Sunday Worship
Welcome to our Worship on the third Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Our Parish Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd Lyn Woodall will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.
Our first hymn this morning is "Do Not Be Afraid, For I Have Redeemed You"
Today's Gospel
Mark 5:21-43 “A dead girl and sick woman”
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 haemorrhages 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 haemorrhage 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 them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Reflection
In Mark’s Gospel passage we hear of two miracles performed by Jesus and on the face of it they may just sound like two uplifting yet unrelated stories of Jesus’ power to cure the sick and bring the dead back to life.
So, you might be surprised if I were to say that both events Mark is describing, portray Jesus as a law breaker, guilty of serious transgressions against biblical law. In the first instance Jesus has contact with a woman who has been seriously ill for 12 years with chronic menstrual problems. Leviticus 15 & 20 outlines the law that women who are menstruating are unclean and that any one who touches them or sits where they have sat will be unclean as well. As such, they were to be avoided at all costs and some people even thought that healers who touched them would lose their ability to heal.
Imagine then, what life must have been like for this poor woman who had to suffer this indignity not only once a month but to be permanently ostracised and treated as unclean every day of her life for 12 years. Furthermore, we are told that she has become bankrupt trying to get help from doctors and healers and all to no avail. How desperate and distraught must she have been; and yet despite everything she hears of Jesus and has faith that though him and God’s grace she will be cured. She boldly pushes though the crowd. In doing so she risks being seriously assaulted but through her faith and determination she is rewarded.
Now imagine you are Jairus, a wealthy religious leader, a man of standing in the community and of learning. Jairus has come to Jesus because his daughter is at the point of death and he is also at point of desperation. He too has heard that Jesus could cure her and he too has faith in Jesus.
Yet suddenly on the way to help, everything comes to an abrupt halt and Jesus is waylaid by this audacious, penniless and unclean woman. To add insult to injury, Jesus spends time with her calling her ‘daughter’ and healing her instead. What if contact with her has made him lose his healing ability? Jairus probably thought, “Why is Jesus wasting time with this queue jumper? I asked for his help first!” Then the worst of all news as he is told his daughter is dead – now it is Jairus who is totally distraught. He was probably quite angry with Jesus for wasting time. But Jesus’ response is simple and at the same time totally reassuring - “Do not fear, only believe.” Jairus follows Jesus and his belief too is rewarded.
In saving the child, Jesus again breaks the purity laws by taking the hand of the dead girl. In both these actions of breaking the historic laws Jesus demonstrates to us that although the laws are often made for right intentions it is sometimes unwise to blindly follow them without interpretation.
We too can rely on Jesus to help us interpret the ancient scriptures and help us to construe the world in a fairer and more righteous way. Just like Jesus did not differentiate between the poor unclean woman and the rich leader, he is helping us to recognise rights of all different types of citizens in our society regardless of status, wealth, colour, religion or sex.
He also shows us that, no matter who we are or where we come from – we are God’s beloved children and if we are willing to have faith and believe in him, nothing is impossible no matter how desperate the situation may feel to us.
Paul D.
