Three of the four gospels give us the account of Jesus meeting Jairus and an unnamed woman suffering from a mysterious bleeding disease (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; and Luke 8:40-56). Jairus is a synagogue ruler with a 12 year old daughter who is very sick and near death. He comes to Jesus with one request: "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." (Mark 5:23) Time is of the essence. Jesus is going to have to act quickly if Jairus is going to receive the one thing he wants--sparing his daughter from death, and himself from the grief and fear of losing his precious child.
While Jesus is on the way to help the little girl he is thronged by large crowds of people. In this chaotic mass of humanity is a woman who also has one desire, though she feels she can get it from Jesus without actually asking for it. While Jairus has been enjoying the life of his daughter for the last 12 years, this woman has been in misery. She has gone to doctor after doctor, spending all she had to find healing for persistent bleeding. In that Jewish culture her problem was more than physical. Bleeding (especially if it had to do with her regular cycle as a woman) made her ceremonially "unclean" and unable to participate with the community in worship and fellowship. Her uncleanness would make others ceremonially unclean if she touched them. 12 years of having people avoid you could not have been easy. If she remained silent about her condition and interacted with others, she risked their anger if they found out afterwards ("Now you've made ME unclean! Why didn't you stay away from me!?"). 12 years of this must have left quite the emotional and psychological wound. Yet, all she wants from Jesus is an anonymous physical healing. "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed," she said to herself (Mark 5:28).
As the woman pushes through the crowd (creating the potential for an angry mob if they discover who she is), she gets what she wants. She touches the edge of Jesus' clothes and is instantly healed. "She felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." (Mark 5:29) Jesus realizes instantly that healing power has gone out from him, but instead of hurrying on to deal with a dying girl, he stops and insists that the woman make herself known. Jesus doesn't do this to embarrass her. He wants to give her more than she asked for because Jesus knows she needs more than she asked for. Yes, she has her physical healing, but her emotional wounds are still bleeding. Jesus has her testify to the crowd in his presence, and then provides what is still lacking: "Go in peace and be free from your suffering." She only asked for physical healing, but Jesus gives her more than that.
All this delay with the woman proves costly to Jairus. Word comes that his little girl has now died. If only Jesus had not wasted time Jairus could have had the one thing he asked for. Yet Jesus is now going to give Jairus more than he asked for, not less. Jesus tells Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe." Jesus goes to see the now dead 12 year old, and, in the presence of Jairus and Jairus' wife, Jesus miraculously raises her from the dead. All Jairus had asked for was physical healing to avoid the fear of death. Instead, Jesus takes Jairus beyond death and back again to life. A physical healing would have been a temporary respite from fear of death. Jairus will have to face that fear in the future with the impending death of his spouse, a family member, a friend, or even his own death. Jairus is given a reason for faith in Jesus that overcomes death. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) Jairus could now answer, "Yes!" to this question.
It makes me wonder...I ask God for many things in my prayers. When I don't get what I want could it be that the Lord is in the process of giving me MORE than I asked for? Could it be that I don't really know what I really need? That God's love for me refuses to settle for less, and goes deeper to address my ultimate fears, wounds, and needs?
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6) However, prepare yourself to get more than you ask for from the God who loves us and knows us better than we know ourselves. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
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