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THE GOSPEL OF MARK – THEY TOUCHED THE TALITH

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THEY TOUCHED THE TALITH

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. Mark 6:53-56

How did Jesus manage to keep up a schedule like His? Interrupted by a huge crowd when He was trying to get some “me time”, He put aside His own needs and taught the people all day. After feeding them and sending them away, He prayed all night, and then walked a distance on the water to catch up with His disciples. Then He was met by another crowd clamouring for attention, and many for healing. It seems that He moved around in that area from village to village and town to town, healing and preaching day after day.

There is another reference to His “talith” in this passage. “They begged Him to let them even touch the hem of His coat (the tassels of His talith) and all who touched Him were healed” (Vs 56). What was the significance of this? Malachi 4:2 – “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will with healing in its wings.” Were the people aware of the powerful imagery of Messiah in this prophecy? The tassels on His talith symbolised God’s name, God’s nature, God’s word and God’s presence.

The “kanaph” – the corners of the talith – are translated as wings which held the tassels. To touch the “hem of his garment” implied that their faith rested in everything the tassels represented. Jesus became the channel through which the healing power of God flowed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The faith of each person touching Him opened them up to the healing power of the Spirit flowing through Jesus.

In all this frantic activity around Him, how did He experience rest and replenish His strength? He maintained a constant awareness of the Father’s presence and tapped into God by remaining in the Father. He counsels us to do the same in the midst of demands, busyness, interruptions and responsibilities. To remain in Him keeps us connected to the source of strength and rest. We become channels that are constantly being replenished, not reservoirs that can run dry with no permanent inlet from God.

The Messianic Mystery

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THE MESSIANIC MYSTERY

After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with Him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”).

Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat (Mark 5: 40-43).

When we read this story from a western, non-Hebraic perspective, there are details which make no sense. I have already mentioned, in yesterday’s post, the reason for Jesus making a fuss about who touched Him. Apart from His need to reassure the woman with the chronic bleeding that she was indeed a daughter of Abraham and to commend her for her faith which was the vehicle of her healing, there was a practical reason for drawing attention to the presence of an “unclean” woman. He did not want to embarrass or rebuke her, but to alert the crowd that she had touched Him.

He had to gain access to the dead child but, as a rabbi He was forbidden entry into the room of a dead person. If He were already “unclean” as they thought, the mourners would not have stopped Him.

As a Jewish man, Jesus would have had the obligatory tassels (tsitsit) on the bottom of His garment. God had instructed His people to sew tassels on the corners (kanaph) of their outer garment to remind them of who He was and of His instructions (Torah) on how to live. Later on, the tassels were sewn onto the corners of a prayer shawl, called a talith, which was pulled over the head when a Jewish man prayed. The corners of the talith, the kanaph, were also knows as the wings. When the high priest blessed the people with the Aaronic blessing,

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace (Num. 6:24-26),

he would wind the tassels around his fingers and  lift up the corners – the kanaph – of his talith as though his talith were wings which he spread out over the people, symbolising God’s protecting “wings” over them.

Malachi prophesied that Messiah would come with healing in His kanaph – in the corners of His talith.

But for you who revere my name, the sun (the word “sun” can be better translated as “servant”) of righteousness will arise with healing in its rays (better – “His wings (kanaph)) (Mal. 4: 2).

Are you beginning to get the picture?

When Jesus stood beside the dead child, His symbolic action would have had meaning for Jairus because he was the synagogue ruler, a man educated in the Old Testament Scriptures. What did Jesus probably do? Is it possible that He wound the tassels of His prayer shawl around His fingers and lifted up the corners, spreading His “wings” over the little girl? He would have been acting out the prophecy of Mal. 4:2 before the eyes of the astonished parents and disciples.

Then He spoke to the child, saying, ‘Talith ha koum.’  The translation of the Aramaic, according to Mark was “Little girl, I say to you, ‘Get up.’” Is it possible that Jesus actually said, “The Messiah is here (implicit in the word talith). Little girl, get up’”? Jesus was doing exactly what Malachi said He would do. He would come with healing in His kanaph. Jairus would have understood the symbolism and what Jesus was implying by His action and so would Jesus’ disciples.

It’s no wonder they were all astonished. The miracle was surprising enough, but even more surprising that it was done by the one promised through the prophetic word centuries before. He was actually there, in the room, talking to them – the long-awaited Messiah!

It was imperative that the witnesses to the raising of the child and the way it was done, did not talk about it. Why? Jesus was adamant that people came to faith in Him through their own conclusions based on the evidence and not on the hearsay of others. Theologians call this “the Messianic secret”. He did not want them advertising Him so that He could win a popularity contest. He wanted them to believe in Him because they were convinced that He was the Messiah.

Did you notice that the woman also touched the tsitsit of His talith? She knew the secret!

Brilliant again!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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