Speaker B (7:51)

Right?

Speaker A (7:51)

And he would quiz them and then he would give them a clue. He'd say, well, he's doing something no one else is. And of course, everyone would say, well, the guy puking. No, that's not. Of course the guy puking is doing something no one Else is. But this one figure is doing something in the painting. If you know how paintings work and art works, he's doing something that should call you out. In fact, I'll tell you who this character is. It's Rembrandt himself. He painted himself into the scene. And so the question is, where are you in the storm?

Speaker B (8:20)

Right?

Speaker A (8:21)

Where are you in the storm? And Rembrandt knew where he was in the storm, and he painted himself into it. And Rembrandt is the one figure, the one character who's looking out at you and me. Everybody else is looking at Jesus. They're looking down at the bottom of the sea or they're working in the riggings, and there's one character who's looking out, and he's in the blue, and he's looking out at you, and he's saying, all right, where are you in the storm? Rembrandt's asking you that question. Where are you in life's storm? Are you like Andrew and Peter, fighting it all the way, thinking that you can muscle your way through? And of course, that will be to Peter's demise when he ends up denying Jesus because he said, I will not deny you.

Speaker B (9:09)

Right?

Speaker A (9:09)

Peter's going to will it. He's going to make it happen. And of course, it's John who relies on prayer and trust in Jesus, who is the only one who will be faithful at the cross, right? And so Rembrandt's staring there, right out at you, the viewer, saying, where are you in the storm? And I love it, because Rembrandt's picking up this very traditional way of prayer. Because art through the Middle Ages is always sacred. Art is always to help you, the viewer, enter into the biblical scene and to put yourself there. We saw that with the beautiful Caravaggio. All of Levi and his friends are dressed in contemporary Italian Renaissance garb. And so the question is, where are you sitting at the table? Are you looking at Jesus, or are you looking down, afraid to look up at the call? Or here for Rembrandt, he puts himself in the scene, looking out, saying to you, where are you in the storm? Where are you? Put yourself in the scene. And Rembrandt does that literally, right? But he's embodying what we are supposed to do with sacred art and with prayer, to put ourselves as we read these stories, not to just read them for head knowledge, but to meditate and to imagine the scene, to imagine the waves, to imagine what that cushion looked like. That was Peter's favorite cushion, right? And maybe his mother in law sewed it for him, right? But imagine that beautiful scene, but put yourself there so you can see it, you can taste it, you can smell it, you can feel it. That is what the gift of imagination, as St Ignatius Loyola said, and how that great gift of imagination serves our prayer. Because by using our mind and our imagination to imagine it, we can visualize it internally and then we can bring it into our heart. So it's not just a head knowledge, but a heart knowledge of these beautiful scenes in the Scriptures. So we have that terrific thing. And of course the thing here is fear, not faith. Jesus says to them, why are you afraid? Have you no faith? And they were filled with awe, which actually means great terror and fear, and said to one another, who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? If you think Mark doesn't think Jesus is God, you haven't read Mark's gospel. Well, right? Because what are the disciples saying here? Who is this guy? Because the two forces in nature that are the most chaotic and the least able for us with all of our technology to tame is wind and waves, the sea and the wind, we cannot tame these. And the name for those two together is called hurricane, right? We can't control those things, we just simply try to predict them, but we can't even do that very well. But here, these two forces of nature, the most potent forces of nature, wind and waves, obey Jesus. So who is this? Who is this that can command the wind and the waves? Now I want to take us into chapter five. We've already covered the beginning story of chapter five with the story of the demoniac who's possessed. Right? Now I want to take us into verse 21 of chapter 5 and another story in which fear and faith are pitted and contrasted and compared. And it's a powerful story and it has a story within a story. So we'll follow in verse 21. And when Jesus had crossed again into the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. And then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name. And seeing him, he fell at his feet and brought him and besought him, saying, 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. He wants Jesus to touch his daughter, right? Remember Jesus? Probably the rumor came out that Jesus touched the leper and the leper was healed the touch of Jesus and he went with him. So Jesus goes with Jairus and A great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years and who had suffered much under many physicians and had spent all that she had. And she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garments. For she said, if I touch even his garments, I shall be made well. Sodzane in the Greek, which literally means to make well, but also means to be saved, has a double meaning. To be made well or to be saved. I will be made well if I touch even the fringe of his garments. Now, on the fringe of a Jewish rabbi's garments oftentimes were tassels that represented the Torah.

