21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and pleaded with him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and she was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the synagogue leader’s house, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl stood up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat” Mark 5:21-43.
These are two stunning healing stories that belong together. And yet the two main characters of the two stories are at the opposite ends of the economic, social, and religious spectrums. One is male; the other is female. Jairus has a name and a place of honor, and can openly approach Jesus with a direct request. By contrast, the woman is nameless, and her complaint renders her ritually unclean. She is walking pollution in Jewish thinking, and so she is separated from the community and unfit to enter the synagogue.
Doesn’t this sound familiar? Have you ever seen this in your own church? In your own family? In your own culture or society? The women must sneak up from behind Jesus, but not the man. Jairus has a household of servants and so is a man of means. The woman is destitute, too poor to go to a doctor for 12 years! She is childless and unable to marry! Jairus prostrates himself at the feet of Jesus and begs Jesus to come and just touch his “little daughter.”
The woman has to take matters into her own hands and sneak pop behind Jesus and merely touch his cloak.
But being male, being ritually pure, holding a high religious office, or being a man provides no advantage to Jairus over the woman. In the Kingdom of God the nobodies are always somebody! The only thing that speaks to God and Jesus Christ is their faith. Jesus doesn’t set them against each other, no, He responds in generous love to both, because of their faith!
In both stories Jesus moves beyond what our religions and cultures demand, and He reverses the trauma both are experiencing. God’s holiness is unaffected by human impurities and sins, by male or female, straight or gay, or by religious rules and cultural laws and norms. Jesus purges it all!
Jesus touches the leper, drives out demons into pigs, touches and heals a woman with a hemmorrhage, and touches a dead 12-year old girl and brings here back to life.
And not to be lost by all means, Jesus triumphs over our death on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and makes reference to this fact when He says in verse 39: “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
Dear friends, pray that you will be faithful and follow Christ. And when you die remember that Christ has triumphed over your death. The Kingdom of God has yet to be fully manifest. Put your faith in God’s power to conquer sin and death.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
Forgive me, for I do not know what I am doing!
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