“Today’s gospel lesson is jam-packed. We have three different characters interacting with Jesus, a healing that comes from a cloak, and the resurrection of a 12-year-old girl. Wow! Our first character is Jairus, the synagogue leader, a man of considerable importance and stature in the Jewish community. Second, there is a woman who is not named, only introduced as “a woman who had been suffering for 12 years.” Her position is doubly lowered, the intersection of being female and afflicted with a debilitating sickness. Two people from very different positions of power. Finally, there’s Jairus’ 12 year-old daughter. A young girl without much agency or power herself, but born into a powerful household. What’s striking to me, is how these people are treated by Jesus, how they approach him in their own ways, and how Jesus responds.”

Click “Read More” to read or listen to Ryan’s sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.