THE LANGUAGE OF HOME

Jesus had been in conversation with Jairus when the woman interrupted, touching his cloak. He was speaking to her when messengers arrived with tragic news. Jesus gave the woman and the synagogue president equal attention. Leaving the woman overcome with relief and joy, Jesus went to Jairus’ home and raised the girl from death. Her father, too, would have been overjoyed. Jesus fulfilled the deepest need of two people from widely separated strata of society. Jairus’ daughter and the nameless woman are both healed, but the woman must go to the synagogue, perhaps even to Jairus, to be declared clean and to rejoin the community. Perhaps they met on the road and would recognize each other.

Jesus lived in a multicultural society. On the road, in a diverse crowd, Jesus spoke koine Greek, the lingua franca of the Roman Empire. Inside the house, however, he spoke Aramaic. ‘Talitha koum,’ he said, using a term of endearment (v. 41): ‘Little girl … get up!’ (literally, ‘little lamb’). Uniquely among the gospel writers, Mark saw significance every time Jesus spoke Aramaic, recording the exact words and translating them for his Greek-speaking readers throughout the empire. It was the language of all children whose life was still spent at home. Mark’s Jesus had been born into village and home life. He understood the lives of ordinary folk, identified with them, and spoke their language. He spoke to the girl, gently calling her back to life. She heard and responded. Aramaic was Jesus’ mother tongue, Mary’s language, the language of home. As a final mark of his total humanity, when Jesus comes to die on the cross, he will speak to his Father in the language of his mother.

May Jesus, Lord of our humanity, speak into our hearts and minds in ways we understand. May we hear him through our tiredness, our dullness, and distraction. Calling us back to life.