Only Believe

Mark 5:21–43 NASB95

When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

I. Introduction

a. Last week we saw Jesus healing the Gerasene Demoniac, making him whole, in his right mind and clothed.

b. We saw the discussion between the demons Legion and Jesus Christ how they begged Him not to send them to the abyss, eternal Hell.

c. The we saw how the demons requested to be sent into a hear of 2000 swine and Jesus gave them permission.

d. We also saw how this was a judgement to those that kept the swine as a judgement as it was a direct violation of the Law of God given to the Jews.

e. Then the towns people asked Jesus to leave their region as they were hugely afraid of Him. Also then Jesus gave a commission to the healed man to go and tell all his people what great thing the Lord had done.

f. So this week we see Jesus getting back in the boat and heading back to the other side. He is greeted by a huge crowd so he stayed at the seashore.

II. Jairus

a. Fell at Jesus feet. Now this is a synagogue official, now why would a synagogue official fall at Jesus feet, unless He had total faith in who Jesus was? If he didn’t believe in Him then would you see anyone falling down before Christ?

b. He was absolutely desperate. “implored Him earnestly”

i. His daughter was at a point of death.

ii. She was his only daughter.

c. Jesus seeing his faith went with Him. No couldn’t Jesus had just gave His word and so go to the house your child is healed? In John 4:46-54, “Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

d. I believe it was because what happened next.

III. The Woman

a. Woman had a hemorrhage for 12 years. Now this made her ceremonially unclean, Leviticus 15:25-31, “‘Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. ‘Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like her bed at menstruation; and every thing on which she sits shall be unclean, like her uncleanness at that time. ‘Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. ‘When she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days; and afterward she will be clean. ‘Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them in to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. ‘The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the LORD because of her impure discharge.’ “Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.”

b. How did you think people treated this woman?

c. She heard about Jesus

i. Here is the faith, Mark 5:28, “For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”

ii. But she knew touching someone or she told anyone she was hemorrhaging people would freak out.

iii. So she was going to do this thing in secret.

iv. When Jesus felt the power go out of Him, He knew.

v. Why did He call her out?

because He wanted to show everyone and the woman that it was her faith in Him that healed. That the healing was from Him and not His clothing. The power is in Christ.

He used this as an object lesson to all them that faith in Him is what saves you.

d. Mark 5:34, “And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.

IV. Only Believe

a. Now while the woman was being healed, the daughter of Jairus had died.

b. Mark 5:35, “While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”

i. trouble - Greek word actually means, “tear or rend apart”. Basically they are saying this to filet Jesus, only if He would have hurried up, you daughter would have not died.

ii. Also this shows the unbelief that Jesus cannot raise the dead, it is to late for Him to do anything.

c. But did Jesus say to Jairus? Mark 5:36, “But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”

d. They had already assembled the paid professional mourners for the daughter, here is the why we can ascertain that from this, is because when Jesus said what is all this commotion? She is not dead but sleeps, they started laughing at Him. Now if you were truly mourning for this child would you be laughing?

e. Jesus kicked them out. why because of unbelief.

V. I Care for You

a. Jesus touched the girl, you know first of all Jesus allowed the woman who had a hemorrhage to touch her, which made Him ceremonially unclean, now He is touching a dead body which makes Him ceremonially unclean.

b. Also Jesus spoke to the girl in Aramaic and not Hebrew, as Talitha Kum, is Aramaic for Little girl, I say to you, get up! Why is this recorded in Aramaic, some believe Mark did this for his Roman readers of the gospel. But others is it showing that our Lord spoke many different languages.

c. but notice what He did after she got up, He so cared for her that He told them to give her some food. Showing even the smallest of concerns for the girl.

d. but notice what He told everyone there, not to tell anyone. This goes back to the original outset where He told others not to say much because of what commotion it would cause as He had a mission to fulfill.

VI. Summary

The whole key to this passage is, “But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”