Mark 5:21 - 43
The gospel we just heard is an example of what bible scholars call “intercalation”. That means there is a story within another story. Mark really likes this technique, and depending on how you count, there are seven such intercalations in his gospel. Needless to say, there is controversy about why Mark does this. There are some clues we can look at. The woman Jesus heals has had her problem for 12 years; Mark makes sure to tell us that the little girl is twelve years old. The woman has spent everything she has trying to overcome her illness; she has no more resources. We don’t know about the little girl; I think,though, that we would all agree that Jarius has done everything he can think of to make her well, and now she is dying and he has no more resources. One of the Fathers of the Church said that the bleeding woman represented the Jewish people and the little girl the gentiles; Jesus came to fulfill the promises made to the Jews and bring new life to the gentiles. One modern theologian thought that Jesus' healing of two women in a row emphasized that women were of equal importance to men as far as Jesus was concerned. But there are also contrasts; the healing of the woman takes place before the whole crowd; the healing takes place when she touches his garment; and Jesus does not obviously will her healing; it’s sort of passive. The little girl’s healing takes place away from the crowd; Jesus touches her and speaks to her; he actively heals her.
But maybe there is still another clue in the name. Jarius, after all, is one of three people named in the gospels who had a miracle worked for them. The other two are Lazarus who was raised from the dead, and Bartimeaus, whose blindness was cured. All the other healing miracles are done on people whose names we never hear. And Jarius means “God enlightens”.
Picture Jarius -- middle aged, a prominent person in the village, the guy whose job it is to see that the synagogue is kept up, the rabbi is paid, the Jewish laws are observed. He’s pretty important. He has a twelve year old daughter and a wife, we know that. He’s probably a pretty good guy, all things being equal. And he believes in Jesus, at least when he’s desperate. I’ve been there and probably will be there again. When you are desperate, it’s easier to believe than when everything is going well. There is a woman. She is an outcast. The book of leviticus tells us what to do about someone who has a bleeding problem like she does. She is unclean. If she sits on a chair, you can’t sit there. If she lies on a bed, you can’t use that bed. And she can’t go into sacred places like the temple or the synagogue. And she’s broke, adding insult to injury. And the very act of touching Jesus’ garment is a crime.
So as Jarius and Jesus are going to Jarius’ house, they are being jostled by curious crowds of the townsfolk. And strangely, Jesus feels something -- power, a miracle -- going out of him. And he demands, “who touched me?” And the woman, who has felt herself be healed, comes forward and falls at his feet, and confesses. And Jesus calls her “daughter” and tells her that her cure will be permanent. Jartius, meanwhile, must have been jumping up and down, wanting to tell Jesus to get moving, and trying to hold his tongue at the same time. His daughter was dying, and Jesus wanted to know who touched him? You can imagine what Jarius felt. But the woman is a daughter, a part of the family, and Jarius has been ignoring and avoiding her for twelve years. He’s like the rich man who doesn’t see Lazarus on his doorstep; he is following the rules and never questions them. After the cure, Jesus praises the woman's faith and tells her that it is faith that has cured her, and he sends her away in peace. And about then they learn that the daughter has died.
Jarius has put his faith in Jesus; he’s risked ridicule, perhaps, from the other elders in the local synagogue who don’t have much use for this wandering preacher; And to Jarius, all seems lost, because of that woman who interrupted Jesus. But Jesus tells him, “don’t be afraid, have faith”. And they proceed on, being ridiculed. But in that moment, Jarius deepens his own faith. Remember, Jesus is known as a healer. No one expects him to raise someone from the dead. But Jarius and Jesus pass through the mockers, and enter the house, hidden from the crowd outside. And Mark records words that Jesus himself said, not a translation, but the very words, because some eye witness, probably Peter, heard him say them. And the girl gets up and walks, totally cured; and Jesus tells the parents to give her something to eat.
So however else we look at this gospel story, we can see it as a story about Jarius, who learns that God loves the woman who is an outcast, contaminated, unclean -- whom Jesus calls “daughter” -- as much as Jarius loves his own daughter. And Jarius learns that faith has made her whole, and he himself is called to deepen his own faith. And finally, Jarius learns that Jesus can raise the dead, and while you and I have no problem in believing this because we’ve been listening to these stories all our lives, the people of his time would have seen this act as something only God could accomplish.
And the story is there for us as well. God enlightens Jarius, may he also enlighten you and I.
