Faith that Overcomes

Faith that Overcomes: Miracles in the Midst of Despair

Bible Passage: Mk 5:21–43

What are the two main stories of faith highlighted in this gospel account?

Summary: This passage reveals two powerful stories of faith: the healing of a woman who had suffered for twelve years and the raising of Jairus's daughter. Both narratives illustrate the transformative power of Jesus and the importance of unwavering faith amidst desperate circumstances.

How does this study portray Jesus's authority in relation to the miracles described?

Application: This study encourages Christians to place their faith in Jesus during tumultuous times. It helps individuals reflect on their struggles, emphasizing that even when situations seem hopeless, our faith can lead to miraculous outcomes. Christians are reminded to trust in God’s timing and ability to bring healing and restoration.

What do you think is the main theme of this passage?

Answer: This study teaches that, even when it seems that God doesn’t know what is going on with us and our situation seems desperate; faith is the key to receiving God’s miracles in our lives. It shows how persistent faith and the acknowledgment of Jesus's authority can lead to personal healing and restoration, both spiritually and physically.

What are the two main stories of faith highlighted in this study?

How does this passage point to Jesus?

Answer: How this passage could point to Christ: In this passage, Jesus is portrayed as the divine healer who has authority over sickness and death. He fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah by performing miracles that demonstrate God's power and compassion. Ultimately, His resurrection foreshadows the ultimate victory over death, providing hope for believers.

Big Idea: True faith in Jesus leads us to experience His miraculous power, encouraging us to trust in Him even when circumstances seem dire.

1. Desperate for Deliverance

Mark 5:21–24 (NKJV)

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Where is Jesus and His disciples?

Answer: He is back in Israel on the seashore of the Sea of Galilee.

Who came to Jesus?

Answer: A great multitude gathered to Him. And one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus came to Jesus.

What did the ruler of the synagogue do when he saw Jesus?

Answer: Jairus fell at Jesus feet and begged Him to come lay hands on his daughter whom was dying, that she might live.

How did Jairus know Jesus?

Answer: None of the Gospels describe the nature of the Jairus’ relationship with Jesus. Clearly, he must have at some point observed the Lord’s healing ability. He asked for Jesus to make the short journey to his home and lay His hands on her “so that” she would receive healing (Mark 5:23). This Greek particle, hopos (hoe-pose) (“so that,” “in order that”), makes a connection between Jesus touching the child and her recovery. In this case, it’s a necessary, because Jairus’ recognizes that without Jesus touch, the girl would not live. Calling upon Jesus, therefore, represented an exercise of faith.

When Jairus approached Jesus what was he risking as a Jewish synagogue leader?

John 9:22 (NKJV)

His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

As Jesus went with the man, what did the people do?

Answer:

What does Jesus willingness display about Him?

Jesus and His disciples took a night voyage across the Sea of Galilee, enduring the storm, the hardships of the night, the rejection of the people to help one man. Much of another day was spent traveling back across the sea to Israel. Now we see Jesus going with Jairus to heal his daughter.

When Jesus and His disciples were on the other side of the lake, the people there wanted Jesus to leave. But we see there was no limit on Jesus love, no journey was too far, no difficulty was too big. After He crossed back over to Israel, He was willing to go with Jairus. And why was He willing to go with Jairus? He was willing to go because Jairus pleaded with Him. Jairus was fearful of his daughter dying.

What are our limits as we now represent Christ as his servants, as his ambassadors, taking the gospel to a lost and dying world?

What does Jairus's approach to Jesus demonstrate about the nature of faith?

Answer: Jairus' desperate approach to Jesus shows that faith often begins with recognizing our own limitations and turning to Christ for help. In the midst of despair, we are invited to demonstrate faith, even when the outcome is uncertain. This opening encounter challenges us to trust in Jesus beyond our human understanding, setting the tone for an exploration of active and persistent faith.

Lets look at Mark 4:30-32.

“Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”” (Mark 4:30–32, NKJV)

In the parable of the mustard seed, we learn that even the smallest amount of faith can lead to incredible outcomes (Mark 4:30-32). Imagine a tiny seed that symbolizes our faith in Jesus. It may look insignificant, yet when planted, it grows into a mighty tree, demonstrating the miraculous power waiting to be unleashed through genuine belief. This parable encourages us to trust in Jesus, knowing that even in moments of doubt, our faith has the potential to shape reality and bring forth miracles.

How does the mustard seed parable illustrate the concept of small faith leading to great outcomes?

2. Persistent Personal Faith

Mark 5:25–34 (NKJV)

25. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26. and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

29. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

31. But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

32. And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

What happened as Jesus was on His way to Jairus’ house?

Answer: A woman came up from behind Jesus and touched His garment.

