A Little Girl and a Woman – When You Can’t Get Well
How do you feel about a trip to the doctor’s office? For example, do you look forward to it because you think it will help you live a healthy lifestyle or to feel better? Do you dread it because you’re afraid of what you might hear and what it might cost? Would you rather cope with pain than see a doctor?
March 15, 2015
Mark 5:21-43, A Little Girl and a Woman – When You Can’t Get Well
Pastor Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
Audio only – below[powerpress]
When I was younger it didn’t bother me to go to the doctor for a physical because I rarely had anything wrong and that was the only doctor I saw. Now that I’m fifty when I go I worry about what the doctor will tell me next. I went to my dermatologist this past week for my annual appointment, not concerned about anything, but she determined that there were some things she wanted to freeze off just to be safe so now I look like I got a tattoo of the Hawaiian Islands on my face. At least it’s a nice pattern.
Today’s passage from The Gospel of Mark deals with a girl and a woman who can’t get well on their own or even with the help of a doctor. The twelve-year-old girl is dying and the woman has been coping for twelve years with a chronic physical condition and no matter what she’s tried or how many doctors she’s seen, she hasn’t been able to get well. Right before this passage, Jesus healed a man who was in terrible shape afflicted by all kinds of issues so as we Listen to Mark 5:21-43 we do so with this in mind, “If Jesus could help that guy, I wonder if he can help these people too.”
“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 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.”
When we read the Bible one of the things we can do to help us understand it better and to picture what’s taking place is to see a story from the perspective of each person who is present or mentioned. You experience a story quite differently depending on the perspective through which you see it. For example, picture this scripture from the perspective of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. The scripture opens with him humbling himself, falling at the feet of Jesus, begging him with urgent desperation, to come immediately and heal his 12-year-old daughter who is at the point of death. There’s no time to lose, and our first reaction is supposed to be, “I hope Jesus can get there in time to save that girl.” We hear these brief but powerful words in verse 24: “So he went with him.” What a difference it makes when we’re in the midst of facing a difficult challenge to feel and to know, as Jairus did, that Jesus is with us. I hope some of us can also say, “When I was at my lowest and most desperate point in life I came to Jesus and threw myself at his feet and he raised me up and went with me and helped me through it.” But as Jesus and Jairus are on the way, their progress is slowed by a crowd of people pressing in on them, as many people, just like Jairus, want to see Jesus and be healed. Among them is an unnamed woman who has been dealing with an issue for twelve years and she’s gone bankrupt spending her money on doctors who sadly weren’t able to help her or solve her problem.
Susie Selitto is a member of BBC and like the woman in today’s Gospel, she has had her share of physical challenges and Jesus and her faith have helped her to face them. Listen to Susie’s story: (you can see Susie’s testimony if you watch the video).
Susie mentioned some of the women in our church who’ve inspired her and I know Susie is an inspiration to many of us and we’re glad she’s a part of BBC. The woman in the Gospel story shouldn’t even have been in the crowd that day because her condition made her “unclean” (Leviticus 15:25-30), but her faith overrode her fear of the people and her doubt about the possibility of being made well. Likely because she feared the response of other people if they knew her condition, the woman sought merely to touch Jesus’ robe rather than asking him to heal her in front of everyone else. She may also have feared being rejected or turned away by Jesus if she asked him directly. All she wanted was to be well and to get out of there. By her actions the woman clearly demonstrates she has great faith in Jesus’ power to heal.
Mark says, “Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples who, for our benefit, are presented like bumbling members of the Secret Service basically reply, “Look at all the people crowding around you, how do we know?” It’s important to note that Jesus was aware that power had gone out from him; there is power in Jesus to heal, to change, to transform and that power is still available. Jill and I were at a forum this past Thursday at The Federated Church in Hyannis that was organized by Congressman Bill Keating who wanted to meet with clergy and other religious leaders to discuss the epidemic of opiate abuse that has erupted over the last few years in our Commonwealth and our country. The numbers are staggering – 46 deaths a day due to overdoses in our nation. Deacon Dick Murphy who worked in the jail for 20 years shared with the group that in his experience the best treatment is the power of God. I think that’s true – there’s power in Jesus to “break every chain” as we’ve sung about recently at our early services, even the chain of addiction.
In the Gospel story, Jesus knew that power had gone out from him and he wanted to know where it went. Jesus was not interested in being an impersonal source of power that people tapped into for their own benefit. Jesus wants to create relationships so he wants to meet this woman. The fact that she “came in fear and trembling” once Jesus asked who touched him probably reflects where she was at emotionally. But look at the beautiful thing that happened when the woman returned to him and spoke to him; it gave Jesus a chance to see her face to face and to speak a word of blessing and assurance into her life. Think how different the experience would have been for the woman if she hadn’t heard Jesus say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” We might not have been hearing this story ever since.
