I love to read and sometimes when I read, I can see the story cinematically. The story in Mark’s Gospel describing Jesus’ healing of a woman and a girl is one such story.

The story begins with Jesus climbing out of a boat on the shore of Lake Galilee and immediately being surrounded by a crowd of people. A local synagogue leader, Jairus, pushes his way through this crowd and falls at Jesus’ feet pleading with him to come and heal his young daughter who is very ill. So, off they go, the crowd still swarming around them.

Unbeknown to anyone in the crowd, there is a woman who has been haemorrhaging for twelve years and wants Jesus’ help. She really shouldn’t be out in the crowd, because if anyone comes in contact with her, they will become unclean. She is an outcast and as she has spent all her money on possible cures, is destitute. In faith, she reaches out to touch Jesus’ clothes and is rewarded: she is immediately healed.

But her story doesn’t end there – Jesus is aware that power has left him and insists, in the face of his disciples’ annoyance, on knowing who has been healed. Reluctantly, the woman comes forward and tells him her story. Jesus acknowledges her great faith and assures her of future health.

Now however, disaster has struck. Servants from Jairus’ house arrive informing Jairus that Jesus’ visit is now pointless, as his daughter is dead. Jesus undeterred, encourages Jairus to have faith and continues to his home, where in the face of the disbelief of the gathered mourners, he heals the child. A story of faith rewarded.

But there is more to be uncovered. These two healing miracles are placed together in what is delightfully called a ‘Markan sandwich’. When Mark does this, there is an important point he is trying to make and the point he is trying to make is about the Kingdom of God which he believes Jesus’ earthly life is intended to usher in.

Jesus’ society was hierarchical. Jairus, a man and synagogue leader would be at the top of the pecking order: able to speak to whoever he wanted and to expect attention and respect. Hence, he can approach Jesus directly to ask for his help and his daughter, although female, has someone to speak on her behalf. The woman, who is nameless, is at the bottom of the pecking order. She is female – enough in itself to mean that she could not approach men directly. She has a condition which makes her unclean, infertile, probably unmarried, unable to participate in society. She is an outcast, with no-one to speak on her behalf.

Yet, Jesus interrupts his mission to heal the synagogue leader’s daughter, to speak with an outcast. This would have been incredibly shocking both to the crowd pushing around Jesus and the original readers of the Gospel. This is not the way things are supposed to be! No, it isn’t, says Mark, with this story, but this is how things are going to be!

Let’s return for a moment to Jairus, standing patiently, whilst Jesus speaks with the woman. Jairus could have interrupted the conversation, but he didn’t. He could have criticised Jesus for ignoring the purity laws, but he didn’t. Jairus steps aside and allows someone else to take priority.

I have entitled this article, ‘Your kingdom come,’ hopefully you can complete the sentence and recognise the prayer that we use so regularly. This is the kingdom we pray for where ‘those who are last, will be first, and those who are first, will be last’ (Matt 20:16).

There are no formal purity codes in 21st Century Britain, but we do have outcasts. Who are the people in our society who are named as a collective group: the homeless, the migrant or even worse, the scrounger? Who are the people in our society who, like the woman, have no voice of their own?

Most of us, are in the position of Jairus, with names, voices, and status. What can we do to play our part in the coming of the Kingdom of God?

We are fortunate to have the ability and opportunities to use our voices to say something about the sort of society we want to see – a society which expresses the values of the Kingdom of God for which we pray so regularly.

Sr Janet Cooper