What problem did a woman have?

Answer: The woman has been experiencing a hemorrhage for twelve years.

How long had she had this problem?

Answer: 12 years.

What had she done to deal with the problem, and what was the result (Verse 26)?

Answer: She had gone to many physicians and had spent all that she had to get cured. Yet things only got worse for her.

What did the woman do to receive a healing? (Verses 27-28).

Mark 5:27 (NKJV)

When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.

Why did she do it?

Mark 5:28 (NKJV)

For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

She had heard about Jesus and His ability to heal people of whatever ailed them. And she thought to herself, if I could only touch His garment, I would be healed. She believed the reports she had heard of Jesus’ healing powers and believed what she had heard Jesus did for others, He would do for her also. Her actions were a result of contemplated thought. But the thought she has was based largely on the false premise of superstition.

What happened as a result – 5:29?

Mark 5:29 (NKJV)

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

Why do you think the woman came up behind Jesus to touch His garment?

Answer: Perhaps she wanted to avoid a public disclosure of her condition, so she tried to keep from being noticed. Maybe, she thought that not even Jesus would notice her. The point is we don’t really know what was in her mind, but we can know that it is likely that she felt ashamed because of her condition or perhaps she feared rebuke by the crowds or the disciples for touching the rabbi in her impurity.

25 ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. 27 Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Leviticus 15:25–27.

What does it mean to be unclean?

Answer:

Leviticus 10:8–10 (NKJV)

Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean,

Leviticus 12:1-7 NKJV

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days. ‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.”

In the Scriptures quoted above the word “unclean” is used primarily to describe the ritual uncleanness incurred by women during menstruation or childbirth, two functions generally associated with impurity incurred from bodily discharges or secretions (Lev 12:2, 5; 15:19–20, 26).

Everything on which a menstruous women might lie or sit was pronounced ritually unclean (niddâ). The impurity defined by this word also extended to abnormal menstruation such as prolonged or irregular periods (Lev 15:25, 33).

Ezekiel applies the word to the menstrual period in his description of the righteous man who, among other things, does not have intercourse with a woman during the time of her period (Ezk 18:6; 22:10) (a law dependent on Lev 18:19). See also Ezk 22:10.

Metaphorically, the concept of the ritual impurity of the menstrual period was used by Ezekiel to describe the nature of Israel’s sin (36:17). Basic to the metaphorical use of the term is the concept of abhorrence inherent in the physical origin of the term. It is used of useless currency cast into the streets like an abhorred thing (Ezk 7:19–20). It is applied to Israel’s most heinous sins (Zech 13:1; Ezr 9:11; II Chr 29:5).

The word is used in the technical expression “water of impurity,” a purifying water used in the ceremony of cleansing from the defilement of death (Num 19:9, 13, 20–21).

Thomas E. Mccomiskey, “1302 נָדָה,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 556.

According to the Law of Moses, women in menstruation were to remain in relative seclusion as ritually unclean (cf. Lev. 15:19–27). The adjective “ritually” is vitally important to understand because it doesn’t carry the negative connotations twenty-first-century Westerners imagine. This particular law taught basic hygiene to an ancient people who did not have the knowledge we enjoy today, and it gave menstruating women a break from normal duties in an era when the lack of modern conveniences made a woman’s monthly cycle extremely inconvenient. The law also applied to any woman with “a discharge of her blood many days” (Lev. 15:25).

To be ritually unclean meant that a person could not join in normal social activities. A woman in this condition could not enter the temple or a synagogue, she couldn’t have physical contact with other people, she couldn’t accept invitations to dine with others, she couldn’t marry if her condition occurred early in life, and if married, the Law forbade intercourse. Furthermore, her ongoing disease marked her as cursed by God in the eyes of her community. Socially, she might as well have been a leper.

What is significant about her touching Jesus?

Answer: The woman was trusting in superstition. Jesus needed to correct this superstitious belief. Also since anything she touched would be considered unclean, this act would technically make Jesus unclean.

In what ways does the woman with the issue of blood exemplify persistent faith?

Answer: You could focus on the woman's faith in silently reaching out to touch Jesus, illustrating how faith steps beyond fear and tradition. Her healing signifies that persistent and personal faith in Christ's power brings deliverance and restoration. This part of the passage encourages believers to seek Jesus even if it requires stepping out in vulnerability and trust, reinforcing the idea that Jesus responds to genuine faith.

The story of the persistent widow in Luke 18 teaches us about unyielding faith. This widow, disregarded and ignored, kept returning to the judge, seeking justice. Her determination was finally rewarded when the judge granted her request, stating that her persistence overwhelmed him. This parable showcases that faith is not merely passively accepting our circumstances but actively seeking God's intervention in our lives. It resonates deeply, encouraging us that no matter how long we have waited or how difficult the situation is, God hears our pleas when we persevere in faith.

