Two stories in one - Intercalation

This morning, on Sunday morning, I find a Scripture to study.  It is Sunday and I need to dwell on thinking theologically.  I will do just that this early Sunday morning with my coffee and texts in hand.  I love the stories  of Jesus healing in faith.  These two stories disect (or intercalation, as scholars call it.  It is sort of like my telling a story and something changes my focus in the middle and I digress.  Jesus had a high digression point since he was called on for many things.   Parts of these two digressing stories are found in Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8: 40-56.  Most Bible students know these stories as The Raising of Jairus' Daughter and The woman who touched the hem of his garment.

The stories are linked by the number 12: (Jairus' daughter was 12 years of age and the woman had had a menstrual flow for 12 years.)  They were also linked because Jairus had faith that Christ could heal his daughter and the woman with the flow had faith that if she could just get close enough to touch Christ, she would be healed.

Let's start with the Matthew scripture and see what this shortest Scripture of the three tells us.  Jairus was a leader in the synogogue and knew the rules of that body but he was willing to step out and implore Christ to restore his daughter to life.  He wanted Christ to touch her and bring her back to life and he asked Christ to go with him and do exactly that.  And Jesus got up from his teaching to go with Jairus.

Just at that moment, an "unclean" woman came up from behind him who had had a flow of blood for many years and she touched the hem of his garment (the tassels which reminded the Jew to pray) and he sensed the touch and called her out telling her that her faith had made her well.

Continuing on his way, he came to the home of Jairus, where the professional mourners were doing their thing (Jewish law required two flutes and a mourning woman) and Christ told them all to leave the room.  He touched the child and she got up.  This story went like wildfire.

It should still. Christ dealt with the Jewish traditions of uncleanliness (issue of blood and dead body) and restored life to both of them.  These were females he restored because of the faith involved.  These dissecting stories have much to tell to the person who seeks to find restoration.