Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity

There are two daughters in the Gospel text today: Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter, who has just died, and the poor woman, who has been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. Jairus is a ruler of the synagogue, a man with standing and authority, and he is prepared to publicly advocate for his beloved daughter. He comes to Jesus, kneels down and worships, and begs him, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live” (Mt 9:18). And Jesus hears Him, and away they go with the crowd following.

But what about the woman? Who will advocate for her? We are told nothing of her father or her husband. She appears to be on her own as she has been for years. St. Mark tells us that she had spent everything she had on doctors, but they had only made things worse. So much for the experts. They are no help at all. But somehow, she has the idea that if she touches Jesus, she will be made well. Unlike Jairus, she tries to approach Jesus secretly, perhaps due to shame about the nature of her illness. She is no ruler. She has no standing or title.

But when Jesus encounters her, He stops the program to treat with her. And He doesn’t just give her healing; He gives her salvation. No one will advocate for her, but Jesus will, and He does. St. Mark tells us that Jesus says to her, “Daughter your faith has saved you. Go in peace , and be healed of your affliction” (Mk 5:21). But for those who were listening closely, there is one more gift that Jesus gives the woman. Perhaps as she heard Him speak, it was the greatest gift of all. Jesus turned around and said to her, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has saved you” (Mt 9:22).

Jesus sees this unnamed woman and her shameful suffering. The crowd is pressing around Him, urging Him on, but Jesus stops in His tracks. Jairus’ daughter has slipped into death, but Jesus is not concerned about that. At this moment, He is concerned only with this unnamed woman, and He calls her “daughter.” “Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has saved you.” Not a single one of the Gospel writers records this woman’s name—not Matthew, not Mark, not Luke. Not a single Christian alive today knows her name, and yet, Jesus has known her from the beginning. Thus says the Lord, who created you, and He who formed you, “Fear not, for I have redeem you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine” (Is 43:1). As I said, there are two daughters in the Gospel text today: Jairus’ daughter and Jesus’ daughter.

One daughter is on the verge of death, or perhaps dead already. The other daughter has been suffering for many years. That pretty much sums up the human condition. Which daughter are you? The suffering one or the dying one? Well, let’s be honest: you are both. We are so used to life in this broken world, that sometimes we can’t see the obvious truth that is in front of our eyes. From the moment of conception, our entire lives are lived in the shadow of the grave. That is our inescapable fate, as sinners. Some might say that this as a very macabre way to look at the world, but the raw truth of life is this: first you will be the suffering daughter, and then you will be the dying daughter. The script is the same for every sinner. Spend all your money on doctors if you want. Nothing will change. Consult the experts. They can’t help you. But there is one hope, and one hope only: If you touch Jesus, you will be saved.

It might seem like a real downer to talk this way about suffering and death, but it’s actually joyous. Jesus says, “Hit Me with the worst problems you have. Sin, death, and suffering? No problem for Me. I paid for sin, I conquered death, and I will put an end to all suffering.” Now what? What other problems do you have that He can’t solve?

A lot of people are very upset by the election last week. You don’t have to be a political expert to know that our country is deeply divided about the results. We were told that this was the most important decision of our lives, a battle for the soul of our nation. And now, while many people are delirious with joy, others are paralyzed with fear. Some see our new president as the savior of the world, while others are convinced that he is the antichrist, or worse, literally Hitler.

I would like you to listen carefully to the words of our prophecy from Isaiah: Thus saith the Lord: “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; you have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. But I am the LORD your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared—the LORD of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people’ ” (Isaiah 51:12–16).

While the nations drive themselves mad with fear, God says to you, His people, “Be of good cheer, daughter. I, even I, am He who comforts you.” Do not fear a man who will die, and a son of a man who will be made like grass. Having the wrong man in the White House was never your problem, and having the right man in power won’t fix your problems. Your problem is a sin and death problem. You are the daughter who suffers and then the daughter who dies. Your problems can’t be solved with the right president; they can only be solved by the right Savior. And Jesus is up to the task!

How can you fear a man who will die, when Your God is “the One who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over?” Death, our great enemy, lies conquered beneath the feet of Jesus. What else could there be to fear? Not only has death been conquered, it has been made to serve you. Death, the ultimate oppressor, has now been refashioned into the doorway to paradise, the portal of heaven. And the same waters that drowned the ancient world lifted up Noah and all who were within the ark. These waters corresponds to Baptism, which now saves you. I am the God who divided the sea whose waves roared, and made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over. I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, and I say to Zion, “Be of good cheer, daughter, you are My people, and I have redeemed you.”

By the time Jesus arrived at Jairus’ house, his daughter had already died, but that’s not a problem for Jesus. Nor will it matter on the Final Day if your body has long since returned to dust. No, death is no obstacle for Jesus, nor will it be for His sons and daughters. He said to the crowd, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” Then He took the daughter by the hand, and she arose. So it will be for every child of God on the Last Day. And then we will no longer be the suffering daughter or the dying daughter, but the redeemed and beloved daughter of our Lord. Amen.