Yes, I would love to preach on David’s
decision regarding his ordering the death of the Amalekite for killing King
Saul, a man with whom David had a . . . difficult relationship. And Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today
was certainly applicable as we mourn the passing of Son of Traul and welcome
his great, great grandson into our parish hall kitchen. But, c’mon.
It’s healing Sunday and we get a great set of healing miracles from
Mark. How often do I get that kind of
alignment with the special services?
Just to remind you, Jesus has been
crossing the sea in his ministry. Mark
has Jesus bouncing back and forth between Jewish and Gentile communities. One side is predominantly Jewish; the other
is predominantly Gentile. Mark’s reason
for telling the story this way probably serves several purposes. We have a temptation in some corners of the
Church to think the Jewish side all bad and the Gentile side all good, but life
is seldom ever black and white. There
are some prominent Jews in Mark’s Gospel who respond positively to the
ministry, preaching, and teaching of Jesus Christ, just as there are prominent
Jews who reject Jesus’ offer of salvation.
The same is true for the Gentiles.
We skip the story of the Gerasenes demoniac, but that story reminds us
that some accept Jesus’ authority while others fear it and reject Him.
Today, we are back on the Jewish side of
the Sea. Jesus has landed with His
disciples, and the crowds have formed. A
man by the name of Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, approaches Jesus to beg
for the life of His daughter. The best
modern job description of Jairus would be like that of a Verger. Jairus is not a priest or Rabbi. He simply makes sure that the readers are
present, the teacher or priest is present, that the candles are lit, the
synagogue is clean and organized—things like that! Imagine his joy at the willingness of Jesus
to go and cure his daughter. If you have
ever had a child near death, you certainly can empathize with Jairus. My guess most parents can imagine what Jairus
is feeling. Sometimes, we are helpless
to do anything for our children. When we
are impotent in any given situation and can do nothing for our children, is
there any worse feeling? That’s Jairus
this morning.
There is, of course, a problem. The crowds are huge and pressing in on
Jesus. Jairus is probably wishing he had
an armed guard at his command to help speed Jesus along by keeping the crowd back. But Jesus is working His way with
Jairus. In a bit of a sandwich, Mark then
shifts our attention to the menstruating woman.
I will gloss over some of the details since it’s Healing Sunday, and I
am mindful of your time. But we learn
that the lady has been bleeding for twelve years and spent all her money on
doctors. Rather than helping cure her,
the doctors’ ministrations have allowed her condition to worsen. Her only thought is that, if she touches
Jesus’ cloak, she will be healed. She
does just that. Jesus, of course, feels
the power flow from Him and asks who does it. I will talk more about that in a minute
because I do not think Jesus is sincere in His question. I am certain He knows who touched Him,
certain what healing has taken place, and is certain what healing she truly
needs.
But He stops and asks who touched
Him. The disciples are probably
frustrated with His question. Think of
the crowds the last time you attended a Titans’ game or a Preds’ game. Ever get touched there? Think you could ever hope to figure out who
touched you in that setting? That accounts
for the disciples’ exasperated answer! You have got to be kidding, Jesus! Look at this crowd! They are all pressing in on you!
After the woman steps forward, Jesus
continues on to the house of Jairus. Can
you imagine poor Jairus’ frustration? He
wants Jesus to save his daughter, but Jesus is being slowed by the press and
need of the crowd. Finally, once Jesus
gets going again, folks from his house come to tell him that his daughter is
dead, that there is no need to waste the time of the Teacher any further. Jesus turns to Jairus and tells Jairus only
to believe.
They head to the house and find a great
commotion. There used to be a job for
those who could mourn. I guess you and I
would consider it akin to acting, but people were paid to mourn the death of
people, especially wealthier people.
Professional mourners are already on site when Jesus and Jairus
arrive. No doubt a sympathizing member
of the synagogue has paid for this service.
Additionally, other members of the synagogue have shown up to express
their condolences. Jesus, of course,
asks why the commotion. He asserts the
girl is sleeping not dead. Those present
at Jairus’ house scoff at Jesus’ declaration.
In return, Jesus casts them out and allows only three of His disciples
and the mother and father to go into the house with Him. There, he tells the little girl to get up,
and she does! He tells mom and dad to
feed her and to keep this miracle a secret.
Obviously, since we are reading about it nearly 2000 years later, they
had a hard time keeping this secret!
What is going on? Why would Mark tell two different miracles,
with one sandwiched in between the other?
