Sermon for St David’s Union Church
28 June 2015
Prayers of Desperation
Reading: Mark 5:21-42.
The two stories in our reading today have many similarities – both are stories of healing that concern women, one young and one older. But there are many layers in the stories that when revealed, draw us into identifying ourselves with the people involved, and identifying the character and quality of Jesus, healer and Saviour.
The action takes place around Galilee, close to the home of Jesus. He had been moving around the area, teaching in various village synagogues – the places of prayer and worship in each community. His reception in these synagogues had been somewhat fraught. Over the past few days Jesus had had the audacity to tell a paralysed man that his sins were forgiven and to take up his bed and walk – which – no doubt to the consternation of these synagogue leaders, he did. Jesus had also been taken to task for picking some ears of corn on the Sabbath and for going so far as to actually heal a man with a withered arm in the synagogue – on the Sabbath! But while he was by the lake, Jairus, a leader of one of these local synagogues, came running to him in desperation.
Suddenly issues of doctrine, of religious tradition, of what should or should not be done, became inconsequential for Jairus the synagogue leader, because his 12-year-old daughter was dying. Desperation drove him out among the common people who thronged around Jesus. Pushing his way through the crowds, and falling at Jesus’ feet Jairus “begged him repeatedly to come and lay hands on her, that she may be well, that she may live.”
I think every one of us can easilyidentify with the agony, the desperation felt when a child is sick. If we could, we would gladly take upon ourselves the fever, the pain, the broken flesh or bone in order to alleviate the suffering of our child.
Jairus pushes through the crowd to a position in front of Jesus, as one with authority. A local man, people would recognize and make way for him.
In contrast and at the same time, a woman who has suffered an illness for twelve years is lurking around the fringes of the crowd. Her face is partially veiled with her head covering - she is afraid to be identified. Once a moderately wealthy woman, her money has been wasted on ineffective medical treatment. Moreover, her constant bleeding for twelve years, has prevented her from participating in localsynagogue life, and also 'made unclean' anyone who touched her, lay on a bed in which she had slept, or sat in a chair she had vacated. Not only was her money gone, friends and kindred had withdrawn. She was living in isolation. Physically, financially, socially, and religiously, her life is running out through a wound at the centre of her being.It is totally remarkable that she is even out with this crowd - an act of desperation.
Jairus speaks in a loud voice as one used to being heard, as one with a right to speak. He knows what has to happen in order to get what he wants and tells Jesus exactly what to do. "Come," he says, "and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." How many of our prayers are like this - we spell out clearly our answer to the problem - Lord, just do this; do that.
The un-named woman speaks only to herself. She has no expectation that Jesus will do anything for her. She has no intention ofaddressing him, disturbing him, interrupting him - she focuses on her own action; "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Is it even prayer? As Jesus moves through the crowd on his way to Jairus's home, she reaches out - touches the hem of his robe, and a rush of health, wellness, grace, goodness, divine, exciting, wonderful, warm love flow through her fingers up and over, down and across and throughout her whole body. Suddenly she is more alive than she has ever been before.
Whereas Jairus had the power to make Jesus move…('Come,' he demands), this woman had the power to make Jesus stop in his tracks. "Who touched my clothes?" he calls out to the crowd pressing in on him. His disciples, who never got used to expecting the unexpected from Jesus, responded with the obvious, "You see the crowd pressing in on you. How can you say who touched me? But the woman is suddenly fearful again - 12 years of being invisible, inconsequential, unwanted, unwell and unhappy, and suddenly she is in the public spotlight. Fearful, trembling, she falls down before Jesus and tells him what she has done. She has made him unclean because she has touched him. His robe must be laundered, he must isolate himself for the rest of the day.
He said to her, "Daughter." Rather than rebuke, he enveloped her in relationship. "Daughter, your faith has made you well." He gave her the credit for her healing. Powerless for 12 years, suddenly she had been divinely powerful, divinely empowered. "Go in peace, and be healed of your disease." Some of you have experienced hearing a doctor say, "you are in remission, " or, "the tumour has stopped growing," or, "the broken bone has started mending." Words of healing, wholeness, peace, life - RELIEF!
But Jairus can hear only death in the words of his friends, "Your daughter is dead. It's over. Gone. Give up. Don't trouble the Master any further. Nothing, no one can help now." Hope turns into a hollow pit in the stomach - an empty place in the soul that nothing will ever fill because your child is dead.
Jesus hears these words, and speaks. "Do not fear, only believe." Calling only Peter, James and John to accompany them, Jesus and Jairus continue the journey to his house. Walking confidently through a crowd of professional wailers he dismisses death as a form of 'sleep' and enters the house. Taking this young woman by the hand he says, "Talith cum," - "Little girl get up!" She gets up and walks about - strong, healthy, vibrant - and hungry!!
Although I have drawn contrasts between the stories - I don't want to imply rightness or wrongness, good and better. Jairus came to Jesus in the honesty of his position in society - a male, a leader in both community and religion, a father who wanted the best for his family. His prayer is loud, bold and full of faith. The woman came in the honesty of her position in that same society, hopeless, lonely, physically, financially, emotionally and spirituallyat the end. Jesus heard them both. Jesus hears desperation, however it is worded or not worded. Jesus hears prayer, all prayer, every prayer, even prayer that is not prayer. And he is never too late; no situation ever gets out of his control. All powerful, all-loving, always hearing - God answers prayer! Amen.
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