Tuesday of Week 4 of Ordinary Time – Gospel
21When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea. 22Then one of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23and pleaded with 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.” 24So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him.
25Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. 26She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and she was no better but rather grew worse. 27She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28for she said, “If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.” 29Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?” 31And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32He looked all around to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35While he was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38When they came to the synagogue leader’s house, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40And 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. 41Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42And immediately the girl stood up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43He strictly ordered them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.
Commentary on Mark 5:21-43
Today’s passage illustrates a feature of Mark’s Gospel—inclusion, where one passage is contained inside another. Today we have two miracles, with one of them narrated inside the other. Again we are told of large crowds gathering around Jesus on the shore as once again he crosses the lake.
A synagogue official, Jairus, approaches and begs Jesus to lay his healing hands on his daughter who is very ill. Jairus was a person responsible for conducting services at the synagogue and keeping order. Sometimes the position was honorary, without any administrative responsibility.
Jairus asks Jesus to come and lay his healing hands on his daughter, as he has done for so many others. As Jesus makes his way to the house followed by a large crowd, there is a woman who had been haemorrhaging for 12 years. She had tried every kind of medical treatment in vain, and she was getting worse. Apart from the distress caused by the ailment, her bleeding rendered her ritually unclean. If the people around her knew of her condition, she might have been attacked. Hence she felt great anxiety about approaching Jesus without being identified or drawing attention.
She had this tremendous faith that, just by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. And she was—immediately. In both cases, there was a deep conviction that physical contact, together with faith in Jesus’ power to heal, would bring about a cure. It is important for us to recover the connection between physical touch and healing.
Jesus knew something had happened:
Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?”
His disciples naturally wondered why he would say this when so many people were pressing in on him.
In fear and trembling, probably more afraid of the crowd than of Jesus, the woman identified herself. She then hears the beautiful words:
Daughter, your faith [i.e. your total trust in me] has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.
Peace indeed. Not only was she physically cured, but she could now mix freely with people again. She was fully restored to society and her community, without the shame that a woman of that time would feel, and without having to hide.
After this, we resume the first story. Messengers come to say that Jairus’ daughter has died. There is no need to bother Jesus any more. Jesus urges Jairus to keep believing. As he approaches the house, he separates from the crowd and brings only Peter, James and John with him as witnesses to a very special event. The house is full of mourners, wailing and weeping in the customary way.
Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.
In so speaking, Jesus is not denying the child’s real death, but it is an assurance that she will be wakened from her sleep of death. Death in the Old Testament is often described as sleep. And we, too, read on gravestones that so-and-so “went to sleep in the Lord”.
The crowd, often portrayed as so supportive of Jesus, is here shown as incredulous. They laugh at him. So everyone is put out of the room except the child’s parents and Jesus’ three companions. Then:
Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!”
The words suggest resurrection to new life. Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around. She was just 12 years old.
Those present are “overcome with amazement” and are told not to say anything to anyone. They are also reminded to give the poor girl some food. This is another step in the unfolding of Jesus’ true identity, while at the same time, he does not want that identity to be made public at this stage. It is another indication of Jesus’ mission:
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
(John 10:10)