How is it that Jesus can be God and not know who touched Him? Why would Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from
the dead and then instruct the grateful parents to keep their mouths shut? I’m also certain some of the details cause
questions in your minds, too.
I was thrilled to see this was our reading
this morning earlier in the week. As I
said, it never happens that healing miracles line up with our Healing
service. For those of you knew to the
parish the last three months, this is an approved service where we anoint with
oil and pray for those who want healing.
I know. It seems a little “out
there” for Episcopalians to be doing such a service. Anointing with oil, impromptu prayers,
expecting the Holy Spirit to come powerfully—I know it makes some of us
uncomfortable. But, any student of the
Bible understands that such was the practice in the Old Testament and the New
Testament for the people of God. We are
supposed to be a healing community.
Anyway in a few short minutes, I will
invite those who desire anointing prayer to come forward. We don’t argue much over whether it’s a rite
or a sacrament nowadays, though our forebears sure did! I will ask each individual what they think
they need. Then I will anoint and pray
over them. Sometimes, prayers will come
unbidden to my lips; sometimes, I will pray exactly what the person wants;
sometimes, I will say one of the prayers from our BCP’s. Sometimes, I will be . . . compelled/guided
to pray something that makes no sense either to me or to the one over whom I am
praying. It is only later, when the
person reflects on the prayer and subsequent events in their life, and then
they choose to share it with me, what the prayer really meant and how God
answered it. Then, as I end the prayer
for healing, I will often ask God to give the one for whom I pray and me eyes
to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand how their suffering glorifies
God and for strength to persevere.
Those of us struggling in our relationship
with God may well ask why He does not cure everyone who comes? If He’s a good God and has the power we
think, why is there any suffering in His people? We remind ourselves in these moments that His
servants are often suffering servants.
God delights in redemption. Just
as He used the suffering of His Son Christ our Lord to save us, so He uses us,
His adopted sons and daughters, to reach into the lives of others. I wish I understood His logic. I wish I knew why He does things or does not
do things the way I think He should.
That’s probably a different sermon or teaching. Today, we are talking about our Lord
providing us what we need.
Look a little closer at the healing of the
woman. What did she really need? I’m not a woman so I cannot relate to the
menstrual bleeding really well, but I am the father of three girls and married
to another. I can testify a bit to the
expense of the woman’s condition.
Clearly, Mark wanted us to understand that she had spent all her money
on doctors and prescriptions and supplies, but was that his focus for us? No.
Jesus does not pull a bag of coins out of a fish or His robe and give it
to her. In one sense, He does not even
actively heal the woman of her bleeding.
Yes, it is the power jumping from Him that cures her, but Jesus does not
say “Be healed” or “Quit bleeding.” We
learn later from His instruction that it is her faith that has made her
well. What does Jesus give her? What did He think she needed?
Mark does not dwell on many of the
details, but those in the crowds and the early audiences would have understood
this story far better than we. As a
result of her bleeding, she is unable to go to worship. She is ceremonially unclean. Now, being ceremonially unclean does not
equal “disgusting sinner.” No doubt
people judged her for her condition, as people do in most cultures and most
ages—think of those in your younger years who attended not wearing dresses or
suits. I have no doubt there where
whispers of her notorious sins. She’d
lost a husband; she was bleeding for twelve years. Yahweh had clearly turned His back on her in
their eyes.
Her uncleanness, though, was like cooties
among our youth. If anybody touched her,
they were unclean. Some rabbis and
priests would instruct that anybody entering her house would be made
unclean—they would touch things she had touched or sit in chair in which she
had sat. Ceremonial uncleanness meant
that one needed to be cleansed in order to worship. There were appropriate sacrifices and
baths. Those, of course, cost
money. Have you heard the old adage, “No
good deed goes unpunished?” If you took
her food and accidentally touched her, you had to be cleansed. If you loved her and just hugged her, you
needed to be cleansed. If you bumped
into her on the streets, or touched something she had touched, you had to be
cleansed. Her bleeding had resulted in a
loss of community. Normal social
interactions were denied her. I am sure
people meant well in the beginning, but human nature is human nature.
Think of this in modern terms. For how long would you be willing to take
communion or a meal or just visit a shut in if every time you did that you had
to go through the expense of paying me a stole fee to cleanse you ritually? I suspect most of us would volunteer once or
twice, but where would we draw our lines?
Would the line be higher for close family? Would it be lower for the curmudgeon or
shrill? This lady has been experiencing
that for 12 years! 12 years! For reasons of self-survival she has had to
become invisible to those around her.
