13th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Hearts Burning Within

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Wisdom literature was written to pass on instructions on how to live the good life. This was at a time when a belief in any afterlife was only just beginning, and most people viewed this world as all there was. They figured they could reasonably expect to reap immediate rewards for good living.

The first chapter of this book opens with a series of contrasts between those who live according to God’s standards and those who do not, the righteous against the unrighteous. And we are told that true wisdom can only reside with the righteous. V12 cautions not to court death by unrighteous living.

In verse 15, to be undying means to have eternal life with God. Ancient Greek philosophy acknowledged the afterlife. Jewish philosophy firmly connected righteousness to life. The author of Wisdom connects these two, leading to a belief that righteousness is immortal, never dies. The author is reinterpreting an idea from the surrounding culture, making sense of it through his own theological beliefs.

V24 talks about the “envy of the devil.” There are only three places in the Old Testament that refer to the fall: this passage, Wisdom 10:1, and Sirach 25:23. “Envy of the devil” can be traced to a text called “The Life of Adam and Eve,” which is dated around the same time as the book of Wisdom.

In practical terms, what does it mean to you to be formed in God’s image?

Looking at others as also formed in God’s image, how does this impact how you relate to others? Try to think of a wide variety of people. It’s easy to think of this in terms of those you love and like. Much more difficult to think of those who don’t care for, those who have hurt you, those you would rather not be around.

2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Background of the book

Chapters 8-9 deal with a collection for the church in Jerusalem. Apparently, the Corinthian church began a collection with great fervor, but now it seems to have stalled. Paul isn’t commanding them to do this, but he does lay heavy on the irony: Christ gave so much and you ought to be able to give at least a little in light of that. In 8:1-15, Paul will exhort the church at Corinth to give lavishly to help others. When he established the church, he must have set up a mechanism for receiving and distributing donations to other churches. It seems the community is not making full use of that so Paul is writing in part to remind them to do so. That said, Paul is quick to say that he does not want the church in Corinth to suffer because they gave too much. He seeks equality among congregations: everyone should have what they need to live.

Vv10-11 are left out of the lectionary, possibly because the Greek in these verses is convoluted, and, as one commentary put it, “torturous.” Vv13-14 are equally challenging in Greek, not for their wordiness but for their terseness.

This collection seems to be a delicate matter, which may account for the wandering thoughts and tortuous Greek. Paul needs to say something delicate and…. Well, perhaps Paul is not naturally a delicate person. He begins by holding up the example of another community that excelled in just such a collection – the Macedonian church. He phrases it in terms of advice rather than command. He also holds up the supreme example of Christ. But he insists that anything must be done of free will.

Part of the reason why this collection was contentious is because it was aid from a Gentile community to a Jewish one. Christians in Jerusalem are suffering heavy persecution from their Jewish neighbors for their beliefs. Many Christians were forced out of their family, leaving them with no financial resources. They couldn’t just go out and get a job in that culture without their family’s backing. The community was suffering and needed help. But remember, this was the same community that had earlier fought Paul against the inclusion of the Gentiles without first becoming Jewish. The situation was tense on both sides, and Paul had enough sense to know he couldn’t just barge in and tell people what to do. He has to proceed cautiously.

Between the 2nd and 6th centuries, v9 in particular was hugely significant for Christian doctrine and life. It influenced the thinking of several councils on the nature of Christ, eventually resulting in the doctrine of the hypostatic union: Christ is both God and man in one person. How Paul understood the humanity and divinity of Christ is open to question, but one thing is clear: it is Christ’s example that motivates our ethical and moral behavior. We might recall the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25.

V12 may imply that the Corinthians were delaying their gifts until they could come up with an impressively large sum. I think of the “little way” of St. Therese, who taught us that service to God is to be found in the little things. How often do you neglect giving in small ways because you are waiting to do some grand gesture?

Verse 16 references the story of manna in the desert from Exodus 16, quoting v18 from that chapter.

What examples of generosity do you admire? You might not be able to emulate them fully, but what aspects of that generosity can you bring into your own life?

