One of my most joyous moments in life was when my first daughter, Cassy, was born. I can never describe how happy I was when the nurse put her in my hands as soon as she landed safely on this earth. I started counting her cute little fingers and toes. It was December, so I regarded her as God’s best Christmas gift for me.
For the following years, I was in the clouds, reading books to her at night, taking her to the Zoo every week, and riding the mini choo-choo train around the park. Even after a long day at work, my stress faded away as soon as I saw her cheerfully greeting me at the door.
I know many fathers like me have shared the special blessing of the indescribable joy of having a Daddy’s little girl. Yesterday, Paul Simon’s song “Father and Daughter” popped up on my timeline, leading me on a trip down the most beautiful memory lane. I wonder how many of you know that song.
Have you ever wondered how our heavenly Father feels about His daughters? Some of you might have heard of this unwritten version of the creation story. Do you know why God created Eve after Adam? Why wasn’t God satisfied with Adam alone since he was created in God’s image? Why did God need to create a woman?
Here’s the behind-the-scene story. After creating Adam, God looked at him and was pleased, but God wondered, “Hmm, I think I can do better than that!” So, God created Eve!
Then, when Moses wrote down Genesis, God told him not to include this behind-the-scene story because He didn’t want Adam to suffer from an inferiority complex. Being a man, Moses agreed, so he kept this story off the record, letting the men fantasize they were superior creatures.
That may be a joke, but the proof is in front of your eyes. For example, women, in general, live longer than men. Visit any nursing home, and you’ll see more women than men. The latest data show that women live five years longer than men on average.
If longevity does not prove women are a better creation, here’s another example. Harvard Business Review published a research report showing “Women Score Higher Than Men in Most Leadership Skills.” Out of 19 leadership abilities, women scored higher in 17 of them.
Most importantly, women are more spiritual. You see more women in the church, Bible Study groups, or fellowships. The first persons who discovered Jesus’ resurrection were women because they loved Jesus and visited him at the tomb while the men were probably still sleeping. You know the resurrection story.
Numerous pieces of evidence show women are God’s little girls. Of course, we know God loves everyone, but women seem to have a special place in God’s heart.
In today’s scripture passage, we read about a tale of two daughters, which teaches us two lessons: 1) God loves His little girls and 2) how to turn adversity into advantage. So, let’s begin!
The scripture lesson for today is from the Gospel According to Mark 5:21-43. [Listen to the Word of the Lord!]
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then 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. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mk 5:21–43).
[Blessed are those who delight in God’s Word. Thanks be to God!]
That is a story with another story sandwiched in between. I call it the tale of two daughters—Jairus’s daughter and Jesus’s daughter. That is the only place in the Bible where Jesus called a woman “Daughter.” Interestingly, all three synoptic gospels recorded this story, and they all have Jesus calling her “daughter.” That’s significant! What’s the message Jesus tried to send us?
The social statuses of the two daughters are far apart—one is like a princess, and the other a pariah. The contrast of these two girls tells us that we must not read this story as a mere miracle story. It reveals that God’s little girls can be among princesses and pariahs. It also teaches us how to handle adversity.
This story begins with a remarkable display of humility expressed by Jairus despite his prestigious social status as a synagogue leader.
Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him. (Mk 5:22-24a).
The religious elites in those days despised Jesus, but Jairus loved his daughter too much to care about his pride and prestige. He fell at the feet of the itinerant rabbi and begged him repeatedly to heal his daughter. At a time when daughters were not treasured as much as sons, Jairus’ behavior reveals the depth of his love for Daddy’s little girl. He was a good daddy, like our heavenly Father.
Based on his social status, he could have sent a servant to ask Jesus to come to his home, but he came personally, begging Jesus on his knees. Action speaks louder than words. Jesus went with him without hesitation; seeing Jairus’ love for his daughter reflects God’s love for God’s daughters.
However, an interlude on the way allowed Jesus to teach Jairus a lesson. Jesus wanted Jairus to realize that God is aware of the marginalized women in the community neglected by the synagogue. They were precious in God’s heart as much as Jairus’ daughter.
Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, (Mk 5:25-27).
