"Do Not Fear, Only Believe" - Sermon for Pentecost 5

Sermon:

Text:

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who tells us, “Do not fear, only believe.”

            There is so much going on in our text for today. It’s one of those texts where you can read it through once and one part sticks out for you. Then the next another part calls. Each successive reading bring more and more out of the text.

            I read of this woman in the crowd, bleeding and alone for 12 years. Her bleeding making her unclean in Jewish eyes, and so cutting her off not just from the temple and worship, but from virtually all social interaction as people would stay away from her, fearing that they too would be made unclean. For 12 years this affects her, and then Jesus comes by and by her simply touching his cloak he heals her, and not only that restores her life. As he sends her he calls her Daughter, a form of affection as by a family member, she is not just healed, but loved, welcomed, restored, and given identity.

            I look at Jairus’s daughter, I see how Jesus calls to her, “Talitha Cum,” Little girl, get up. Again he does more here than raise her from the dead, he brings this girl into his social group, he welcomes her and loves her, he gives her identity.

            But, As I read it again, I see another character that often gets overlooked. Jairus himself. As I look at him, I see myself, I see many of you, and I see the human condition itself.

            Who doesn’t care for the needs and welfare of someone you love. We would go to amazing lengths if it means care and protection for them. You hope beyond hope that good news will occur, that something new will be found, that those missing will be found, that a new cure will be discovered, that a surgery will work. It’s for a friend who is lost, a son or daughter fighting disease, a father or mother succumbing to age. We all would go to any lengths hoping and praying for a solution.

            Jairus is a leader in the Synagogue. One of those who have not especially liking what Jesus is doing in their area. They would not be as aggressive in their opposition to Jesus as the Pharisee’s and Scribes, but would have fallen on their side. And here he finds himself with his 12 year old Daughter, so close to the age of reaching adult hood in their culture. So close to really beginning her life, and she is stricken with a disease. And he finds no where else to turn, he has most likely gone to every place and every person that he can find, and then Jesus arrives again in his area and he builds up and approaches him. He doesn’t just ask Jesus for help, he falls at Jesus’ feet and begs him. “My little daughter, she is close to death, please, come. Simply lay your hands on her and she will be made well and she will live.

And Jesus agrees. He sets off with Jairus. Oh great news! Oh Happy Day! Jesus will solve everything, my daughter will live! My prayers have been answered. He has agreed to come, all that’s left is to hurry back to cure her.

And they start towards his house. And the crowd again presses in upon them. It’s slow moving because of this. But, Jairus is content, Jesus is on his way. And then Jesus stops. Jesus looks around, he searches and hunts. “Who touched me?”  The disciples are astonished, really Jesus? Everyone is touching you, you're in the midst of a crowd. Jairus contains the urge to tell him to get moving. But, Jesus still searches. And finally a woman comes forward. Jairus recognizes her, he has had the unwanted task of turning her away week after week as unclean. And Jesus listens to her, she goes on about how she felt healing come over her, how the bleeding has stopped.  Jesus then lifts her up and says, “daughter, your faith has made you well, be healed.”

Jairus begins to urge Jesus on, they took a long time in the crowd, but then people who had been staying with his wife and daughter show up in the crowd. “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further? There’s no point. Where there was hope, it is now gone.”

It’s the situation we all dread. The disease is too far along, if only we had known earlier. Sorry, but we found the body. The cancer is too strong, the transplant didn’t work.

A minute before all that Jairus wanted in the world was about to happen, and now it’s all been taken away.

It’s devastating.

But, Jesus doesn’t let it end at that. He doesn’t ask, do you still want me to come? He echoes both the woman he just healed and Jairus’ initial request. Have faith. “Do not fear, only believe.” And just like that he goes to Jairus’ house, takes him and his wife upstairs to where the girl lay, took her hand and said “Talitha Cum, Little Girl, get up.”

It’s a glorious end to our text. It shows Jesus' power, but it sometimes leaves me feeling empty. Is our faith not as strong as Jairus’? Why does our loved one stay dead, where his daughter is raised? Why does what we hoped in fail, but Jairus is answered?

For me it makes me ask, what is life and healing? What is being offered? I look at our reading from 2 Corinthians today, and Christ becoming poor so we may be rich. Here not talking exclusively about money, but I feel the giving of his life, so we may have life. That is where eternal life comes from. In the richness of Christ's life, he became poor so we could become rich indeed.

Yes, there is power in this text of Jesus healing the woman and raising Jairus’ daughter. But I think the real life and real power is found in him welcoming them both as real people. The woman is not just the hemorrhaging woman, but daughter. She is not a stranger, but beloved. The daughter is not just Jairus’ daughter, but Talitha. Little Girl. She is not a stranger, but beloved.

We too are beloved. We are not strangers to Christ, but beloved Children of God. We are welcomed into a family that cares for us, that looks out for us, that would do anything for us and when healing occurs gives praise and thanks. And when in the unfortunate case of death occurs, gives us comfort, support and care. That is what we share, the love of a God who died for us, so that our death here is not the last word, that in fact the promise of true eternal life trumps and conquers all through Christ our Lord.

Beloved Children of God. Sometimes our world is rocked by news that destroys us, but nothing can separate us from the Love of God, found in Christ Jesus our Lord.. Nothing can take the promise of eternal life away. In all things, times, and places Christ welcomes us, calls us by name, and tells us, “Do not fear, only believe.”

Amen.