Jairus for me, represents the established faith, as a leader.
Therefore, his faith in Jesus ability to heal would be important.
but again we have "tell no one" appearing. Nancy-Wi
The Christian assembly gathers each Lord's day to praise God's
faithfulness and steadfast love. With faith we come to hear the word
and share the meal, and to know the healing that sets us free from
sin and the ailments of body, mind, and soul. We go in peace to tell
others of God's power to bring life from death.
Jairus, a respected leader, begs Jesus to heal his daughter. A woman
with a hemmorrhage is ritually unclean, treated as an outcast in
Jewish society. Both Jairus and the unnamed woman come to Jesus in
faith, believing in his power to heal and bring life out of death.
Jesus comes to the shore and the crowds again gather. From among
them comes the plea: "My daughter is at the point of death." Jairus,
a leader of the local synagogue, pleads with Jesus to bring her
healing. Lay your hands on her that she may be well. Imagine a
revered leader of the community begging this itinerant preacher for
a miracle and in public. Then, an anonymous woman in the crowd
reaches out to touch his cloak. "If I but touch his clothes, I will
be made well."
We are a people in need of healing, who crave healing. We want to be
healed of our aches and pains, of our diseasess, of our infirmities.
We need to be healed of our brokenness. Our lives are broken.
Evidence of a broken world is all around us. Heal us too, we plead
to Jesus.
The author of Lamentations assures us that "the steadfast love of
the Lord never ceases, God's mercies never come to an end" (Lam
3.22). Paul reminds the Corinthian community, "You know the generous
act of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (2 Cor 8.9). Indeed, we see that
generosity and mercy as Jesus not only heals the woman, but calls
her "daughter." We see that generosity and mercy as Jesus raises the
little girl from the sleep that is death. Such is our God, the one
who calls us even out of death into life, new life in the body of
Christ.
Oh, and yes, by the way, give her something to eat, Jesus tells the
dumbstruck witnesses to his latest miracle. Weekly, Jesus offers us
something greater than any meal, his body and blood in bread and
wine that we might taste a little of what eternal life is all about.
The usage of "Daughter", i.e. Daughter of Abraham in this context
has significance as regards the public recognition of women in a
fashion that must have raised eyebrows in Jesus' day. It strongly
suggests a very different attitude towards women than that which our
subsequent Church Fathers and mediaeval doctrinal leaders would have
the faithful believe was the Lord's plan for our way of relating to
women as we go forth to do ministry.
I find it interesting that the period of twelve years of suffering
for the woman is but a comma in the greater story of the healing of
Jairus' daughter.
So much here to speak about the oddities and the outright "against
the grain" work that Jesus exhibits:
touching such a sick person
that the person was a woman
that he "felt" the power leave him
that she knew that just to touch his garments was enough
Jairus would seek Jesus
Jairus' and the woman's faith are mentioned as beneficial
Jesus didn't use any hocus-pocus or abracadabra words of magic. He
spoke plainly, and it happened.
Doug in Erie
I'm curious about the woman suffering a hemmorage for twelve years
and that the daughter is 12 years old. Is it significant that the
number 12 appears in both stories?
why the 12's in this scripture? With so much else going on, why not?
12 disciples, 12 tribes... these could be connections wished by
Mark... ...Or just God's way of showing that the "least" of these
can also be healed, handled, heard... whether long in suffering or
short in age!
And why didn't Jesus take all twelve disciples?
Oh yes, did JC make sure that the little girl was fed so that she
would eat, and prove that she wasn't a ghost, just as he did in his
resurrection appearances.
Doug in Erie
why the 12's in this scripture? With so much else going on, why not?
12 disciples, 12 tribes... these could be connections wished by
Mark... ...Or just God's way of showing that the "least" of these
can also be healed, handled, heard... whether long in suffering or
short in age!
And why didn't Jesus take all twelve disciples?
Oh yes, did JC make sure that the little girl was fed so that she
would eat, and prove that she wasn't a ghost, just as he did in his
resurrection appearances.
Doug in Erie
Jairus is one of the leaders of the synagogue. PH in OH
Jairus is one of the leaders of the synagogue. PH in OH
P.S. By the way, this is the only woman in the N.T. that Jesus
refers to as "daughter."
These are great lessons in faith. The woman with the issue of blood
had tried the doctors and spent everything she had. You would think
that by now she would be a good bit cinical but she exercises faith
to trust Jesus and her faith brings healing. In the midst of this
Jairus receives word that his daughter has died.Instead of going
home to greive he puts his faith and trust in Jesus and sees his
daughter raised to life. Perhaps the woman's healing was the
catalist to bolster Jairus' faith. Just like yesterdays stilling of
the storm these two were facing storms of a different nature. The
storms that bubble up form within. Pardon the early rambling.
