Sentence
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam 3:22-23
Collect
O Christ for whom we search,
our help when help has failed:
give us courage to expose our need
and ask to be made whole,
that, being touched by you,
we may be raised to new life
in the power of your name.
Amen.
Readings
- 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
- Psalm 130
- 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
- Mark 5:21-43
next week
- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
- Psalm 48
- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
- Mark 6:1-13
A Thought to Ponder
Pentecost 5 – Mark 5:21-43
Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.”
There was a woman afflicted with haemorrhages for twelve years. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Mark holds up both Jairus and the unnamed woman in today’s Gospel as models of faith. The message of the two healings is clear: “Do not be afraid; have faith.”
The chronically ill woman is so convinced that Jesus not only can help her but will help her that she fights her way through the pushing and shoving crowds just to touch the cloak of Jesus. She realises not only the power of Jesus to heal her but the depth of his love and compassion to want to heal her. Her faith is rewarded.
Jairus was a man of considerable authority and stature in the Jewish community. Yet, for the sake of his daughter, he puts aside his pride and his instinctive distrust of an “anti-establishment” rabbi like Jesus and becomes a “beggar” for her before Jesus. Despite the ridicule of the mourners and the depth of his despair, Jesus is Jairus’ hope.
Like the wailing mourners at the little girl’s bedside, we sometimes resign ourselves to defeat as the regular order of things, to death as the logical conclusion. In the healings of Jairus’ daughter and the haemorrhaging woman, Jesus shows us the life and hope we can bring into our world through the providence of God and the goodness everyone possesses.
For many mums and dads, their joys and dreams are inextricably linked to their children’s. Jairus, in today’s Gospel, is just such a dad: to save his beloved daughter, Jairus does not hesitate to risk his standing in the community and career to approach the controversial rabbi reputed to work wonders. A parent’s complete and unconditional love is the very reflection of the love of God in our midst.
The “touch of Jesus’ cloak” can be experienced in a simple act of generosity or a kind word offering forgiveness.
Jairus’ love for his daughter enables him to risk his considerable standing in the community to approach the controversial rabbi Jesus. Through such complete and unconditional love – like the love of God our Father for us, his children – we can lift-up the fallen, heal the sick and suffering and restore life to the dead.
The sick woman realises not only the power Jesus possesses but also the depth of his compassion and love for her. To possess her depth of faith compels us to seek God and realise God’s presence – especially when God seems most absence.
The haemorrhaging woman counts for little in the social structure of her time; her problems and illness elicit neither concern nor care from those around her. Her haemorrhages, in fact, mark her as unclean, someone to be avoided. But the “power” of Jesus transcends the woman’s isolation. Our embracing of that same compassion and peace enables us to seek out the needy, the lost and despairing in our midst.
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Sermon
[cpm-player skin=”classic-skin” width=”100%” playlist=”true” type=”audio”] [cpm-item file=”https://greenwoodanglican.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/bcdd0-pentecost-5-b.m4a”%5DPentecost 5 B[/cpm-item] [/cpm-player]You can read the Pew Sheet here
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