Shielding the vulnerable

Week 3 - Tuesday 22 March

"Then Jesus put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about ..."

Reading

Mark 5.35-43

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Reflection

Jairus could not be more different from the woman with haemorrhages. He has status, power and wealth. We know his name. He asks Jesus to heal his daughter.

The crowds are interested: the woman was of little consequence, but a high-profile healing makes a good spectacle. The woman was under-seen, Jairus is over-seen. He does not need more attention, more status, but less.

Jesus had healed the woman in public and made the crowd see her. Here, he does the opposite. He sends people away and gives the family privacy and dignity in their pain. Jairus had needs too; the crowd ignored them as they ignored the woman’s. Jesus sees and responds to both.

Consequently, he challenges the crowd’s perception of who matters: they both do – woman and man, rich and poor, known and unknown. They are made in the image of God, precious, loved, and worthy of time, care and kindness.

Prayer

Loving God, we pray for the great and the small in human eyes, that we may learn to see them as equally made in your image and in need of your embrace. Amen.