A Tale of Two Daughters

Paul Walton
1 July 2003

This story from the Gospel of St Mark is one of two daughters: one valued and honoured, one tainted and disregarded, but both shown to be equally daughters of Israel. We know that, because this is a story which is the culmination of twelve years of history, and twelve is the number of the tribes of Israel. One has suffered for twelve years, the other has been cherished. One is at the end of her resources, the other about to flower into womanhood. In the end, both are honoured, but more honour is given to the one who had previously lacked honour.

The story begins with Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He speaks to Jesus. He doesn’t presume to speak ‘man to man’; rather, he falls at Jesus’ feet. A man of honour and status, he was prepared to abase himself for his daughter; this in itself would have created a stir. Jesus goes off with him.

The woman follows, in the crowd. She shouldn’t be there. Certain bodily fluids caused ritual uncleanness. A man who had a discharge of semen was unclean until the evening; an irregular discharge form the penis meant uncleanness while it was happening, and for seven days more. A woman who had a period was unclean for seven days, and if she had irregular bleeding, she was unclean until it stopped and for seven days more.

So what if this woman’s discharge lasted for twelve years, too bad. Those who were unclean should have no direct contact with others; if they did, they made them unclean. This woman shouldn’t have been in the crowd at all! Imagine twelve years of this treatment. It would seep into your being, and make you feel the hopelessness in your very soul.

If you or I were in the crowd with this woman, we most likely would have felt aggrieved, if not violated. The Book of Leviticus decreed that we would then be unclean in our turn, We would have to wash our clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. We could have no direct contact with anyone; our plans for the day would be ruined.

This woman is not only in the crowd, but she is approaching a man before whom even Jairus had bowed. He must be a holy man. How can she identify herself to him? She knows what to do—even his clothes would be holy. She could just touch his cloak. That would be enough.

It was enough. It was more than enough—because Jesus was not rendered unclean. Jesus made the purity laws irrelevant. He robbed them of their power.

What does Jesus say to the woman? ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well …’ Daughter. She needed more than physical healing; she had to know that she was a daughter of Israel. Jesus commended her on her faith—but I think her faith would not have impressed us very much. Being made well by touching Jesus’ cloak is surely more like superstition than faith. Yet Jesus not only accepts her faith, he praises her for it.

I suspect that Jairus may have felt more than a little irritated by this time. His hopes for his daughter had been raised when Jesus accepted his request to help. Now Jesus spends time with this woman who should know better than to be out with ordinary people. She’s waited twelve years—surely she could wait a few minutes more!

Yet the words of Jesus challenge Jairus, and all of us who gain our sense of self, even our living, from religion. ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’ Healed of a disease that has kept her out of church for so long. Healed of a disease that has meant she was unable to approach God or others. Healed of a disease that had made her marginalised. I wonder how easy it was for her neighbours to accept her healing? To allow her to touch them? She was not the only one who needed healing.

Whatever challenge Jairus may have experienced was soon gone. Someone came and said, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ Jesus says to Jairus, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ Take the faith of this unclean woman as an example, Jairus; learn from her.

We know the rest of the story: Jesus also brings life to this other child of Israel, this one who never doubted she was a daughter, for whom even the uncleanness of her monthly period was still to come.

Healing came to both daughters. Mark has interwoven these stories on purpose. They need to be read together. They become stories of the dignity of faith, and the place that all have as children of God. Amen.