Speaker B (14:24)

Right.

Speaker A (14:25)

So there's a powerful image of this scene in two places that I love. One is one of the most ancient Christian scenes of art. It's a fresco that's in the catacombs. And that image was put when St. John Paul II released the catechism of the Catholic Church. They chose four images for the four pillars of the catechism. And there was an image that introduced each section of the catechism. There was the fresco from the catacombs of the hemorrhaging woman reaching out to touch the fringe of Jesus garment. And that fresco was put as the introduction to the second pillar of the catechism of on the sacraments and liturgy. And the idea that what Holy Mother Church was saying there is that if you want to touch Jesus today, you can touch him in the liturgy and in the sacraments. Jesus is once again present in the Eucharist especially, but in all the sacraments. And that's why the church put the image of the hemorrhaging woman who reached out to touch Jesus. But you have the opportunity to touch Jesus even today.

Speaker B (15:40)

Right?

Speaker A (15:41)

It's a beautiful thing. And so that image. And then there's a contemporary very, a new, just done in the last couple years, a new artistic depiction of this that's in where they found about just over seven years ago, a synagogue in Magdala where Jesus taught. And they found the best preserved first century synagogue. And they have a place there called the Magdala Center. And it's a beautiful Catholic. It's owned and run by Catholics, the Legionnaires of Christ run it. And they have a Magdala center that they just built. And they have a painting on the lower level where they have a replica of a first century synagogue. And there's a painting that's absolutely spectacular and Gorgeous. All you see is the feet of Jesus and his robe and his sandals. And this woman is reaching out and touching the very hem of his garment, of his robe. And at her touch, there's a little bit of light coming out to show the power that comes forth from Jesus. And it's a stunning, stunning piece of art. And it's really quite breathtaking. And that captures what this woman believes. And so she says, even if I touch his garments. And so then what does she do? She reached out and she touched it, and immediately the hemorrhage ceased. And she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, who touched my garments? Now, that reminds me of some vacations with my siblings as we were taking long drives in the station wagon. And my sister would say, stop touching me. Stop touching me. And one of her brothers would be poking her. Somebody would be doing that, right? And my dad would say, do I have to pull the car over?

Speaker B (17:33)

Right?

Speaker A (17:33)

