Who is this man? Mark 5
Just before today’s reading, earlier in Mark chapter 5, Jesus casts out a legion of demons from a gentile man (5:1-20). The message is that even a legion of demons is no match for Jesus. He is master over spiritual beings.
In today’s Gospel reading we see Jesus’ authority over sickness and death. This is a part of Mark’s ongoing answer to the question, “who is Jesus?” Throughout the Gospel, Mark wants you to keep asking that question.
Our reading today has two interwoven stories that involve women.
The leader of the Synagogue, named Jairus, approaches Jesus and falls at his feet, begging him to come and heal his very sick little girl. … He is not a Rabbi. In our tradition, this person is more what we would think of as a warden. He is a layperson who is responsible for many of the administrative needs of the Synagogue, oversees the maintenance of the building, and also supervises worship. … In a society where their religion is central to the life of the community, this is a very important role in the community. And the fact that this man is publicly coming to Jesus to ask for his help sends a significant message to the people, and probably also comes with a certain kind of risk for Jairus with Jesus being such a polarizing figure among the religious leadership.
Jesus agrees to help and a large crowd has gathered and is going with them. There are so many people they are pressing in on Jesus. It sounds a bit like a mosh pit. Too many people are squeezing through narrow streets, and they are bumping into each other. While Jesus is in the thick of this crowd, Jesus feels power go out from him (5:30). In the midst of this mosh pit, where people are pressed against each other Jesus stops to ask who touched him. The disciples see the strangeness of the question. But Jesus knows something has happened, and he stops to address it. … No doubt this delay is causing anxiety for Jairus, whose daughter is nearing closer to death every minute they are delayed.
The woman who discretely touched Jesus, has been suffering with menstrual bleeding for 12 years. (Interestingly, Jairus’ daughter is 12 years old, which makes for an interesting connection between these two women.) As long as this little girl has been alive, this woman has been suffering with her bleeding condition.
This woman has spent all she had on physicians to try to heal her, but things only got worse. From what we know of ancient medicine, there are reasons that some of these treatments would make things worse. … In Jewish culture, this woman would have also been excluded from the social and religious gatherings of the community. The loss of bodily fluids often made one unclean and required a certain amount of time and ritual washing before someone was able to re-enter the life of the community. Leviticus 15:25 says,
“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, for all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness”.This woman has suffered from the desperate treatments of ancient physicians, which has consumed all her wealth and left her in poverty, and she has been separated from the community. … She is ritually unclean, so being in a crowd is a violation and could make those who come in contact with her ritually unclean.
She believes that if she can just touch his clothing, she will be healed. … Why did she think she could touch his clothing and be healed? “The Greek word for wings was used by Jews for the four corners of their prayer shawl, and the Torah commanded them to attach tassels to these wings of their garment (Numbers 15.38; [Deut 22:12])”[1] We read in the prophet Malachi 4:2,
“But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in his wings.”
So, there may have been a belief that touching the tassels on the edge of the Messiah’s clothing would bring healing. This woman’s actions showed that she believed Jesus was the messiah.
She touches Jesus’ clothing, and she is healed. And Jesus knows power has gone out from him, but (interestingly) he doesn’t know the details. In his humanity, he is not fully aware, even while his divinity is acting. And beautifully, rather than her infecting Jesus with her uncleanness, she is “infected” by his wholeness and healing. Instead of Jesus becoming unclean by their contact, she is made clean. His purity is more contagious than her impurity.
Jesus takes the time to have a conversation with this woman, who has been an outcast from her society and family for 12 years. Jesus calls her “daughter” and doesn’t treat her as someone who is unclean. In her physical healing, she is restored to her community.
The difference, in terms of social hierarchy, between this woman and the synagogue leader Jairus could hardly be wider. She has been ostracized from her community for 12 years as unclean. It must have seemed like she was brought back to life because she had been gone from the life of the community for so long. … Jairus, on the other hand, is right at the center of the life of the community. … It says something about Jesus that he was willing to stop and be with this woman in the midst of an important mission to help this man of such high social standing. He treated her as though she was equally important, which, of course, she is in God’s eyes.
This interaction has caused a delay. His daughter had been sick and on the brink of death, but now she has gone over that edge and into death. News comes that Jairus shouldn’t bother bringing Jesus to his house. It’s too late. To them, healing is for the sick, not the dead. But, Jesus isn’t bothered by the news, and says to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe."
