This week, we have a series of moments where Jesus confronts the various forces of the world that ancient Israel had come to consider unclean.
First, we see Jesus going to a neighboring gentile region known as the Gerasenes or Decapolis. Here he meets a man possessed by impure spirits.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Right away, we see Jesus working with a gentile who wandered among the tombs of the dead, both strong images of impurity and the unclean. He is possessed by many unclean spirits who named themselves after the armies of Rome, itself a stand-in for the desire to rule, conquer, kill and steal.
All of these forces come to a single moment of begging to Jesus for permission to flee and never return.
What does it mean for us that Jesus has power over both spiritual forces of darkness, but also human institutions of oppression?
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
Bodily discharges, especially bleeding, were a common source of becoming ritually unclean. It’s important to note that if a clean person comes into contact with someone who is unclean, they too become unclean. But here, Jesus overcomes not just her sickness, but her ritual impurity and makes her clean as well.
How should our lives change if we accept that the ministry and presence of Jesus makes us clean?
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
In many ways, death was the ultimate source of becoming ritually unclean and not even death could counteract the new-creation power of Jesus the Messiah.
There’s an interesting moment, however, where Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Just before this, we had the woman who was bleeding with enough faith to touch Jesus and be healed, even without his direct intervention.
Our faith obviously matters to God, so how do we obey the command of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe"?
