Mark 5:21-34

Mark 5:21–34 KJV (WS)

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Introduction

The next two miracles continue the theme of man’s despair and helplessness.

Jesus has been demonstrating his power over man’s enemies.

He got the victory over the danger of the storm.

He got the victory over the danger of the demon.

Now, we are going to see him get the victory over disease and death.

All of this is recorded for us in order to strengthen our faith

Maybe you have read all of these stories before and yet you feel like your strength is still weak.

Don’t worry.

Remember the disciples’ faith in the storm?

They actually watched Jesus do miracles.

And still there faith was weak.

In this passage we see that Jesus will bless even the smallest amount of faith.

Jesus comes back to the Capernaum shore. vss 21-24

He has just returned from healing the demoniac.

The people of that region had begged him to leave.

The demoniac bagged Jesus to let him go with them.

Jesus granted the people’s request but denied the demoniac’s.

He and his disciples pass back over the sea to Capernaum.

It doesn’t take long after they land for the people crowd around him.

When one crowd sighed with relief as Jesus left, another was waiting to welcome him.

In addition to the crowds, there are two people in particular that are waiting in Capernaum for Jesus.

The first is a man with a problem in his family

The man’s name is Jairus.

He is one of the rulers of the synagogue.

This made him very important in Capernaum.

Vs 2 says that this man besought Jesus?

What would cause this powerful man to come to Jesus begging?

He wants Jesus to come heal his daughter.

Lieth at the point of death is literally “daughter was at her last.”

Jesus agrees to follow him to his house.

As he makes his way to Jairus’ house the second person that was waiting for Jesus is introduced to the passage. vss 25-27a

This new person is a woman who has been suffering for a very long time.

She has an issue of blood.

She was constantly hemorrhaging blood.

This not only sapped her energy, but it also made her unclean.

The contrast between Jairus and this woman is striking.

Jairus was an important man in the synagogue.

The woman was an anonymous nobody.

She is just called a “certain woman.”

But there was a key similarity.

The stories of Jairus and this woman converge on this day.

But they also started at the same time.

This woman’s suffering began 12 years earlier.

Jairus’ daughter was born 12 years earlier.

For 12 years pain and happiness had placed both of these individuals on a collision course with Jesus.

This woman has done everything she could do to try and find relief from her affliction.

This is another way that Jairus and the woman are in the same boat.

He is a wealthy community leader.

Yet his money cannot save his daughter.

As for the woman, we don’t know her previous economic status.

We do know that she had bankrupted herself seeking treatment from every doctor she could find.

All the money she spent, and she was no better off.

Doctors could not help her.

Wise doctors bungled her case.

To suffer by physicians is ironical.

The treatment of diseases at this point in history was exceedingly trying, painful, and loathsome.

Doctors remedies were often more painful than the thing they were trying to treat.

If all they can do is make their patients suffer, we had better dispense with their services.

Her actions in this passage are predicated on her hearing about Jesus.

She had heard of Jesus and that’s what motivated her actions.

Capernaum was a focal point of Jesus’ ministry.

Many miracles had been done here .

When we talk about faith, we must be reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 10:14 “14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

This woman heard what Jesus had done for others and wanted to see if he could help her as well.

Her approach is not without obstacles. vss 27b - 29

The press of the crowd.

vs 24 tells us that the people thronged him.

The crowd was not considerate.

Not to Jesus, Jairus, or this woman.

They were out of control.

Thronged means rude pressure.

How could she get to him with this going on.

The perceived inaccessibility of Jesus.

The woman was ashamed of her condition.

Her uncleanness had prevented her from living a normal life for 12 years.

Surely this rabbi would not want to speak with her.

How could he risk becoming unclean as well by coming into contact with her?

She has a plan, though.

Her faith was weak, timid, and maybe somewhat superstitious.

She believed that if she could just touch the tassel of his prayer shawl, that she would be healed.

She is able to get close enough.

V27 tells us that she came up behind Jesus and touched his garment.

Immediately she felt the blood stop flowing.

In that moment, she was healed.

The woman’s healing was physical in operation but spiritual in its source.

This fact leads to the last part of this story.

Immediately, Jesus knows something has happened. vss 30-34

Jesus searches for the person that touched him.

How many people had touched Jesus that day?

The Lord was conscious of the flow of healing power from himself.

The fact that this woman was not healed without Jesus’ knowledge means that she did not receive healing without his will.

He had known that she was approaching him.

He allowed the healing power to flow through his tassels.

The power to heal is never lessened.

But still he seeks an audience with the woman.

His disciples protest Jesus’ search.

Logically, the disciples are right in their protest.

Jesus, knows where this woman is and who she is.

We may not know her name but Jesus knew everything about her.

He isn’t searching for information.

He is wanting her to come forward on her own.

Jesus identifies the woman.

She wanted to slip away unseen, but Jesus stopped her.

He looks for her.

She responded to his search.

She comes forward and falls down at his feet.

It was not enough to believe in her heart.

The woman must also confess with her heart.

This was a costly confession.

Jesus speaks comforting words to the woman.

He called her daughter.

He honored her faith, weak as it was, and healed her body.

He wanted to be more than her healer, he wanted to be her savior.

Whole in v34 is not the same as whole in verse 28.

One means total healing, the other means specific healing.

By healing her and approving of her actions, this woman never had to wonder if she acted inappropriately.

She had acted in whatever little faith she could muster, and Jesus blessed her for it.

Application

Not everyone has the same degree of faith, but the testimony of the Bible is that Jesus responds to faith no matter how feeble.

He also responds no matter how anonymous you may think that you are.

It’s good for us to not only read of what God did in the Bible but also to hear about what God is doing in the lives of others.

This was the seed that prompted her actions, hearing the testimonies of Jesus’ power.

She may not have come the way everyone else did.

The nature of contact was unimportant; it was faith that was important.

Her faith was the key.

It was Jairus who approached Jesus first, but it was the woman who was first helped.

You may not always know the right words to say or even the right thing to ask for.

This woman didn’t ask for anything, yet her faith made her whole.

What kind of faith do you have?

Is it weak or timid?

That’s okay.

Is it in Jesus?

That’s the key.

Conclusion

What is the need in your life tonight?

Do you have faith to go to Jesus for help?

Even if your faith is weak, if it’s placed in a powerful God, that’s what matters.