Today we hear the familiar story of the official whose young daughter had died. The father is broken-hearted. He approaches Jesus. As they were walking to the official's house, a woman who had been afflicted with haemorrhage approaches Jesus too, and touches the hem of Jesus' cloak. Jesus knows how to care for people who are marginalised because of their understanding of impurities at that time. It's the bleeding woman from the bottom rung of society whom Jesus stops to affirm.

After the diversion, Jesus continues to the official's house. Jesus took the dead girl by the hand, and raised her up. Touching the corpse doesn't contaminate Jesus; it breaks death's hold on the girl. Despite the official's anxieties and the death of his beloved daughter, he demonstrates an unwavering trust in Jesus. The passage, then, teaches that Jesus has authority over death and sickness.

We recover slowly from "the haemorrhages" that disrupt our lives and our peace. Unlike the little girl and the older woman, we typically are not brought back to life in an instant. And while we are waiting and hoping to come back to life, we may feel hopeless and alone. Yet, if we trust in Jesus, He will take our hand and we will arise and be cleansed. More likely, the reality is that Jesus already is holding our hand. We simply are unaware of it.