The Gift Of Life For The Givers Of Life
Preaching
Your Faith Has Made You Well
Preaching The Miracles
Miracle Seven
The Gift Of Life For The Givers Of Life
The Text
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 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." So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?' " He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
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?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 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. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
After Jesus calms the storm on the sea, he and the disciples land in Gentile territory. There Jesus encounters the Gerasene demoniac, who is possessed by a demon named "legion" (a jab at the Roman occupying army?). Jesus sends the demons into pigs, which then rush into the sea. After ridding the Gentiles of demons, Jesus crosses back into Israelite territory. Ironically, after Jesus purges the area of demons, the crowds want him to leave (5:17). Even though the demons are in the sea once again, they make no trouble as Jesus crosses over.
Once Jesus is back in Jewish territory, the crowds again surround him and he is confronted with human need. The two intertwined stories in this section are both the most interesting, and perhaps the most important of the stories this book will treat. The characters in these stories are the best developed and the narration is the most sophisticated of any of the Marcan miracle accounts. The stories may be the most important because they concern issues of life, death, and resurrection.
Background
Assuming that the woman with the hemorrhage faced the prospect of dying (since her condition had grown worse), these two stories take us to the brink of the ultimate questions about the purpose of life and the meaning of death. The Old Testament has much to teach about both questions.
The two creation narratives in the book of Genesis affirm that God is the author of life. God treasures the creation and values all life. The relationship between God and people is unique and God's charge to people to care for the rest of creation is an expression of that uniqueness. A consistent theme in the creation narratives is God's intention to produce and sustain life. God makes space for life and sets up the conditions for life to thrive. The first mention of death is Genesis 2:17 where the Lord God warns the newly created man not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, saying, "for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." As everyone knows the man and the subsequently created woman eat from the tree, exposing themselves to the threat of death. The dialogue in Genesis 3:22-24 suggests that death was not originally part of God's intention for creation. Death is a consequence of disobedience. Death is in one sense a punishment but it is also a protection. Death is a check on the destructiveness of human sin.
Throughout most of the Old Testament, the writers do not affirm much of a life after death. It is not quite accurate to say that the Old Testament writers believe that after death people have only complete oblivion ahead of them. The dead go to the realm of Sheol, a murky, mysterious place that offers only a kind of shadowy existence. The psalmists who mention Sheol do not look forward to existence there. The poet of Psalm 6 expects that in Sheol he will not be able to praise or even remember the Lord anymore. "For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?" (Psalm 6:5, compare Paul in Philippians 1:23, where he looks forward to death because he will be with Christ). With no expectation of life after death, the writers of the Old Testament considered a short life to be especially tragic. Isaiah's description of the new heaven and new earth contains the promise that no one will have to suffer the death of a child. That is a promise both for parents and for children, who can lead a long life (Isaiah 65: 20). Jephthah's daughter mourned that she would die before she could marry and have children (Judges 11:37-40).
Belief in resurrection did not develop until late in Old Testament thought. Psalm 73:24 seems to suggest some expectation of some relationship with God after death, but the verse is not clear. Isaiah 26:19 is an ambiguous verse that likely refers to the reformation of the people of Judah after exile (cf. Ezekiel 37:1-14). Resurrection is explicitly affirmed in Daniel 12:2, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The second-century B.C.E. Syrian tyrant, Antiochus IV, proscribed the religion of the Judeans. Judeans who continued to observe Torah regulations, such as circumcisions and food laws, were executed. This affirmation of resurrection in Daniel represents the conviction that Antiochus would not defeat God's purposes. God would have the last word. The question in Daniel 12:2 is how extensive the resurrection would be. In all likelihood, Daniel affirms only that those whom Antiochus had executed would be raised to everlasting life. Those who perpetrated the persecution, and those Judeans who cooperated with the persecutors, or who gave in to the pressure, would be raised to everlasting contempt. In the intertestamental period the belief in resurrection evolved. 2 Maccabees contains a narrative in which seven brothers and their mother endure torture at the hands of Antiochus. They encourage one another with the assurance of resurrection. At the time of Jesus, not all Judeans affirmed resurrection, however.
