of God?  How do you come to understand compassion or love or sacrifice or grace?  What are the social restrictions that have been broken in that love in order to restore true health?  There is the insight we need to be true learners, disciples, and to know Him in the growth of our faith, even if others ridicule or seek to restrict that power in our lives.  When the crowd says "No," Jesus says, "Yes" to our faith, and He teaches us only that it is that faith that saves, and that it is only there we take our true peace.  For both women who need healing -- the woman with the twelve years' flow of blood, and the young woman of about twelve --  it means resurrection, new life, a rebirth made of and through faith.