The contrast between belief and fear is another theme we see in these stories. When Jesus calms the storm, he turns to the disciples and says, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (4:40). We read that when Jesus casts out the demons, the people in the region “came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid” (Mk 5:15). The woman who had been healed of her bleeding came to Jesus “in fear and trembling” (5:33). Jesus is constantly confronting fear. In response to fear Jesus encourages faith and offers peace. …
They continue on their way to Jairus’ home. Where they meet a group in deep mourning- weeping and wailing over the death of this little girl.
Just as the common sense of the disciples balked at Jesus’ question about who touched him, so this grieving crowd laughs at Jesus at his statement that the girl is just sleeping.
With just the girl’s parents, and Peter, James, and John, Jesus goes to where the little girl’s lifeless body lay, he takes her by the hand and says, “little girl, get up”. … Numbers 19 says,
She touches Jesus’ clothing, and she is healed. And Jesus knows power has gone out from him, but (interestingly) he doesn’t know the details. In his humanity, he is not fully aware, even while his divinity is acting. And beautifully, rather than her infecting Jesus with her uncleanness, she is “infected” by his wholeness and healing. Instead of Jesus becoming unclean by their contact, she is made clean. His purity is more contagious than her impurity.
Jesus takes the time to have a conversation with this woman, who has been an outcast from her society and family for 12 years. Jesus calls her “daughter” and doesn’t treat her as someone who is unclean. In her physical healing, she is restored to her community.
The difference, in terms of social hierarchy, between this woman and the synagogue leader Jairus could hardly be wider. She has been ostracized from her community for 12 years as unclean. It must have seemed like she was brought back to life because she had been gone from the life of the community for so long. … Jairus, on the other hand, is right at the center of the life of the community. … It says something about Jesus that he was willing to stop and be with this woman in the midst of an important mission to help this man of such high social standing. He treated her as though she was equally important, which, of course, she is in God’s eyes.
This interaction has caused a delay. His daughter had been sick and on the brink of death, but now she has gone over that edge and into death. News comes that Jairus shouldn’t bother bringing Jesus to his house. It’s too late. To them, healing is for the sick, not the dead. But, Jesus isn’t bothered by the news, and says to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe."
The contrast between belief and fear is another theme we see in these stories. When Jesus calms the storm, he turns to the disciples and says, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (4:40). We read that when Jesus casts out the demons, the people in the region “came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid” (Mk 5:15). The woman who had been healed of her bleeding came to Jesus “in fear and trembling” (5:33). Jesus is constantly confronting fear. In response to fear Jesus encourages faith and offers peace. …
They continue on their way to Jairus’ home. Where they meet a group in deep mourning- weeping and wailing over the death of this little girl.
Just as the common sense of the disciples balked at Jesus’ question about who touched him, so this grieving crowd laughs at Jesus at his statement that the girl is just sleeping.
With just the girl’s parents, and Peter, James, and John, Jesus goes to where the little girl’s lifeless body lay, he takes her by the hand and says, “little girl, get up”. … Numbers 19 says,
“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days” (Num 19:11-13).
Again, Jesus has come into contact with someone who is ritually unclean, but his holiness is more contagious than their uncleanness. … Jesus touches the little girl, taking her by the hand and saying, “Little girl, get up”.
In 1 Kings 17 the prophet Elijah is involved in the raising of a widow’s son who died. We read there that the prophet
In 1 Kings 17 the prophet Elijah is involved in the raising of a widow’s son who died. We read there that the prophet
“stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again’ And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived” (1 Kings 17:17-24).
Notice that Jesus doesn’t pray for this to happen. He acts as if he has the ability to do this. He just reaches into death, takes her by the hand, and tells her to get up. And she comes back to life.
Jesus has power over the wind and the waves, power over the demons, power over disease, and even power over death. And Mark’s question remains, who is this man that the wind and the waves obey him? Who is this man that demons have to obey him? Who is this man that has power to command disease to leave the body? Who is this man that he can pull a little girl back from death without even a prayer? … His purity is more contagious than our impurity. … Mark is also suggesting that the more we learn to see Jesus- the more we understand who he is, the more our fear will be replaced with faith. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith” “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace” “Do not fear, only believe”. AMEN
Jesus has power over the wind and the waves, power over the demons, power over disease, and even power over death. And Mark’s question remains, who is this man that the wind and the waves obey him? Who is this man that demons have to obey him? Who is this man that has power to command disease to leave the body? Who is this man that he can pull a little girl back from death without even a prayer? … His purity is more contagious than our impurity. … Mark is also suggesting that the more we learn to see Jesus- the more we understand who he is, the more our fear will be replaced with faith. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith” “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace” “Do not fear, only believe”. AMEN
[1] https://anglicancompass.com/did-jesus-wear-tassels/#:~:text=The%20Greek%20word%20for%20wings,their%20garment%20(Numbers%2015.38).
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