Harold in Alabama
What endeavor can be more important and more heart-warming than to
save the life of a child? And yet, Jesus interrupts his mission to
speak to an old woman from the crowd. In doing so, he lets the
little girl die.
Did the crowd think Jesus made a bad choice? I don't think the woman
wanted Jesus to stop either; all she wanted to do was to touch his
robe not stop him. I guess, it is reassuring that Jesus stops for
anyone who has faith, whether they want him to or not.
On the other hand, there is the dead girl. Jesus never promises to
prevent harm from befalling us. He is not the Catcher in the Rye who
madly tries to keep us from running off the cliff of our innocence.
We will all fall. We all will commit sin, suffer loss, and die.
Christ does not change that.
What Christ does, however, is offer us a second chance. Christ picks
us up, transforms us, and gives us new life--both in this world and
in the next.
DSS
I am baptizing my infant nephew this Sunday, and so I am considering
how this passage is relevant to this sacrament.
For one, faith makes us all daughters (and sons) of God.
Also, infant baptism reminds parents that the child really belongs
to God. By handing their child over to the minister to be baptized,
the parents give up control, allowing the child to die and to be
born again in Christ. --I am eager to flesh out this sentiment in
light of the faith of Jairus and the death/new life of his daughter.
DSS
Others in the crowd must have been touching him, too, but the
woman's touch of faith is what caused the sensation of power going
out from him.
I yearn for a touch of that faith.
Sally in GA
"Give her something to eat." I find this an interesting ending after
all that has taken place. Is Jesus just very practical; is eating
proof that she is really alive....? revjaw
I love that Jesus turns and identifies the woman, even as they are
rushing to the bedside of a VIP's daughter.
Why did Jesus stop to deal with this woman in the first place? By
talking to her Jesus clarifies the way we get grace. You can't steal
it, or sneak it. She is healed, not because she stole the touch of
his garment, but because of who Jesus is, and what he desires for
people of faith.
Her touch, had it not Worked to make her clean, would have made
Jesus "unclean" by the purity laws of his day. (Touching the hand of
a dead girl would have had the same effect.) Her action could have
prevented Jesus from being able to heal others by touching them.
By making her confess, and by clarifying that she had not stolen her
healing, Jesus made sure that the woman with a hemmorage would know
that she was completely clean, physically and spiritually.
Another thing that strikes me is that the woman and the girl are
equally "daughter" to a very important father. Each is given a full
measure of healing, no matter how the world ranks their importance.
The number twelve is striking, but what hits me harder is the
realization that the woman had suffered as an outcast for as long as
the girl had been alive. A lifetime of condemnation was overcome.
A few random Monday thoughts!
- SS in PA
Who said the woman was old? Is it then significant that she is not
referred to as a woman, but a "daughter?" PH in OH
Doing Something different this Sunday. WE are singing from the
Cokesbury Hymnal and using the Responsive Reading section. We will
do a reading and then sing an appropiate hymn.The whole service will
be reading and singing with dinner on the grounds afterward.
Harold in Alabama
Sally in GA,
I am praying for you, that your quiet whispered request will be
heard.
Lord, hear our prayer - and reach to us. . .
Pastor Binny
I think Jesus told them to give her something to eat out of
hospitality and compassion. After all, being raised from the dead is
hard work, and to be celebrated and rewarded by sustenance. After
all, didn't He grill fish for the disciples after the resurrection?
In addition, both who are healed in this lesson are women - both
daughters. Yet another huge example of Jeus celebrating the faith
and place of women in the church.
I am reminded of last week's lesson, and the notion that perhaps we,
along with the woman and Jairus, don't expect Jesus to act in such a
big way, like noticing the touch of an outsider, or healing the
child of a VIP.
Sally in GA - I, too, will be praying that your touch be heard and
felt. Blessings.
kf-WA
Ok, but what about the hard question of the parents in my
congregation who prayed faithfully for the healing of their child -
and she died (and was not resurrected). What message does this
passage have for them? And how does a pastor preach it? And of
course the same question is being asked by grieving parents
throughout the world whose children died and were not resurrected.
IS Jesus real to them today?
PB in UK
About eating, I found the same thing that Doug in Erie said. The
notes in the New Interpreter's Study Bible say that it was believed
ghosts couldn't eat. Hence, Jesus may have been "proving" to the
people that they weren't seeing a ghost. A minor detail, or
something significant?
