How do I communicate the themes of death to children?

Perhaps a melting ice cube. It demonstrates the slow draining of life implicated in the woman's issue of blood.

Perhaps an empty candybar wrapper or a lost pet could help communicate a Jairus' grief.

A tooth paste tube:

So ... when you have a woman who has been hemorrhaging -- bleeding for
twelve long years -- she has in the Jewish sense, been 'losing her very life'
for those twelve years. Life has been oozing out of her -- seeping out of her.
Like a toothpaste tube being slowly rolled from the bottom, she has been leaking
life for a long, long time.

What the end of the fifth chapter of Mark says is that all of us are left for dead, all of us are dying, all of us are having the life drained out of us like a toothpaste tube being viciously squeezed. All of us are limp, dead corpses waiting to be carried off -- Until! -- Until we encounter Jesus. Until we are touched and we touch.

Fear in this and last week's gospels

Meanings of Greek words

4.41 Why are you so fearful? – of Christians who out of cowardice give way under persecution

4.41 They feared – of those startled by a strange sight or occurrence; a great fear – terror.

5.33 the woman fearing and trembling – struck with fear of injury, (though here I agree with Hooker over Thayer. See below).

5.36 Do not fear – seized with alarm; only believe – impelled by inner and higher prerogative

5.38-39 Tumult – public uproar, hullabaloo, confusion

5.41 they were amazed – throw out of place, astound, and throw out of one’s mind; with amazement great – fear mixed with wonder, state of being out of one’s mind.

Augustine, “Few are they who by faith touch him; multitudes are they who throng about him.”

Markan distinctives:

• Woman “suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.”
• Shows the difficulty is great but no match for the authority of Jesus. Like the storm challenged expert fishermen, the issue of blood challenged expert healers.
• “She had heard the reports about Jesus”
• Contrast to the messianic secret themed in Mark
• Mark does not mention the fringe of the garment, only the garment itself
• If writing for Gentiles, Mark’s community may not have made much of the prayer shawl connection.
• “She felt in her body that she was healed” also connected to “Jesus perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him.”
• Mark’s attention to emotion and feeling
• Underscores that the healing took place by faith ahead of the declaration of Jesus.
• So her reaction to Jesus, fearful and trembling, is awe for the power he demonstrated and not fear of punishment. – Hooker
• “But ignoring what they said”
• Underscores that Jesus’ authority is greater, like he can sleep in the sinking boat so he can ignore the news of the death calling it sleep. It is as he declares it. Such is his authority.
• Also translated overhearing – NRSV
• Tumult vss. 38, 39.
• Reference back to the sea that was just crossed? Linking explicitly the chaos of the sea with death?
• “Talitha cumi”
• “Lamb, get up” translation offered so that they are not understood as magic words common to miracle stories. - Hooker
• Aramaic and translation for gentile audience?
• Give her something to eat.
• Reminiscent of the resurrection appearances, establishes a pattern of true bodily resurrection.

death

The Wisdom of Solomon contemplates the metaphysics of death. Is it God’s doing? Did he create things to die?

The psalmist asks God to help him on the grounds that if he is dead he can no longer do the thing he loves most, praise his God.
"What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!"
He reminds us that, “his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Jeremiah’s lament picks up that refrain, and answers Wisdom’s desire for understanding death. “For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.”

Jesus is met by Jairus whose daughter is dying. He goes to heal her, but is interrupted by a life-drawing touch from a woman whose life is leaking slowly from her. Giving life to her, he is interrupted once again by the news that Jairus’ daughter is dead. What is God’s reaction to death? There is no finality to it. He does not reject forever. Jesus raises the girl to life as though she was sleeping. For to God that is all death is.

Freindship

Paul urges the Corinthians to continue in brotherly love.
“Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you--so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others.”

For the Corinthians this love took on a very practical form, they gave to supply the needs of poorer, struggling brothers. Their love was in fact their action.

For David his love for Jonathan and his honor for his king are expressed in more esoteric ways. He intones his lament searching the very real and very raw love in his heart.

“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.”

The psalmist reminds us of the friend we have in despair saying, “Out of the depths I cry to you,” and “O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.”