Compassion and Justice for All
Posted on Jul 01, 2018 by David Whetter
Today, we are reminded that God’s grace, love, and healing presence are truly for everyone, and that God’s love never ceases, even if the rest of the world says otherwise. As our story begins, we are told that Jesus and his disciples have returned to the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Most likely they are back in Capernaum, and as crowds once again begin to gather around Jesus, a ruler from the local synagogue, Jairus, came to him and pleaded for help. Being a leader in the synagogue meant that Jairus was a man of high standing in the community and he was probably a man of means. He had nothing to fear in going to Jesus. He was used to being welcomed everywhere he went and he was probably used to getting what he requested. Now, I don’t say these things about Jairus to put him down. No, he was doing what any loving father would do if their child was ill. He was seeking the best possible care for her, and in this case, he believed that the only one that could heal his daughter was Jesus. And, so, he goes to Jesus, without fear, and begs him to come and lay his hands upon his daughter so that she might be healed. Jesus goes with Jairus!
Now, as Jesus headed to Jairus’ house, something happened that should not have happened. The crowd around Jesus continued to grow and the crowd got so big that people were pressing up against him. But in the midst of this, Jesus experienced a touch that caught his attention, so he stopped and he demanded to know who touched him. The disciples thought it was a silly question because a lot of people were touching him, but one person in the crowd knew why he asked because she was the one that should not have touched him.
An unnamed woman who had been ill for twelve years touched him even though she should not have done it. Because of her ailment, this woman would have been banned from being in public. She was considered unclean, and law and custom dictated that she not be part of the community and she not touch others. And unlike Jairus, who was welcome everywhere he went and who by his status could make requests of others and expect those requests to be fulfilled, this woman had no such right. She was unwelcome and she had nothing. In fact, she had spent everything she had on doctors to try to be cured, but nothing worked, and so here she was an outcast, sick, with no financial means of support, and desperate. So she does what any person would do who is desperate — she sought help even though it meant breaking the law. And can you blame her? All she wanted was to be healthy. All she wanted was to be part of a community. All she wanted was to not be a forgotten individual, and so she risked going out in public to be healed because she knew, if only she could touch the hem of Jesus’ robe that she would be healed. And when she touched Jesus' robe, she was instantly healed. Now, all would have been just fine had Jesus kept going, but Jesus stopped and called her out. Why do that? She wasn’t supposed to be there, and she could get in big trouble for doing what she did, but with great fear she spoke up and upon hearing the “truth” of her story, Jesus says, “go in peace…”. In that instant, when Jesus listened to the truth of this woman and he publicly says that she has been healed and blesses her, he restores not only her physical well-being, but her social and emotional well-being. He gives permission for her to be accepted by her community. And it is only then, upon healing this broken, unwelcomed individual, that Jesus returns to his mission to heal Jairus’ daughter.
As I read this this text this week, I kept reading in the context of our modern-day world. I am a leader in the local religious community. I fear virtually nothing. I can go anywhere I want and seek whatever help I want and I do not fear retribution. But then I watch the news and I listen to our leaders and I see and hear about men and woman who are “hemorrhaging,” because they live in communities that are filled with violence, hatred, poverty, hunger, sickness, gangs, and I have to wonder, how do they ask for help? And if they do ask for help who believes them? Think about it, when we hear someone from a minority community seek help and they complain about the drugs, the violence, the disparity in their community compared to other communities, most of us respond, well, fix your problem. Get a better job. Stand up against the gangs, the drug dealers, … Our response is usually deal with “your” problems. But when a leader of a wealthier, more respected community speaks about about the issues of that community, we usually say, let’s fix this issue. All too often those in need of real help, those that have been “hemorrhaging” for too long, are denied because we do not believe them because of laws, customs, traditions, hatred, nationalism, and the list goes on. All too often, we are busy and on our way to do other things, important things, and we have no time to stop and help those who cannot help themselves.
As people of faith, we have to ask who are those people in this world today, who are those who are “hemorrhaging” and who have been cast out of society? Who are those who need help but live in fear, humiliation, and shame, and so seeking help is not reality? These people are all around us, and they have been hemorrhaging and no one seems to care. Some of these are the intellectually disabled, people of color, people of low socioeconomic background, immigrants, and the list goes on.
Justice, peace, social equality, economic equity, are not just for those in power, or those who are leaders in our communities. These are things that belong to everyone, and on that day some 2,000 years ago, when a respected, wealthy leader begged Jesus for help, Jesus gave it. When a poor, unclean, rejected woman, shunned by the rest of society dared to break the boundaries to seek healing, Jesus offered it.
And today, we are called to do the same. We are the body of Christ, and it is our call to remind the world that God’s love is for everyone. It is our call to remind our neighbors, our friends, our local and national leaders, that as Christians, we know, as the writer of Lamentations said, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases and his mercies never come to an end” (3:22).
What the world needs is Christ and Christ’s ways. What the world needs is to be able to touch the hem of Christ’s robe. We are body of Christ! The question for us today is, “Are we willing to be touched and are we willing to available to all who seek justice and who seek God’s love and mercy?". Amen.