She had been suffering from a gynecological disorder, which made her ritually unclean and unfit to enter a synagogue or even be present at public gatherings. The disease also made her unable to become pregnant, so no man would take her as a wife. In those days, a woman without a husband had no protection.
She was at the bottom of social and religious status. She was also in poverty because she had spent all her money on physicians, and yet her condition worsened. It might indicate the corruption of the medical industry of her time. She is now in a crisis, having no money and no honey.
She was deemed ritually unclean. It was illegal for a pariah like her to be in the crowd. She could be punished for touching the cloak of a rabbi with her unclean hands. Unlike Jairus’ daughter, she had no father to advocate for her.
Having nothing left to lose, she secretly approached Jesus under the cover of a crowd and touched his cloak, believing it would heal her disease. This woman had lost everything but faith.
Adversity is not a real problem. The real problem is whether the adversity drives you toward God or away from God. If adversity drives you away from God, it becomes a real tragedy. If adversity drives you closer to God, it’s a blessing in disguise. In this case, this woman’s adversity pushed her closer to Christ.
For she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. (Mk 5:28-29).
Miraculously, her twelve years of suffering ended instantly, and she felt it in her body. The New Age thinkers might say it was the manifestation of her faith. Others might say it is the power of the placebo effect, meaning if you believe it, it will happen.
However, if her healing were all due to her faith and placebo effect, Jesus wouldn’t have felt anything at all, but he did.
“Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mk 5:30).
So, it was not a self-healing instance but a two-way street. Her faith had drawn the healing power out of Jesus. Just as her body felt the power entering, Jesus body felt the power leaving. Twelve years of debilitating disease might require a significant power to heal that could not leave Jesus unnoticed.
Even though Jesus was in a hurry to heal Jairus’ princess daughter, this pariah daughter was equally important. Jesus didn’t just want to heal her body but also save her soul. She could have run away, but she chose to tell her whole story to Jesus. It’s a confession.
But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mk 5:33-34).
In the presence of Jairus, Jesus called her “Daughter,” hinting to the synagogue leader that this neglected woman is also God’s little girl. As a father trying to save his daughter’s life, Jairus must fully understand what Jesus was hinting at. It was a highly effective moment to teach Jairus.
Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” The word “well” is translated from Greek, σῴζω (sṓizō), which also means “to save” or “to receive salvation.” Her faith not only healed her but also saved her; the latter is more important. Healing is temporal, but salvation is eternal. This interlude might have made Jairus nervous.
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mk 5:35-36).
Jesus’ delay on the way had cost Jairus’ little girl’s last hope to recover. But Jesus said, “Do not fear, only believe.” (That is in line with the subject we discussed last week from the previous chapter when we talked about Sleeping Through The Storms.) When you begin a journey with Jesus, he will make sure you arrive at the destination, whatever happens on the way.
Jesus promised to heal Jairus’ daughter, and he assured him that he would fulfill his promise, even when it seemed too late from a human perspective. That is the second time when Jesus indicates fear is the opposite of faith. Jesus wanted Jairus not to let his fear overcome his faith.
His faith paid off because he got to see a greater power of Jesus Christ no one had ever seen. They eventually arrived at Jairus’ home.
When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then 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. (Mk 5:39-40).
In the early part of his ministry, we read that Jesus didn’t want people to know his divinity. So, Jesus said that the girl was not dead but sleeping to prevent them from knowing Jesus had the divine power of resurrection. He allowed only a few people in the house to see him raising the girl from the dead. Later, he ordered them not to tell anyone about this. Just let them think she woke up from sleep.
He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. (Mk 5:41-42).
The Aramaic term “Talitha” is an affectionate term, precisely how we use it in English when we say, “Daddy’s little girl.”
These two stories are more than miracles with a happy ending. It was a witness to the kingdom of God.
They all began with total humility. That is the secret to turning adversity into an advantage.
There we have it: a tale of two daughters and adversity advantage. Let every woman in this world know they are God’s little girls, and let every adversity push us closer to Christ.
Until we meet again, keep your light shining brighter and broader, and harvest the fruit of freedom, purpose, and eternal joy!
Amen!
Bye now!
