Gospel for Sunday, June 30: Mark 5:21-43
XIII Sunday Year B
“21When Jesus had passed by boat again to the other shore, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stood by the sea. 22And there came one of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, who, as he saw him, threw himself at his feet 23and pleaded with him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying: come and lay your hands on her, that she may be saved and live.” 24He went with him. Many crowds followed him and gathered around him. 25Now a woman, who had been bleeding for twelve years 26and had suffered much at the hands of many physicians, spending all her possessions to no avail, indeed rather getting worse, 27heard about Jesus, came into the crowd and from behind touched his cloak. 28She said indeed, “If I can even touch his garments, I shall be saved.” 29And immediately her flow of blood stopped and she felt in her body that she had been healed of the evil. 30And immediately Jesus, having realized the power that had gone out from him, turned to the crowd and said, “Who has touched my garments?” 31His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd gathering around you and say, ‘Who touched me?'” 32He looked around, to see the one who had done this.
33And the woman, afraid and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and threw herself before him and told him the whole truth. 34And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed of your evil.” 35She was still speaking, when from the house of the synagogue leader they came and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why do you still disturb the Master?” 36But Jesus, hearing what they were saying, said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid, only have faith!” 37And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John, James’ brother. 38They came to the synagogue leader’s house, and he saw commotion and people crying and shouting loudly. 39He came in and said to them, “Why do you fret and weep? The child is not dead, but asleep.” 40And they mocked him. But he, having driven them all out, took with him the father and mother of the little girl and those who were with him and entered where the little girl was. 41He took the little girl’s hand and said to her, “Talità kum,” which means, “Maiden, I say to you, rise up!” 42And immediately the maiden stood up and walked; for she was twelve years old. They were seized with great astonishment. 43And he recommended to them insistently that no one should come to know, and he said to feed her.”
Mk 4:35-41
Care sorelle e fratelli della Misericordie, sono Carlo Miglietta, medico, biblista, laico, marito, padre e nonno (www.buonabibbiaatutti.it). Anche oggi condivido con voi un breve pensiero di meditazione sul Vangelo, con speciale riferimento al tema della misericordia.
THE HEALING OF THE HEMORROISSA AND THE DAUGHTER OF JOSEPH (Mark 5:21-43)
Two miracles arranged “in a sandwich”
The healing of the hemorrhoissa and the healing of Jairus’ daughter are the last miracles in the “miracle booklet” (Mk 4:35-6:6).
According to Mark’s style, they are two stories arranged “in a sandwich,” that is, you start telling one miracle, put in a piece of the other miracle, then the conclusion of the first miracle, and then the conclusion of the second miracle.
What ties these two miracles together?
1. Both miracles occur by physical contact. The hemorrhagic woman sees her losses cease as she touches Jesus, the dead child is healed and brought to life because Jesus takes her by the hands and says, “Little girl, get up!”
2. The ‘hemorrhoissa has been sick for twelve years, Jairus’ daughter is twelve years old. Twelve is the double of 6, which, in the Hebrew Kabbalah, is the number of precariousness, of weakness, is the number of limit, is the number of creaturely littleness in the lives of men, of their imperfection: in fact, it is 7, the number of fullness, minus 1. Both the poor hemorrhagissa and the more than affluent daughter of the synagogue leader, a great authority in those days, both are “twelve,” that is, small and fragile.
The text
Along came a woman who had heard about Jesus and had thought, “If I can even touch his cloak, I will be healed.” With this idea she went into the crowd behind Jesus to touch his cloak. In the miracle stories, touching can refer either to the thaumaturge (5:41) or to the sick person. The second gesture is preferred by Mark in the summaries, where we learn that whole hosts of the sick threw themselves on Jesus to touch him, or that people brought their sick to him with a request to be allowed to touch him (3:10; 6:56). The two gestures presuppose the idea that the thaumaturge is filled with healing power. The woman makes this gesture in confidence that she will have salvation from Jesus.
The Law stated that a woman who had bleeding was unclean (Lev 15:19-30). But Jesus allows himself to be touched by “a woman, who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years” (Mk 5:25). “And not only does he allow himself to be touched secretly, as the woman had tried to do, but he asks aloud, “Who touched me?”; and so he proclaims to all that he allowed himself to be touched by this woman and cares nothing for legal impurity” (G. Ferretti). “Both the woman and Jesus disregard the Law and become “unclean” in order to access freedom from disease. Life always precedes ritual and this is just the sign of the gratuitousness of that” (Fr. Farinella). This woman is a great believer, because she knows that everything God touches is pure and sanctified: so this is a demonstration of her Faith.
In this passage the verb “to touch” is said four times. “To touch” expresses materially what faith is. Faith is touching Jesus, faith is having a personal contact with Jesus: by touching Jesus we receive a gift that heals and revives us. Jesus praises this woman and calls her “daughter,” and he proclaims that it is faith that gives salvation: it is because she has attached herself to him, it is because she has touched him that she is saved (the verb sozèiv is used, which means both “to heal” and “to save”), and Jesus therefore gives her the messianic “shalom”: “Go in peace.”
In the second episode, Jesus pays no mind to the words of the messengers from Jairus’ house who tell him not to bother the teacher any more because his daughter is dead and tells Jairus, “Do not fear, only continue to trust.” It is an exaltation of foolish perseverance in faith, against the evidence, against all hope even in the face of death: even in the face of final and complete collapse we are invited not to fear. The believer is the man of hope always, at any cost, of optimism in all circumstances. Sadness, pessimism are “apistia,” lack of faith.
Jesus calls with Himself those who will be the privileged witnesses, both at the transfiguration and at Getzemane: Peter, James and John. Peter, the rock, the first pope of the Church; James the first martyred Apostle; John the singer of God’s love.
Jesus takes the child by the hand and says to her, “Talita Kum,” “Maiden, stand up.” Again a gentle and tender physical contact, taking by the hand. It is the hand of God, a theme developed so much in the Old Testament: “I, IHWH, hold you by the right hand” (Is 41:10).
“Talita Kum”: words in Aramaic that are a bit strange for us, but perhaps they are a liturgical expression that was proclaimed in the assembly. Two verbs are used, “egheiro” and “anastazo” (“rise up” and “rise again”), which are typically Easter. The onlookers foretaste Jesus’ victory over death, a victory in which we will all participate: in physical contact with Christ we too will be told, “Arise,” “Rise,” which are the verbs of resurrection.
The grand finale: Jesus recommended to them that no one should come to know about it and ordered them to feed her. There are two meanings here:
1. the tenderness, the gentleness of Jesus, who thinks about the biological life of this child: “Give her a sandwich!”
2. There is an announcement of the next section of the Gospel: the bread section. In addition, we have a revelation about the deep meaning of the Liturgy. The Christian who died and rose again through baptism, eat the bread of life: whoever enjoys it will see death no more. This child was dead, resurrected, and now eats bread. We, in Baptism, die to sin, rise with Christ, and then throughout our lives eat the Bread of Angels, the very flesh of Christ, never to see death again. The Sacraments of the Church are God’s way of touching and saving us.
Buona Misericordia a tutti!
Chi volesse leggere un’esegesi più completa del testo, o qualche approfondimento, me lo chieda a migliettacarlo@gmail.com .