Luke 8:41-56
At that time, there came to Jesus a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus’ feet he besought him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As he went, the people pressed round him. And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and had spent all her living upon physicians and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter and those who were with him said, “Master, the multitudes surround you and press upon you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I perceive that power has gone forth from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
While he was still speaking, a man from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she shall be well.” And when he came to the house, he permitted no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and bewailing her; but he said, “Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once; and he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed; but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Gospel reading today is the story of two women, one but a child. The little girl is only twelve years old. This, as the Fathers point out to us, is the very cusp of womanhood. We are not told the age of the woman, but we are told that she has been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. The blood spoken of here is menstrual blood, so the woman here is at least in her mid-twenties. Most likely she is older, for as Saint Luke tells us that she has spent her whole living on physicians and received no relief in return. So, it would seem she was no child when her affliction began, as children do not have a living to spend.
Concerning the little girl, it is hard not to be reminded of the widow of Nain here. The stories have differences, of course. The widow was a poor woman, with an only son. Here we have the only daughter of relatively wealthy parents. But the Fathers are of the opinion that each were only children, so it is easy to identify with pain and loss for the widow in one passage of scripture, and the parents of the girl in the other. It is never easy to lose a child; and to lose an only child is a particularly bitter blow. With their deaths goes not only the hope of seeing them grow into the man or woman they might have been, but also seeing them marry and have children of their own. With their deaths, the posterity of their parents is cut off; something you may recall from your reading of the Old Testament was considered a terrible thing in the ancient world. It was something that you might wish upon your worst enemies. And it was something that you would pray again and again would never happen to you.
But Jesus restores all that to them with a word and a touch. Their child has been brought back from the dead; and with her, all their hopes and dreams for the future.
Concerning the woman, we may note that she has been suffering for twelve years, as long as the girl has been alive. She has literally had this affliction for a lifetime and her physical suffering would have been considerable. As the Fathers point out, she was being continuously drained of blood. This would have left her feeling weak and miserable all the time. Living in a hot climate is something that already drains energy from a person. Imagine how difficult it would have been for a woman who was literally having her life blood flowing from her body every single minute of the day, month after month, year after year. Bad as this would be even today, in the ancient world, a flow of blood such as this was even worse. It was a condition that affected every aspect of her life, personal, social, and religious. For, as the Fathers remind us, a flow of blood such as this rendered her unclean in Jewish society.
No doubt you recall from your reading of Deuteronomy and Leviticus how strict the Jews were when it came to ritual purity. And one of the things that could make a person ritually unclean was contact with menstrual blood. During her monthly flow, a woman was considered unclean; and was expected to have no contact with others, lest she make them unclean also. Normally this meant some days each month. But this poor woman had had her flow of blood continually for twelve years.
The implications for her would have been horrendous. How could she sustain a marriage, if her husband could never touch her? How could she interact with others, when they would have been obliged to stay away from her at all times? And how could she take part in the religious life of her community when she was forbidden by religious law from even entering the synagogue?
So, when Jesus heals this woman, he does more than cure her of a physical ailment, He is also restoring her to life within her community. Previously she had been excluded. Now she is part of it again. This, as the Fathers note, explains why Jesus makes such a big deal about calling her forth from the crowd. By doing so, He makes it clear to all that she is no longer to be thought of as unclean.
As I conclude, let me draw attention to an important point of similarity that both miracles share. I am not thinking here of the fact that those at the centre of the miracles are both female; nor of the fact that one is twelve and that the other has suffered for twelve years. Rather, I am thinking about how both miracles begin with an act of faith. The woman comes to Jesus, hoping to be healed, and in faith reaches out to touch the hem of His garment. And the father comes to Jesus in faith asking for his daughter to be healed, little suspecting than an even greater miracle than that he asks will be granted to him.
It is faith that is at the centre of these two events. It is faith that links these two women. It is because of that faith that their stories have been told down the ages. And it is because of that faith that we should understand the importance of keeping faith at the centre of our own lives. Not because we hope by our faith that we will be granted a miracle. But because by that faith we may know that we may be granted something even greater at the end of days – life eternal. Amen.
The Holy Orthodox Order of St George the Great Martyr works tirelessly to help those in need. We focus particularly on our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in the Holy Land and those who suffer because of their Christian faith. However, we strive to help all in need. Funds are desperately needed at this time to help those facing the horrors of war in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Please help if you can by making a donation to the Order. And please keep all those who suffer in your prayers. Thank you and may God bless you.
