Reflection on the Gospel of the Tuesday
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Mark 5: 21-43 |
Experts say that Mark is using the sandwich technique of story telling to give us a message with this long narrative of Jairus’ Daughter. The Sandwich Filling being the story of the Woman with the Twelve Year Haemorrhage has been pushed in between the main story of Jairus’ Daughter. And the story of the Woman with the Twelve Year Haemorrhage brings deeper meaning to the main story and develops it on a more spiritual level. So what is it that these two stories wish to tell us, as presented by Mark? Jesus the source of Resurrection and Life. But the flavour is maintained and driven home by the theme of Resurrection.
Why do we need Resurrection and why do we need life? Genesis speaks of God instructing Adam and Eve, if they ate of the Tree of Knowledge, they would die. But did we die? Is not humanity alive and kicking right now. Remember first, when reading the Bible that it is the book of spirituality – Life in God, not a history book nor a science book nor a geography book. The first 11 books of Genesis sums up the Bible and the History of Salvation, in a poetic fashion. And so when it says that Adam would die, it says that Adam would be cut off from God, the source of all His Wisdom and Strength. And that is what happened at the Fall, humanity died Spiritually, it cut itself and exiled itself from God.
And that is what Mark wishes to tell us. Though chosen and set apart, humanity went its own way, and in the process began to live the life of the living dead, like the Woman with the Twelve Year Haemorrhage. In our sin of distancing ourselves from the very source that created us and kept us alive, we began the long route of falling sick and of finally of dying. But praise be to God – the source of all Wisdom and Fountain of Love, He came to rescue us. He is our Lord and He is our God, He breathes life back into us – like Jairus’ Daughter, and takes away the gulf that separates us from God. In Him we have access to Wisdom, Life and Love.
Lets pray to Our Saviour – the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘Lord help us!’
