Ever seen a politician working the crowd, shaking hands,
trying to have that personal touch to win your vote? Or maybe a celebrity on a
book tour when they know they only have a limited amount of time to be in that
spot and want to meet as many of their fans as possible?
I had the privilege of sitting down beside Douglas
Cardinal, famous architect and recipient of the Order of Canada last week. He loved having an audience to tell the story
of how he wasn’t allowed to study architecture in Canada but had to go to a
university in Texas instead. The
interesting thing is that his assistant was watching the time so he didn’t have
to. Important people usually have
someone along who is watching the time, keeping them moving so they can get to
their next appointment on their very packed schedule.
Just like the disciples hustling Jesus to get to the house
of Jairus in time to save the life of his daughter. There wasn’t a moment to spare. This was an important person, and the fact
that he came humbly to fetch Jesus, had boosted Jesus’ importance in the eyes
of the crowds surrounding him. Jesus had
hit the big time!
Welcome to one of the longest stories Mark wrote about
Jesus. Usually, Mark kept his writing
simple, straightforward and a bit blunt.
But in this passage, Mark went into great detail. He described the emotional state of Jairus as
well as the woman desperate for healing, and the family members who had started
the funeral rites for Jairus’ daughter. Mark quoted what the woman with the
hemorrhage said to herself, and even quoted Jesus speaking in Aramaic! This story made quite an impression on
Mark.
It highlights a contrast between the high-ranking, powerful
religious authority and the nameless, poverty-stricken woman. But there’s also the similarity between them,
they both are looking for healing, the woman for herself, Jairus for his
daughter.
Both the woman and the girl were considered unimportant in
a patriarchal society. Girls were only
potential brides to carry on their future husband’s line, and often had no
choice in whom they married. If they couldn’t produce babies, and a woman who
was constantly bleeding would not be able to have a baby, they also would be
seen as a burden on society. The woman
would be seen as untouchable by both her husband and the rest of society. That meant solitary confinement, and if she
was going to go out in public, she had to stay away from all men, not easy when
living in a bustling town. She certainly would not be allowed in a synagogue,
nor would she be allowed in the presence of a popular Rabbi or Jairus either,
for that matter. Yet she dared do the
unthinkable, leave her house and sneak into the crowd, hoping she could figure
out a way to get him to heal her on the sly.
It would not have been easy in the hustle to not get bumped or stepped
on, and having the courage to work her way into the crowd to grab the hem of
his robe would have taken some effort!
It’s fascinating to note that despite the urgency of Jesus
getting to Jairus’ home, he stopped immediately to figure out what had
happened. The disciples, just like
assistants to politicians, tried to get him moving, but he wasn’t going to
budge. His priority was not their
priority. He wanted to talk to the
desperate person who reached down in the dust to touch his robe. Much to her surprise, he did not condemn her,
he commended her, admiring her faith.
Then and only then did he take off and heal Jairus’ daughter.
All well and good to have lofty priorities and to take time
to really care for the people his culture thought were insignificant, but what
would that look like here today in Canada?
Do we know anyone who lives or lived by those principles?
As a matter of fact, there was at least one person who we
all know of. He was the son of a United
Church minister, grew up in the church, and spent his life caring about the
people of Canada who were not necessarily wealthy or powerful. He became a diplomat and an ambassador for
Canada. He worked for the United Nations
in their early days, and his efforts to set up UN Peace Keepers to go to
conflict zones netted him the first Nobel Prize Canada had ever been awarded,
and it was for Peace. He came home after
being the president of the UN General Assembly, and entered politics. Sometimes it went well, and he established
the Canada Pension Plan; a universal Medicare system; a unified Armed Forces;
and a new national flag which took 6 months of nasty arguing and debating
before our current flag was accepted by both Conservatives and Liberals. He also championed women’s rights,
bilingualism, immigration, minimum wage and multiculturalism. Four years after he resigned as the 14th
Prime Minister of Canada, his funeral was presided over by the United Church
Moderator. His friends and family called
him Mike, but the world knew him as Lester B. Pearson, and The United Church
knew him as a man who could be both conciliatory and dictatorial, but who did
his best to live up to the values Jesus taught.
We don’t have to be politicians or famous architects to
live out the values that Jesus taught. Many
of us will be volunteering on Canada Day, flipping pancakes, serving popcorn,
pouring tea or coffee, riding in parades, and helping our neighbors find a good
spot to see the fireworks. There will be
opportunities to make time for someone like the woman touching Jesus’ robe or
the little girl. May we notice when we
bring Christ’s healing love to those we meet, through the strength of Jesus,
the love of God and inspiration of the Spirit.
Amen
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