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.” ²⁹ Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.³⁰ Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² He looked all around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing^[b] what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸ When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.³⁹ When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ⁴³ He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

–Mark 5:21-43 (NRSV)

January 24, 2016 Sermon Notes

Preparing to preach on this text turned out to be far more difficult that I had imagined. In one sense, the healing stories of Jesus are inspiring and hopeful. It is encouraging to see that his ability to heal includes not only the woman whose emission of blood would have made her ritually unclean, but that Jesus’ power extends beyond the bounds of death itself. Jairus’ daughter was raised with only two words, “talitha cum.” (Little girl, get up.)

On the other hand, there is much that leaves me frustrated about this text. In my moments of doubt I ask if Jesus has this kind of power to heal why is there still pain and anguish in the world? Why do we not see this kind of healing in the world every day?

These questions are stumbling blocks for many when it comes to faith in God. Unfortunately, this passage does not fully answer these challenges. It does, however, give us some clues to the kind of healing that Jesus offers. In this morning’s service we talked about the fact that the healing Jesus offers is beyond our comprehension. These two healing stories show us that healing happens on God’s timing, not our own. It also can happen suddenly and in ways we did not expect. It also shows that Jesus is available to all. Rich and poor, male or female, Jew or Gentile. All people are made in the image of God. There is no one who cannot reach out and touch God directly.

Part of the struggle with healing stories in the Bible is that we often tend to define healing in purely physical terms. Scripture, however, reminds us that healing is about much more than being cured of disease or overcoming death. The introduction to the corporate service of healing in the United Church of Christ Book of Worship says:

In the New Testament, faith, forgiveness of sins, and healing are frequently inseparable but distinct aspects of one experience. Out of mercy and compassion, God works to bring about reconciliation that restores peace between God and humanity, among individuals and communities, within each person, and between humankind and the creation. Guilt, anxiety, fear, broken relationships, and the loneliness of alienation all contribute to human sickness. Healing, in the Christian sense, is the reintegration of body, mind, emotion, and spirit that permits people, in community to live life fully.

(p. 306, UCC Book of Worship)

In short, healing may or may not include the curing of a disease. However, it always brings wholeness to a person’s relationship to self, community, and God. In the Gospels Jesus’ healing miracles are not simply about making the person feel better. They are about demonstrating God’s mercy and power. They are, in the language of the sacraments, an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual reality that Christ’s forgiveness brings. This is why earlier in Mark’s gospel Jesus said to the paralyzed man both, “your sins are forgiven” (inward and spiritual reality) and “get up and walk” (outward and visible sign). The healing of the unnamed woman and the raising of Jairus’ daughter provide that same outward and visible sign in today’s passage.

For many of us it is easier to believe in internal healing and wholeness. In fact, we see that kind of healing each and every day. We see people overcome addictions. We witness hospice patients living their remaining days with vitality. We see people demonstrating courage in the face of terrible disease. God’s healing is manifest in all of these situations. It is simply a matter of retraining our brains to look for what Christ is doing in our lives.

Please note that this does not mean that the Holy Spirit cannot provide healing in physical ways. Many people in our congregation will tell you of miracles they have personally experienced. However, it does mean that God is not under our control. Sometimes the physical healing is late in coming. Sadly, sometimes that healing is only found in an eternal sense. Even in those painful situations, we are not alone. In Jesus Christ God is there with us. He is offering us his the touch which provides forgiveness and love. His entry into the brokenness of the world is an assurance that even death itself will be overcome by the one who makes us whole.

Finally, we talked about the idea that it often through touch that Jesus’ healing was made manifest. We, too, are called to reach out and be tangible providers of that healing. Some of the reasons that the best intentioned ministries or programs fall short is that they lack a truly human touch. Human beings were designed for intimacy, and our society has become increasingly hands off. There are individuals in our congregation whose only direct physical contact comes during the passing of the peace.

The sermon closed with a poem by St. Louis writer Ann Weems, Touch in Church from Reaching for Rainbows.

“Touch in Church”
By Ann Weems, in Reading for Rainbows
What is all this touching in church?
It used to be a person could come to church and sit in the pew
and not be bothered by all this friendliness
and certainly not by touching.
I used to come to church and leave untouched.
Now I have to be nervous about what’s expected of me.
I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next to me.
Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be
I could just ask the person next to me: How are you?
And the person could answer: Oh, just fine,
And we’d both go home . . . strangers who have known each other
for twenty years.
But now the minister asks us to look at each other.
I’m worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman’s eyes.
Now I’m concerned,
because when the minister asks us to pass the peace,
The man next to me held my hand so tightly
I wondered if he had been touched in years.
Now I’m upset because the lady next to me cried and then apologized
And said it was because I was so kind and that she needed
a friend right now.
Now I have to get involved.
Now I have to suffer when this community suffers.
Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a service.
That man last week told me I’d never know how much I’d touched his life.
All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was to be lonely.
Lord, I’m not big enough to touch and be touched!
The stretching scares me.
What if I disappoint somebody?
What if I’m too pushy?
What if I cling too much?
What if somebody ignores me?
“Pass the peace.”
“The peace of God be with you.” “And with you.”
And mean it.
Lord, I can’t resist meaning it!
I’m touched by it, I’m enveloped by it!
I find I do care about that person next to me!
I find I am involved!
And I’m scared.
O Lord, be here beside me.
You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched!
So that I can care and be cared for!
So that I can share my life with all those others that belong to you!
All this touching in church — Lord, it’s changing me!