… But when his daughter died, things fell apart for Jairus. The synagogue failed him because it had no good answer to death. A good Jew – among the best of Jews – but now he was ashamed to go to the temple because the law regarded his dead daughter as unclean. Unclean by death – and so outside Judaism; unclean by death – and so outside holiness. Holding his dead daughter this holy man became contaminated; no longer welcome in the temple to make sacrifices. Shamed by his daughter's death. So he knelt at the feet of a greater holy man. And received Jesus' mercy.
Which holy man, or woman, in today’s church, is in a similar position to Jairus? Perhaps Jeffrey John, a man who has given his whole life to the service of the church, one of the Church of England's great scholars and teachers who was offered the post of a bishop, and was denied that post, because of his sexuality. All of a sudden this previously-respectable church leader was shamed by many because of his private life. In some people's eyes this holy man had become contaminated; no longer welcome in the temple to make sacrifices. Shamed by his sexuality.
Or perhaps other modern-day Jairuses within the church are those clergy and others who have recently made the journey outside the doors of their cathedrals to join in with the Occupy protesters camping outside, to engage with them and seriously debate the issues they raise. Shamed by many for mingling with these noisy, messy outsiders. …
From Shame: only say the word, and I shall be healed – my talk today.