Clearly the woman’s faith was a crucial part of her being made well. Faith makes a difference in many of Jesus’ healing stories – perhaps this is because we need to believe and be open to something happening in order for it to happen. If we think something is impossible, we likely won’t see it become reality. If we don’t think Jesus can do anything for us, the result is usually that he won’t or can’t. When Jesus returned to his hometown the people were skeptical and Mark 6:5-6 says, “And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” That’s quite a contrast to the woman in Mark 5. However, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s possible to be a person of great faith and yet unlike the woman and the 12-year-old girl we’re not made well or our condition is chronic and something we have to live with the rest of our lives. As Christians we need to continue to have faith and believe even when we have conditions that come, for example, with growing older that will not go away or be healed. We’re never going to have the body at 75 that we had at 18 – yet our faith help us in those kinds of situations where (even if we get parts replaced) there are some things that won’t be physically “healed.”
On Friday night Jill and I had dinner with Greg and Mary Catherine O’Brien and eight other people. Greg and Mary Catherine shared about their experience dealing with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and Greg spoke openly about the difference his faith makes in fighting the disease and continuing to live each day. I made the comment that in a sense, “Life is a terminal disease” and by that I don’t mean we should look at life like an illness, but rather that we’re all “terminal.” We’re all going to die one day so the question is how do we live until that day comes? Several of things that Greg and Mary Catherine either mentioned or demonstrate are good for all of us to do: holding onto faith, receiving the love and care of a supportive community of family and friends, continuing to pursue a purpose in life, and keeping our sense of humor. I told Greg that Bugs Bunny said, “Never take life too seriously, you’ll never get out of it alive.”
When Jairus heard that his daughter had died, “Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” Believing in the power of Jesus to impact and influence our lives even in the face of death helps to diminish our fears and enables us to live with courage, resilience, and hope. We’re told many times in the Bible by angels and many verses of scriptures, “Fear not, do not be afraid,” (see for example, Luke 2:10, Matthew 28:5, Psalm 27:1-4 and Psalm 90:1-6). We never know what God might do in us and through as we believe and pray and ask for the Lord’s help as Jairus and the woman in Mark 5 did.
Pastor Barbara Burrill shared the following experience with me this week. She said, “Over 20 years ago my sister (Chris) and I were a part of a great church on the North Shore of Boston. My sister met her husband there and we were all very active – my brother-in-law (Monte) was a part of a men’s group for over 20 years. During that time they had been praying for one of the member’s brother named Paul who was a drug addict. This group of men prayed for him for many years. About 10 years ago my sister (Chris) and brother-in-law (Monte) moved to Florida. My nephew Eddie was very active in the church in Florida and actually went to China for two summers as a missionary while in High School. However, two years ago my nephew Eddie was introduced to marijuana. It led to other drugs and he spiraled. We prayed for him to find his way back. A month ago he went into a Christian Rehab in Florida. Last Sunday my sister and brother-in-law went to visit him. They met his counselor who had befriended Eddie and has helped him clean up. Now, here is where God is amazing… His counselor is Paul the same man that Monte had prayed for 20 years ago to help him get out of addiction! Paul got cleaned up and is now helping young men who went through what he did all those years ago. Praise God for his mercy and grace! Our family is so thankful that Paul is there to help Eddie and we continually pray for them both. We sometimes never know what happens to those we pray for; prayers are important! God answers our prayers!”
When we seek Jesus out in faith he will go with us no matter what we have to face. Sometimes we may be healed and sometimes we may learn how to go forward with whatever challenge that we face knowing that we do not face it alone. Hopefully our believing, our faith, will triumph over our fears. One final thought, did you notice that the story of Jairus daughter foreshadows what will happen to Jesus? People thought he was dead, his friends were grieving, but he was not dead. The one who had the power to bring others back to life and wholeness was himself raised by God from the dead and he still has power to touch us and help us today. We’re invited, like Jairus and the unnamed woman, to fall at the feet of Jesus and worship him as the powerful one sent by God to be always with us. What would you like Jesus to heal in your life – physically, spiritually, emotionally or otherwise? Why don’t we pray about that right now:
Prayer: Creator God you are the giver of life and you know us better than we know ourselves. You know where we are hurting or broken physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Pour your power out in us and among us that we may be healed, renewed, and strengthened. Grant us grace to accept the changes that come to all of us as we move through the seasons of life and give us faith that overcomes all our fears. We ask this in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Blessing: Jude 24-25, “Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Also used in the Worship Service:
Lamentations 3:21-33, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, 28 to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, 29 to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), 30 to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not reject forever. 32 Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.”