1. Healing of a sick woman

Today, the 5th Lord’s day after Pentecost, we read Mark 5, the verses from 21st to 43rd. The long portion tells about Jesus’ two miraculous works, healing and resurrecting stories. The former is placed amid the latter.

When Jesus came back to Galilee one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, was waiting for him. Jairus, believing in Jesus’ divine power, asked him to save his daughter who was dying of a grave illness. Jesus accepted the request. On the way to Jairus’ home Jesus healed a sick but faithful woman and praised her by saying “your faith has healed you.” Then he went to Jairus’ house where he resurrected the daughter who had been dead before Jesus’ arrival. By reading today’s passage we will reflect upon the power of faith which changes humans’ lives .

Now let us see at first the beginning of the first episode ;- Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."” (Mark 5:23)

At that time, Jewish religious authorities were already considering Jesus to be dangerous on the suspicion of being heretic. (see Mark 3:6) Despite such situations a synagogue ruler, or a leader of community, fell at Jesus’ feet. Because Jairus had heard the rumor about Jesus’ miraculous power of healing and thought the man could save his daughter from death. Thus he came to Jesus regardless of his social reputations. Jesus was moved profoundly by his humble attitude and willed to cure the girl.

However another event happened on the way to Jairus’ house. Behind the crown who were surrounding Jesus a woman tried to touch Jesus ;- A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:24-28)

To express her suffering Mark in the following verse Mark used the word “¦Ìά¦Ò¦Ó¦É¦Î,n {mas’-tix} (a whip) ,” which have another meaning in Greek : a calamity, misfortune, esp. sent by God to discipline or punish.

Mark called he ilneess in Greek “¦Áἷ¦Ì¦Á{hah’-ee-mah}(blood).” It was probably a chronic disease of uterus. And, in Jewish society of the time, bleeding persons were considered to be impure regardless of causes and they were prevented from coming into public spaces. For example leviticus 15:25-26 precise a case ;- ” ‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period.

Ancient peoples thought bled blood, like dead bodies, contaminates their entity. Therefore the woman could not come up Jesus in front but tried to touch him behind the crowd. The conduct reveals how strongly she aspired for being healed. And when she touched him ;-Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.(Mark 5:29)

The word “stop” here is “¦Î¦Ç¦Ñ¦Áί¦Í¦Ø {xay-rah’-ee-no} (dry up)” in the Greek text. And ;-At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. (Mark 5:30)

“Power” is “¦Äύ¦Í¦Á¦Ì¦Éς,n {doo’-nam-is}” as God’s power. When God’s power goes out from Jesus miraculous events happen. Jesus felt that ;- He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30)

Jesus wanted to know who received the power of God then admitted her profound faith ;- Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."(Mark 5:34)

Jesus understood immediately her situations. She had been bearing the pain for a longtime, not only physically but also socially. Because she was looked down as impure and unable to get married. In short she was disparately segregated. Jesus gat insight into her painful feeling. Therefore he said to her “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Jesus’ compassion and her authentic faith emancipated her from hopeless life.

2. Resurrection of Jairus’ daughter

While Jesus was still with her ;- , some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?"(Mark 5:35)

Jairus was devastated because he thought even Jesus, a miraculous healing master, could not resurrect a girl already dead. Besides he might regret Jesus had not come straightaway by taking care of a sick woman. But Jesus said;- “Don’t be afraid; just believe."(Mark 5:36)

Then Jesus hurried up to Jairus’ home. ;-When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. (Mark 5:38-40)

Because they knew the girl died definitively. Nonetheless Jesus acted. ;-After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). (Mark 5:40-42)

A miracle happened thus. We might say the story is base on a certain historical event by considering the expression “Talitha koum!” Those words are Aramaic and that implies that witnesses of the event reported and transmitted literally what they had watched and listened to.

Especially Jesus’ disciples were so strongly impressed so that original Aramaic vocabulary was kept faithfully.

We find a similar report in the book ofActs. Luke noted it this way ;-Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.(Acts 9:40-42)

3.The kingdom of heaven is near

Today’s invocation verses are Matthew 10:7-8 ;- As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Those verses are given by Jesus when he sent out the Twelve for preaching. Literally the words meant the ill will be healed and the dead will be alive again when the kigdom of god comes. But it is scarcely possible to believe for us who live in the modern and rational world. Because we must acknowledge that certain illnesses can not be cured and dead persons are never resurrected. Even thought Jesus said :-” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes."(Mark 9:23)

Our poor faith doesn’t make us to arrive at that phase in belief. Therefore we need to understand those healing and resurrecting stories in accordance with our capability.

When Jesus said to the sick woman ” your faith has healed you”, “heal” signified physical cure. Thus Jairus’ daughter was resurrected through his faith and prayers. But today, it is true that certain illnesses are still incurable, despite zealous prayers and patients sometimes die.

In unfortunate cases how should we understand from religious point of view the relation between prayers and illness ? To reflect upon the issue I invite you to remember the example of Kanzo Uchimura* , the founder of christian non-church movement in Japan. His daughter gat illness at the age of 17 and, in spite of his prayers, died 2 years later.

Uchimura told his feeling of the time :

–At first I had been sure that my daughter would be cured because I believed in Jesus’ words, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Nonetheless my prayers vanished in vain. My daughter died just as the doctor had diagnosed. I was deeply disappointed and felt thrown into the bottom of darkness.–

But he found afterwards a new base of belief and was filled with faith. He confessed then :
–Even for my daughter my prayers were not ignored. God continues listening to them still now. And at the last day of the world Jesus will make all the dead alive again. He will say to my daughter too “Talitha koum!” (Little girl, I say to you, get up! ) We must have a faith stronger than Jairus’ one. I must believe in the ultimate healing, in other words the salvation, regardless of my daughter’s death. We must be waiting for that very day by giving thanks to God. As a matter of fact it is very difficult for us to maintain such a belief in facing the death of our beloved persons. But God is merciful toward us, faithless human beings and responds to our prayers.**

Mark reported those two stories as his witnesses to the kingdom of God, which encouraged numerous persons. A christian contemplated the meaning of death in facing his daughter’s case and arrived to believe that the death was not defeat but time of sleep. The power of faith lead him to the conviction. True believers’ prayers are always responded. They receive response through healing or even through sufferings of illness itself. That is today’s lesson given through God’s words.
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reference
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzo_Uchimura
** [The way in Galilee to the Cross ] ASIN: B000JBELPU, edited by Kyoubunkan, Tokyo 1961