Besides belief in resurrection, the Old Testament contains stories about people who do not die (Enoch in Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11) or who are raised back to life. These stories demonstrate God's power over life and death and the life-giving power bequeathed to prophets. Two narratives about prophets raising children back to life give important background to the story of Jairus' daughter.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah announces a drought as a sign that the Lord is more powerful than Baal, the Canaanite fertility god. During the famine, Elijah meets a Phoenician woman who is out of food and expects that she and her son will die soon. Elijah promises her that her food will last until the end of the drought. Subsequently, the woman's son dies of an illness. Elijah raises the boy to life by stretching himself out upon the boy's body. The woman initially thinks that the death of her son is the result of her sinfulness and that Elijah exposes that sinfulness (17:18). By the end of the story, after her son is raised, she interprets the miracle as evidence of the Lord's presence and power with Elijah (v. 24).
In 2 Kings 4, Elisha encounters a Shunamite woman who provided shelter and meals for him on his travels. In gratitude, Elisha promises her a son. A few years later, the boy dies of what could be heatstroke or an aneurysm. Elisha raises the boy back to life by lying on top of him. The boy's death had undone an earlier miracle (the birth itself), and another miracle was needed to bring him back (2 Kings 4:8-37). That both Elijah and Elisha could raise dead children indicates that the power was God's, not that of the prophet. Both stories proclaim God's grace in the face of the grief of the death of children.
The woman with the hemorrhage was, of course, ritually unclean. The laws about a woman being unclean during menstruation are found in Leviticus 15. A woman was unclean during her regular cycle (v. 19), and, if her bleeding continued after her regular cycle, as in the case of the woman in Mark. Anyone who touched her and everything she touched also were unclean. On a deeper level, the woman was estranged from her own body. In a sense, her reproductive system had turned against her. That God had blessed and worked through the female reproductive system is affirmed in the Old Testament. In the first creation story, God instructs the man and woman to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). God opened the wombs of barren women such as Sarah (Genesis 21:1-2) and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:20). Eve was the "mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20). What was intended to be a blessing had, for the woman in our story, become a curse.
Literary Analysis
Each of these stories by itself is interesting. Intertwined as they are in a kind of story "sandwich" (intercalation), they are a fascinating display of Mark's narrative skill and theological insight. The characters, the heightening of the tension, the connections between the two stories, and the rhetorical flourishes all draw us into a powerful narrative sequence.
The Characters
Jairus is a synagogue leader. He has duties concerned with making the worship services go smoothly and in an orderly way in the synagogue. As he abruptly appears in the story, he demonstrates spontaneous worship, falling at Jesus' feet. His concern for his daughter is touching and endearing. He places himself in a humble and subordinate posture for her sake. He may even risk the ire of the other Judean leaders, who are hostile to Jesus. Here is an Israelite leader who seeks Jesus out. Does recognition of need make one predisposed to seek out Jesus, and not to oppose him?
The woman elicits our sympathy. Through no fault of her own she is an outcast. She is a victim of legalism, and of incompetent or corrupt physicians. She is so lonely that she converses only with herself. She is a victim of the legal system, but still upholds it, hoping to acquire healing without contaminating Jesus (or at least in such a way that no one would know he was contaminated). When Jesus discovers what she has done, she is honest, even though she is frightened. In many ways, she is a contrast to Jairus. He is named in the story; she is not. He has a family; she has been isolated from hers. He is a synagogue leader; she cannot worship with the community. He can approach Jesus directly; she must act surreptitiously.
The crowds and the "extras" in the story play a significant role. The crowds once again demonstrate Jesus' popularity at this point in his ministry. They seem almost to restrict Jesus' movement (v. 24). They provide an opportunity for the woman to approach Jesus unnoticed and, consequently, are integral to the plot. After the woman is healed, she faces a choice. She can admit that she was the one who touched Jesus or she can fade back into the crowd. The people who come from Jairus' house and the mourners are not the same people as the crowd, but they are part of the generic characters in the story. The people who come from Jairus' house to report the death of the little girl add to the suspense and to the sense of wonder about her raising. Those who scoff and laugh at Jesus for saying the girl is only sleeping represent the presence of doubt and let us know that Jesus' raising the girl back to life went against expectations. Peter, James, and John are not just generic characters, but they do not speak or do much. Their presence signals that something important is about to happen. (See 9:2-8, where Peter, James, and John are present at the Transfiguration.)
