I just received news that a young woman I know suddenly went into labor last night and is expected to have her baby sometime today. The child, according to doctor’s calculations, is three weeks early; everyone was surprised.
God has a timetable that none of us can understand. Great moments in life are beyond our ability to predict.
As we read the first part of the gospel of Mark, we are told about the moment when Jesus broke forth into the public arena. There was a vague sense that the day of the Messiah was about to come, but no one knew when it would happen or what it would look like. Jesus’ good news to the people was that the promised moment had come—“the Kingdom of God is here.”
Today we read about two miracles performed by Jesus (Mark 5:21-43). In the first Jesus did not even know the miracle was happening. He did not reach out and touch someone as was his usual way of doing things; instead someone reached out, secretly, and touched the hem of his cloak. In the second, Jesus spoke two words that brought back a young girl from death. An interesting note in these two stories is the use of the number “12.”
“There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had.”
“(Jesus) took the child by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you arise!’ The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.”
Why did Mark bother to include the “unnecessary” detail that the woman was sick for twelve years and the girl was twelve years old?
The number “12” was significant to the Jews. It represented fulfillment, wholeness, and the completion of God’s purpose. Israel had twelve tribes; Jesus chose twelve apostles. This was an indication that the birth of a new era was taking place. These were not just random miracles; they were orchestrated by God to indicate that the moment of his Kingdom on earth had come. Israel after centuries of “pregnancy” was now giving birth to its Savior—the new Moses. A final Exodus was now beginning.
When Jairus’ little girl was born, the woman’s hemorrhaging began. Little did either of these people know that their lives would intersect twelve years later to help God announce that the day of fulfillment had come. Though the woman wanted to hide the news of her healing, Jesus called her forth to proclaim what God had done for her. Her healing was not just about her feeling better and becoming a happier person; it was an act of God that broadcasted a message to the whole world—even to this very day we read the woman’s story.
Each of us is part of helping bring the news of God’s day of completion to the world. The events of our lives may seem random to us and sometimes even tragic. Imagine the struggle of faith that took place in the woman during her twelve years of sickness. How many times she must have wondered why she was even born and why God dealt her such a terrible hand. How many years did Jairus grieve over his sickly daughter—maybe she had a congenital birth defect? And as he saw her dying, he must have wondered why God even went to the trouble of bringing her into the world.
These two women, though unknowingly, lived their twelve years so that Jesus could come into their lives and help the Kingdom of God continue to explode upon this earth. Their lives had more meaning than that of most all the other people in Israel. They, together with Israel, were able to celebrate the unexpected birth of God’s kingdom on earth. This happened at the moment they encountered Jesus Christ.
Our lives are pointed to that moment when we encounter Jesus Christ in a real way. During the days of waiting we may struggle with confusion, doubt, and even despair. We may wonder if our lives have any significance of all. Little do we know that the meaning of our lives is tied in with God’s plan in Jesus Christ. Maybe in our darkest moment, Jesus suddenly bursts forth on the scene of our lives. Even if the doctors have given up on us, and even if we feel Jesus forgot to come to us, God knows what’s going on. His timing is perfect and purposeful. Our “twelve” years have come to an end.
Let’s take whatever steps we need to take. Maybe we have to fight our way through the crowd and reach out to grab Jesus’ cloak. Maybe we have to take great measures to track down Jesus and “plead earnestly” that he come and speak a word of healing and life to us. Let us believe that the time has come. Let us believe that our role in establishing God’s kingdom on earth is now being manifest.
“Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Matthew 8:17)
