June
27th and 28th - Mark 5:21-43
In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
As
we move through Mark, we end up seeing Jesus face more and more
opposition, more and more complaints. Even as the crowds grow
bigger, the complaints grow louder and louder still. And today, in
Mark 5, we hear two healings, two examples of Jesus' care for folks
all with crowds and complaints. As there's a lot in this text, let's
just dive in with no further ado.
"When
Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd
gathered about Him, and He was beside the sea."
Jesus has been zig zagging across the sea of Galilee - that's the
only time He's getting any rest. And He lands, and before He can
even get onto the shore there's a giant crowd. And someone
"important" shows up in that crowd. "Then
came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing
[Jesus], he fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, 'My
little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on
her, so that she may be made well and live."
A big wig - one of the most respected folks in the community. That's
who Jairus is. Well respected. The hoitiest of the toitiest. And
Jesus goes - He agrees to go heal this man's daughter.
Now,
at first, this would be expected. Of course Jesus would go out of
His way to help Jairus - Jairus is a good man. A big name. And this
is that point where in Jewish society there would have been that sad
resignation. Ah yeah, Jesus is making it big time. His fame is
spread - He's too big for little people like us. Soon He'll be
spending His time with the well to do - why, in fact, He might make
it all the way to Jerusalem and hang out with the chief priests in
the temple. And so there would have been resignation in the crowd -
Jesus is moving beyond us - but also excitement. So the crowd follows
Jesus.
And
in that crowd, there was a woman. This is what we hear about her.
"[She] had a discharge of blood for twelve
years, and [she] had suffered much under many physicians, and had
spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse."
A discharge of blood - what we might simply today call "lady
problems" and skip the details. But here's the thing - in
Jewish society, under the rules of the Old Testament, any woman with
a discharge of blood was unclean - so you were to stay home, not do
anything socially. No man could touch you, either. That was
verbotten. So understand this woman's situation. She's in a horrible
spot - and Jesus was her last hope. And what happens? He comes
back! Today is the day, she will be healed... and, oh. Off He goes.
To Jairus' house. And then surely He'll be wined and dined there...
and He won't be around the little people like her anymore. She
thinks her chance was missed. But she takes one last shot at getting
healing. "She had heard the reports about
Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
For she said, 'If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.'"
He's walking away, He's off to bigger and better things, I'm not
worth His time - I know, I don't even have to bother Him. Even if I
touch His robe, His cloak, I'll be better. And you know what - she
was right. "And immediately the flow of
blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her
disease."
And that could have been the end of the story for her - just a nice
little footnote as Jesus is on His way to bigger and better things.
But no - we hear that Jesus turns around and looks for her. It's
funny, He asks who touched him, and the disciples don't get that
anything has happened - "You see the crowd
pressing around You, and yet You say, 'Who touched Me?'"
Jesus, You are being thronged, hundreds of people have touched and
bumped into You!
But
Jesus stops, and He looks, and He finds this woman. He stops going
towards Jairus' house... and as He pauses, we hear, "But
the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and
trembling and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth."
She hadn't listened to last week's sermon - you don't tug on
Superman's cape. And Jesus noticed. And she thinks she's been
caught with her hand in the cookie jar. And there's not just fear,
not just that acknowledgment that Jesus is God, but there's
trembling. She didn't ask. What if He takes the healing back? There
Jesus is, on His way to the good people, and now He's stopped, He's
paused, He's looking at her. She's gone and made a scene, and now the
punishment should come.
"And
He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace,
and be healed of your disease.'"
Oh, that is a loaded sentence. So - who is this woman kneeling
before Jesus? Is she a nobody? Is she beneath His notice? An
annoyance? No. She is "daughter". As much as Jairus
loves his daughter, so too Jesus loves this woman, and He will pause
and spend time with her. And does she tremble? Go in peace - that's
forgiveness language. That's the same language we hear in John 20 in
the upper room - "Peace be with you, see My hands and side".
