The Leader and the Outcast
Matthew 9:18-26, NRSV - While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a
leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has
just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his
disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had
been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched
the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I
will be made well.” Jesus turned, and
seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And
instantly the woman was made well. When
Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making
a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And
they laughed at him. But when the crowd
had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
And the report of this spread throughout
that district.
This
succession of two miracles woven together in the same story is recorded in
three gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Mark and Luke both include many more details than Matthew. This is important because it seems clear to
most scholars that Matthew intentionally streamlines this story in order to
highlight what, for him, is the core of both miracles – faith.
The
leader of the synagogue’s daughter has just died. It’s important to remember here that Jesus
was not a favorite among religious leaders and Matthew made that clear in other
stories prior to this one. But the death
of his daughter has caused this leader (his name Jairus is included in Mark and
Luke) to put aside his pride, position, and possible animosity for Jesus. Jairus most certainly has heard reports of
the miraculous things Jesus has done and at least some part of him believes
that Jesus can save his daughter, even from death. So this man who has position, power, and
authority puts all of it aside to ask Jesus to heal his girl. He kneels before Jesus. Lest this detail be lost on us, no
self-respecting religious leader would be caught dead kneeling before another
human being. A Jew only kneels before
God as the first of the Ten Commandments instructs. The Old Testament is full
of stories of Jews who faced death because of their refusal to kneel before
humans. So Jairus believes Jesus is God or he would not kneel, even to save his
daughter. His faith in Jesus’s divinity and
power are center-stage here.
Jairus’s
faith is upstaged, however, by the faith of the woman with the flow of blood
who Jesus encounters on the way to the resurrection. Because the nameless woman is bleeding, she
is forbidden to touch anyone; she is
unclean. She is not even permitted to
speak to a Rabbi for she is supposed to be isolated from others as long as she
is bleeding. She has no name, power, or
status. This has been her reality for
twelve years. She, like Jairus, has faith
that Jesus can save her, but she has no culturally-accepted way to ask for
it. She, like Jairus, lays aside her
limitations and prohibitions and embraces an idea that she can’t shake; if she
can just touch Jesus’s garment, she can be healed. And Jesus confirms her faith-fueled risk when
he says, “your faith has made you well.”
Moving
on to Jairus’s house, Jesus encounters death rituals that have already begun (ie…the
flute players) and Jesus clears the area.
They laugh at him when he suggests that their rituals are unnecessary “for
the girl is not dead but sleeping.”
Matthew’s point here is that they do not have faith in Jesus’s power to
do something about this tragic death. But
Jesus, acting on Jairus’s faith, goes into the room and returns with the
resurrected girl. So in this juxtaposed
account, a religious leader and a religious outcast both receive miracles because
they subverted everything else they knew to their faith that Jesus had the
power and authority to change their reality.
Mark and Luke highlight other aspects of this story, but for Matthew,
faith is more important than all else. Whether
it is the faith of a leader or and outcast is not important. Whether the miracle is asked for (Jairus) or
simply believed in (the bleeding woman), it comes by virtue of faith. Life and wellness come as a result of faith.
Reflection: Spend some time today thinking about your
faith, when compared to Jairus and the bleeding woman. What are you willing to lay aside to pursue
that faith?
Prayer: Jesus, we marvel at your miracles, yet we
still struggle with our faith. Help us
to see what obstacles are within us that prevent us from asking and acting in
faith. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for those you love who are in need of a
miracle.
Song:
Trust in You – Lauren Daigle
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