Also, I'm thinking about a different aspect, setting aside the
purity laws this year. There's a marked difference between the folks
who come to our two services. At 8:30, they love to share at prayer
time. At 10:30, you can't coax people to speak at all. But, perhaps
that's okay. Some need to come, like Jairus, and talk about their
joys and concerns publicly. Others, like the woman, need a more
private expression. Perhaps I'm formulating a sermon on prayer,
testimony, and sharing. Is anyone else going that direction? MTSOfan
to PB in UK
In Greek the word "to heal" and "to save" is the same word. I don't
think we can say that children who die despite their faith or the
faith of their parents are not resurrected. Their physical bodies
are not healed or resuscitated, but they are certainly saved. I used
to know a woman who was dying with AIDS because of using dirty
needles for heroin. She said that although she knew she was going to
die, getting AIDS saved her life, because she stopped doing heroin
and found her life in Christ. I met her when she was out teaching
other addicts and would-be addicts to get smart and avoid getting
the virus. The short span of the rest of her life was being lived
for others, and I would say that she had more life than many folks
who live to old age.
forgot to sign the above
JKS
Thanks for your prayers, all.
This is Neighbors, Friends, and Family Day, with a cookout
afterward. I'm hoping to communicate that sense of desire (prevenient
grace, by Wesley's def'n) for connection with God as the entrypoint
to the invitation to be called "daughter," or "son." I've got a more
evangelistic agenda this time. Yet, no matter how long we seek,
yearn, long for faith (defined by Hal Knight as a growing
relationship with God), we yearn for still more, being sanctified,
going on to perfection until our hearts love as God loves.
This is a story of two physical healings, and while I hesitate to be
too allegorical, the promise of spiritual healing is also there, by
the very fact that Jesus calls the woman "Daughter" and is cleansed
of something that makes her ritually unclean. The fact that her
story is bracketed in the story of Jairus' daughter seems to
indicate that physical and spiritual healing can't be separated.
While it's certainly Jesus' power that does it, with the woman, it's
her faith in him that makes her well - Jesus says so himself. The
little girl is a passive recipient of Jairus' intercession. Which
are we? Pushy and faithful, or passive recipients of grace? The
answer: both/and!
Sally in GA
During my Mother's last year there were countless times the family
would be called to the hospital to hear,"Your Mother won't make it
through the night." We would all gather in her room and watch her
every breath as if it would be her last. About dawn she would open
her eyes ans say, "I'm hungry, what's for bearkfast." Most people
lose their appitite when ill but get it back when they start feeling
better. Don' make too much about, "Give her something to eat."
Harold in Alabama
PB in UK--The Samuel lection for this takes a look at David's great
grief and when things go very wrong in a struggle. Perhaps that will
stand side by side with the healing stories as a true-to-faith
experience as well. Aslanclan
According to Ched Myers, "Binding the Strong Man: A Political
Reading of Mark's Story of Jesus," the healing of the two daughters
is a subversive story. In the foreground is the healing of the two;
but the background speaks of entitlement, power, sexual roles,
honor, shame, equality, inherited rights, etc.
When Jairus is entitled to come to Jesus, the woman with the flow of
blood lacks any social status. Jesus disrupts the cutural
expectation of behavior by treating the powerful and the weak the
same (the first shall be last).
As Myers states: "Jesus is portrayed in a way of social interaction
that breaks the rules and expectations of the conduct that obtained
in Palestinian honor culture, shocking those hwo heard the story and
undermining their sense of social order and propriety. Mark's Jesus
was subverting the status quo inorder to create new possibiities of
human community."
tom in ga
I don't think you can be too literal about this passage, or you end
up with the problem PB mentioned. Why are some healed and others are
not? Perhaps it is better to think of this text as suggesting a
metanarrative of sorts, i.e., yes, alination, suffering, illness,
and death are real, but they are not ultimately real. In Christ, all
things are made well. I can't help but thing of Julian of Norwich
who asked about suffering on her (near) deathbed. I don't know if
the answer solves all our problems, but the crucified Lord revealed
to her, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, in all manner of
things, all shall be well." I'll accept that by faith. EcclesialMan
in NC
I'm think about the two images of patient faith portrayed here. On
the one hand we have Jarius and his family who seek out Christ to
come immediately to bring healing. But when the girl dies, they send
word, "Don't bother!" But the "bleeding" and "unclean" woman works
and wades patiently and methodically throught the crowd to finally
reach JEsus. If she were well known in the community for her
"illness" the community would have known her to be unclean and may
have attempted to prevent her from coming too close.