Do not tremble before Me, for I am here to forgive you. Oh, and
your disease - it's taken care of.
Such
a heart warming scene... but then, we hear this. "While
He was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who
said, 'Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?'"
Do you get the tragedy - Jesus is walking to heal Jarius' daughter,
but then He stops. He pauses - and He deals with this other woman
instead... and the little girl dies while he's dealing with her.
Jesus, even talking to one He calls daughter, hears Jairus told about
his daughter. Once again, the thought is "don't bug Jesus"
- but death will not get the final word. Here He now stops the crowd
- okay, Peter, James, John - you three with Me and Jairus, everyone
else, stay here. And they go to the house, and the mourning is going
on full force. The folks who thought that Jairus was stupid to spend
his daughter's last moments looking for that crackpot healer are all
there, and then Jesus walks in and says, "Why
are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but
sleeping." - And they laughed at Him.
Their weeping is cut short by laughter, harsh, bitter laughter. But
Jesus just sends them out, takes Jairus and his wife and goes to
where the gal is. Little girl, arise. Wake up. And she does. And
then we get the last line - "And He strictly
told them that no one should know this, and told them to give her
something to eat."
Alright - those scoffers - they'll see your daughter, see her alive.
They don't need explanations - mockers don't get explanations. Now,
go, take care of your daughter, enjoy your time with her.
So
then - did you note the contrast in the text? The contrast that
folks would have expected in Jesus day would be a contrast between
rich and poor, between powerful and lowly. Surely Jairus is worth
Jesus' time, but not that broke icky woman. That's the worldly
distinction. But that's not the distinction Jesus makes. No, Jesus
will spend time and deal with the both the woman and Jairus. He will
listen to them, He will deal with them. Of course He will - they are
both believers, they are His mother and brother and sister and
daughter and son by faith - that's what we heard a few weeks ago.
No, the contrast in the text is between these two faithful folks and
the mockers. Jesus will tend to the woman, will tend to Jairus and
his daughter - but the mockers? Eh, not even going to waste the
explanation. This is what Paul spells out in Galatians - "for
there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus."
That's the point of unity, of true equality - It's in Christ, in
faith, in Baptism, heirs of the promise and completely worth Jesus'
time. And they get to hear Jesus' words. That woman, she hears
directly that she is forgiven and healed. Jairus is restored to his
family - the daughter who was dead is now alive. The mockers can
mock; but they miss out.
So, what of you here? Think on how often, here in this
place, you are told, "peace be with you." Think of how
often you are told that you are forgiven, that you will rise to life
everlasting. Think of how often Jesus gives you something to eat so
that you will rise again to new life? The whole point of this place
is that here, this service, this liturgy, Christ comes to us in His
Word and Sacraments and proclaims peace and life to us here. That's
the whole point. Now, might a pastor in a sermon give some practical
advice, or say something entertaining? Might the music be grand, the
building beautiful, friends and family here with us? Maybe, or maybe
not. But that's not the focus, the goal. Jesus is here for you. He
doesn't go "big-time" on you, Jesus isn't too big for
Herscher. He's not hurrying up to Chicago or something like that -
no, He's here for you, the Baptized, His brothers and sisters, His
sons and daughters - the Word is proclaimed, the Sacrament is
administered. Think on that - Jesus has seen this place built so
that you may hear Him preached, so that you may come to this rail and
receive His Body and Blood from this altar. He's not too busy. I was
going to say, "no skin off His back" - but that's not quite
true - He was whipped and beaten and crucified, the skin was taken
off His back to see this place built - but He has done it for you,
all so that you would know His forgiveness.
And still even today the mockers mock, especially this
week. Still even today folks still deride Christ and His Church...
and they miss what happens here. Here we gladly hear preaching and
His Word, holding it sacred - Here we are declared to be sacred and
holy by Christ, His forgiven children. Rise, go in peace. Amen. In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
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