The Story Within The Story
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
Light of Christ Anglican Church
The Rev. Michael J. Moffitt June 30, 2024
SCRIPTURE: Mark 5:25-34
One of the things that I love about the stories within the Word of God is that often we see that there are stories within stories. Sometimes it’s the small, seemingly insignificant details that point us to an amazing revelation of the nature and character of God.
One of my favorites is 2 Kings 6:1-7. It’s a brief story of one of the sons of the prophets who loses the head of an axe. While he’s using a borrowed axe the head flies off and lands in the Jordon river. He then cries out to Elisha the prophet. 2 Kings 6: 4-7,
“So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.”
Left to itself the story is sweet as we see this miraculous kindness displayed to the young man. However if you see it as a story within a story it gains significance. Let me explain.
In the two preceding chapters we read of Elisha blessing a widow who was about to lose her children to the creditors who were prepared to make them servants because of a great debt her husband left behind. Elisha tells her to gather as many vessels as possible that she can borrow from friends or neighbors. All she has is a small flask of oil but Elisha tells her to pour from that into all the many vessels that she has borrowed. The oil from the small flask doesn’t run out until all the vessels are full. She is able then to sell the oil, pay off the debts, and have enough for she and her children to live off of.
That’s followed by the story of the Shunammite woman who has been very kind to the prophet. When her only son dies Elisha prays over the boy and he is brought back to life.
In 2 Kings 5 the commander of the Syrian army has leprosy. He is instructed by a servant girl to travel to Israel where there is a prophet who could heal him. Elisha tells the commander to go and dip himself 7 times in the Jordon River. He does and through the prophet Elisha God heals a Pagan warrior. Healed he returns to the prophet and exclaims, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel…”
After the story of the axe head floating there is the story of Elisha and his servant. We find the wonderful story of the armies of Syria surrounding Elisha and his servant. His servant cries out the Elisha,
“Alas, my master what shall we do? He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
The heavenly hosts, the armies of God have surrounded the army of Syria. All these stories are to encourage the people of God that he is mighty to save no matter what circumstance they find themselves in. Right in the middle of these powerful stories is the story of the floating axe head. In all the other stories the consequences of the troubles were very grave. If God didn’t do the miraculous the results would bring much loss and sorrow. But you know what, the seemingly small problem of losing an axe head was important to the son of a prophet, and so it ended up being important to God.
Let me tell you something that should change how you and I pray and what we pray for.
I’ve heard people say that they didn’t ask God for help because the problem was no big deal, certainly not in the overall scheme of things. Remember that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that the poor in spirit are blessed, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. The meek will inherit the earth. When God is your Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ you as his child have every right to ask for whatever you really need. The Father is willing to hear and answer the prayer, but sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it’s no, according to what the Father thinks best.
So today we’ll be considering our gospel from Mark 5: 21-43. We’ll be focusing on the story within the story.
Leading up to Mark 5 there is the story of the journey across the Sea of Galilee that we discussed briefly last week from Mark 4:35-41. Jesus and his disciples were crossing over the Sea of Galilee in route to the country of the Gerasenes. A storm came up and the disciples panicked and awakened Jesus accusing him of not caring that they were about to perish. He rebuked the storm and it stopped. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” The frightened disciples asked themselves the question, “Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey him?” As they land in the country of the Gerasenes they are clearly awakened to a deeper understanding of the power and authority of their Lord.
This is the context that we can see building up in the understanding of the disciples as to the divinity of the Lord. So Let me explain.
The beginning of chapter 5 tells the story of the demon possessed man in the country of the Gerasenes. It’s exciting to read of this man who was demon possessed and no one could stop him even when they tied him up in chains. He would merely break them apart. However when Jesus came to the tombs where this man lived he came running down to where Jesus was standing and falls to the ground in front of Jesus. In verse 7 cries out in recognition, “And crying out with a loud voice, he said, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’”
Jesus asked the man his name and the demons cried “Legion” which means many, or great in number. Jesus casts the demons out into a herd of pigs nearby and about 2000 rushed down the hill into the sea.