I think of the spiritul fruit of patience mentioned by Paul. I'd
love to hear from some of you regarding this.
Steve in NC
Hi- have not contributed much recently, although I am often lurking
in the tall grass.
Count it up to age or being ordained for 42 years,but I find myself
in this text and others like it, going for more for simplicity. I
love to explore word meaning, the Greek, the scientific
possibilities of this and that, use reason, etc.. In the end I find
that i want to tell the story, perhaps paraphrase and look at NT
Midrash, use a story approach and get out of the way so it can tell
itself. I am less inclined today to cast doubt on the text and lean
on the hermanuetics and exegesis of it all. A couple of .35 words
eh? Learned them in my Progressive Seminary BUST. Frankly, I believe
that so often the people in the pew are further ahead of the
preacher...they are hungry and thirsting and ready to believe in the
healing of the woman who bled for 12 yrs and the healing of the
daughter of Jarius... while we often wail away with the definitudes
of recipes and analyse the account to death.
People do deal with why not all healing prayed for comes as they
expect it or desire. We don't know why some people are healed and
other are not... it is a mystery. Perhaps we are not susposed to why
"why?"..that is sort of a German, and Western question anyway. I am
content at this point not to know the answer to that question. I
have been healed my prayer and the laying on of hands, and I now
many many who have. There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus
healed... both of these in the story, plus their family members. I
figure you need to preach healing whether you know much about it or
not...in the end it is not about you and what you understand... but
in whom you trust.
keep finding that Breaking Open the Word is a joy.
pastordon, elmira,ny
Is this story within a story, really about healing? Or perhaps a
better word is "restoration." Both the woman and Jairus' daughter
are separated from God. Jairus' daughter is dead. Jesus gives her
new life in Christ. The hemorraging woman is separated because of
her uncleanness. She can not participate in the life of the faith
community. Jesus restores her. She has new life in Christ. All
people are healed. Some receive healing in this world. Some receive
it because God takes them home to be with him. PH in OH
I think we can easily miss some of the flavor of this text by trying
to make an application without "feeling" the text. There are two
"healing" that take place. In each situation there is a character so
desperate that they have come to Jesus for help. The lady with the
hemmorage not only has come to her wits end, but also risks making
others who come in contact with her Unclean. By touching Jesus robe,
she makes him Unclean. Yet, going past the cure, she also is
returned to society. For Jairus, he comes desperately to Jesus
because his daughter is near death, and in healing the woman with
the hemmorage, delays long enough that the child dies. Again, Jesus
becomes unclean by touching the body of the dead daughter. Yet,
becoming unclean, heals the child. It seems to me that certainly
part of the key to understanding and preaching the text will need to
deal with the double theme of desperation and unclean. I think it is
here we come in contact with Mark's need to tell us this story. Lynn
in Omaha.
Let me run a thought by y'all:
Again, Jesus shows us that the poor are his priority. The poor, the
outcast, the marginalized, while the leaders and "the establishment"
are often criticized, or, as in this case, take second place.
THe paradox of the Gospel, of life itself, is that when we are
wandering in exile, we're promised that our warfare will be
accomplished and we shall have a home. Once we get to the home, we
become "established," and therefore less urgent in God's care.
Established people don't need a savior to stand up for them whereas
the outcast desperately need inclusion.
Jairus' daughter was affiliated with the establishment, being the
daughter of a synagogue leader. Yet, still a second-class citizen,
as a female. The folks at this time would have seen her as her
father's posession and his intercession on his behalf, though truly
grief-stricken, was nonetheless for his possession. The woman with
the hemorrhage didn't even have that.
it reminds me of last Saturday during our church's yard sale ... a
woman introduced herself to me (I've been here 2 years and had never
laid eyes on her; she's in a different church now) as "Jane Doe,
Charter Member." It was kind of off-putting to me. It reminds me of
how the long-time members of the church feel a sense of ownership of
the church because they've given money and mowed the grass and
what-not. It's why they feel a sense of "entitlement" to take the
best parking places, and to claim preachers' time. It's why, when
they complain about a new element in worship, their complaint holds
more weight than 40 positive comments.
Jesus made Jairus wait so that a daughter, suffering and outcast for
12 long years, wouldn't have to wait a single moment longer to be
commended for her faith.
Faith has no sense of entitlement.
Sally in GA
Oh, wasn't perfectly clear - Jesus claimed the woman with the
hemorrhage as HIS possession (Daughter) because of her faith. Public
profession of faith - from the Lord himself!
