Jairus Daughter

The Gospel miracle-story assigned to be read this weekend is found in all three Synoptic Gospels. It is the story of how a woman, sick for 12 years with a hemorrhage, was cured and how a twelve-year-old girl, the daughter of a synagogue ruler, was rescued from death by Jesus. It is the only story where two miracles are told in a single account. This was due to the fact that they either happened that way or the number 12, the age of the girl and the number of years of the woman’s sickness, served as a literary link to bring these two stories together.

It is interesting to note that tradition holds that Jesus worked His first miracle in the synagogue where Jarius was ruler – the cure of a demoniac. This was probably the reason why Jarius had the courage to approach Jesus. He was desperate, as shown by the fact that he fell on his knees before Jesus. The girl was his only child and, despite the fact that many of the religious rulers spurned Jesus, Jarius believed that Jesus had the power to cure his daughter.

The story also conveys several other important facts, especially the cure of the hemorrhaging woman. Jesus is shown to have obeyed the Law by wearing the prayer shawl that has tassels on its four corners. He went beyond the Law, however, by allowing an unclean woman to touch Him and later touching the dead body of the young girl. He did not allow the Law to stop Him from extending kindness to others and healing those who came to Him.

This in itself is a great teaching. When we allow our beliefs – our laws, so to speak – to keep us from acts of kindness and unconditional love, we are not following the WAY of Jesus. The things that we believe should lead   us to be unconditionally loving and accepting of others even though they may not believe as we do or live as we do. Our first response to others must always be to love them as brothers and sisters.

Jesus says to the woman after she is cured: “Daughter, it is your faith that has cured you. Now go in peace.” Believing in the goodness of God is essential if we are to spiritually grow into God’s children. Believing in Him, however, must not be conditional, that is only believing in Him if we get what we want in prayer. If we truly believe in God, then we truly believe that He unconditionally loves us and that there is nothing we can do that will change His love. We are called to a deeper realization of how very much He loves us!