"Talitha Cum"

Mark sometimes likes to interrupt a story he is telling with another story – we call it a Markan sandwich. We hear an example of it today (Sunday 1st July) with the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the woman with a haemorrhage. At first glance these stories might not seem to have a lot in common. The woman, a complete social outcast because of her condition is called ‘daughter’ by Jesus. Her social status is completely reversed, she is a child of God, not some outcast that can be shunned by the community. The synagogue official surprises us, pleasantly, with his faith in Jesus and his message, not something that those in religious leadership were credited for. What these two characters have in common is faith against all the odds. There are those in the story who laugh when Jesus says he can bring back Jairus’ daughter. They are sent away. Jesus’ healing breaks down all the barriers that isolate us from one another and from God. Not only that, faith in Jesus can even give us new life and help us to overcome things that keep us from being free: “Do not fear; just keep on believing”. Mark leaves untranslated Jesus’ own native language when he says: “Talitha cum” – a beautiful phrase meaning: “Little girl, get up!”. The girl has been given new life, the woman has been given new life also. Both have overcome those barriers that were keeping them from being free. We know what those barriers are for each of us as we reach out searching in faith and hope. “Talitha cum”.