Although Jesus shows his characteristic compassion and power, his actions in this narrative contradict what we know of him from elsewhere in Mark. The plot development suggests that the delay in Jesus getting to the bedside of the girl may have led to her death. Elsewhere in Mark, however, Jesus can cast out a demon without being present (7:24-30). Jesus knows the conversation of the scribes "in his spirit," but doesn't know who has touched the hem of his garments. Jesus orders everyone to keep the healing a secret, even though crowds already surround him, and many people saw what happened. (Here, Mark is probably making a theological point that people are not yet ready to understand the resurrection, because they have not seen the cross.) Despite these curiosities, Jesus is still the gracious healer. He leaves readily to go with Jairus, speaks tenderly to the woman, and acts gently with the little girl.
Literary techniques abound in these narratives. The insertion of the story of the woman adds suspense to the story of Jairus and his daughter. The description of the woman adds up phrases, which accentuate the seriousness of her plight ("suffering from hemorrhages," "endured much," "spent all she had," "was no better, but rather grew worse"). The message of the people from Jairus' house ("your daughter is dead"), along with the weeping and wailing, creates an initial disappointment that highlights the joy of the girl's raising (vv. 35-38). Many commentators have noted the use of sensory words in this passage. Jairus "saw" Jesus, the woman "heard" about Jesus, and "felt" her healing, Jesus was aware that power went out of him, Jesus "overhears" the words of the people from Jairus' house (the Greek word there may mean "ignored"). These terms help give an immediacy to the story so that we can imagine ourselves in the tale itself. Jesus, taking the girl by the hand, and her walking around, add to this effect.
Theological Reflection
Jesus raising the little girl to life is a manifestation of Jesus' power over life and death and is a foreshadowing of his own resurrection. Jesus' comment that the girl is not dead but asleep is strange within the context of the story, since sleep can be a euphemism for death. Mark's point seems to be that even death is not final. The biblical writers treat death as more than just the absence of life. Death is presented as a power or a force that is active and malevolent. The prophet Hosea writes of death and Sheol as active powers that God might use to punish the people for their sins. "Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction?" (Hosea 13:14). Paul cites this verse, but changes the tone. Paul taunts Death and Sheol, not as God's agents for punishment, but as foes defeated by Christ's resurrection. "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Mark does not use this kind of language, but the scene in the passage is a battle between Jesus and the power of death. The reader is in suspense as to who will win. As with the demons and unclean spirits, Jesus' victory over death is effortless. He shows here who will win the conflict that is now brewing with the demonic forces and with the earthly leaders who are trying to destroy him. Theologically, we can affirm that God will win the ultimate battle with death.
By wrapping the story of the woman with the hemorrhage inside the story of Jairus' daughter, Mark makes an important theological point. The story of the raising of Jairus' daughter confirms Jesus' power over death itself. Presumably, Jairus' daughter would die again someday. Raising her to life now points toward God's eschatological victory over death. The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage points toward the life and wholeness available now. God offers us life and wholeness in the eschaton, but we do not have to wait to begin experiencing that life.
Within the Gospel of Mark, this story presents a great irony. Jesus has power over death and offers life, but calls his disciples to take up the cross and die (chapter 8). In reality, it is only because Jesus offers eschatological life that he can call his disciples to die. The death to which Jesus calls his disciples is not an ultimate death. It is a death that leads to life. That Jesus so clearly celebrates and offers life in this passage means that the call to take up the cross is not a morbid rejection of life or a call to suffering for the sake of suffering. The call to take up the cross is a call to confront the demonic and human forces that seek to thwart God's will for creation. Those forces may seem to have power, and do have the power to kill Jesus' followers, but those forces do not have ultimate power over life and death.
Pastoral Reading
As powerful and tender as this passage is, it might actually be depressing to some people. We take comfort in the promise of the resurrection, but those who have lost a child want the child back now. Losing a child is one of the most painful experiences a person can undergo. We in the church now can offer healing for grief, but often what the grieving parent wants is what Jairus got, the child restored. Nevertheless, this passage provides the church an opportunity to engage in grief ministry. Our words and actions in times of grief are so important. People often want to rush grieving people through the process. I sometimes think some people believe that a grieving person should have one good cry and then get over it. Grief is hard work and takes time. People grieve at their own pace, and not as their friends and families seem to want them to. It is true that some people obsess over the death of a loved one, and never learn to let go. The church must be there in those situations, too. Still, we must not mistake the normal process of grief for pathological grief.
