In
Ordinary Time of Year B we are on a journey with Mark to . . .
where? . . . we are on a journey with Mark to the cross. Remember,
Mark is a Passion Narrative with an extended beginning, and almost
everything in Mark's gospel points to the cross.
The
confrontations with the Pharisees pointed to the cross as they
plotted to destroy him. The encounter with his family pointed to the
Passion as they tried to seize and restrain him. Last week's storm
had parallels to the Passion as Jesus cried out and all was silent.
And today is no exception.
Today
Jesus once again crosses the sea to the other side. Just so you've
got this: Jesus and the disciples crossed from Jewish territory over
to Gentile territory, during which they encountered a ferocious
storm. When they reached shore, they met a demoniac. Jesus drove
the demons from him into a herd of swine which then rushed off a
cliff into the sea and drowned. The demoniac was healed, and
everyone begged Jesus to leave. He got into the boat crossing back
into Jewish territory, and that brings us to today.
A
huge crowd meets him and pressed in on him. And here we get two
stories for the price of one. The presenting story is Jairus
pleading on behalf of his daughter's very life. Embedded within that
story is the story of the woman suffering from a continual flow of
blood for twelve years; which, by the way, is exactly how old the
young girl happens to be.
Once
again these stories point us to the Passion and cross. These stories
point us there because these are also stories about suffering, death,
and new life.
In
the first story, Jairus comes to Jesus because his little girl is at
the point of death. It is clear that she is suffering. But as a
parent, Jairus is also suffering. When someone we love dearly is in
pain or suffering, we also suffer, we know that. As friends, we know
that. As parents, we know that.
The
woman in the second story approaches Jesus because she also is
suffering. She is suffering physically from her continual bleeding.
She is suffering financially because she had spent her last penny on
doctors. She is suffering mentally, socially, and spiritually
because, under the law, she has been unclean for twelve years and has
been removed and barred from society. She is an outcast.
These
are two stories of hopelessness. The dying daughter's situation is
hopeless. The bleeding woman's situation is hopeless. But in those
hopeless times, they turn to the only one who offers hope – Jesus.
The
Passion is also a time of hopelessness. Jesus is betrayed, arrested,
beaten, tried, convicted, and executed. In those hopeless few days,
Jesus is dead and buried. But there is also a glimmer of hope.
In
the Burial Office one of the opening anthems begins, “In the midst
of life we are in death.” This applies to the two stories today.
In the midst of life, Jairus' daughter was in death. In the midst of
life the bleeding woman was in death. In the midst of life we are in
death. Death envelopes us. Death is inevitable. We will all
experience death – from friends to family to ourselves – at some
point in our lives.
In
the midst of life, Jairus and his daughter were in death. In the
midst of life, the bleeding woman was in death.
These
two stories point us to both the Passion and the Resurrection. What
Christ did in those events was to destroy death. In the Passion and
cross, the human Jesus died. But for Christ to defeat death he had
to experience death. It was then that he had the final victory. It
was through his death that he destroyed death.
And
while he didn't destroy death for either the little girl or the
woman, he gave them, the witnesses, and us, a glimpse of what was to
come. The girl wasn't resurrected, but her current life was
restored. The woman also experienced the restoration of life.
In
the midst of life we are in death, says the anthem. But with these
two stories, and the Passion and Resurrection itself, I wonder if
there's another way to look at this: In the midst of death there is
life.
Jairus'
daughter was at the point of death and things looked hopeless.
Hoping against hope, he paid a visit to Jesus begging for healing.
The girl did die, but Jesus restored her life. In the midst of death
there was life.
The
bleeding woman was also at the point of death. Having spent her last
penny, from where was her next meal to come? Being ostracized as
untouchable, with whom could she live or associate? Hoping against
hope she made her way to Jesus to be healed and restored. In the
midst of death there was life.
Betrayed,
beaten, and crucified, Jesus hung on a cross to die. In the tomb for
three days, his disciples hoped against hope that his words would be
true. In the midst of death there is not only life, there is
resurrection.
Death
is all around us. Death is not only a part of life, it is the final
result of all physical life as we know it. There's a saying, I don't
know how true, that says, “The human body begins to die at 25.”
Mildly depressing, I know. But it is a recognition that one of the
few certainties in life is death.
Mark
is a Passion Narrative with an extended beginning, and almost
everything in that beginning points us to the cross. These two
stories give us a glimpse of what is to come. What is to come is new
life. What is to come is restoration. What is to come is
resurrection. But we must also realize that difficulties and trials
and death will precede that new life.
Don't
be discouraged. Don't lose hope. In the midst of death there is
life. And let us always remember that life is changed, not ended.
That change, that life, that restoration, that resurrection, rests in
the hope given us through Christ our Savior.
Amen.
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