Faith Around the Fringe

Week 2: the mystery grows.

Last week we read three separate accounts of a woman who suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years.

We approached it like a mystery.

We asked questions.

We were smart and curious, just how God made us.

We found that she touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment because in Greek the word for fringe, kraspedon, also meant wing. And that makes sense when you dig a little deeper.

The woman was Jewish and would’ve heard the Jewish scripture in Greek.

The woman was probably familiar with Malachi 4:2, which reads:

Malachi 4:2 ESV

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

She believed Jesus could heal her and she touched His garment where Malachi prophesied the healing would be found, in His wing, His kraspedon, the garment He wore around His shoulders as all Jewish men did.

The woman was ultimately healed from her bleeding and was restored to her people as well as her Creator, Jesus.

But remember, that was a story nested in another story.

More mysteries!

That’s right, we have more mysteries to uncover!

Every time you read the Bible, think: what do you understand, what do you think you understand, and what don’t you understand.

It really changes the way you read Scripture.

Today, instead of reading through the three separate accounts found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we will focus solely on the Mark 5 account.

Jesus has come by boat to Capernaum.

He was on the Gadarene side of the Sea of Galilee, or Gergesa, where He exorcised the demoniac from a man who walked amongst tombs, amongst death.

The demoniac were the unclean spirits that referred to themselves as Legion.

So, Jesus get’s back to Capernaum and there He was met by a great crowd.

They had time to talk about the things He had done before He left for the Gerasenes and word had obviously spread.

Before we start reading, if you’ll indulge me again, please put on your deerstalker (I learned that was the name of Sherlock Holmes hat while researching this week), grab your calabash bubble pipe, and see what things stick out to you as mysterious or odd or just something that piques your interest.

Let’s read Mark 5:21-43:

Mark 5:21–43 ESV

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling 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 disease.” While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

What stands out now?

You might’ve been here last week and are more familiar with that middle section.

Let’s break it down to sections.

What do you notice from the beginning when Jairus and the crowd are there.

What about the ending?

Anything from the middle?

One thing I wanted to talk about, and we touched on it a bit last week, was the healing that happened. Because there is a word in Greek that pops up a few times in this account.

Sozo means to save, heal, rescue, or to make whole. It’s a restorative word. In this passage we just read, the word appears 3 times.

Once, when Jairus says that Jesus will make his daughter well.

Once, when the woman with the bleeding issue says if she touches Jesus garment she will be made well.

Finally, Jesus tells that same woman that she was made well, sozo, because of her faith.

Now, I want to be mindful here. We are Christians alive in 2026 with all the knowledge of the last 2,000 years separating us from this event.

We see a word like sozo and see that it means saved and it could be easy for us to assume that means the woman was saved! She is a Christian now.

Though, I think that can be a possibility. In that moment she IS saved by Jesus and perhaps that did something for her eternal destination, but remember, that would not have been her understanding. It wouldn’t have been on her radar!

She probably believed that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, but even the disciples didn’t fully understand what that meant!

So instead, I want to focus on the wholeness and restorative elements of sozo. That better captures the mindset of the first century Jew.

Their lives revolved around separation through ritual or ceremonial uncleanness from their people and from God. Many did whatever they could do to stay clean.

First century Jews understood uncleanness as belonging to the realm of death. Anything that brought death or represented death was considered unclean.

Remember when Adam sinned and it brought death into the world? Being unclean was a reminder of that death, because their view on death wasn’t the finality of death that we may think about, but it was anything that separated them from God.

Mark 5:34 ESV

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Jesus says to the woman with the issue of blood, be whole, be restored. Sozo.

Then again to the girl who had died, Jairus asks:

Mark 5:23 ESV

and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”

And what did Jesus do? He restored her back to life.

Sozo speaks of restoration. And in these two situations the natural question is restoration to what?

Let’s dive into another mystery.