John Claypool, an Episcopal priest, writes about his experience of losing a young daughter to leukemia. He describes the emotional agony of watching her suffer. In a particularly poignant section, he relates how he prayed by her bedside as she bit a rag to endure the pain. His daughter's illness and death caused Claypool to question the existence of God and the rationality of life. He explains his long struggle to deal with his grief and to find courage in the midst of his questions and hurt. As he reflects on the reminders of his daughter's life he concludes that of the alternatives available to him he must choose gratitude. "... I can dissolve in remorse that all of this is gone forever; or, focusing on the wonder that she was given to us at all, I can learn to be grateful that we shared life, even for an all-too-short ten years."1
The woman with the hemorrhage is estranged from her womanhood. Her problem originates in a physical symptom, a dysfunctional menstrual flow. Her femininity should be a source of joy, but it has become a burden. Part of Jesus' healing of her physical condition is the restoration of her ability to be herself as a woman. Even women who are physically healthy face conflicts and ambiguities concerning society's expectations about femininity. Women often find themselves in tension about their roles in society. For example, if toughness is not a quality they wish to cultivate, because they think it will make them less compassionate, they may be frustrated because of the expectation they will be tough in the workplace. Women face issues of sexual harassment and patronization that men may not encounter. A controversy has recently arisen at Duke University because a study suggested that undergraduate women there face pressure to achieve "effortless perfection."2 They are expected to be intelligent, athletic, witty, attractive, and popular without exerting discernable effort. Perhaps the woman in this passage can give us resources to talk about how women can reconcile their roles in society with their understanding of femininity.
In three of the cases in which Jesus has healed women, the woman healed has faced the threat of death. Simon's mother-in-law may have had malaria, a potentially deadly disease. The woman with the hemorrhage was getting worse; her body might not have survived further loss of blood. Jairus' daughter had already died. By staking so much on the healing of women, Mark seems to be honoring women's roles as life-givers and nurturers. He seems especially to do that in this passage in chapter 5. Jairus' daughter is just at the age of transition between girl and woman. She will soon be at childbearing age. The woman has a condition that prevents her from bearing children. Both women are given back their capacity to be life-givers.
When Jesus greets the woman he has just healed as "daughter," he restores her to relationship (5:34). She has been isolated from her family, but Jesus greets her as a family member. The church often serves as a surrogate family for some people. Whether it is college students far from home, those whose family life is destructive, or people who simply don't have much family, the church can be a place for people to experience the intimacy and support a family should provide.
Preaching Strategies
The narrative artistry of this passage is an incentive for the preacher to employ narrative strategies for the sermon. To be sure, the passage brims with rich theology. It treats matters of life, death, grief, womanhood, resurrection, suffering, and faith. Yet the preacher can strive, as Mark does, to communicate this theological feast through a narrative structure. The passage gives ample resources for narrative preaching. Jairus and the woman are both sympathetic characters, described by Mark with sufficient depth to enable the preacher to present them to the congregation engagingly. The narrative contains suspense, drama, and a range of emotions.
One significant challenge of preaching this passage is weaving the two stories together in one sermon. Although preaching only one story is easier, Mark has connected the stories so carefully that separating them would be a disservice both to the pericope and to the congregation. The preacher can skillfully maintain suspense while moving from the first part of the passage about Jairus' daughter to the story of the woman and back again. Mark links the stories by the crowd following Jesus from one scene to the next (5:24) and by Jesus receiving the news of the girl's death while still speaking to the woman (5:35). The preacher can be careful to link the parts of the sermon in a continuous narrative.
Skillful narration will enable the congregation to experience the power of healing and new life through the characters themselves. Jairus personifies the anxiety of a parent of a sick child. We might assume that in verse 36 he is caught between faith and doubt. The people at Jairus' house personify grief and cynicism (their laughter in verse 40). The woman personifies the desperation of one who has nowhere else to turn and nothing left to lose. They both personify the joy of healing, restoration, and reconciliation. The more skillfully we can present them to our congregations the more fully they can experience God's grace in their own situations.
____________
1.Ê"Life is a Gift," in A Chorus of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today's Preacher, ed. By Thomas G. Long and Cornelius Planting, Jr. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmanns Publishing Company, 1994), pp. 129-130.
