June 29 Cry From the Deep Psalm 130;
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
Two people cry out in the gospel narrative: the president of
the synagogue, Jairus, whose daughter is dying, and the woman who
has suffered heavy bleeding for 12 years. Both have to cross
boundaries to make their request. The president fell at his feet,
recognizing Jesus' authority, which given previous encounters with
Jewish leadership must have been a tough decision. The woman has
to break the double taboo of addressing a man in public and
risking the contamination of Jesus because of her condition, which
was seen as sinful under Jewish religious law. But only the
crossing of boundaries empowers Jesus to heal.
A feature of Mark's story of Jesus is the presence of the
crowd, always pressing, always threatening interruption. In the
middle of it all, Jesus attends to the woman, and only then
proceeds to the home of Jairus. Symbolism is rife in these verses.
"Sleep" is a euphemism for lack of faith (Mark 13:36). "Twelve"
signifies the number of Israel's tribes.
In the end this is a story about healing, but not just of
individuals. Jesus interrupts his journey to the home of the
privileged to heal one of the outcasts who emerges from the crowd.
As Ched Myers reminds us, "Only when the outcast is restored to
true 'daughterhood' can the daughter of the synagogue be restored
to life." Today we might say that only when the marginalized have
been restored to their rightful place in humanity can the affluent
world discover its true vocation.
Reflection and Action
Where does the story of these two women touch your story? Have
you experienced being broken or marginalized? Who around you is
like this? How can your church or community bring
healing?
PETER B. PRICE is general secretary of the United Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel, an Anglican mission agency
based in London, and practiceswith his wife, Deea ministry of
hospitality.
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