But, we all yearn to be his sons and daughters.
Sally
Sally in GA,
Thank you for your thoughts. You are on to something very important,
this since of entitlement among the "establishment." I am in a small
town and parish in Northwest Georgia. The community is growing and
those who have been here for years are threatened so much that they
only see those who they know. If you are new in town it is hard to
find work, and you may go for years without anyone recognizing you.
This will change, but for now it is painful to those who come here
to live. Only the well heeled are those who can be garranteed
healing. If you don't come from the blood line, much less have a
flow of blood, no one wants or welcomes you.
tom in ga
Hi everyone -- back in the pulpit this week! Just home from a
whirlwind round-trip back to KS -- will be back "here" tomorrow
after I read through all of your great commments!
Blessngs, Eric in OH
The thing that sticks out to me in this passage is both the woman
who was bleeding for 12 years, and Jairus, were in need of healing,
and in that case were on level ground with each other. Even though
he was a prominant member of the community and she was a woman cut
off from society. A father, who we can assume had done all he could
to help his daughter,risks all and seeks out Jesus to heal her. The
woman, having been most likely cut off from her community because of
her condition, risks all to be healed. Both are healed, and both are
restored to a new and different life. It makes me ask the question,
how much are we willing to risk, to step out in faith for healing?
Especially in the knowledge that Jesus seemed to ignore the status
of both and healed them both, even taking her, with less status
first. Maybe this should remind us all that what Jesus' feels is the
faith within us to reach for him, and it has nothing to do with our
social status, but that we are children of God.
Susan in Wa.
What if Jesus were telling the truth (or we take these two stories
literally)? The woman's faith is what healed her and not Jesus, and
the young girl was only sleeping?
Just thought I'd rock the boat, TB in MN
I am "jealous," for lack of a better word, of the woman who was able
to reach out and touch the robe of Jesus--not because of proximaty,
but for another reason altogether.
I find myself praying for healing for people with heart conditions
and broken bones and mental health needs and cancer and--you name
it... but I tend to minimize my own needs. It's as if I assume God
will take care of me without my asking. But the woman in this text
doesn't wait for God to come to her, or for friends to intercess for
her. I should learn from her.
Michelle
I remember taking a class while in seminary regarding the preaching
on miracles... I believe this was the text I had chosen to preach
on. My wife was at work and I was trying to organize my thoughts
when my son (then 6 months old, now 19 years old)... I'd work on the
sermon a few minutes, and hold my son the next hour, on again and
off. Finally it came time for me to get to my preaching class. I
went up and preached my sermon... it was not my best. After the
class, my professor, Dennis Ronald McDonald said to me... "Rick, I
don't know what happened but I expected a lot more from you, what
happened?" When I explained that I was struggling to be a "Dad" and
also a student and being a "Dad" won out on this day. He then shared
with me that ... "I" just preached a great sermon on this passage.
What he meant was, Jesus was forever "Stopping" what he was doing
and being distracted by the crowds... in order that he might
minister to their needs leaving his "work" for later. In a "Kingdom
of God" Moment Jesus took the time to heal the woman with his love
and care... AND ATTENTION... to the details... of what was most
important...
For what it's worth... :?)
pulpitt in ND
Hoping to make contact with Chuck in WI who posted last week
something that I would like to discuss with him. If you connect this
week please contact me at ripper@vaxxine.com.
Regarding the Gospel text. I wonder how many would like to be able
to 'touch' Jesus' clothes for their own healing. Would their faith
permit them to make the move with confidence. In my 'mainline
church' I wonder how prepared people would be to take the risk. On a
more troubling note -- How many would consider it an option? We are
a staid group you know. RevRip - Ontario
In the Episcopal Lectionary this week, an edited version this Gospel
(vv. 22-24,35b-43, only) is teamed with other lessons: Deuteronomy
15:7-11 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-9,13-15.
The former ends with Moses admonishing the People of God: "Give
liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the
LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you
undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the
earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and
needy neighbor in your land.'"
The epistle ends with Paul saying of and to the Corinthians: "I do
not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you,
but it is a question of a fair balance between your present
abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your
need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,
'The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had
little did not have too little.'"
I am struck by the radical equality of persons both in these
admonitions and in the example set out in the Gospel: both the
daughter of an influential family and an outcast "unclean" woman are
healed - the one who had much did not have too much, and the one who
had little did not have too little....
