Do not be afraid. Just have faith. I have read it somewhere that the phrase "Do not be afraid" appears 365 times in the bible, one for each day of the calendar year. Now this might just be a mere coincidence, but even if it is, then it is a blessed coincidence, especially when it comes to our life of faith. Fear can be detrimental to our faith. For faith calls us to walk in an untrodden path, to go places that are unfamiliar, and to attain that which would ordinarily appear unattainable (cf. Heb 11). The Gospel reading for today presents us with two occasion in which faith saved the day.
It appears Jairus’ daughter had suddenly fallen ill. Perhaps running out of alternatives, Jairus, a Synagogue official, turns to this roadside rabbi for help. Even if he had not met Jesus, he must have heard about Jesus and all the good things that God was doing through him (cf. Mark 1:28). While not every religious leader was at odds with Jesus (Nicodemus highly regarded Jesus), a public show of appreciation of Jesus by any religious official would have drawn wrath from the others (possibly the reason why Nicodemus had sought Jesus at night). Jairus appears to have been one of those religious leaders who believed that Jesus was a man of God. He did not let fear of ridicule from his peers prevent him from approaching Jesus. He had faith that Jesus could heal his daughter. And Jesus did.
As Jesus was making his way to Jairus’ house, a woman suffering from a serious illness bumped on him. Because of her condition, she had been pushed to the margins and was living in the shadows. But she too must have heard about Jesus and was determined to get to him. She knew how risky it was to appear in public and to let her condition be known by the public. She knew it was a bold step to make, but she took it nonetheless. She couldn’t afford to be afraid anymore because she had nothing to lose. Tossing fear aside, she armed herself with faith and approached Jesus. Her boldness, coupled with her faith, impressed Jesus and prompted her complete healing.
Jesus attributes most of his healings to faith: faith of those healed as well as the faith of those who bring them to Jesus. He recognized the many obstacles they had to overcome to reach out to him and cry for help. And he did well to reward their faith.