"The Courage to be Healed" - Mark 5:21-43 - June 29, 2003

Over the course of my ministry I have been asked to visit or pray for persons who are sick or dying. Most of the time they get better and even some are miraculously healed. Others, however get worse and some even die. One wonders whether there is some pattern or process to go through that will guarantee healing in every case. If there is one, I have not discovered it.

On the other hand, I can say with all sincerity that faith helps. What I witness in faith is not the absolute confidence that God will make things better but that God is always with us in every situation.

Our story today involves two healing stories that are linked together in an unusual way. Jesus is requested by Jairus, a local leader of the Jewish synagogue, to come to his home and heal his dying daughter. They leave and are followed by a huge crowd. On the way, a woman, who has been sick for 12 years, reaches out and touches Jesus and is healed because of her faith. Jesus continues to the Jairus’ home but now his daughter is already dead. Jesus says she is only sleeping and tells her to rise and she too is cured of her illness.

The story is puzzling since one healing story is interrupted with another. They don’t seem to be connected. Jairus is wealthy and a person of stature. The unnamed woman, on the other hand, is an outcast who is powerless. The good news, however is that in both cases there is healing. So, how do we find healing for those who are sick in our lives? What’s the formula? Is it all about faith healing? Do we need to pray in a certain way? How can we be healed of our illnesses in our time especially since we don’t have Jesus nearby?

Jairus reached out to Jesus although he was a leader in the synagogue. In doing so he risked possible ridicule and criticism from other Jews. Not only did he reach out to Jesus, he humbled himself and pleaded for help for his daughter. "And seeing him, he fell at his feet." He obviously believed in Jesus because he requested that he "come and lay his hands on her that she might be made well."

When it comes to issues of health there are many who procrastinate or fail to reach out for help. Requesting help requires humility. We have to admit to ourselves that we are unable to help ourselves. Notice that Jairus not only reached out to Jesus, he humbled himself before him in the midst of a great crowd. He was a desperate father seeking help for his child and he was willing to do whatever he had to do to seek Jesus’ help.

When we place our needs in public we lose our privacy and our personal needs become public knowledge. On the other hand, by sharing our personal dilemmas we have more people praying for us and giving us their support. Although it was Jesus who ultimately healed the little girl, the story illustrates that a crowd was present and we can’t underestimate their support. Notice that by the time Jesus reached the home of Jairus, the crowd had become a tumult.

When we are willing to humble ourselves God responds. This is but another illustration of the need for our dependence upon God. Jairus’ prestige, religion and wealth all fell short. When the chips are down he is no different than anyone else. But just because Jairus has come and made this request it doesn’t happen on his time table. In fact, there is a delay.

While Jesus and the crowd are moving toward the home of Jairus this unknown woman also reaches out to Jesus. She believes that by touching the garment of Jesus she will be healed. Somehow she is able to make her way through the crowd and touch his garment. Consequently she is healed and at the same time Jesus feels power being drained from him. Jesus is curious as to who had touched him and the woman comes forth and like Jairus, "falls down before him." He then announces that "her faith has made her well."

This illustrates that God wants us to have the faith that we can be healed by a simple touch. It also illustrates that God’s healing power is not limited to people of means. The woman is an outcast and unclean. Even the powerless are included in the healing power of Jesus. Although Jesus was on the way to help Jairus’ daughter, he stops his journey to interact with the unknown woman. The story doesn’t mention if this incident was trying Jairus’ patience. We simply don’t know. We do know, however that one response to a need of healing is interrupted by another.

This reminds me of the times I have been in emergency waiting rooms when more severe cases are given a higher priority therefore putting some of the "minor" injuries on hold. None of us like waiting on doctors but we all do. When it comes to issues of health we all find ourselves, waiting on insurance companies, waiting on test results or waiting for a future appointment.

Healing happens, but it doesn’t happen instantly. Even miraculous healing as illustrated in this story involves a journey. Jairus had to wait on the woman and the time it took for Jesus to come to his home. The woman had to make her way through the crowd. Ironically, she was healed without an appointment. Interesting.

A few weeks ago I made a doctor’s appointment because I had a sore that was very painful. To keep it from returning I will have to have minor, outpatient surgery. In the meantime I asked the physician if there was any other way to prevent it from festering up again. He told me there were no drugs, no creams, no injections, no diet or exercise program that would make it go away. When I asked him the source of the abscess he said it comes from within. It is not caused from anything external.

I have been thinking about that statement a lot. When I started examining this story it gave me an idea. Perhaps healing comes from within. Perhaps healing occurs when their is a change of heart, a releasing of guilt or through an act of submission to God.

The woman’s need for healing happens within the larger context of the healing story of the little girl. In other words, a healing occurred while another healing was in process. She was hemorrhaging and in the midst of the crowd she came forth. The little girl who appeared to be dying, but according to Jesus was only sleeping, arose, came forth and walked.

In both cases, Jairus and the woman, each reached outward to Jesus. Each case resulted in a healing. Perhaps the crowd represents the pressures of life that are pressing against us. There are feelings of helplessness, guilt, lack of confidence, lack of self esteem, or lack of determination. These things hold us back, cause us to withhold them within ourselves, thus giving us pain and or making us sick.

God wants us all to be well and to be whole. God wants us to reach out and believe in the power of healing. God wants us to humble ourselves and come to the realization we can’t manage our lives by ourselves. God wants us to be patient and know that healing is a process and will include interruptions. God wants us to remember that God’s healing power is available to everyone, young or old, rich or poor, physically sick or spiritually sick. Nothing can crowd us from the love of God.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio