Courage To Believe
21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, "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." 24 So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." (Mark 5:21-28)
What courage it took for a synagogue leader and an outcast woman to dare to believe that Jesus both could and would help them. We don't know if Jairus had first turned to physicians or to his fellow faith leaders before approaching Jesus, but we do know that the unnamed woman had exhausted her resources trying to get well. Both of them were at a point of desperation, and both of them went against societal norms. Jairus - risking judgement and ridicule from the Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus - approached Jesus openly, and asked Jesus to come to his home to heal his daughter. As Jesus went with Jairus a crowd followed them. The woman was trying not to be noticed because her illness - especially as a bleeding illness - meant that she should not have been in public at all, and she definitely shouldn't have touched anyone. So she only touched Jesus' clothing. How frustrating it must have been for Jairus when Jesus stopped, turned around, and asked who, in that crowd of people, had touched him. How frightening that moment must have been for the woman who thought no one would know. Now she and her secret mission were exposed.
Time must have seemed to stand still as Jesus called the woman "daughter", and spoke wholeness and healing for her. In that same instant, Jairus was plunged into despair as members of his household approached with news that he was too late, his daughter had died. But Jesus spoke hope and peace, dismissed the crowd and most of his disciples, and continued on. Upon arrival at Jairus' home, Jesus put all of the mourners out, went to the child, took her by the hand and told her to get up. Two daughters were healed, wholeness and community were restored, more eyes were opened to the power of God revealed in Jesus.
Everything can change in a moment. Our greatest joys, deepest fears, and worst sorrows come, and sometimes go, in a flash. God holds every moment - nothing escapes notice, falls between the cracks, or is too insignificant for God's attention. May we have the courage to believe that God can and will move in the circumstances of our lives, and may we have the faith to hold on to hope when we are tempted to despair.
1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved." 7 By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication: 9 "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!" 11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever. (Psalm 30)