Blessings, Eric in OH
Why the 12's? (The woman had been bleeding 12 years, the girl was 12
years old.) The number represents the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel is
understood to be God's bride, thus female (Hosea, for example). Both
the woman and the girl represent Israel, and their healing
represents the healing Jesus offers to Israel. The woman's bleeding
means in part that she is barren. Similarly, the girl is on the
verge of childbearing years. Israel is barren, unable to grow or
prosper, an occupied vassel of Rome. The bleeding and the girl's
death are statements about the spiritual state of Israel - the
lifeblood flowing out of the community, spiritually dead wright at
the moment in history when the oppurtunity is ripe to convert the
Gentiles, and thus bear millions of "children". I think this is a
story about Jesus healing the people of Israel, and it suggests
interesting parallels to many mainline churches.
Steve DG
Twice in one day Jesus encounters the physical touch of the unclean,
yet he doesn't become unclean. Does this teach us about our human
notions of who is clean or not. In today's world (in the US), many
are deemed "unclean" and association with them makes you "unclean"
as well. Having gay friends makes you gay also. Being friends with
someone from the Middle East makes you unpatriotic. Marrying someone
in a different ethnic group means you hate your own ethnicity. But
Jesus disregarded all those social stigmatisms and instead did what
he had to do. Whether a person is rich or poor, clean or unclean, a
leader or marginalized, Jesus takes the time to make them well.
Perhaps we should spend more time touching the "unclean" of our
society and give them Jesus' touch of love. Maybe then we could quit
wondering why the Church isn't growing in the US like it is in other
countries. HW in NC
HW in NC - and, as for me - being a nerd makes the "in" crowd shy
awaay from me for fear of being labeled a nerd.
As to the 12's - thank you for your comments, Steve. I also seem to
remember that the number "12" had a special significance prior to
there being 12 tribes. I'm thinking it's a number that's a multple
of 3 and 4. The number 4 represents completion - as in the four
corners of the earth, or four directions or four elements, and the
number 3 represents perfection but I can't remember why (prior to
the doctrine of the trinity, that is). I'm not "into" numerology,
but I know folks who are, and I'm certain that this woman's issue of
blood happened the year the little girl was born - 12 years ago -
was intended to be a message for Jesus' listeners. I hadn't planned
to explore this aspect during the sermon, but you bring up some good
points about the mainline church. Not too long ago we studied the
vine - get too far away from the lifeblood and we start to die -
seems like a similar theme to me! Especially for the season.
Sally in GA
Seems tough to preach to someone who has lost a child to death. I
believe it was Tony Campolo who commented that the miracles of Jesus
had more to do with love and compassion than anything else and that
when Jesus says, "you will do even greater miracles than these" he
is talking about our capacity for love and compassion. Perhaps to
focus on the love and compassion Jesus showed rather than taking the
results of the miracle too literally? revjaw
Sally in GA and HW in NC - Amen to your words! Pulpit in ND - as
"Pastor Mom", I appreciated your words and your professor's insight!
revjaw
Barbara Brown Taylor has a wonderful sermon entitled "The Problem
With Miracles" that foucuses on this text. It is in her book, Bread
of Angels. She does an excellent job of dealing with miracles that
don't happen for the rest of us.
She writes, " Jairus just followed Jesus home and watched that
unclean holy man do his work. Either way, the high point was not
then but earlier, when Jesus told him, "Do not fear, only believe."
If Jairus was able to do that then he would have survived whatever
happened next, even if Jesus had walked into his daughter's room,
closed her eyes with his fingertips and pulled the sheet over her
head. Her father's belief would have become the miracle at that
point, his willingness to believe that she was still in God's good
hands even though she had slipped out of his. "It helps me to
remember that Jesus prayed for a miracle on the night before he
died. "For you all things are possible," He prayed to his abba.
"Remove this cup from me." ONly when he opened his eyes the cup was
still there. Di he lack faith? I do not think so. The miracle was
that he drank the cup, believing in the power of God more than he
believed in his own. It is always a miracle, ins't it, when we
understand that God is God and we are not. "I do not expect any of
us will stop praying for miracles. I hop not, because the world
needs all the miracle it can get. Every time you hear about one,
remember that you are getting a preview of the kingdom. There is
simply no formula for success, which is a real relif for those of us
who cannot seem to ring the bell. (earlier in the sermon she uses an
illustration about those carnival games where you swing a hammer
down to hit a target and ring the bell at the top of a thermometer
looking thing.) Maybe we cannot do it because it is not our job. "Do
not fear; onl;y believe." That is our job. The rest is up to God.
Sorry this is so long. Hope it is helpful. I usually don't write so
maybe I am just making up for lost time.
