The woman who reached out in faith

Before we begin, if you are new to my blog, please jump across to my welcome comments. This will give you an idea of where I am coming from and why I am writing this series of reflections.

The woman who reached out in faith

This post is actually two stories woven into one, the lives of two women shadowing one another in a beautiful healing dance around the person of Christ. You will find the story here in Mark 5. Jesus is on his way to see another young lady who is very unwell, her father, Jairus, fearing he will lose his young daughter of just twelve years of age, has publicly asked Jesus to come to their home and heal her. He didn't just send a messenger, verse 22 and 23 tells us he went himself, fell on his knees and pleaded with Jesus to come to his home and heal his daughter. I've been pondering this story since writing the Woman at the Well post last weekend and it really dawned on me just what an incredible man Jairus must have been. You see Jairus was a synagogue leader and the current position of many people connected with the Jewish religious leaders; including synagogues (Jewish religious temple / place of instruction), toward Jesus was they didn't like him and had accused him of being in cahoots with the devil because of his ability to do miracles and heal people. Have a look through Mark 2-3 for evidence of this. I imagine they were feeling pretty insecure about their leadership positions with this new kid on the block doing some pretty amazing things and many people calling him Rabbi (teacher).

Jairus was really putting his social and religious standing on the line, if word got back to his religious colleagues that he had called for Jesus not only to come to his home but to do another 'healing miracle' there is a good chance he would have been kicked out of the synagogue. Jairus risked both himself and his family becoming social outcasts to reach out to Jesus for help. His daughter must have been really unwell and he must have loved her dearly.

As I took a moment here I began to see ...... a father who loved his child that much that he was willing to lay down his own interests for her. In Jairus I began to see the character and the agape love of God..... and I think Jesus saw that too. I think he was always looking for clues in people, signs that they had begun to awaken to the eternity set in their hearts and to set aside the noise of life in order to pursue their creator.

I think Jesus would have been keenly aware of the social, religious and political implications that this man's actions would no doubt have for him and he saw faith 'so Jesus went with him.' He started to leave the large crowd that had gathered around him so he could set off with Jairus to his home, but then....

Jesus: 'Hang on a moment, someone just touched my clothes.'

A woman lingers nearby, feeling in her body that she has been freed from 12 years of suffering after reaching out and touching his hem?

Disciples: 'What are you talking about Jesus, we're in the midst of a mob here, people are pressing against us on every side.'

Think rush hour on the BTS in Bangkok.

But he felt power go out of him and he knew someone had just received their miracle.

Here we have it again, Jesus is looking for the one in the crowd reaching out to him and acting in faith.

So who is this woman? The scriptures tell us that she had suffered from an issue of blood for twelve years and that despite spending all of her money on medical treatment, no one could help her, in fact her condition only worsened. Not only was the poor woman probably extremely physically impaired due to constant blood loss, she would also have been considered unclean according to the Torah (Jewish law) reference here. So it's more than likely that she was a social outcast, public knowledge in a small community. No one was supposed to touch her, including men.

She was a woman of faith, I can only imagine her anguish over the years ...... God why have you let this happen, isn't your name “Jehovah-Rapha" (the God who heals) don't you care about me, why have you turned your back on me? Where are you God? Where is my healing?Why have you forsaken me?

and then Jesus comes along....

and faith stirs in her heart...

'If only I can touch his hem, I will be healed."

Some versions say she touched his clothes, others say hem but there is even more to the intricate detail of this story. Words hold so much meaning we cannot just skip over them, they hold the power of life and death. The word hem translated, is actually referring to the fringes, or tassels called tzitziyot, in Hebrew. They were attached to the four corners of the shawls of Jewish men to remind them of their walk with God each day and the blessing that would bring to themselves and others around them. It was her way of acknowledging that there was something special about Jesus, that she could see that he walked with God and that as a result people around him were healed. She believed that could be her story too and she was desperate for an answer.

This woman was not supposed to touch anyone, she was probably on her hands and knees trying to get through the crowd unnoticed and by touching Jesus, she was technically making him unclean as well. Most people would get angry about that, so I imagine she was trying to keep it all under wraps...

'If only I can touch his hem, I will be healed."

Acts of faith: risky, dangerous, public, they have a cost...

Jesus: 'Hang on a moment, someone just touched my clothes.'

Now if you accept that Jesus was at once fully God and fully human then you might also agree that Jesus was all knowing. So as I pondered this story more, I thought to myself he knew who she was, why call her out from the crowd and make it all so public? Wouldn't that have embarrassed her? But no he wouldn't let it go....

'Then the woman came and fell at his feet, trembling with fear, told him everything. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace." '

'My daughter', a term of intimacy, of close relationship, you are mine, I love you, I am not angry that you touched me and it is not my intention that you suffer - he restored her relationship with Himself.

'Your faith has healed you' - he confirmed her physical healing he restored her mind and body.

He made a public acknowledgement of her healing, she was no longer a social outcast - he restored her dignity, her relationship with others and her ability to engage with her community .

This woman got so much more than what she hoped for .....

Here the focus of the story shifts again, did you notice something about the way Jesus rolls? His itinerary is fluid, things change... all the time. He is not put off by interruptions, in fact he embraces them, the people that interrupt his day.

Whilst Jesus was still speaking (verse 35), men came from the house of Jairus, it's too late, his daughter has died. Don't bother Jesus anymore, there's nothing he can do now.

He looks Jairus in the eye, "Don't be afraid, just believe." Don't listen to the noise around you, don't look at the natural, keep your focus on me, look at me. Whilst others laughed, Jairus and his wife took Jesus into their home, still hoping he could do something for them.

Acts of faith: risky, dangerous, public, they have a cost...

Jesus has already shown he has authority over nature, the spiritual realm, sickness and is about to to show that he has authority over death itself.

Two women were saved that day. Many of us have different understanding of what saved means so let's have a quick look at the original Greek word - sṓzō (σῴζω) which is actually rich and nuanced in meaning including to be saved, healed, made well, restored, delivered safely et al. [check out this link to Strong's Concordance for more discussion].

What I have come to think is that being saved is a lifelong journey, it's about knowing Jesus and allowing him to bring the perfection of heaven (aka eternal life) to every aspect of our life here on earth; allowing His perfect love to drive out the fear and shame that hold us back from our creator, from each other and leave us feeling alone. His artwork of the restoration of our lives. Here is a song that I thought was a great match for this story.... enjoy.

Shalom

Cara