Rahab, Mary, the Bleeding Woman, and Jairus’ Daughter

by Revd. Olivia Haines

Rahab, Mary (Jesus’ mother), the bleeding woman, and Jairus’ daughter: each of these women had a life changing encounter with God. Each can teach us something of the kind of leadership and ministry the church of the future needs.

Rahab

Rahab is placed front and centre at the beginning of the conquest of Jericho narrative in Joshua. She is named, but the spies are not, so it is likely that the success of the mission relied on this prostitute of non-Israelite descent. She has trusting, persistent faithfulness to God’s call, as Rahab confesses her faith in the Lord (Joshua 2: 8-13). The magnitude of her faith is applauded in Hebrews, and again in James, when her faith is compared to that of Abraham’s. We see that it is not by faith alone, but by what Richard Bauckham calls ‘the acts of difficult obedience to God’ through which she demonstrated her love for God and her desire to turn away from her old life. 

The church needs leaders who can be obedient to God, even when it is difficult. Considered a righteous woman, Rahab teaches us much about hospitality, mercy, faith, and repentance. Younger Miller and Tucker note that Rahab shows ‘unconditional loyalty towards the spies, risking everything; but the spies show conditioned loyalty to Rahab, minimising their risks’. Who is it that captures the true heart of God? Thus, the church requires leadership and ministry which is unconditional. We can place conditions on certain things in our churches (for example, safeguarding vulnerable people and recruiting safely), but we must not place conditions on hospitality, mercy, faith, or repentance. We must simply, as Rahab does, do it.

Mary

‘Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be’ (Luke 1: 29). In this narrative, Mary is introduced as a virgin, living in Galilee, engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendent of David. She is told that she will conceive God’s own son, called Jesus, and this child will reign forever. Mary responds, ‘I am the Lord’s servant … May your word to me be fulfilled’ (Luke 1: 38). 

Once again, we see this attitude of bowing down to God’s will and purpose, as we saw with Hagar, as well as an act of difficult obedience, as we saw with Rahab. Throughout scripture we see Mary follow Jesus, not just as a mother, but as a disciple, all the way to the cross. Scot McKnight argues that Mary’s Magnificat was not merely a spiritual song, but the ‘heartfelt release of a woman for what God was … about to do in Israel’: this was a woman who was ‘ready to announce the Good News to the world’. Mary was a revolutionary.

We meet her again at the foot of the cross, where she remains when all the crowds have gone. Simon Walker writes that effective leadership comes out of being undefended, not out of defending what we fear to lose. Mary had everything to lose, including the son which she bore, and yet she teaches us what it is to stand faithfully and obediently in the presence of God. McKnight writes, ‘the real Mary changed the world by surrendering to the angel Gabriel with three words: “May it be.” And God used her to set loose the power of God.’ It is this powerlessness and humility which Henri Nouwen sees as being ‘the most important quality of Christian leadership in the future.’ His argument is similar to that of Walker’s: too often, people are tempted to ‘choose power over love, and control over the cross’, because they fear what they may lose. It is this leadership, ‘where power is constantly abandoned in favour of love’, in which Jesus Christ shines out.

The Bleeding Woman and Jairus’ Daughter

In Mark (and Matthew and Luke) we are introduced to a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years. For twelve years she has been seen as unclean, impure, unable to live with her family in her community. In Mark 5:28 she utters the words, ‘if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ If I could just do this one thing, life will be ok. And, as Evans notes, her assumption is correct, as she is immediately healed. 

Jesus makes a point of calling her out, in order that it can be known publicly that she is no longer impure. However, something else is going on in this passage. This woman’s story is told amid the story of Jairus’ daughter, who dies and so is also unclean. In this scripture, Jesus calls those on the fringes to be brought into the community, whilst simultaneously calling the elite and privileged to experience the death of that status.

Nouwen writes about the desire to be relevant that can be found in church leadership, and how the antidote is to live a life that is anchored in the unbroken, perfect first love that is God’s love for us. He asks, ‘Are the leaders of the future truly men and women of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God’s presence, to listen to God’s voice, to look at God’s beauty, to taste fully God’s infinite goodness?’ I believe that is what the bleeding woman and Jairus’ daughter show us: we can taste God’s infinite goodness, and dwell in His presence, if we would only be willing to be irrelevant and have our status crucified. 

As Walker writes about leaders who learn to enjoy the freedom of only being concerned with God’s opinion: ‘they never were quite as good as they thought they were – but it doesn’t matter as much as they thought it did anyway.’ The church requires leadership and ministry which is not about attracting attention, appearing relevant, craving praise. It requires leadership and ministry which chooses love over power, and the cross over status; which points to the cross, and is a living example of putting status to death.

Conclusion

The church of the future needs leadership and ministry which is obedient to God and puts self to death. Rahab captured the true heart of God in her interactions with the Israelite spies. We learn from her the importance of exercising unconditional, sustained faithfulness to God’s call. Mary chooses to say yes to God, she chooses powerlessness over her son’s future and purpose. In the same way, we also must choose powerlessness and humility over our own purpose. Finally, we met the bleeding woman who thought that if she could just have this one thing, life would be ok. The church of the future requires leadership and ministry which does not place conditions on what will make things ‘easier’. We are required to no longer chase relevancy or praise, instead our focus must be the cross. The church of the future must put its own status to death, in order that Christ can bring life, just as he did with Jairus’ daughter.