Mark 5:21-43
Proper 8 / Year B
Once
again we find Jesus on the move. Last
week he went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. You recall the storm and the panic. Today he is returning home and this time with
no drama in transit. But the action
picks up as soon as Jesus steps ashore.
He is mobbed… again. This is why
he left in the first place… so many people crowding in on him he doesn’t have even
enough space to eat a meal. Jesus
doesn’t need disciples, he needs bouncers and body guards.
And we
get it. We know how people in need are
desperate for remedies. I once knew this
typical Presbyterian couple (i.e., not inclined toward the religious fringes) whose
grandchild was born with a severe birth aliment. Well, of course they had the baby put on the
church’s prayer list. Then various
groups in the church began to pray. Than
other churches began to pray.
Eventually, the baby, his parents, and the grandparents were lifted up
in prayer by people all over the world.
But the baby’s condition did not improve. So the grandparents decided to go to a service
led by a TV evangelist known for his miraculous healings. It was an act of desperation. What they found, you will not be surprised to
hear, was a charlatan grifting vulnerable people by hocking all manner of
expensive religious items – bibles, clothes, crosses, and the like – said have
wonderous powers.
The
people who come to Jesus in need come because they know him to be
compassionate, not a con artist. In
today’s reading we hear the incredible stories of a well-placed family and of
an ostracized woman, each in need of healing.
We are told a leader in the local synagogue falls at Jesus’ feet and
begs him to visit his ‘little girl’ who is near death. We get the sense time is of the essence as
Jesus sets off with the mob in tow.
There
is a woman in the crowd who, we are told, has been suffering from an issue of
blood for twelve years, perhaps since on the onset of puberty. All this time she has been deemed
unclean. Everything she wears,
everywhere she sits, any bed on which she lays is rendered unclean. She has been to every doctor in town, but
none can help and we are told some have made her condition even worse.
But
she is a tenacious fighter and she has faith.
She reasons if she merely touches the hem of Jesus’ cloak she will be
healed. And it happens! One commentator writes we should never refer
to her as ‘the woman with the issue of blood’, but as ‘the woman with great
faith’ because it is her faith and her determination which defines her, not her
illness. And in this, she reminds me of
so many in our midst who have lived with great faith in the face of sickness.
The
back-and-forth between Jesus and the woman is so rich and, like many of the
details in today’s reading, could be explored for hours and still not be
exhausted. But as they talk, we hear the
clock ticking. Jesus is delayed while he
is urgently needed elsewhere. Our worst
fears are confirmed when a group arrives from the leader’s house to inform him
his daughter is dead.
It is
the worst news any parent can ever receive.
It must be devastating for the father, overwhelming him which shock and
grief. Jesus encourages him, “Do not
fear, but believe.” They get to the
house and it is a chaotic scene. When
Jesus announces the little girl is not dead but sleeping, the wailing of the mourners
turns into derision. Jesus has makes
himself incredibly vulnerable. He risks
ridicule and the ruin of his ministry.
He
leaves the mob behind and lets only the parents and three close followers join
him in the house. The mood of the story
changes. They have left the bedlam
behind and entered into a bedroom marked by peace and serenity. We can almost hear the tenderness in Jesus’
voice as he takes the child by the hand and says, “Little girl, get up” and
then “give here something to eat.”
As I
said, these stories are so rich with details there are dozens of different ways
to explore them. Here is the thing I keep
coming back to – how Jesus is approached for help. The synagogue leader outright begs Jesus to
help his daughter, just like the times when we ask for help for ourselves or
for others. Knowing when you are in over
your head, out of your element, and/or overmatched is a sign of personal
maturity (self-awareness), never weakness.
Then
there is the woman with great faith. She
doesn’t ask for help, rather reaches out for the help she needs. If she can but touch it, grasp it her hands,
she knows what to do with it. She
believes it will make all the difference.
And remember the detail about all the local doctors. It tells us she had been reaching out for the
last twelve years, only not to the person who truly has what she needs.
We all
have needs in life. We all know and love
folks who are in need. Remember the two
stories we hear this morning and consider on what guidance either might have to
offer you.
