SERMON

June 2024 YEAR B TRINITY 5 PROPER 8

Readings: 2 Samuel 1:1,17-end; Psalm 130,

2 Corinthians 8:7-end, Mark 5:21-end

There are two familiar stories in the gospel which have a common focus; health and desperation for a cure. Both people healed were female, one a young girl, the other a lady, one had died and one was suffering from a disease making her an outcast and on the fringe of Jewish society. The young girl was the daughter of one of the synagogue’s leaders which adds another layer to the story. Whilst both people are seeking Jesus’s healing their approaches are different. One a parent, desperate for his daughter to live and the other desperate to be relieved of her constant suffering from bleeding which never ceases.

How did these people encounter Jesus? Jesus was teaching and healing people and had travelled across the lake to find another large crowd waiting for him and amongst the crowd was Jairus, a synagogue leader eager to attract Jesus’ attention dramatically throwing himself at Jesus feet. The woman touching Him as she is hemmed in by the crowd.

Both these people had spent a lot of time and resources trying to find healing without any success and they had become sceptical and suspicious of doctors. More importantly both had faith in Jesus and believed that he would heal them.

However there is more subtlety to this story because Mark has woven two stories together with some similar threads, the woman had suffered for 12 years and Jairus daughter was 12 years old, both were desperate to see Jesus to be healed after having being told by experts that nothing could be done. The woman had also spent all her money. The woman merely touching the hem of Jesus garment released a power from Him, contrasting starkly to the powerlessness of the doctors. Again Jairus was faced with the experts telling him that his daughter was dead. Jairus refused to believe them and the experts laughed at the hopeful diagnosis Jesus gave. If both the woman and Jairus had accepted their respective experts opinions there would have been no miracle. Both of them came to Jesus in faith believing he could help them. Jairus has confidence that Jesus's touch would heal his daughter and the woman faith that by touching the hem of Jesus's cloak she would be healed.

The woman identified herself as the one who touched Jesus and he commends her faith. Her healing is more than just physical. It is complete because she can now re-enter society, she has been cleansed, and received wholeness and restoration. On the other hand Jairus, a leader of the synagogue a respected official approached Jesus in front of a large crowd but he receives no rebuke and Jesus then hurries to Jairus house when time is of the essence. He still stops to speak to the woman because she is no less important to Jesus than Jairus’ daughter. This is where the is the constant reminder that as disciples we need to minister to the religious and socially marginalized who have a place in God’s world. With the raising of Jairus’ daughter his firm and persistent faith shines through as he does not, at that point believe in death as the end and he is not swayed by those telling him that his daughter is dead, Jesus brings her back to life. The miracle serves to vindicate a faith that does not listen to others but is centred on Jesus. We are not confined to a life without faith, we are transformed by the gospel, to trust in Christ to act in the needs we bring whilst knowing that he has sovereignty and tenderness which will triumph as he works in the world, through us, in us and our task is to spread the kingdom through action and word. AMEN