Introduction

Our Gospel reading today comes from Mark 5:21-43. You will notice that this passage contains two stories… and one of them appears to be an interruption.  Right when Jesus is travelling to Jairus’ home to perform an important miracle, he is interrupted by a woman with a problem.  It may seem somewhat strange when you hear the story read… why does the Gospel writer intertwine the stories that way?  Would it not be less confusing to tell them one at a time?  But listen carefully as we read… because Mark is a good storyteller.  Mark actually includes a number of passages like this.  Sometimes they are called sandwiches.  The middle story is the filling in between the two parts of the outer story – the bread.  The middle story is the key to understanding the whole passage.  So pay attention to the woman… she is more than just an interruption.

{Stand}

Mark 5:21-43 (Jairus’ Daughter and Bleeding Woman)

{This is the Word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God}

Monologues

I am the girl

I am the girl.  My Father’s name is Jairus.

I remember the day when everything changed.  I was about twelve years old.  Up until that point I was a fairly healthy girl – just approaching womanhood.  But suddenly one day I became sick.  At first I thought it would pass, but instead I became worse.  I could see that my parents were worried.  I couldn’t even get out of bed.  I was very, very sick.

Things are a little hazy after that.  I remember mother and father’s faces.  There seemed to be a lot of people around.  I think I heard my father talking about a rabbi named Jesus.  Father said that maybe if the rabbi came, he could make a miracle and the Lord would heal me.  I remember father coming in to say goodbye and then he left the house.  Everything felt strange and I felt sleepy.  I don’t know what happened after that…

The next thing I remember was a voice: a gentle, kind voice… a commanding voice… the most wonderful voice I have ever heard.  He spoke to me in my own language: Talitha Koum… Little girl, I say to you, get up.  As soon as I heard him I wanted to obey!  So I opened my eyes – and there was Jesus.  He was wonderful.  I got up out of bed and began to walk around the room with Him.  My mother and father were there – they were so happy to see me! 

At first, I couldn’t understand why they were crying or why the mourners were outside.  Then they told me – I had been dead until Jesus came.  But then Jesus called to me – and I have never felt so alive.

I am the woman

I am the woman.  I had almost given up hope of ever becoming well.  It had been twelve years.  Twelve years of pain.  Twelve years of suffering.  Even worse – twelve years of social ostracism and being unable to take part fully in the life of my community and synagogue.  The way I was bleeding made me ceremonially unclean and I had to be careful not to make others unclean as well.  I tried to get help from doctors.  In fact, I spent all of my savings trying to get better.  Instead, I became worse.  I was almost ready to despair. 

Then one day I heard about Jesus. Did you hear what he did for a leper?  Jesus touched the man and he was healed.  And he healed another man even though it was the Sabbath.  I kept hearing about the miracles that Jesus had done.  I thought – if he would touch a leper and heal someone on the Sabbath, than maybe he would be willing to heal someone like me.

So when I heard that Jesus had come back to our town, I went out to see him.  There were many people there… I tried to get near to Jesus, but at first the crowds were too thick.  Then, I saw one of the synagogue leaders and heard him ask Jesus to come and heal the leader’s daughter.  I didn’t want to stop Jesus from going to help but I did wonder what to do – Jesus wouldn’t want to stop and help me now.  But I couldn’t give up—I knew how much I needed healing and I knew Jesus had power to help me.  I thought, “If I could just touch his clothes, I would be healed.  Then I wouldn’t have to interrupt and it wouldn’t be such a problem that I’m ceremonially unclean.  So I came as close as I could to him… I reached out… and I touched the hem of his cloak.  At that moment, I knew Jesus had healed me.    I felt that the bleeding had stopped!  Somehow I also knew that when I touched Jesus I did not make him unclean… instead, he made me clean – inside and out.  I felt like shouting with joy – but I couldn’t or everyone would know what I had done. 

I was about to slip away quietly, when Jesus stopped, turned, and started looking around the crowd.  “Who touched me?” he asked.  “Who touched my clothes?”  The men around him did not understand.  But Jesus caught my eyes in the crowd.  He knew.  We stood looking at one another in the midst of the crowd and I knew that he wanted me to come forward.  So, trembling, I stumbled forward and fell at his feet.  I told him everything – my sickness and uncleanness, my fear, my hope.  I told him how I had touched him – and as I spoke, the crowd looked on and murmured.  But Jesus smiled at me and raised me to my feet.  Then he said something strange… “Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”  My faith has healed me?  He and I both knew that it was his power.  But I suppose it did take faith – faith not to give up when the doctors said it was hopeless… faith not to despair when I kept getting worse… faith to believe that Jesus could heal me… faith to reach out and touch him.  God’s power… and my faith.