2.ÊKiya Bajpai, "Talking About 'Effortless Perfection,' " Duke Chronicle April 16, 2004,.
The Gift Of Life For The Givers Of Life
The Text
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 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." So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?' " He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
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?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 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. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
After Jesus calms the storm on the sea, he and the disciples land in Gentile territory. There Jesus encounters the Gerasene demoniac, who is possessed by a demon named "legion" (a jab at the Roman occupying army?). Jesus sends the demons into pigs, which then rush into the sea. After ridding the Gentiles of demons, Jesus crosses back into Israelite territory. Ironically, after Jesus purges the area of demons, the crowds want him to leave (5:17). Even though the demons are in the sea once again, they make no trouble as Jesus crosses over.
Once Jesus is back in Jewish territory, the crowds again surround him and he is confronted with human need. The two intertwined stories in this section are both the most interesting, and perhaps the most important of the stories this book will treat. The characters in these stories are the best developed and the narration is the most sophisticated of any of the Marcan miracle accounts. The stories may be the most important because they concern issues of life, death, and resurrection.
Background
Assuming that the woman with the hemorrhage faced the prospect of dying (since her condition had grown worse), these two stories take us to the brink of the ultimate questions about the purpose of life and the meaning of death. The Old Testament has much to teach about both questions.
The two creation narratives in the book of Genesis affirm that God is the author of life. God treasures the creation and values all life. The relationship between God and people is unique and God's charge to people to care for the rest of creation is an expression of that uniqueness. A consistent theme in the creation narratives is God's intention to produce and sustain life. God makes space for life and sets up the conditions for life to thrive. The first mention of death is Genesis 2:17 where the Lord God warns the newly created man not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, saying, "for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." As everyone knows the man and the subsequently created woman eat from the tree, exposing themselves to the threat of death. The dialogue in Genesis 3:22-24 suggests that death was not originally part of God's intention for creation. Death is a consequence of disobedience. Death is in one sense a punishment but it is also a protection. Death is a check on the destructiveness of human sin.
Throughout most of the Old Testament, the writers do not affirm much of a life after death. It is not quite accurate to say that the Old Testament writers believe that after death people have only complete oblivion ahead of them. The dead go to the realm of Sheol, a murky, mysterious place that offers only a kind of shadowy existence. The psalmists who mention Sheol do not look forward to existence there. The poet of Psalm 6 expects that in Sheol he will not be able to praise or even remember the Lord anymore. "For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?" (Psalm 6:5, compare Paul in Philippians 1:23, where he looks forward to death because he will be with Christ). With no expectation of life after death, the writers of the Old Testament considered a short life to be especially tragic. Isaiah's description of the new heaven and new earth contains the promise that no one will have to suffer the death of a child. That is a promise both for parents and for children, who can lead a long life (Isaiah 65: 20). Jephthah's daughter mourned that she would die before she could marry and have children (Judges 11:37-40).
Belief in resurrection did not develop until late in Old Testament thought. Psalm 73:24 seems to suggest some expectation of some relationship with God after death, but the verse is not clear. Isaiah 26:19 is an ambiguous verse that likely refers to the reformation of the people of Judah after exile (cf. Ezekiel 37:1-14). Resurrection is explicitly affirmed in Daniel 12:2, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The second-century B.C.E. Syrian tyrant, Antiochus IV, proscribed the religion of the Judeans. Judeans who continued to observe Torah regulations, such as circumcisions and food laws, were executed. This affirmation of resurrection in Daniel represents the conviction that Antiochus would not defeat God's purposes. God would have the last word. The question in Daniel 12:2 is how extensive the resurrection would be. In all likelihood, Daniel affirms only that those whom Antiochus had executed would be raised to everlasting life. Those who perpetrated the persecution, and those Judeans who cooperated with the persecutors, or who gave in to the pressure, would be raised to everlasting contempt. In the intertestamental period the belief in resurrection evolved. 2 Maccabees contains a narrative in which seven brothers and their mother endure torture at the hands of Antiochus. They encourage one another with the assurance of resurrection. At the time of Jesus, not all Judeans affirmed resurrection, however.
