There’s a story that’s in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 9:18-26) that’s shared across three of the gospels of Jesus doing a miraculous double-play. Two people approach Jesus seeking a healing miracle and both are successful in that pursuit. But it’s interesting to see how those two different people approach Jesus in this story in very different ways.
The first to approach is a leader, or ruler, in the synagogue: an important and significant person within the local community, a respected figure of standing. He comes before Jesus and kneels and puts his request: my daughter has died but I believe you can still heal her. Immediately, Jesus hears his request and begins to follow him to where his daughter lies.
The other person to approach Jesus doesn’t bother trying to speak to him. She’s not an important figure in the community; she has no standing. She doesn’t expect an audience. The most she hopes for is the chance to touch the fringe of his robe, most likely his tallit, his prayer shawl. This is a woman who has been bleeding, menstruating for twelve years straight. Now, according to Jewish law, she would be considered constantly unclean, for in Leviticus, it says:
“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her menstrual impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness; as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies during all the days of her discharge shall be treated as the bed of her impurity, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her impurity. 27 Whoever touches these things shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until the evening. 28 If she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 On the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 30 The priest shall offer one for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the Lord for her unclean discharge.
For the last twelve years, this woman has been unclean, unwelcome in society, unable to be part of the community around her. In fact, even her being out in the street is a huge social offence and transgression because anyone who brushes past her becomes ritually unclean. So, in order to touch Jesus’ clothes, she has to break social taboos, she has to risk further abuse, and she has to risk angering the God who has commanded that she is unclean.
On one hand, we’ve got a leader in the synagogue, a most righteous and respected citizen, and on the other hand, we have an unclean and defiled woman who is breaking social taboos and defying God’s commandments. Which one of these two approaches Jesus, confident that their request will be seen to, that their voice will be heard? And which of these two does the crowd pay attention to? In the story, the respectable, upstanding leader has no hesitation in approaching Jesus with his request whereas the unclean woman sincerely doubts that she will get an audience.
But which one does Jesus listen to? Which one does Jesus pay attention to? One aspect of Jesus throughout the gospels is that he spends time with respectable sorts: Pharisees and scribes, rich people and centurions, but he also spends time listening to those who would normally have no voice. In fact, earlier in this chapter, Jesus is being told off for eating with tax collectors and sinners, for spending time with those who are considered unworthy, disreputable, unclean, less than. Jesus seems to go out of his way to spend time with those whom society considers unworthy.
So what does this all mean for us today? What does it mean for us to listen to all people? Later this year, there’s a referendum to decide whether or not we give a voice to those who historically haven’t had one. We have a long history of not listening to those with whom we share this land. Over the last two centuries, we have told them where to live and how to live and then, we have often tried to solve their problems for them, without necessarily listening or understanding. And let’s be honest, there are problems and they are complex problems.
But we know that some people in our society have more of a voice than others. I imagine if Gina Rinehart wants to speak with our prime minister, she picks up the phone and makes an appointment. Likewise, if Sally McManus, the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, or Matt Comyn, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank, or Kerry Stokes, the chair of SevenWest Media, wants to speak to the PM, they just have to make a call. And if any of them holds a press conference, you know the cameras are going to turn up.
But the same isn’t true for everyone. We have groups and individuals in our society that definitely have a voice, but we also have many more who have no voice, who struggle to be heard. When I look at this story though, of the unclean woman who is heard and is healed, I see a Jesus imperative to listen for those who have no voice, to pay attention to those voices which are ignored or silenced by the rest of society.
When we have had elections in the past, I have tried to avoid telling you which way to vote, but today I need to say that when a group of people who have historically been silenced ask for their voice to be recognised, then I have to look to the way of Jesus who took time out to listen for those who had no voice.
As a follower of Jesus, I cannot vote for them to stay silenced. I will be voting yes and I pray that you will do likewise.
Amen.