Faith holds miracle stories together

July 2, 2006 -- 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

Sometimes, when a sandwich is piled high with slices of meat and cheese, maybe tomato, onion, lettuce and pickle, it takes a toothpick to hold it all together. Otherwise, it will fall apart.

This Sunday's gospel reading presents us with a kind of sandwich. We hear two miracle stories, one inserted within the other. In the first, the synagogue official Jairus entreats Jesus to visit his daughter, who is extremely sick at home. As Jesus follows Jairus to his house, we move on to the second miracle story. Jesus encounters a woman suffering from hemorrhages. Hoping for a cure, she reaches out to touch his clothing. Finally, we return to the first miracle story. Jesus reaches the house of Jairus. He then heals the little girl, who is on the point of death. In fact, the bystanders believe that she has already died. The question then arises, whether Jesus has healed the sick, or raised the dead to life?

This is not the only place in the gospel of Mark where we find this type of sandwich structure. Similar examples occur in Mark 3:21-35 and 11:12-25. It is a rhetorical device which Mark uses to create suspense, as well as to make connections between events.

To hold this sandwich together, the gospel has provided us with a toothpick. That toothpick is faith. Both miracle stories emphasize the overriding importance of faith in obtaining healing.

In the first miracle story, Jesus urges Jairus, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He does not give similar encouragement to the little girl. Presumably, she is unconscious and it would be lost on her.

Jairus' faith contrasts with the behavior of the bystanders. They weep and wail loudly because they think that the little girl is dead. When Jesus informs them that she is not dead, but asleep, they ridicule him. Their lack of faith only serves to underline Jairus' faith.

Similarly, in his encounter with the woman suffering from hemorrhages, Jesus draws attention to her faith, reflected by her initiative. He tells her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you." Jesus does not claim the miracle for himself, or even attribute it to God. Faith enjoys that honor, and faith helps to hold the two miracle stories together.

But there is so much material in these two miracle stories that it takes more than just one toothpick. Another connection links the two miracle stories. Both view healing as resulting from the action of touching, rather than the spoken word. Jairus implores Jesus, "Please, come lay your hands upon her that she may get well and live." Similarly, the woman suffering from hemorrhages thinks to herself, "If I but touch his clothes. I shall be cured."

This emphasis upon touch reflects a sacramental approach to creation. Through contact with the created world, we encounter God and God's life giving and healing power. It is no surprise that the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick also involves the laying on of hands. Through that sacrament, we express our faith in the Christ who saves us. And through that sacrament, Christ the healer continues to touch the sick, just as he did with Jairus' daughter and the woman.

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)