In v7, Paul lauds the Corinthians for excelling in many respects: faith, discourse (a facility with words), knowledge (to understand God’s ways), earnestness, and love. Which of these do you feel you are excelling in? Where do you need the grace of growth?

Mark 5:21-43

Background of the book

Chapter 5 is Mark’s collection of material that proves Jesus’ authority behind his teaching. Today’s reading is a segue into chapter 5 that gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is.

4:35-5:43 are miraculous actions that illustrate Jesus’ power over Satan in nature:

Stilling the storm 4:35-41 last week
Possession 5:1-20 not in the lectionary
Disease 5:25-34 this week
Death 5:21-24, 35-43 this week

These all follow a pattern:

An obstacle to overcome
Jesus’ mighty action
Confirmation

Today’s passage intertwines two healing stories. Weaving stories is a literary device used by Mark in several places (see also 1:21-28; 2:1-12; 6:7-30; 11:12-21). The lectionary allows reading only the healing of Jarius’ daughter, but I think this does Mark a disservice. We can assume he intertwines things for a reason. As you read these stories, see what they have to say to you each in their own way, and then see what they might have to say as an intertwined pair.

The passage begins in v21 with Jesus crossing the lake yet again. In this section of Mark, Jesus is going back and forth, from one side of the lake to the other and back again. Constant movement to do what he came to do, to be in just the right place at just the right time.

Jairus and his daughter

Only two people involved in healing miracles in the gospels are named. Bartimeus (but even that is not actually a name; it only means “son of Timeus”) and Jairus. A synagogue official would have been a layperson invested with great authority in the administration of operations and finances for the synagogue. He was a person of authority who comes in an attitude of humility. Jairus holds a high and esteemed position. He is not someone who ordinarily begs in the dirt.

He asks for his daughter to be healed and to live. These were technical terms in early Christianity for salvation and resurrection. This story anticipates what Jesus himself will ultimately do. Jairus says his daughter is “at the point of death,” the Greek eskatos, evoking the end of time, eschatology. “Get well” is sozo, the root of the word savior and salvation. The father longs for deliverance from death.

Jairus lived in a world that valued sons and saw daughters as a burden. And yet, Jairus pleads with Jesus for healing and uses terms of endearment towards his daughter. While thinking about Jairus, I was reminded of an experience I had in Yemen. I took this photo of a man and his daughter. It has always intrigued me because men in the Middle East generally do not show affection for children, especially not female ones. But this man was affectionately protective of his daughter. And his daughter returned that affection.

In v24 the pronouns are ambiguous. We usually assume Jesus went off with Jairus. But it could be that Jesus continues on his way and Jairus goes along, hoping against hope.

Stand a moment with Jairus. In the narrative, Jesus never promises to help him. But Jairus is nearby as Jesus interacts with the woman. And then imagine getting the news – don’t bother the teacher any longer. It’s too late. The teacher has delayed too long. Your beloved daughter is dead. Vv35-36 don’t record any verbal exchange between Jesus and Jairus. Perhaps there’s no need – we can imagine Jairus’ reaction written all over his face and we can see Jesus looking at Jairus. Think of a time when it seemed like Jesus showed up too late to do anything: too late to heal, to rescue, to change an impossible situation. Imagine Jesus looking at you. Jesus knows that he is going to do something for you that will change the course of your life. But all you know is that something within has died. What will you say to Jesus? And how will you hear his words, “Do not be afraid, just have faith.”?

In v37 Jesus takes along Peter, James, and John. These are the same ones with him at the Transfiguration in 9:2 and at Gethsemane in 14:33. They are the first disciples called (1:16-20) and are mentioned first in the list of the Twelve (3:16-17). Their presence indicates that this is an important revelatory moment.

Mark includes the detail in v38 that the professional mourners have already arrived. He wants us to know that the girl is well and truly dead.

In v41, Jesus tells the girl to “arise.” This is the same word used of Jesus’ resurrection. “Talitha” is an Aramaic term of endearment that can mean “little girl” but is more literally “little lamb.”

