Sunday 28 June 2009

Background

You can feel the tension in this story as Mark, the writer,continues his fast-paced account of Jesus' early ministry. There'sa crowd, an urgent appeal, a ticking clock, a race to get to thedying girl, and then... an interruption. We might imagine it like amovie, as our minds flick back and forth between the close-upscenes: Jesus pushing his way through the crowded street and thedying girl, with her family around her, hoping against hope thatshe will be saved.

Jairus is a synagogue leader - a religious man who would have beenvery well respected. And here he is approaching Jesus, falling athis feet, begging him to help his daughter. He shows great faith:stating that if Jesus lays his hands on his daughter she will live.What's more, Jairus puts his reputation on the line. His love forhis daughter and his faith in Jesus, however, is stronger thanthat. But time is short. The girl is literally 'at death'sdoor'.

The interruption comes on the way to Jairus' house. A woman touchesJesus and is healed. "So what?" we might think. "Why stop?" And thedisciples echo this sentiment. But Jesus does stop, and the clockticks on.

We don't know the woman's name. We don't know where she's from orwhat she does. All we know is that for 12 years she has beensuffering from ongoing bleeding due to a gynaecological condition.And if we find such things embarrassing today, it was a seriouslytaboo subject back then! This was a society that didn't understandwomen or biology. In the eyes of the men who controlled society, tobe a woman was bad enough; to be a woman with an embarrassinghealth problem was among the lowest of the low. The Jewish Law saysquite clearly that any woman with an abnormal discharge is'unclean' and 'untouchable' until the problem has cleared up(see Leviticuschapter 15).

For 12 years this woman has been unable to work, forbidden fromhaving normal marital relations, and certainly banned from worship.And what's more, she's spent all her money trying to find a cure,to no avail.

But for Jesus, she was worth stopping for.

This was a woman who was probably an emotional and physical wreck,but in Jesus she found someone to put her faith in; even just totouch his clothes would be enough. And in her 'fear and trembling',Jesus uses words of relationship and affirmation that would do morefor her than simply heal her physically.

But the interruption comes at a price. As the fast-paced musiccrashes down to a haunting melody, the sickening news of the girl'sdeath arrives. There has been much debate as to the girl's actualcondition at this point. Those closest to her were certain she wasdead, as their laughter at Jesus' remark shows. Jesus, however, wascertain that in this instance, death would not be the end. In atender moment he raises her to life again.

Mark implies a wonderful parallel here as the woman's twelve wastedyears are put alongside the girl's life. Twelve years that Jesusinsists will not be wasted.

To Ponder

Do you ever think, "If I just touch his clothes,everything will be alright," when really, you need to engage withGod more deeply to be completely well? What is your response?

For both the woman and Jairus, the story runsalong the lines of faith, then fear, then assurance from Jesus.What parallels are there with situations in your life when you areat one of these stages?

Even if our faith is normally strong, there aretimes when the rug gets pulled from under our feet, everythingcomes crashing down around us and we are left shell-shocked. Whenhave you heard the gentle voice of Jesus at those times, saying,"Do not fear, only believe"?