Mk.5:21-43
Once I came across the testimony of Mr Jack Hayford. He was born with a problem related to his neck. The doctors could not fix the problem, and they were pretty sure that it was impossible to have a natural cure with the passage of time. His mother used to take him thrice a week to the hospital to get some relief from the pain. Thus, days and months were passed. When he was almost a year old, his health situation worsened, and he reached the final stage of his life.
His parents were not believers, and they did not know the Lord. His mother’s cousin asked her friends who were believers to pray for this dying child on their Wednesday prayer meeting. Slowly, the situation started to change, and he regained his health over a while. When his parents brought him to the hospital doctor was amazed and told: “This baby is well. There is nothing wrong with him.” He was hesitant to take money for his service, and he exclaimed: “I had nothing to do with the healing of this baby. This has to have been something God did.”
Anyhow, this was not the end of the miracles that he experienced. The next threat came in the form of Polio when he was three years old. At that time, there weren’t vaccine or medicine to prevent Polio. Doctors tried to tap his leg, but he could not respond. He tried to walk nonetheless; he fell again and again. Doctors told his parents to take him to a specialist hospital. Anyway, they were not ready for that. They said the doctor: “We will do what you said, but we feel he must first go by the church.” By the time his parents experienced the love of Christ, and they had ardent faith in Christ, they took him to the prayer meeting and anointed and prayed over him. Then they asked the pastor what to do next? Whether to take him to the hospital for further treatment. The pastor told them to wait for some time. When he got up from sleep, he was afraid to walk because of his previous falls. Eventually, he started to walk like a healthy child. He testified through his witness that Jesus, who worked healing miracles two thousand years before, is the same today…
In today’s gospel, we see two instances wherein we see testimonies for faith working miracles. The compassionate heart of Jesus goes in search of Jairus daughter, who was seriously sick. All the same, we encounter on the way the woman with the haemorrhage who comes in search of Jesus. The background of this woman is well explained in the gospel. First and foremost, the enormous suffering she had been undergoing due to the haemorrhage. She had an earnest desire to get well. She approached various physicians with this intense desire, but their experiments added to her pain. She had to endure severe mental suffering along with this physical suffering. It was due to the religious and social laws imposed on a person with a haemorrhage. Judaism upheld personal purity. Therefore, they could not tolerate any impurity. The impure person had no other go other than cut off from the community. That is why persons with severe health issues such as leprosy, haemorrhage had to undergo this social ostracization.
At this juncture, she had only hope that is the person of Jesus. Though, she could not approach Jesus publically due to social ostracization. Hence, she tries to touch the lower cloak of Jesus’ garment. The highlight here is that her faith-filled touch demanded a miracle from Jesus. And she gets haled. Jesus recognized her ardent faith and presented her as a role model for each of us to imitate. Her example teaches us that Patient and constant prayer works a miracle.
The second miracle testifies to a despairing moment wherein they thought everything seems to be over because Jairus daughter just died except for Jesus. And so, she was sleeping for Jesus. The Lord who put Adam to sleep and created Eve, who is the author of life, could bring back a person who is entirely dead. Even modern science testifies to the near-death experience of several people coming back to life from their deathbed. Jesus brings her back to life with his life-giving words: “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” Wherein they thought everything is lost forever, Jesus gives that family a new beginning.
What do these two miracles of Jesus telling us today? We live in a sophisticated world wherein technological advancement takes the upper hand. We need to use these gifts for the betterment of humanity. Furthermore, we should not forget the fact Jesus is the Lord of life. The miracles that we read in the scripture are not cooked-up stories to demythologize as events happend by chance. It is the faith experience of a generation. We are invited to have the same faith experience today through our deep faith in the person of Jesus. How do we understand the healing touch of Jesus amidst the pandemic? Several people around us are conquered by death.
On the other hand, we should not forget that millions came back to life from the edge of death more than those who died. We should not forget the finger of Jesus behind this healing. Mr Jack Hayford concluded his witnessing by saying that God heals through three ways: natural means, medical methods, and prayer. Let us not underestimate the power of prayer in healing; Let us continue our faith journey and intercede his healing touch for our needy brethren.