Salvation and Healing

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (B)
June 28, 2015
Mark 5:21-43

Excursus. First, a little word on the First Reading from 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27. This is a lament composed by David for the death of King Saul and his friend Jonathan in battle with the Amalekites (1:1, 17-18). This is not “proof” that David and Jonathan were in a homosexual relationship; in spite of the verse that reads:

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; wonderful was thy love to me, passing the love of women. (I Samuel 1:26, Jewish Publication Society, emphasis added)

This is especially controversial now since last Friday, June 26, the United States Supreme Court upheld, in a five-to-four vote, that states must allow same-sex couples to marry.

Men in Middle Eastern cultures, such as Arabs and Jews, are very affectionate. They kiss—something that is strange to American and Filipino culture (but not in certain European cultures—I am not sure if men kiss in other Asian cultures). But they are macho men: that is why Muslims are stereotyped as terrorists--never as hairstylists*! What David and Jonathan had can be better termed as a "bromance".

Introduction

Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43) contains a miracle within a miracle. Jairus, a “synagogue ruler”, approached Jesus to heal his sick daughter. On the way to the house of Jairus, a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years was heal by touching Jesus’ garment. Here we do not only have stories of healing, but also stories of salvation.

Exposition. In Mark 5, Jesus had just crossed over from Gadarenes, where he exorcised a man with a “legion” (a Roman military unit composed of five thousand soldiers plus a thousand support personnel) of unclean spirits, which he allowed to enter into a herd two thousand heads of swine (vv. 1-20). When the people saw that Jesus had power over evil spirits, they became afraid of Him and begged Him to leave (vv. 15, 17). So He and his disciples crossed over again to the other side of Lake Galilee (v. 21) into Capernaum, where they met Jairus, “one of the rules of the synagogue” (v. 22).

I. Jairus (Mark 5:21-24)

Jairus was an αρχισυνάγωγος archisunagōgus, or ‘synagogue ruler’. According to Thayer, his duty is “to select the readers of teachers  in the synagogue, to examine the discourses of the public speakers, and to see that all things were done with decency with ancestral usage”. In modern-day Judaism, he is called a “president of the synagogue”.

When Jairus saw the Lord, “he fell on His feet and begged him earnestly” (vv. 22-23). The “Pinoy Version”** captures the desperation in Jairus’ plea:

“Delikado na po ang lagay ng anak kong babae. Please, sumama po kayo sa akin para mahawakan nyo po ang bata para gumaling sya” [‘My daughter is in critical condition. Please, come with me so that you could touch the child that she will get well.’]

The word used by Jairus for “be healed” is σωζω sōzō, which also means “be saved”. Thus, Jairus’ plea can be translated as “Come lay Your hands upon her so that she [may] be saved and live” (v. 23; Gk. σωθή και ζήση sōthē kai zēsē).

II. The Hemorrhaging Woman (Mark 5:25-34)

On the way to the house of Jairus, there was “a certain woman [who] had a flow of blood for twelve years” (v. 25). In the Jewish law, there is a set of laws for menstruating women called נדּה niddah, or ‘separation’. According to Leviticus 15, a woman on her monthly period is considered “unclean” for seven days (v. 19-24). If a woman’s period lasts for many days, she shall be “unclean” until the end of her period and be considered “clean” after seven days, i.e., on the eighth day (vv. 25-29). Thus, the hemorrhaging woman is considered being on her period, and thus “separated” and unclean, for the past twelve (12) years—as long as the daughter of Jairus has been alive!

The word “unclean” does not always imply sin or "cursedness". It is more often just “ritual uncleanliness”; i.e., being unable to perform rituals. In Jewish law, it is very difficult not to be unclean. In fact, uncleanliness is sometimes necessary to perform a mitzvah, a commandment. In Judaism, burying the dead is a very virtuous act; but one becomes unclean when handling a corpse (cf. Numbers 19:11-22). A person who handled a corpse is considered unclean for seven days; he must undergo a purification ritual (v. 18), take a bath and wash his clothes, and shall be considered clean until the evening (v. 19). Thus, the laws of separation and purification are there for hygienic purposes as well as to give people a time to rest. If we did this until today, women should be entitled to a leave of seven days every month because of their period!

