FAMINE IS MADE OFFICIAL 

This blog provides a meditation on the Episcopal daily readings along with a headline from world news

1 Samuel 31:1-13

31Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them. 4Then Saul said to his armour-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through, and make sport of me.’ But his armour-bearer was unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5When his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6So Saul and his three sons and his armour-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. 7When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied them.

What do we say to God about drought?

Here the terrifying story of Saul ends. The record shows him to have been both brave and just, albeit afflicted by God with an evil spirit because of his disobedience to the laws of Jihad: he had contaminated the purity of holy war by seeking some benefit from the victory. The narrator does not question the judgment on Saul but neither does he conceal his decency not rob him of his humanity. A narrator who wants to reveal the hand of God behind the hands of humanity cannot just shrug off Saul’s desperate fate but must attribute it to God. This is honest theology-more honest for example than the prayer which praises the creator for all that is lovely in nature but fails to mention drought and tsunami. The Samuel author’s solution is not the only one but it is powerful.

Mark 5:21-43

21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. 22Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23and 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.’ 24So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. 26She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’ 29Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ 31And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ 32He looked all round to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34He 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?’ 36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ 37He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ 40And 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. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ 42And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Talitha Cum-God's wake up call

This is a one of Mark’s greatest achievements. By nesting the story of the haemorrhaging woman within the story of the dead girl he sheds light on both and on the nature of Jesus’ ministry. Both protagonists are female and both stories show Jesus entering a realm which is taboo to men.

 The story of the girl involves death which suggests that the isolation of the adult woman is also a form of death. For this woman who would have been viewed as perpetually unclean and therefore untouchable, to touch the body of Jesus would be seen as an outrage, but she dares it, trusting that there lies her salvation. Jesus does not reject her action or her trust but rather encourages her to express it openly. He confirms her healing and restoration to the community.

A dead female person was also considered taboo but Jesus enters the house of death, speaks tenderly to the dead child (“Time to get up, my wee dove”) with the same word of resurrection that God will speak to Him. He speaks God’s wake up call in the land of the living, for he is never other than the crucified and risen Lord.

The kingdom of God is always both cross (by which the saviour enters the house of death) and resurrection (by which he liberates the tenants of death to a new life). Mark emphasises that this is true for women in their subjections as well as men in theirs; and that liberation comes not only by the word of Jesus but also by his body.

This is an extraordinary and challenging portrait of Jesus ministry, not least because the disciples of Jesus are expected to continue this ministry in every place and time.