Kate in Philly
Many thanks to everyone for thoughts on how to preach to those who
may have lost a child themselves. (That extract from Barbara Brown
Taylor is particularly helpful.) I realised half way through the
week that these miracle stories only make sense because of what
happened later. Imagine if Chapter 5 had become detached from the
rest of the gospel and discovered like the Dead Sea Scrolls - it
would just be another ancient story about a wonder worker. Its only
because Mark goes on to show who Jesus was and that he himself died
and was raised that the point becomes clear. So the stories point
first to who Jesus was, and then to the way he creates and restores
relationships. To end with 'all will be well' seems entirely
appropriate. (I'm not a great fan of Victorian hymns but "Through
the love of God our Saviour" by Mary Peters seems to fit well after
the sermon.)
Again, many thanks.
PB in UK
My sermon for this Sunday is posted on the "cover page" of this
Sunday's DPS forum. You'll find some of your own comments there....
Thanks all.
Blessings, Eric in OH
It is only the really desperate preacher who wait until Sat to post;
and here I am!
Tha raising of Jairus' daughther is nothing short of a miracle, BUT
it becomes a "lessor resurrection" when placed over against the
final installment of the Gospels. Healings and earthly coming back
to life are temporary at best! The understanding we all have to come
to terms with is that we all die! If in the course of a lifetime,
some healing occurs, great but the final event we all face is the
ending of life. It is here that our faith becomes tested; do we
believe in eternal life or not? What God through Christ offers is
the "greater resurrection."
We are Easter people, yet sometimes we forget what is at the end of
our life journey.
Healing that does not happen as we desire it does not reveal God's
ignoring our request, nor does it imply lack of faith on our part.
God is still God and we cannot control what God does or does not do.
Our faith is just that God will be God and is present with us, loves
us, forgives us and we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
This is Good news!
A W-G rocky coast Me.
Thanks, Pastordon
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," as Fritz Perls said (others say
it was Carl Jung). Anyway, sometimes a miracle is a miracle and
while we may make other points -- in this case that it was
empowerment of the unempowered ... on ad infinitum... -- there are
two miracles here.
Most of the time I'm like Jarius... Won't ask for myself, but for
others in my charge. Yet, there is a gaping hole in my heart. I'll
bet Jarius would not have risked asking for a miracle for himself.
But it was for his daughter! We'll do anything for our daughters!
Even suffer loss of dignity by asking an itenerant preacher.
Well, Miracles still happen. Jesus tells me, as he told Jarius,
"only believe."
MAR
Just another late thought; Most of ministry is by interuption! The
planned events can go well and programs do offer ministry, but the
real gutsy stuff, almost always happens when it is not in my date
book. A sudden call, someone stopping me in the store, or on the way
to an "important" (?) meeting, usually mean that someone is in dire
need. This story reveals interuption upon interuption, and Jesus is
present in ministry. What a model! A W-G rocky coast Me.
Kate in Philly - thank you for the BBT excerpt. I like the use of
the word "miracle," and it reminded me of something I got from one
of the teaching sessions at Annual Conference (and which I used in
my sermon last week). The definition of a "miracle," according to
Dr. Steve Hunter, is when people discern God's will and move in that
direction.
Yet, I'm not sure it applies here. We can't know whether the woman
and Jairus sought Jesus just because they'd heard tell of his
healing capacity - unaware of his deity. Nonetheless, they moved in
God's direction and Jesus gave a miracle anyhow.
Taylor speaks well to the times when a miracle doesn't happen. The
problem of taking this text and Jesus' words, "Your faith has made
you well," too far.
Sally in GA (working on a Saturday AGAIN!)
I'm ALWAYS a "late entry"... RevJaw thanks for the kudo... regarding
my "Dad" story.
I titled my sermon "Taboo Topics Still Today!"...
I may make mention to the Supreme Court Decision... regarding "same
sex" relationships... and the multi-million dollar contract for
young "Mr. James" the HS Basketball rising star of the NBA who was
chosen first in the NBA Draft this week.
This week, I met with a 18 year old "artist"... who will have no
"Nike" shoe deal... even though he is just as gifted as Laran James
or whatever the name. My artist friend is still picking up the
pieces in his life after a drunk driver took his mother's life while
driving the wrong way on an Interstate Hiway... she changed lanes to
pass a semi-tractor trailer and was killed instantly as was the
drunk driver....
Our WORLD NEEDS to be TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND TABOO topics need to be
addressed...
still formulating...
Thanks for those of you who are more prolific early in the week! As
a procrastonator, I appreciate it!
