Jairus and the details

Tuesday in Ordinary Time Year B
Gospel of Mark 5:21-43
Homily by Deacon Joe Stackhouse January 22, 2012

There are some details in the story about the raising of Jairus’ daughter that don’t receive the attention they deserve. For one, Jairus is a ruler in the synagogue. In that role, he would have been concerned about the observance of the law, especially regarding things clean and unclean. For that reason, Jairus would have known that when the woman who is ritually unclean touched Jesus, he too became ritually unclean at that moment. Jesus then could not heal his daughter by the laying on of hands until Jesus had been purified. Yet, Jairus never raises the issue, and Jesus does not let this breach prevent him from curing Jairus’ daughter. The reason is clear. Love and compassion always trump the requirements of ritual.

Another detail that often gets overlooked is the difference in religious standing between Jairus and Jesus. Jesus has no official standing in the synagogue. Jesus is merely a local carpenter. Indeed, his authority to heal has not been established or approved in any official manner. As a result, asking Jesus to cure his daughter could have cost Jairus his job and his reputation in the religious community. A costly mistake for sure. Nevertheless, Jairus remains undeterred and shows no hesitation in asking Jesus for help. From this perspective, Jairus’ boldness provides an unexpected lesson in trust and humility despite the cost.

One other detail should be mentioned. The faith shared by Jairus and the woman tends to get obscured by the difference in Jesus’ response to each. In responding to Jairus, Jesus does not immediately heal Jairus’ daughter from a distance. Although such a response on his part was clearly possible, Jesus instead simply goes with Jairus without indicating what he will do. Along the way, their journey gets delayed when Jesus responds to a woman who doesn’t even ask to be healed. She simply runs up and touches Jesus, and she is healed on the spot. Jesus responds with praise for her faith. Jairus, on the other hand, must patiently wait for this interlude to end before he and Jesus can resume their journey. When they reach their destination, they meet with further disturbance that Jesus resolves before ultimately healing Jairus’ daughter.

These differences in the way Jesus responds show that Jesus meets us where we are. He looks for and is eager to respond to the faith that each of us can muster. The woman quietly touches his robe, but believes. Jairus approaches him face to face. In both cases, however, their request reveals an unwavering trust and confidence in the love and compassion of Jesus. Their faith demonstrates that we can approach Jesus no matter what our circumstances.

Jesus looks for this same kind of faith in us as well. Our hope is that the trust and confidence expressed by Jairus and the woman will inspire and strengthen our own faith as we seek to follow Jesus more closely in our daily lives.