Jesus has returned to that side of the Sea of Galilee which historically was part of Israel’s promised land. A senior religious man, whose daughter is at the termination of her life, pleaded publicly and urgently for Jesus to come to her so that she might be saved from death. Jesus went along with him - publicly - to do that for him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And a woman having a discharge of blood for twelve years, having suffered much under many physicians, having spent all that she had, having profited nothing, but rather having come to be worse, having heard the reports about Jesus and having come behind him within the crowd, touched his garment. Because she said, “If I may touch even his garments, I shall be made well.” And immediately the flow of her blood dried up, and she knew in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
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| A poor unclean bleeding woman, excluded from the synagogue because of her 12-year uncleanness went through seven stages before she secretly touched Jesus’ clothes. She was immediately healed.
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And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.’ (Extract from the book of Exodus, c. BC 1350)
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And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
Jesus gently required her to make herself known to him. He then confirmed her complete healing – and the peace which would be hers.
While he was still speaking, there came from the leader’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not fear, only believe.”
The senior religious man’s household were convinced that Jesus could do absolutely nothing because his daughter was dead. Jesus asks him to believe despite that fact.
And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the synagogue leader, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.
Everyone at the house was convinced that absolutely nothing could then be done because the child’s life had finally ended.
But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which is, translated, “Little girl, I say to you, ‘Arise’.” And immediately the girl stood up and walked (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately amazed with great amazement. And he instructed them many times so that nobody might know about this, and said to give her to eat.
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| The girl was 12 years old. Only seven people saw what happened. All were to keep it secret – for a time. Until the religious leaders in Jerusalem successfully brought about his execution. After which he himself rose from the dead.
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‘And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.’ (The night before Jesus’ execution, c. AD 30)
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