It’s an exciting story that reminds us of the power and authority of Christ over everything. The weather, the demonic and literally everything within the universe. The people with in the area could not contain the power of the demonic that resided within the man but Jesus merely speaks to the demons, and they obey him. Why? Because they know exactly who he is and have no choice. As we acknowledge every time we end the Lord’s Prayer with: “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Then we find in chapter 5 verses 21-24 and 35-43 where one of rulers of the people came to ask Jesus to come and lay hands on his daughter who apparently was dying. The doctor attending her told the father there was nothing he could do. As Jesus goes with this man of some distinction the story is interrupted in verses 25-34 by a woman who has a “discharge of blood for twelve years.”
So right between three stories that reveal the power and authority of Jesus over the wind and sea, the demonic and even death we find a poor woman who has suffered for many years placed in the middle of three big events in the ministry of Jesus.
In Mark’s Gospel her story is told in 10 verses and there is no mention of her anywhere else accept the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew and Luke tell her story one in 3 verses and the other in 7.
I read that some within the Catholic and Orthodox churches celebrate the life of this woman who they identify as Veronica and venerate her as a saint. But in the scriptures there is no mention of her name nor is there any other mention of the “woman with an issue of blood.”
Her story as told by the gospel writers reveals the importance of faith but even more it reveals the glory, compassion, and the mercy of the Lord. We need to understand the situation she was in. It was probably a lot worse than most of us can imagine.
In Leviticus 15:15-28 Moses wrote that if a woman has a menstrual discharge of blood she is considered unclean for 7 days after the end of her cycle. So for the woman who had continual bleeding there would never be a time when she was ritually clean. Whenever she had to move on she traveled with the understanding of who she was, and that it probably wouldn’t be long until she was once again discovered and chased away. Like a leper, she was banished from society. Apparently she had spent all of her money on doctors who were not able to bring any relief for her.
18th Century British Methodist theologian Adam Clarke write in his Bible Commentary,
“The ancient rabbis had many different formulas to help a woman afflicted like this. “Rabbi Jochanan says: ‘Take of gum Alexandria, of alum, and of saffron, the weight of a zuzee each; let them be bruised together, and given in wine to the woman that hath an issue of blood. But if this fail, Take of Persian onions nine logs, boil them in wine, and give it to her to drink: and say, Arise from thy flux. But should this fail, Set her in a place where two ways meet, and let her hold a cup of wine in her hand; and let somebody come behind and affright her, and say, Arise from thy flux. But should this do no good…’” So if all else fails place her at an intersection with a glass of wine, then sneak up behind her and scream. Perhaps scaring her would stop the issue of blood, certainly if it stops her heart.”
The sad thing was that she had spent all her money with doctors and nothing worked.
The social center within Judaism was the local synagogue, and men were required to journey to Jerusalem 3 times a year to celebrate Passover, Yom Kippur, Sukkot. But she couldn’t marry and so wouldn’t have the opportunity to travel with a husband to such wonderful times of worship and celebration. Usually a woman would live with her parents until she married. She wasn’t married and yet she could not live in her parents’ home because to do so would have made them ritually unclean. Everything she touched or sat on was required to be cleaned. She was a woman without a home, without friends to spend time with, ostracized by society, and required to hide her shame wherever she went.
So, back to the narrative from Mark 5:22-43. Jesus was enroute accompanying Jairus a ruler of the synagogue. Rulers in the synagogue were appointed by elders and were given the tasks of looking after the building, its contents and it’s arrangements for worship. He was well respected but took a chance of being cast out for coming to Jesus who already was making enemies within the Pharisees and Sadducees. Actually the fact that Jairus came to Jesus with his request reveals that he believes that Jesus is able to heal his daughter. It was a great example of acting on expectant faith. A crowd saw Jesus quickly hurrying with Jairus and began to follow after them probably to see if a miracle was going to be performed. It’s there that we find the story within the story.
It's likely that the woman saw the chance to merely touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment. She had spent all that she had and was actually worse rather than better. She couldn’t take the chance by waiting for Jesus to finish whatever he was doing because at any moment she might be recognized and run out of town.