And so here, Peter kind of gets a little bit insulted. Notice what he says, who touched my garments? And his disciples said to him, you see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, who touched me? Peter's like, are you kidding me? Who hasn't touched you? So you got the celebrity rabbi, and everyone wants to get an autograph and be close. And they're coming through this crowded place, and Jesus stops and says, who touched me? And Peter's right. There's probably a lot of people that touched Jesus, but only one touched him with faith. The woman with the hemorrhage reached out and she just touched the bare fringe of his robe. And immediately power went forth from Jesus into her and healed her. She is healed by that touch. Many people bumped into, elbowed, touched Jesus and jostled against Jesus that day. But power didn't go forth. And that is why the Church uses this image of this woman from the frescoes from the Catacombs as a catechetical lesson for you and I. Because what the Church is saying is, many people go to Mass. Many people receive Jesus in the Eucharist, many people receive the sacraments. But we know from the Council of Trent that God is truly present. As the Latin phrase says, ex opere operato. By the very nature of the operation of the sacraments, God becomes present. However, Trent goes on to say, the grace of that sacrament will only bear fruit according to the disposition of the one who receives. If you want the power of Jesus to flow out into your life and into your heart. You have to receive him with faith. You have to receive him with love. You have to receive him with trust. That woman had trust. She had humility. And so when she reached out and touched Jesus, there was a connection made, and power came forth and healed her. Many other people touched Jesus, and no power came forth into their life. It didn't change their life. It didn't heal them that day. And so we have to beware of sacramentalism, thinking that just receiving the sacraments alone is going to change us. Our hearts have to be disposed to receive with love and eagerness and vigilance our Lord. Have you touched Jesus? Right, that's the question here in the story. Have you touched Jesus like she did? And then Jesus looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, daughter, I can't imagine what that word would have done to Jairus, whose daughter is dying. And he's eager to get Jesus to get to his house with his daughter dying. You ever have something you have to do and you have to do it urgently, and you're anxious and people keep interrupting you, and people kind of get in the way, and you're like, I gotta get this done. And poor Jairus, he's taking Jesus to his home. And Jesus stops in the midst of the crowd and says, who touched me? And Peter's like, lord, I'm trying to do crowd control here. Come on, give me a break, right? And Jesus says, no, someone touched me. And Jairus is probably pulling all his hair. He's like, we gotta go. My daughter's dying. And here Jesus is worried about someone who touched him. And then Jesus says, daughter. And of course, that makes our hearts remember Jairus, daughter. And he says to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. So Zane again has healed you, has saved you, has made you well. Your faith has made you well. Go in shalom, go in peace, and be healed of your disease. So again, at the end of mass, what do we do? We take the blessing, and we're told by the priest to go in peace. The priest is echoing the words of Jesus. And here the woman touched Jesus, and she's to take that blessing with peace and to go. And every mass, we're reminded of this story when we're told by the priest or the deacon to go in peace after we receive the blessing, after we, too, have touched Jesus while he was still speaking, there came forth from the ruler's house some who said, you daughter is dead. Your daughter is dead. Jairus, daughter is dead. Jesus didn't get there in time. Why trouble the rabbi any further? But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear, only believe. And here is one of the key themes of Mark's faith, not fear. Faith, not fear. Fear crowds out faith. Faith, conversely, taps down and controls fear. When our fears get away from us, our faith gets minimized. When we double down on faith, our fears can be controlled. Do not fear, only believe. And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. And when they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult and people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he entered, he said to them, why do you make atonement and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother. Notice the compassion of Jesus, right? He brings the father and mother his heart for this couple who've just lost their daughter, right? He brings them in with him. And he went in where the child was, and taking her by the hand, he said to her, talitha kumi, which is Aramaic. And Mark's Gospel, by the way, has more Aramaic than any of the other Gospels, which fits. You know, Peter struggling to speak in Greek or Latin in Rome, and he keeps reverting back to his Aramaic. And so Mark, as a good translator, he at key emotional moments of Peter's memory, the story goes back to the Aramaic. And this is a powerful moment for Peter because he, John and James are taken up there with the parents, with this young girl who is dead. And Jesus says to her, talitha kumi, which means little girl, I say to you, arise. And of course, that's the Aramaic word for resurrection, to arise. And immediately the girl got up and walked, for she was 12 years old, which is a nice connection because the hemorrhaging woman had hemorrhage for 12 years. And immediately they were overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them to tell no one, that no one should know this, and and told him to give her something to eat. Wow, what a beautiful story of faith, not fear, and the desire to touch Jesus. Now, in contrast to what we just discovered all the way through in the next story, in chapter six, verse one, he went away from there and he came into his own country. And his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard him were astonished, saying, well, where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. So notice what we have here. Two things. First, their unbelief. Jesus is not able to do much there, right? He's not able to do much there because of their unbelief. When we approach God with cynicism and doubt and skepticism, we hamstring God's power. We limit what God can do in our lives, in our family, in our church. And so a doubting community, like the community in Nazareth, is not a community where God's grace is operative to the full. It's not free to flow because of unbelief. That's the one block. And so we see opposite of what we saw with Jairus and especially the hemorrhaging woman who believed. And Jesus power flowed out. Here we have unbelief, which gives us quite a contrast to that belief that they had. Of course, Jesus siblings here are, as the church teaches, and they are his kin, but they're not his brothers and sisters. The word adolphoi in Greek, which means brothers or sisters, is also used for Lot, who is the nephew of Abraham, and he is called the Adelphos of Abraham, even though he's a nephew. So in a culture where family ties with cousins and aunts and uncles are so tight that you could use that brother or sister for extended kin. Because cousins would live in the same village as cousins. And so they would be like family. Literally, they were family and they would be considered like that. And so we see that, of course, the greatest proof of this is the fact that Jesus gives his mother in the Gospel of John 19 to John the beloved disciple. If Jesus had other brothers, he could not give Mary his mother, into the care of John the beloved disciple. Because John the beloved disciple is a non kin, right? So that proves that truth and that teaching. But here I want to come back to that last point, just to end on the the key theme that Mark is giving us is that it's about faith. Not fear. Jesus invites us to trust and remember the opening summons of the Gospel. Repent, which means have your mind transformed and believe. Trust in the Gospel. And that's the question for us. Are we going to trust in the storms and in the tribulation, the waves and the persecution? Are we going to trust? We have to respond to Jesus with faith and trust in the midst of all of our fears. And faith will eclipse our fears and give us the trust and the peace we need to follow Jesus faithfully.