Besides belief in resurrection, the Old Testament contains stories about people who do not die (Enoch in Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11) or who are raised back to life. These stories demonstrate God's power over life and death and the life-giving power bequeathed to prophets. Two narratives about prophets raising children back to life give important background to the story of Jairus' daughter.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah announces a drought as a sign that the Lord is more powerful than Baal, the Canaanite fertility god. During the famine, Elijah meets a Phoenician woman who is out of food and expects that she and her son will die soon. Elijah promises her that her food will last until the end of the drought. Subsequently, the woman's son dies of an illness. Elijah raises the boy to life by stretching himself out upon the boy's body. The woman initially thinks that the death of her son is the result of her sinfulness and that Elijah exposes that sinfulness (17:18). By the end of the story, after her son is raised, she interprets the miracle as evidence of the Lord's presence and power with Elijah (v. 24).
In 2 Kings 4, Elisha encounters a Shunamite woman who provided shelter and meals for him on his travels. In gratitude, Elisha promises her a son. A few years later, the boy dies of what could be heatstroke or an aneurysm. Elisha raises the boy back to life by lying on top of him. The boy's death had undone an earlier miracle (the birth itself), and another miracle was needed to bring him back (2 Kings 4:8-37). That both Elijah and Elisha could raise dead children indicates that the power was God's, not that of the prophet. Both stories proclaim God's grace in the face of the grief of the death of children.
The woman with the hemorrhage was, of course, ritually unclean. The laws about a woman being unclean during menstruation are found in Leviticus 15. A woman was unclean during her regular cycle (v. 19), and, if her bleeding continued after her regular cycle, as in the case of the woman in Mark. Anyone who touched her and everything she touched also were unclean. On a deeper level, the woman was estranged from her own body. In a sense, her reproductive system had turned against her. That God had blessed and worked through the female reproductive system is affirmed in the Old Testament. In the first creation story, God instructs the man and woman to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). God opened the wombs of barren women such as Sarah (Genesis 21:1-2) and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:20). Eve was the "mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20). What was intended to be a blessing had, for the woman in our story, become a curse.
Literary Analysis
Each of these stories by itself is interesting. Intertwined as they are in a kind of story "sandwich" (intercalation), they are a fascinating display of Mark's narrative skill and theological insight. The characters, the heightening of the tension, the connections between the two stories, and the rhetorical flourishes all draw us into a powerful narrative sequence.
The Characters
Jairus is a synagogue leader. He has duties concerned with making the worship services go smoothly and in an orderly way in the synagogue. As he abruptly appears in the story, he demonstrates spontaneous worship, falling at Jesus' feet. His concern for his daughter is touching and endearing. He places himself in a humble and subordinate posture for her sake. He may even risk the ire of the other Judean leaders, who are hostile to Jesus. Here is an Israelite leader who seeks Jesus out. Does recognition of need make one predisposed to seek out Jesus, and not to oppose him?
The woman elicits our sympathy. Through no fault of her own she is an outcast. She is a victim of legalism, and of incompetent or corrupt physicians. She is so lonely that she converses only with herself. She is a victim of the legal system, but still upholds it, hoping to acquire healing without contaminating Jesus (or at least in such a way that no one would know he was contaminated). When Jesus discovers what she has done, she is honest, even though she is frightened. In many ways, she is a contrast to Jairus. He is named in the story; she is not. He has a family; she has been isolated from hers. He is a synagogue leader; she cannot worship with the community. He can approach Jesus directly; she must act surreptitiously.
The crowds and the "extras" in the story play a significant role. The crowds once again demonstrate Jesus' popularity at this point in his ministry. They seem almost to restrict Jesus' movement (v. 24). They provide an opportunity for the woman to approach Jesus unnoticed and, consequently, are integral to the plot. After the woman is healed, she faces a choice. She can admit that she was the one who touched Jesus or she can fade back into the crowd. The people who come from Jairus' house and the mourners are not the same people as the crowd, but they are part of the generic characters in the story. The people who come from Jairus' house to report the death of the little girl add to the suspense and to the sense of wonder about her raising. Those who scoff and laugh at Jesus for saying the girl is only sleeping represent the presence of doubt and let us know that Jesus' raising the girl back to life went against expectations. Peter, James, and John are not just generic characters, but they do not speak or do much. Their presence signals that something important is about to happen. (See 9:2-8, where Peter, James, and John are present at the Transfiguration.)
