More Clothing Imagery
By Stephen Terry
“because she thought, If I just touch his clothes, I will
be healed.” Mark 5:28, NIV
Twelve years before, two events had taken place
that would come together later on a single day in Jesus’ ministry. At that time, Jesus himself was a young man
still working in Joseph’s carpenter shop in
Although the plan was not visible to others,
the groundwork for his future ministry was being laid. The first event was
entirely normal. A baby girl was born to
an influential family. They were excited at the birth of the child but had no
premonition of that future day. Filled with joy, they only looked forward to
filling their daughter’s life with happiness and love as they watched her grow into
a woman.
The second event was not one of joy. A woman,
who had already passed the joys of childhood, began to bleed. Filled with fear, she sought the medical care
then available. Nothing could be done to staunch the bleeding. Considered
unclean by others because of the flow, she found her social life over. She must have been humiliated and filled with
despair. Where could she turn? Those who
have suffered a chronic ailment know that there comes a time when death can
seem preferable to continuing with the burden.
But one day word came to her about Jesus, the Healer.
She had no money to offer a healer, other
healers had taken all she had over the twelve years she had been ill. Besides, she felt like such a pitiable wretch
that she could not bear to stand before Jesus and ask for healing. Because of
her impurity, her condition was so much worse than everyone else’s. She could not talk about it without feeling
the redness of shame rising in her face. But perhaps there was a way. Perhaps
if she could just touch Him, that would be enough. Maybe there was hope. She
set out to find Jesus.
As she sought Jesus, the little girl born
twelve years before became ill and began to die. Where the woman seeking Jesus
now had hope, the parents of this little girl were losing theirs. With broken
hearts, they watched helplessly the suffering of their daughter. Hearing that
Jesus, the Healer, was in town, her father, Jairus, set out to find Him. If
Jesus could arrive before she died, He could heal her. Finding Jesus, he humbly fell at His feet and
begged Him to come and touch her that she might be healed. Together, they
headed for Jairus’ home.
Then the bleeding woman found Jesus and touched
Him. Knowing that He had healed someone, Jesus stopped and called her to Him. Feeling
that the healing she now felt might be taken from her, she came to Him, fell at
His feet, and confessed her need. But
the only words he had for her were words of reassurance. (See 1 John 1:9) Her
joy at healing returned, and she went away with peace in her heart. All had shunned her before because of her
uncleanness, but Jesus had called her “Daughter.” In doing so, He placed her on equal footing
with Jairus’ daughter in God’s love.
Seeing the delay as Jesus dealt with this
woman, Jairus was no doubt filled with anxiety about his own situation. He knew
his daughter’s life was in the balance.
He struggled to maintain his faith that all would be well. But as he wrestled with these thoughts, he was
told that his daughter had died and was beyond need now. Like Martha concerning her brother Lazarus
(See John 11:21), Jairus was tempted to give up hope because Jesus had not made
it to his home before his daughter died. However, Jesus reassured him as he reassured
Martha that all would be well. Wanting to believe, he accompanied Jesus to his
home, fearful to see his daughter dead.
When they arrived, mourners were already there. Putting them out,
Jesus, Jairus and his wife, Peter, James, and John all went in with the girl. Taking
her hand, Jesus raised her from death and told her parents to feed her. This
was to assure them that she was indeed herself and not a ghost or apparition. (See
Luke 24:36-43) Just as the woman earlier that day had received grace from a
loving God, they now knew the joy and peace of God’s love as it visited their
home.
Jesus urged them to be silent about the miracle,
but why? Was it because Jesus’ fame over the event would grow so much that He
could not perform His ministry? Probably not since the story could not be suppressed.
How could you hide the fact that someone who had died was now very much alive
and walking about? Many people had witnessed the child’s death, including those
that had come and told Jairus that she had died while he was returning with
Jesus.
Perhaps Jesus urged them not to tell the story because
He knew all too well the human heart. While the story would be told at first
out of joy and thankfulness, it might become a matter of pride and a cause of
stumbling. After all, Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue. Perhaps some,
maybe even Jairus, might come to think it was because of his position that the
miracle took place. Perhaps he had obtained special favor with God because of
his service. Didn’t Jesus show great regard for Jairus by coming to his house? In
this manner, the blessing could become a curse. It was much better to let the
miracle speak for itself and not risk embellishment.
These two miracles illustrate two aspects of
God’s love. The first was a woman who was alive but knew her need of healing. She
came seeking healing and found it. The second was a child who was dead and had
no knowledge of her need. She could not seek healing. Instead God sought her
and gave her life because of the faith of others. The woman sought Jesus
because others told her about him. She already knew she had a need before she
heard of the Answer. There are many today who are like her. They know their
need. They are just waiting for someone to point them to Jesus. Once someone
does, they will come to Him driven by their need.
The 12-year-old girl is like those who do not
know their need. They are people we all know who seem to have little interest
in coming to God. We know that they have a need, but they do not see it. God
still seeks them out. Our prayers come to Him on their behalf, just as Jairus
came to Jesus on his daughter’s behalf. As
his faith was rewarded, ours can be also.
Tempted to give up when all seemed hopeless, Jairus listened when Jesus
told him to just continue to believe. We
must do the same when others seem beyond hope to us. We must continue to believe
and ask for God’s love to intervene. Jesus reassures us “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible
with God.” Mark 10:27, NIV
God’s will is for us to sense our own need and
come to Him. He will heal us. His love assures us of that. He also wants us to believe
that others can be healed with His love and to have faith that this will
happen. Just like Jairus, I plan to keep believing that those I love are not
beyond God’s love. I will keep praying for them. Wouldn’t you like to do that
for someone you love, too?
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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