Listen to her reasoning in Mark 5: 27-29,
“She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, ‘If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.’ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”
This is such an amazing act of faith, but belief was not what healed her alone–she wasn’t healed before she touched Jesus, although she clearly had faith in God. It was when she acted in faith, reaching out and touching the corner of Jesus’ garment, that she was healed. This wasn’t unusual, as seen in Luke 6:19,
“And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.”
Wherever he went people followed because there was just something about him. Verse 30,
“And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?”
I so love this next part of the story. The disciples are probably wondering about Jesus asking such a thing. People were all around pushing and shoving so why would Jesus ask who was touching. It would have been just as difficult to discern who wasn’t among those all around him.
I believe that it’s because he wasn’t just going to heal the woman.
I think he knew exactly who touched him but was going to do more for her than she could have hoped for. Listen to verse 33-34,
“But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease.’”
It's here that we see an example of the love and mercy of Jesus, Son of God. Jesus didn’t just heal the woman of her physical malady; he restored her life. In stopping to publicly bring attention to what happened he, openly, and clearly proclaimed her clean. This miracle certainly removed a problem that likely made her physically weak, but was nothing in comparison to her loneliness, her rejection by family and friends. Jesus saw her…he saw HER, and he restored her dignity, he called her daughter. There is no other example in the gospels where Jesus called anyone else daughter. It doesn’t mean that this woman alone was a daughter. It was that this woman needed to know that she was a daughter of the most high God. He set her free to walk and live as a cherished daughter of God. Jesus also told the woman and all those who were around her, and who would later hear this story that faith in Jesus made her well.
Jesus did it in this way so that others would know she was healed. If she was healed she was allowed to return to life within the synagogue. The implications of this miracle were vast and they changed everything for this dear woman who had her dignity restored.
It’s interesting that at this point in the story that some one from Jairus’ house came to tell him that his daughter was dead. Therefore there was no need to bother the teacher anymore. Jairus had just witnessed the miracle of Jesus healing and restoring the life of the woman with the issue of blood, so Jesus basically tells him to remember what he had just witnessed.
Jesus tells him, “Do not fear, only believe.” I think it important that before Jesus arrived at the home of Jairus his daughter had been declared dead. Not by Jesus but a doctor. It had happened long enough for paid mourners to arrive and begin the ritual of mourning. Taking with him Peter, James, and John, Jesus accompanies Jairus to his home. This was the home of an important man, the ruler of the synagogue so there were many weeping and wailing loudly most of them hired according to custom.
I love Mark’s account as it indicates that Jesus questions all the noise they are making. “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed at him.” Why would they laugh? Because the child had been declared dead. Jesus puts out all but Jairus, his wife, and the disciples. Jesus not laboring or struggling with raising the young girl, merely speaks,
“Talitha Cum” (which means, “Little girl,”) I say to you arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age) and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.”
There are two things I would like to point out.
You’ll notice that often in the Bible whenever someone was raised from the dead, giving them something to eat was used to determine they were actually alive. This was true with the little girl in this story as it was with Lazarus, and with the resurrected Lord. In Luke 24:41-43, “And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.”
The little girl actually had been dead as far as her body stopped functioning and she had no breath. The same was true with Lazarus who had been dead 4 days and Jesus dead from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. However, Jesus had not been lying, they were each asleep and would be until there was a resurrection.
The fact that death was likened to sleep wasn’t just the appearance of death in sleep, but also to the understanding that life continues after death. How so? From the observation that people eventually wake up from sleep. The implication that we will all eventually awaken from death. Daniel 12:2 follows this argument,
“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Brothers and Sisters the Lord that we worship and love passionately is the only hope for us for our state, our country and indeed the world. There is only one hope for us all. We must cry out to the Lord
This week we celebrate the 248th birthday of our nation. We are in desperate need of the mercy of God to be poured out upon us. To remove the blinders from our hearts and eyes. We must sing out, “God shed your grace on this nation! Bring us once more to our knees in repentance and a newfound faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!”
In Him alone we pray. Amen.
