A further imaging based on Matthew 9:18-26/Mark 5:21-43/Luke 8:40-56 and Luke 8:1-3. See my post The Touch for the beginning of the story.
It wasn’t a dream. Johanna woke up the morning after the Rabbi had healed her hemorrhaging, savoring her newfound cleanliness. Samuel rested peacefully beside her, doubtlessly still exhausted from yesterday’s miracle celebrations. Their son David had stirred himself early to fetch the day’s water. He wouldn’t have to do that anymore now that Johanna was well.
Yet, it was still so hard to believe. Yesterday she had run home, even relishing the stitch that cropped up in her side. How long had it been since she’d been able to kick up her heels and move like a young girl again? Bursting into the sanctuary of their home, she had grabbed her beloved Samuel and hung on his neck, gasping for breath, “I’m cured! He healed me!”
The rest of the day remained mostly a blur. After the three of them had made their quiet rejoicing, Samuel had tried to lead them in a prayer of thanks. His fumbling over the words inspired David to suggest that they head toward the synagogue. They set out together as a family for the first time – in how long?
Clearly something had created a buzz in town. As Johanna listened, she remembered with new shame that the Rabbi had been on the way to visit Jairus’s daughter when her own miracle occurred. What had happened to that precious young girl?
Unable to contain her dread, Johanna made bold again to ask a woman nearby what had happened. “It’s hard to know for sure,” she replied. “First we hear that the girl died and the mourners are all about Jairus’s house, and the next thing they say the Rabbi just woke her up and she’s fine – no longer ill. Who knows? Jairus and his household have shut themselves in.”
What did it mean? If the daughter were alive, this man Jesus had done two miracles at once. Who is he, after all?
It took some doing to get to their prayers at the meeting place, but eventually Samuel and David both went in to give thanks for Johanna’s cure. As Johanna waited just outside, she noticed a pair of women talking with a group of younger men, travelers of some sort. They seemed to be arranging a plan for the evening meal. Were they, perhaps, some of the Rabbi’s band of followers?
With the men’s retreat, Johanna again mustered her courage to speak to the women. “Do you know what happened to Jairus’s daughter?” she managed faintly.
The taller of the two exchanged a glance with her companion. “Why do you ask?”
Johanna grasped in her mind for an excuse, but the words that spilled out of her mouth spoke the awful truth, “You see, the Rabbi healed me on the way to Jairus’s daughter.”
“See, Mary, I thought so,” returned the woman. Then, speaking directly to Johanna. “You have the look of one he has touched. The Master has cured us both, and, yes, also Anna, Jairus’s daughter.”
The memory of that conversation shot Johanna out of bed. It wasn’t a dream. She had her life back – what the Rabbi had wanted for her – but it was a new life. The women beckoned her into their sisterhood. She had to join them.
For updates on my book, or more information about me, continue to check back to this blog! I will also be frequently updating my Facebook Author page, as well my twitter account, @AuthorMcNabb, and my LinkedIn account, Katie McNabb.
2 Responses to New Life