After Jesus has healed the Gerasene demoniac, he’s crossed BACK over to the side of the sea where we began. Once there, he’s greeted by another throng of people. Out of that crowd comes the cry of the leader of one of the synagogues: “My little daughter is at the point of death! Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”
It’s a powerful moment, especially as we know many of the synagogue leaders weren’t ready to go “all in” on Jesus just yet. In this moment of desperation, though, Jairus calls out to the only one he thinks can help at this time. However, while Jesus is on the way to the home of Jairus and the young girl, a woman who had been bleeding for many years and is in her own state of desperation, reaches out and touches the hem of his garment because she had heard and because she believed if she could but touch him, she could be healed. When Jesus feels the power leave him and heal her, he stops, turns around, and sees her, and says she’s been made well.
Jesus continues to home of Jairus, and while they feared his daughter had already died, he gathers those who believe, and he reaches out to her and says, “Little girl, get up.”
This whole moment in Mark’s account reminds us that in moments of desperation, people will go to great lengths to find peace, to find solace, from the sufferings that they are experiencing. Whether it’s calling out to someone who others have dismissed or thinking that just touching his clothes will bring healing, both attempts were long shots at redemption.
Hearing this story, we are reminded in our own time that we might find ourselves in either position, of seeking help or being asked for it. We pray for the courage and humility to ask when we need it, and we pray for the grace and wisdom to extend it when asked for it.
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