I am Jairus

I am Jairus.  I am a ruler in our town synagogue.  I am also the father of a girl whom I love dearly.  Not long ago, I thought I had lost my daughter.  She was twelve years old when she suddenly became very sick and feverish.  We prayed and waited and did what we could, but she became worse.  As she became weaker and weaker and neared the point of death, I heard noises outside and someone told me that a crowd was going to the lakeshore to meet Jesus.  I had heard about this Jesus.  People said that he was a rabbi from Nazareth.  They said he was a wonderworker and that when Jesus laid his hands on someone, they would be healed.  Could it be true?  Was it possible? It was worth the chance – after all, my daughter was dying and Jesus certainly wouldn’t make her any worse.  So I said goodbye to my little girl, and went out, following the crowd on the way to find Jesus.  When we reached him, the crowd recognized me and fell back a little, so I was able to get close enough to make my request.  “My little daughter is dying.  Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”  I saw compassion in Jesus’ eyes and he agreed to come. 

As we began to walk, however, the crowd pressed in again and we could only move very slowly.  I was anxious.  What if we did not make it in time?  What would happen to my daughter?  I knew that she was very close to death. 

Just when I thought that we could not possibly go any slower, Jesus stopped altogether and turned around.  “Who touched my clothes?” he asked.  He had to be joking.  One of his disciples said what I was thinking: “You see the people crowding about you… how can you ask who touched you?”  We were wasting time.  But Jesus was looking at a poor woman in the crowd.  As she admitted to touching him and started to pour out her excuses, I became angry.  What right did she have to stop us?  My daughter was in danger and this unimportant woman was slowing Jesus down – couldn’t she have waited? 

While this was going on, someone from my house came up to me.  When I saw his face, I knew that something was dreadfully wrong.   “Jairus, I’m sorry.  Your daughter is dead.  It’s too late.  Why bother the teacher any more?”  Oh my little girl.  How could this happen?  Why didn’t Jesus come earlier and help her?  But now it was too late. 

I started to turn and return home, when I realized that Jesus was standing with me – watching the grief on my face.  “Jairus,” he said, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”  Believe what?  My daughter was dead.  What kind of miracle was Jesus going to do?

When we finally reached my home the place was in an uproar.  The professional mourners had arrived and there were people crying and wailing everywhere.  I went in to comfort my wife and Jesus sent everyone away.  Jesus took us into where my daughter’s body was.  He put his hand on my shoulder again, as if to say – watch, and believe.  Then he walked over to the bed and took my daughter’s hand.  “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”  And she did!  I could hardly believe my eyes!  She was alive!  She walked around and spoke to us – Jesus even made sure that we fed her dinner.

I turned back to look at Jesus – who was this man who could even raise the dead?  I thought, then, about the woman on the road and how Jesus had called her Daughter and praised her faith.  I’m a religious leader – I’m supposed to be faithful.  But I know that my faith was weak that day.  The woman on the road had more faith than I did.   I gave in to despair when I heard of my daughter’s death.  I’m glad that my daughter’s life did not depend on my faith.  One thing is certain… from this day forward, I will believe.

Conclusion

I am the girl.  I was dead in my sins.  There was no hope.  I needed a miracle.  Then Jesus came and changed everything.  He called me: “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”  Jesus saved me and brought me back to life.  Now I want to live for him.

I am the woman.  I was broken and unclean.  There was no hope for me.  Jesus gave me hope.  He healed me.  He made me clean.  Not only that – Jesus made me worthwhile.  When I felt alone he called me daughter – part of his family.  What I was outcast and downcast, he lifted me up and made me part of the community again.  Jesus restored me to health and strength and hope and joy.  Now I want to obey him.

I am Jairus.  That hit home to me this week.  I have every advantage – a faithful background, religious training, and a position of leadership.  I have seen God at work in my life and in the lives of others.  Sometimes I’m spiritually aware enough to recognize the “coincidences” that are truly miracles.

Despite these gifts that God has given me, I sometimes still have problems with faith.  Too often, I go to Jesus as a last resort, because it can’t hurt to try.  Even after I ask for help, I still worry and get angry when things don’t seem to go my way.  When things look impossible, sometimes I despair.  Sometimes my faith is a lot like Jairus. 

What about your faith?  Do you trust Jesus… enough to obey him?  Do you trust God to do what is right and to answer your prayers in the best way – his way? 

Do you have faith like the woman?  She believed Jesus could heal.  She trusted that he would.  When she realized that Jesus knew how she had touched him, the woman had courage to tell the whole crowd what she had done – and what Jesus had done for her.

There is encouragement here and a challenge.

Both daughters were healed that day.

Even though Jairus’ faith was weak, Jesus remained faithful.

Each of us will have days when our faith is more like Jairus’.  Even though we have every reason to believe, sometimes we only have enough faith to say, Jesus, please help me.  That’s ok.  John said that everyone born of God overcomes the world… and the victory that has overcome the world is our faith.  Even our little bit of faith.

Earlier I mentioned that Jesus’ encounter with the woman is the key to understanding the whole passage.  The challenge in this passage is to develop faith like the woman had: faith that overcomes despair, faith that trusts God’s power, faith that keeps hoping… faith that provides the courage to obey.

I hope that your next crisis of faith will not be as devastating as the one that Jairus faced.  But when it comes, whatever it is, remember the woman.  And remember Jesus’ words to Jairus… “Don’t be afraid, but believe.”