Although Jesus shows his characteristic compassion and power, his actions in this narrative contradict what we know of him from elsewhere in Mark. The plot development suggests that the delay in Jesus getting to the bedside of the girl may have led to her death. Elsewhere in Mark, however, Jesus can cast out a demon without being present (7:24-30). Jesus knows the conversation of the scribes "in his spirit," but doesn't know who has touched the hem of his garments. Jesus orders everyone to keep the healing a secret, even though crowds already surround him, and many people saw what happened. (Here, Mark is probably making a theological point that people are not yet ready to understand the resurrection, because they have not seen the cross.) Despite these curiosities, Jesus is still the gracious healer. He leaves readily to go with Jairus, speaks tenderly to the woman, and acts gently with the little girl.
Literary techniques abound in these narratives. The insertion of the story of the woman adds suspense to the story of Jairus and his daughter. The description of the woman adds up phrases, which accentuate the seriousness of her plight ("suffering from hemorrhages," "endured much," "spent all she had," "was no better, but rather grew worse"). The message of the people from Jairus' house ("your daughter is dead"), along with the weeping and wailing, creates an initial disappointment that highlights the joy of the girl's raising (vv. 35-38). Many commentators have noted the use of sensory words in this passage. Jairus "saw" Jesus, the woman "heard" about Jesus, and "felt" her healing, Jesus was aware that power went out of him, Jesus "overhears" the words of the people from Jairus' house (the Greek word there may mean "ignored"). These terms help give an immediacy to the story so that we can imagine ourselves in the tale itself. Jesus, taking the girl by the hand, and her walking around, add to this effect.
Theological Reflection
Jesus raising the little girl to life is a manifestation of Jesus' power over life and death and is a foreshadowing of his own resurrection. Jesus' comment that the girl is not dead but asleep is strange within the context of the story, since sleep can be a euphemism for death. Mark's point seems to be that even death is not final. The biblical writers treat death as more than just the absence of life. Death is presented as a power or a force that is active and malevolent. The prophet Hosea writes of death and Sheol as active powers that God might use to punish the people for their sins. "Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction?" (Hosea 13:14). Paul cites this verse, but changes the tone. Paul taunts Death and Sheol, not as God's agents for punishment, but as foes defeated by Christ's resurrection. "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Mark does not use this kind of language, but the scene in the passage is a battle between Jesus and the power of death. The reader is in suspense as to who will win. As with the demons and unclean spirits, Jesus' victory over death is effortless. He shows here who will win the conflict that is now brewing with the demonic forces and with the earthly leaders who are trying to destroy him. Theologically, we can affirm that God will win the ultimate battle with death.
By wrapping the story of the woman with the hemorrhage inside the story of Jairus' daughter, Mark makes an important theological point. The story of the raising of Jairus' daughter confirms Jesus' power over death itself. Presumably, Jairus' daughter would die again someday. Raising her to life now points toward God's eschatological victory over death. The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage points toward the life and wholeness available now. God offers us life and wholeness in the eschaton, but we do not have to wait to begin experiencing that life.
Within the Gospel of Mark, this story presents a great irony. Jesus has power over death and offers life, but calls his disciples to take up the cross and die (chapter 8). In reality, it is only because Jesus offers eschatological life that he can call his disciples to die. The death to which Jesus calls his disciples is not an ultimate death. It is a death that leads to life. That Jesus so clearly celebrates and offers life in this passage means that the call to take up the cross is not a morbid rejection of life or a call to suffering for the sake of suffering. The call to take up the cross is a call to confront the demonic and human forces that seek to thwart God's will for creation. Those forces may seem to have power, and do have the power to kill Jesus' followers, but those forces do not have ultimate power over life and death.
Pastoral Reading
As powerful and tender as this passage is, it might actually be depressing to some people. We take comfort in the promise of the resurrection, but those who have lost a child want the child back now. Losing a child is one of the most painful experiences a person can undergo. We in the church now can offer healing for grief, but often what the grieving parent wants is what Jairus got, the child restored. Nevertheless, this passage provides the church an opportunity to engage in grief ministry. Our words and actions in times of grief are so important. People often want to rush grieving people through the process. I sometimes think some people believe that a grieving person should have one good cry and then get over it. Grief is hard work and takes time. People grieve at their own pace, and not as their friends and families seem to want them to. It is true that some people obsess over the death of a loved one, and never learn to let go. The church must be there in those situations, too. Still, we must not mistake the normal process of grief for pathological grief.