The afflicted woman

In v25 were are introduced to a “woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.” The Greek is literally “a flowing of blood.” In Jewish law, even just a spot of blood would cause ritual impurity, so this is not necessarily someone losing copious amounts of blood. Leviticus 17:11 says that “the life of a creature is in the blood.” This woman’s life had been slowly draining away. On top of that, it left her ritually unclean all the time, meaning she could never be a full and active part of the community. The Jewish laws of “Niddah” prescribe that a menstruating woman does not even make physical contact with her husband (or anyone else for that matter), lest she render him also ritually unclean. So for 12 years, this woman had lived on the margins of her community and largely without physical contact. I imagine those living alone during the COVID lockdowns. This woman did that for 12 years. Can you feel her desperation?

Verse 28 narrates her thinking: if I can just touch his clothes! This woman was ritually unclean and anyone who touched her would be ritually unclean as well. Perhaps she felt that if Jesus didn’t know she touched him, he wouldn’t be complicit, so he wouldn’t be unclean. She wants to be cured, another use of the word sozo – salvation. Verse 29, however, says that she is healed, but it’s a different word, one that usually indicates only a physical healing.

We might ask why Jesus makes a big deal of things in v30. The woman has been healed, but not cured, not saved.

In v33, was she afraid because she’s made Jesus ritually unclean? Or was she afraid because she’s been healed so miraculously? Whatever the cause, she “told him all the truth.” His response to her mirrors what he will say to Bartimaus in 10:52. He says she is cured/sozo/saved. The tense of the verb indicates both a present and ongoing action, in the sense that he is saying, “You are healthy/saved; remain so.” He also calls her “daughter,” which should bring to mind 3:31-35 where Jesus redefined what “family” is.

The afflicted woman gives us a model for how to approach Jesus. The crowds around him probably bumped up against him all the time. Even the disciples touched him from time to time. But this woman approaches with faith and intention. As a result, she is healed, not only physically but on all levels by a true encounter with Jesus.

The woman suffering from bleeding is my hero! For one, thing she’s alert to things around her. She hears about Jesus and she must have learned enough about him to decide he might help her. She’s also attentive enough to her own body to know that she’s been healed. And she’s daring: she takes a huge risk in approaching Jesus and touching him. And when she’s found out, she’s not afraid to step up and show herself. She doesn’t shrink the shadows but, rather, approaches Jesus face to face. She approaches twice, even in her fear.

Intertwined stories

Jesus breaks so many cultural and legal barriers here! He talks to women, allows himself to be touched, and touches a dead person. All in the name of compassion. What boundaries are you called to cross in order to bring healing to those around you?

One commentary suggested that a key point to notice in this story is the way Jesus deals with interruptions. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of interruptions. This was a taxing problem when my children were young, as they were masters of the art of interruption. Even now I determine what I am sitting down to do and woe to the one who interrupts me, be it cat or doorbell or text message. I don’t usually respond very graciously. Jesus gives us another model. Maybe Jairus is an interruption in v22, but for sure, the woman is an interruption to Jesus’ errand. She delays him. How does he respond? With compassion and sensitivity. He does not make her feel like an interruption; in fact, he gives no indication that she is. He turns his full attention to her and won’t even let her leave until he is finished. I am challenged by this to wonder how many times I miss something extraordinary because I deem it an “interruption.”

There’s a contrast going on in this “Markan sandwich,” not between the woman and the little girl (they have much in common). The contrast is between the woman and Jairus: their social standing, their attitudes, their faith. But she and Jairus have commonalities too: they both seek in Jesus a solution to unsolvable problems. Part of Mark’s technique of sandwiching stories together is to invite the reader to compare and contrast different elements in them.

Connections

God has fashioned everything with an eye towards life. God desires that we live and do so abundantly. That’s what the book of Wisdom tells us, as does the Genesis creation story and, really, the whole of Scripture. The stories in the Gospel today seem at odds with that. We see lives limited by death. And even as we experience God as good and loving, we sometimes want to cry out to him “Why?” Why does God allow such suffering? Why can’t Jesus step in for everyone and heal them like he does in the Gospel? Last week’s reading was from the book of Job, who wrestles with the same questions.

There are no easy answers to these questions. Faith invites us to believe that God is always at work in our lives and that God desires us to live abundantly. One question we might sit with in difficult situations is this: where in this do I see God’s affirmation of abundant life?