Luke 18:1–8 (NKJV)

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

How does this passage explain the relationship between faith and timing in experiencing God's miracles?

Answer: We saw Jesus teach a parable about a farmer who plants seeds with hope, facing uncertain weather and pestilence. Throughout the season, storms rage, and it seems his efforts might fail. Yet, he does not abandon his fields. He waters, prunes, and cares for the plants, believing in the harvest to come. His persistence mirrors our spiritual journey; like the farmer, we nurture our faith even when trials come. We can draw inspiration from Galatians 6:9, reminding us, 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.'

What question did Jesus ask, and why did He ask it – (Verse 30)?

Mark 5:30 (NKJV)

And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

Did Jesus not know who had touched His clothes?

Answer: Yes, He knew.

What was the purpose of the question if He did know?

Answer: This is Jesus way of reaching out to a woman who desperately wanted to remain anonymous. Jesus needed to deal with this woman’s false premise of superstition.

How did the disciples respond to Jesus’ question – Verses 31,32?

Answer: “But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”” (Mark 5:31, NKJV)

What did the woman do then, and what did Jesus say to her – Verses 33,34?

Mark 5:33 (NKJV)

But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

Mark 5:34 (NKJV)

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Was this woman required to act on her faith in order to receive the blessing from the Lord or did she receive the blessing by faith without doing anything?

Answer: She had the hemorrhaging going on for 12 years, and only recieved healing as she touched Jesus.

Was the woman healed by touching Jesus?

Your faith has healed you. Not magic or superstition, but faith in the person of Jesus had healed her. The word for “healed” is the same as the word for “saved,” indicating the physical and spiritual aspects of her healing. Go in peace. Only now could she go in peace—a bodily peace from which all traces of disease had been removed and a spiritual peace in which all hostilities with God had been removed through the work of Christ.

What can we learn from this passage?

Answer: Every problem in life is allowed by ‘God to bring you into dependence upon His Son Jesus Christ. Notice if you will; Jesus did not rebuke the woman for touching Him. This shows us that Jesus is also LORD of the purity laws as well as the elements of earth, and His authority extends to the demons as well. Also notice that Jesus wasn’t made unclean by the circumstances of this event.

3. Overcoming Obstacles to Faith

Mk 5:35-40

What message came about the ruler’s daughter – 5:35?

What did the message indicate about the people’s concept of Jesus’ ability to help the girl further?

What lesson does Jairus learn about faith when he faces this tragedy in his family?

Answer: Jesus's encouragement to "do not fear, only believe" serves as a reminder that faith in Christ is not only for the possible but also the impossible. This section underlines the necessity of overcoming doubt and clinging to faith, even as circumstances become increasingly hopeless.

What are the obstacles to faith that Jairus faces, and how does he overcome them?

In the Bible, the story of Peter walking on water is a powerful reminder of overcoming obstacles to faith. When Peter noticed the wind, he began to sink, losing sight of Jesus. However, when he called out, Jesus reached out and pulled him up. This illustrates that even when we falter, faith can be rekindled through calling on Jesus—powerfully showing that the real barrier is often our doubt, not God’s willingness to save us.

What reassurance did Jesus give to the ruler – Verse 36?

Who went with Jesus into the house – Verse 37?

What circumstances did they find in the house when they arrived – Verse 38?

What did Jesus say to the mourners – Verse 39?

In what sense was His statement true?

How did the people respond – Verse 40?

Why would they respond in this way?

Who went with Jesus to see the little girl – Verse 40?

4. Triumph Over Tragedy

Mark 5:41-43

What did Jesus say to her – Verse 41?

What happened as a result of the command of Jesus – Verse 42?

What did Jesus say to do after the girl had been raised – Verse 43?

What is the significance of the fact that she walked and ate?

What does this passage teach about the impact of personal struggles in our own faith?

Jesus's ultimate demonstration of authority over death can be clearly seen with the raising of Jairus's daughter. This miracle not only fulfills God's promise but highlights that faith in Jesus ushers in transformative victories. It also serves as a foretaste of His power over death, offering hope and assurance of eternal life. This powerful ending reassures believers that Christ is victorious over our deepest fears.

In the story of Job, we see a man who lost everything—his wealth, his family, and his health. Despite his immense suffering, Job refused to curse God. Instead, he maintained his faith, demonstrating that even in times of tragedy, our response can lead to triumph. This teaches us that our pain can produce perseverance, leading us ultimately to a stronger relationship with God, much like the refined gold that shines brighter after going through the fire.

How does the example of Job relate to the theme of maintaining faith in difficult times?