Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

“Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’” +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  
 
We live in a time when we are being bombarded daily with messages of fear and anger. The media tells us over and over again about things we are supposed to be afraid of: food shortages, hyperinflation, crime, and disease. The same media is also trying to stir us up and make us angry: corruption, incompetence, abuse of power, and discrimination. In effect, the media gives us both anger and fear at the same time. It uses fear to make us angry, and anger to make us afraid.

This is not to say that there aren’t things to be angry or afraid about. There are. But what today’s Scripture lessons tell us is that we don’t have to live our lives dominated by fear or anger. Rather, as followers of Jesus Christ, we can live amid things that make us afraid or angry with faith and trust in God.

If you’ve been coming to Wednesday Life Group, you will recognize today’s account from St. Mark’s Gospel. During the last two weeks, the Chosen series has introduced to us to Jairus the synagogue administrator, and the women with the issue of blood. Jairus is a successful and competent synagogue administrator. He’s a trusted confidant to rabbis and members of the Jewish religious establishment. He’s a family man with a wife and children. On the other hand, the woman with the issue of blood is socially isolated. She is alone, trying to earn a living by washing people’s clothes. The reason she is socially isolated is because of her medical condition; she has been bleeding for twelve years. This bleeding makes her unclean; therefore, she is shunned by others.

Jarius’ life is turned upside down when his daughter gets sick. She is getting worse, and nothing seems to help. Jairus, despite his social connections, has no access to medical treatment to help his daughter get well. But he has heard of Jesus, he has heard about Jesus’ ministry, about Jesus’ teaching and the miracles He has performed. Jairus finds Jesus and falls at His feet, begging Him to come and heal his daughter. Jesus agrees to go with Jarius.

In the meantime, the woman with the issue of blood is desperate too. She can’t go on like she has. Sick and socially isolated, she needs help. When she hears about Jesus, she goes and finds Him. Despite her shame and social isolation, despite her fear of rejection because of her uncleanness due to the issue of blood, she takes bold action. When she sees Jesus walking by with Jairus, she approaches and touches Jesus’ garment. She doesn’t even bother trying to get Jesus’ attention. In fact, she’s hoping that simply by touching Jesus’ garment, she will get well, and no one need know what happened. She touches Jesus’ garment, and she is healed. But Jesus notices what has happened, and He begins to ask, “Who touched my garments?” Jesus keeps looking in the crowd for the person who touched Him. The woman is terrified. She has been healed but has been discovered. In her shame and fear she falls before Jesus and confesses to Him what has happened. To her wonderful surprise, she is not rejected and humiliated. On the contrary, Jesus does more than just heal her body, He restores her spirit as well by welcoming her with love and acceptance. He says, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

While all this is going on, Jairus must have been at his wits end. He is desperately wanting Jesus to come and heal his daughter before it is too late. But Jesus has been interrupted to heal the women with the issue of blood. Then Jairus gets the worst news possible: “Your daughter is dead, why trouble the Teacher anymore?”

At this moment of Jairus’ greatest pain and fear, Jesus says to him, “Do not fear, only believe. Jesus turns Jairus away from anger, fear, and despair to faith in Him. Jesus reassures Jairus that all is not lost, that restoration is coming. And Jesus comes through. He heals Jairus’ daughter, and Jairus’ faith in Jesus is vindicated.
The story of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood resonate with us because we see their faith in Jesus rewarded. When Jairus’ good life is turned upside with his daughter’s illness, he runs to Jesus. Despite the delays and the news of the death of his daughter, Jairus does not fall into despair or bitterness. Instead, he continues to trust Jesus and hold on to hope.

The woman with the issue of blood had suffered not only from her illness, but from social rejection as well. If anyone had reason to give up, she did. But she didn’t. When she heard about Jesus, she went looking for Him. And when she found Him, she overcame her fear by coming up and touching Jesus’s garment. She believed so much in Jesus’ power to heal that she didn’t think it was necessary to even talk to Him. All she needed to do was touch His garment. She did, and her faith was rewarded. Not just with physical healing, but with emotional and spiritual healing as well.

In a world where we are constantly being told to be frightened, when things happen that we didn’t anticipate or want, when life is not working out the way we hoped it would, Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to live by faith, not by fear. That does not mean complacency in the face of difficulties or challenges, but trust in God. Don’t worry about it. To give in to fear and despair. Pray. Ask Jesus for what you need. Be specific. Once you have prayed, believe that God has heard your prayer and that He is at work. If it seems like nothing is happening, keep praying and keep trusting.
​
In a time of fear and anxiety and anger, we as followers of Jesus Christ can be a witness to His love and grace by not living in fear, but by walking in trust and in love.
 
+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.