Thus, the hemorrhaging woman was not “outcast” by society. She is merely “niddah”, separated. She wants to be healed. She has already “spent all that she had” on physicians but her condition “grew worse” (v. 26). So when she heard about Jesus, she came in behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer garment (Gk. ιμάτιον himation)***, believing that by doing so, she will be healed (vv. 27-28)

Jesus commended the faith of the now-formerly hemorrhaging woman. Many people were pressing on Him and yet it was only when this woman touched His cloak that He knew “in Himself that power had gone out of Him” (vv. 30-31). He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (v. 34, New King James Version). The word that He used for “made you well” was σέσωκεν sesōken (which comes from the word σωζω sōzō, which means ‘to be saved’); but the word “be healed” was υγιής hugiēs. Thus, the woman was both “saved” and “healed”!

III. The Daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35-43)

After the healing of the hemorrhaging woman, messengers from the house of Jairus announced that his daughter is dead: “Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (v. 35). Jesus encouraged Jairus, “Do not be afraid, only believe” (v. 36). When they arrived, professional mourners had already arrived (vv. 38-39; rich Jewish families usually hire professional mourners). He took Jairus & his wife, and His inner circle of three disciples, Peter, James, and John (vv. 37, 40) into the room of the girl. He took her hand and said (in Aramaic), “טַלְיְתָא קוּמִי Talitha kumi!”**** ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise!’ (v. 41). “Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement” (v. 42, New King James Version). Jesus then commanded that they tell no one about it (for it is not yet time, as St. John is wont to say in his Gospel) and said that the girl should be given something to eat (v. 43).

The resurrection of Jairus’ daughter may be seen as a picture of the baptism of children. Jairus begged Jesus to come with him so that his daughter***** might be healed—and saved. Jesus required not the faith of the girl but of the parents: “Do not be afraid, only believe” (v. 36). (Could the presence of the three disciples mean that they served as ‘witnesses’?) The resurrection of Jairus daughter is a picture of baptism, which is rising from death to life (Romans 6:3-4).

Conclusion

Jesus said to the hemorrhaging woman, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (v. 34, New King James Version). Jesus does not only care for the salvation of our soul but also the healing of our body. In Jesus we can find complete salvation. Amen.
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* See for example, the comedy movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan, where the titular character is a superpowered Israeli commando who went to America—to become a hairstylist.

** The “Pinoy Verson” is an ongoing translation of the Bible into informal Tagalog. The first portion published is Ang Buhay ni Jesus Christ sa Kwento ni Mark  (2012). The language of the translation is (self-)described as one used “by the young urbanite, usually educated, and very much a user of the Internet”. The style is “a mixture of languages”, with “shortened words, short sentences, [and] simplified spelling…” (Annie del Coro, “Reader’s Note”). 

*** Himation is translated “cloak” in Matthew 5: 40. According to John 19:23, the Roman soldiers divided His himation into four but not his “tunic” (Gk. χιτών chitōn) which was “without seam, women from the top in one piece”. The himation (cloak) was an outer garment; the chitōn (tunic) was an inner garment.

**** In Hebrew, הַיַּלְדָה אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָךְ קוּמִי נָה (Mark 5:41, Trinitarian Bible Society) Hayal’dāh, ani ‘omar lāk: Qumi nāh! ‘Little girl, I tell you, arise!’

***** Jairus’ daughter is called “little” (Gk. θυγάτριον thugatrion, ‘little daughter’) in v. 23 because she might not yet be actually twelve years old. In Jewish law, a “little girl” becomes a “young woman” at twelve years old. Verse 42 might be translated as “around twelve years old”. (In modern-day Reform Judaism, a twelve-year old girl becomes a bat mitzvah, equivalent to a boy becoming a bar mitzvah.)