Perhaps you noticed this already, but the number 12 has come up a few times.

The woman bled for 12 years. The girl who dies and was resurrected was 12.

Why 12?

Of course, they were both probably accurate dates, but they were not ONLY accurate dates, they were also symbolic.

What other 12’s can you think of that come up in the Bible?

12 tribes of Israel, 12 sons of Israel

12 disciples

Moses built 12 pillars

Joshua commands the people take 12 stones from the Jordan

12 baskets of leftovers with the loaves and fishes

12 represents tribal completeness.

Let’s break this down using the Mark 5 account.

The woman with a discharge of blood, last week we talked about her status among her people. Do you remember what that was?

Very little to no status whatsoever.

Jesus heals her when out of desperation and faith, she reaches out.

She was unclean and Jesus took her uncleanness away and restored her.

The daughter was ritually clean. She was the daughter of a ruler of the synagogue. She had full participation amongst her people. She embodied the law given from God to Moses.

She dies. Jesus touches her and she comes back to life.

Both women who represent polar opposite spectrums of Jewish livelihood at that time: completely separated from her people due to ceremonial uncleanness all the way to the living image of morality.

Jesus gives sozo, healing and restoration, to BOTH. Meaning everyone who falls somewhere in between can also receive sozo. Restoration.

Let’s think about what is happening at this time, the Jews are following the original law, making sacrifices, following the traditions and festivals, as God instructed throughout the old testament.

However, the Pharisees who knew the law added to them making anyone’s ability to perfectly follow the law impossible. They had corrupted God’s law and were being crushed under the weight of it.

Not only the Pharisee’s, but all of Israel was under the weight of the law, while not being connected to the giver of the law.

Then Jesus comes.

He says:

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Jewish people had to do so much work to feel like they were living right in the eyes of God.

Am I clean, am I unclean, what do the temples priests think?

It was heavy. It is still extremely heavy for modern days Jews trying to follow the law.

But Jesus says to take of the yoke that is crushing you and keeping you separated from the Father and put on my yoke. Jesus’ yoke. Learn from Him. His humility. His willingness to serve.

And I love this, He will give rest to your soul!

Who here needs rest, true rest in their soul?

The Jewish people were separated from God and Jesus brough them restoration to the Father. Sozo.

He tells the woman to go in wholeness, in peace.

He tells the girl to rise up from the dead, as if He is telling the whole of the Jewish people rise up from the dead. The law doesn’t lead to life, and especially not to abundant life that is found in Jesus.

Worship team, please make your way up to the stage.

The Jews can be reconciled to God. But, that isn’t found in their vain repetitions.

Not in their sacrifices, festivals, or Mosaic laws, which, by the way, ALL point to Christ. Mysteries to dive into some other time for you.

Restoration is found in Christ because restoration BELONGS to Christ!

Restoration belongs to Christ because God gave that to Him.

Matthew 11:25–27 ESV

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Restoration, healing, sozo is found in Christ alone for the Jew.

But not ONLY for the Jew. For every one Jesus chooses to reveal Himself to. You are here today, and by hearing this, may Christ continue to reveal Himself to you as you seek Him out.

The mystery is there to encourage you to seek God out in all things, in all ways.

Ask questions, be curious, wrestle with what God says in His word. Don’t wrestle alone, we have a body of believers here that all want to learn and grow closer to God, amen?

Last week and this week have been amazing opportunities for me to research, be challenged, and grow. I hope you are feeling the same and the next time you open your Bible, which I hope will be sooner rather than later.

As we close in song, I’ll leave you with this.

We can probably find dozens of nuggets in the passage we focused on today, Mark 5:21-43. Every single one of them should lead you right back to Jesus.

Be curious. Ask questions. Read the Bible. Discuss with believers. Grow!

So, be curious.

Ask questions.

Dive into the text. Read your Bible.

Discuss it with other believers.

It’s how we grow as Christians.

Fellow Christian, grow!