;?)
pulpitt in ND
Sally wrote...
Others in the crowd must have been touching him, too, but the
woman's touch of faith is what caused the sensation of power going
out from him. I yearn for a touch of that faith.
I like that image...
I might just borrow it...
pulpitt in ND (The latest of the late!) I was even late for the
historical question at my ordination... "Will you be punctual?" I
came through the audotorium doors at EXACTLY the end of that
question! Seriously! It wasn't my fault! See, the retirees were
supposed to be up right after lunch, but since their lunch was
late... they bumped up the ordinands... and sure enough, I WAS LATE!
;?)
I am going with the parallel to the church. In this season after
Pentecost I preach evangelism, church growth, healing the church,
etc. I have titled this sermon "Get Up, Little Church!" I would
elaborate, but there are probably not more than 3 of us still
struggling at this hour! I forgot that my lay delegate was giving
the conference report tomorrow, so I have to shorten my sermon and
still keep it together. Thank you all for always being there, 24/7.
I know we all appreciate each other! Toni
PB in UK
Sorry this is so VERY LATE...maybe you will read it in time, maybe
in time just for you. I have been at Confirmation camp all week and
so am just now reading your thoughts. I sit with those parents in
your congregation all the time. One day, I will likely be one of
them. My daughter has cancer and has one by one seen many of her
friends die. Their families prayed with great faith. And yet, they
burried their children. Yes they are resurected. But not in the same
way that this child is. And it is hard to hear. But the best we can
do is to remind those parents that God promises to be with us. God
understands. And God weeps when our children die. It is never God's
will that a child should die. But God's will will be done in spite
of the crud in this world and through faith, lives will change
because of the child. My daughter has touched more lives and
encouraged more peoples faith in the last two years than most of us
do in a life time. God uses even the tragidy in life to reveal
himself. Pretty awesome if you ask me. And that promise is what
gives our family peace. I will pray for you tomorrow, and for the
family you type of each day. Tammy in Texas
PB in UK, Tony, Sally and whoever else is still around...
I echo the concern with stressing the child brought back to life...
girl or boy... my own church secretary's son died... he was 3 when
he stepped off the curb between cars and an on-coming car hit and
killed him. It took a long time for her to get through her grief, in
many ways she will never be "over it".
I DO like Leslie Weatherhead's spin on such cases. He talks about
God's "intentional", "circumstantial" and God's "Ultimate Will"...
God's will is often mis-quoted I believe.
He tells the story of a friend of his whose child (a girl) was
bitten by a mysquito that carried malaria.
The father of the girl said, "I guess I must just accept it as it is
God's will."
Weatherhead said to his friend, "What if your neihbor came over in
the middle of the night and put a pillow on your daughters face and
held it there until she suffocated?"
"What a terrible thought, how could you even think such a horrible
thought, my neighbor would never think of doing something so cruel!"
To which Weatherhead said, "Isn't that what you're saying about
God... as if God came an is now suffocating your child with this
dreaded disease?"...
Late food for thought...
I press on... as "press time nears"...
Blessings and care,
pulpitt in ND
I know it's late...
Here was another "Answered Prayer"... we preacher types don't make
the "Big bucks"... pretty much paycheck to paycheck... although most
tithe.
Here is one for the books...
A parishoner of mine left his keys in his van one night, parked
outside of his bedroom window in his driveway... he lives on the
edge of our "Fair City"... in the morning he saw that it was stolen.
Through his deep depression beating himself up for having done such
a foolish thing... he prayed for peace, prayed for whoever took
it... that he might enjoy it, but return it safely.
A week passed, no van returned, police doubted they'd EVER find
it...
2 weeks passed, began to finally sleep at night, his prayers
continued.
3 weeks passed, he had accepted that the van was gone for good, his
prayers continued.
One month and 3 days after it was taken, a local "garage" called,
they had impounded his vehicle one month ago and were only NOW
trying to find the owner because after 30 days... they could now
sell it as an "abandoned vehicle".
He was to pay $600 to retrieve his own vehicle... the VAn was worth
about $8,000 and only had liability on it.
This man is somewhat a grandfather to my kids... helps each one with
mudflaps... and other incidental repairs... my daughter's car was
his next project. IT's sat motionless for almost a year... finally
he asked if I could have it towed to a mechanic he knew and HE'D pay
for the repair of it.
As his wife said, "When God answers prayer, he feels it's only right
to 'PASS ON THAT JOY' by answering someone else's prayer on God's
behalf!"
Thought that'd preach... somewhere, some time...
With prayers of thanks,
pulpitt in ND