The one wrong move, the wrong one touch, and who knows what
happens. We do. Such outcasts get blamed for all societal
evils and misfortunes.
Jesus, though, is aware of her life. He recognizes what she truly needs! As God and Man He clearly knows who has
touched Him—He would not be worthy of our worship otherwise. In front of everybody He asks who touched
Him. Mark tells us that He had an
intense face. Mark does that only a few
times in his Gospel, so we know it’s a significant face. More importantly, the lady knows it,
too. Her big fear, no doubt, is that
this incredible Rabbi who just healed her is going to be furious with her for
deigning to sully Him. Given His face,
He may incite the crowd to violence against her. But she recognizes she is caught. She throw herself at His feet and confesses
with fear and trembling what has just happened.
It is then that Jesus truly heals
her. “Daughter, your faith has made you
well. Go in peace, and be healed of your
disease.” To us it may sound simply like
a strange observation. To her, they were the words of life! The Prophet, the Rabbi, the Messiah has told
the crowd that her faith has healed her.
As the village no doubt struggled with the identity of Jesus in the
days, weeks, months, and maybe even years to come, she would have His
pronouncement in that village that her faith had made her well. No doubt the hypocrites might still accuse
her and whisper, but those seeking to follow Yahweh would be forced to
acknowledge that God had powerfully healed her because of her faith. Whether they understood Jesus’ true authority
later, they had to acknowledge that God had done something through Him because
of her faith. Just like that, twelve
years of isolation, 12 years of shame, 12 years of varying degrees of
hopelessness is undone. Even if
hypocrites still accuse her, she knows the source of her healing and why it
flowed. To use our language of Wednesday
night, God shema’d her hurt and answered her gloriously, so gloriously in fact,
that you and I talk about her 2000 years later!
Talk about giving us more than we can ask or imagine!
And what of poor Jairus? What is his true healing? Again, he is taught by none other than Jesus
Himself to have faith! Certainly, that
is reward enough. But can you imagine
Jairus’ life after this encounter? His
frustration at Jesus for stopping in the crowd must have been incredible. Time was at an essence—from his
perspective. If Jesus tarried too long,
his daughter could die. Now, his worst
fears have been confirmed. Jesus tells
him only to believe. And Jairus
does. And because of that faith, with
whatever struggles were going on internally, he gets to witness Jesus at
work. As I have pointed out to you many
times regarding Jesus’ deeds of power, there is not strain, no effort, no
special words or gestures. Jesus speaks,
and all else obeys—nature, demons, and even death!
What kind of peace and encouragement is
given to Jairus in this miracle. I understand. The raising of the daughter is enough from
our perspective. But think what must of
happened to Jairus as he reflected on the events of the day. Was God attentive to his need? Absolutely!
Was God subject to the vagaries of even time as we know it? Of course not. It did not matter that Jairus did not have a Christological
understanding regarding Jesus. All he
really knows is that God worked through Jesus even after his daughter had
died. When God chooses to act in mercy
and power, nothing, not even death can stand against Him and His prophets! Now, now he is truly fit to lead the people
of God in their worship of God. For
Jairus, that service of worship will never be the same. He has passed through an Exodus experience of
his own that has taught him all kinds of lessons about God. How excited must he have been to share them with
those at the synagogue? And like the
woman in the crowds, he knows . . . he absolutely knows that God is attentive
to our cries and needs.
In the end, is that not what we all desire
when we are suffering? Misery likes
company, I get that. But we sure crave
to know that our Father in heaven truly loves us. When we are suffering, the doubts creep in,
the whispers creep in, the fear creeps in.
How beautiful for us, on a day when some of us will come forward for
healing that may seem slow in coming, that we are reminded of God’s compassion
for us, His attentiveness to us, and His power to accomplish what we need in
our lives! What’s even better this day
is that we are reminded that God is never too late to bring us the healing we
need. Even if our current sufferings
lead us to the grave, just as with Jairus’ daughter, one day we know He will
tell us to awaken with no more than a spoken word. And waken we will, because not even death can
separate us from Him. And because He
gives us more than we can ever ask or imagine, just like that little girl whom
He instructed others to feed and like that lady He restored to her community, He
will instruct others to lead us to that feast where all this suffering, all
this pain, all this hurt, all this doubt, all this loneliness is forgotten, not
even worthy of a tear. That is His unwavering
promise and reminder to us this day, and every day!
In
Christ’s Peace,
Brian
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