John Claypool, an Episcopal priest, writes about his experience of losing a young daughter to leukemia. He describes the emotional agony of watching her suffer. In a particularly poignant section, he relates how he prayed by her bedside as she bit a rag to endure the pain. His daughter's illness and death caused Claypool to question the existence of God and the rationality of life. He explains his long struggle to deal with his grief and to find courage in the midst of his questions and hurt. As he reflects on the reminders of his daughter's life he concludes that of the alternatives available to him he must choose gratitude. "... I can dissolve in remorse that all of this is gone forever; or, focusing on the wonder that she was given to us at all, I can learn to be grateful that we shared life, even for an all-too-short ten years."1
The woman with the hemorrhage is estranged from her womanhood. Her problem originates in a physical symptom, a dysfunctional menstrual flow. Her femininity should be a source of joy, but it has become a burden. Part of Jesus' healing of her physical condition is the restoration of her ability to be herself as a woman. Even women who are physically healthy face conflicts and ambiguities concerning society's expectations about femininity. Women often find themselves in tension about their roles in society. For example, if toughness is not a quality they wish to cultivate, because they think it will make them less compassionate, they may be frustrated because of the expectation they will be tough in the workplace. Women face issues of sexual harassment and patronization that men may not encounter. A controversy has recently arisen at Duke University because a study suggested that undergraduate women there face pressure to achieve "effortless perfection."2 They are expected to be intelligent, athletic, witty, attractive, and popular without exerting discernable effort. Perhaps the woman in this passage can give us resources to talk about how women can reconcile their roles in society with their understanding of femininity.
In three of the cases in which Jesus has healed women, the woman healed has faced the threat of death. Simon's mother-in-law may have had malaria, a potentially deadly disease. The woman with the hemorrhage was getting worse; her body might not have survived further loss of blood. Jairus' daughter had already died. By staking so much on the healing of women, Mark seems to be honoring women's roles as life-givers and nurturers. He seems especially to do that in this passage in chapter 5. Jairus' daughter is just at the age of transition between girl and woman. She will soon be at childbearing age. The woman has a condition that prevents her from bearing children. Both women are given back their capacity to be life-givers.
When Jesus greets the woman he has just healed as "daughter," he restores her to relationship (5:34). She has been isolated from her family, but Jesus greets her as a family member. The church often serves as a surrogate family for some people. Whether it is college students far from home, those whose family life is destructive, or people who simply don't have much family, the church can be a place for people to experience the intimacy and support a family should provide.
Preaching Strategies
The narrative artistry of this passage is an incentive for the preacher to employ narrative strategies for the sermon. To be sure, the passage brims with rich theology. It treats matters of life, death, grief, womanhood, resurrection, suffering, and faith. Yet the preacher can strive, as Mark does, to communicate this theological feast through a narrative structure. The passage gives ample resources for narrative preaching. Jairus and the woman are both sympathetic characters, described by Mark with sufficient depth to enable the preacher to present them to the congregation engagingly. The narrative contains suspense, drama, and a range of emotions.
One significant challenge of preaching this passage is weaving the two stories together in one sermon. Although preaching only one story is easier, Mark has connected the stories so carefully that separating them would be a disservice both to the pericope and to the congregation. The preacher can skillfully maintain suspense while moving from the first part of the passage about Jairus' daughter to the story of the woman and back again. Mark links the stories by the crowd following Jesus from one scene to the next (5:24) and by Jesus receiving the news of the girl's death while still speaking to the woman (5:35). The preacher can be careful to link the parts of the sermon in a continuous narrative.
Skillful narration will enable the congregation to experience the power of healing and new life through the characters themselves. Jairus personifies the anxiety of a parent of a sick child. We might assume that in verse 36 he is caught between faith and doubt. The people at Jairus' house personify grief and cynicism (their laughter in verse 40). The woman personifies the desperation of one who has nowhere else to turn and nothing left to lose. They both personify the joy of healing, restoration, and reconciliation. The more skillfully we can present them to our congregations the more fully they can experience God's grace in their own situations.
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1.Ê"Life is a Gift," in A Chorus of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today's Preacher, ed. By Thomas G. Long and Cornelius Planting, Jr. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmanns Publishing Company, 1994), pp. 129-130.
2.ÊKiya Bajpai, "Talking About 'Effortless Perfection,' " Duke Chronicle April 16, 2004,
