Anchor My Faith

Two Examples of Faith

Scripture: Mark 5:21-24, 26-29; Luke 8:40, 42-43

With this lesson we start a new section which covers two miracles: the healing of a bleeding woman and the raising of Jairus’s daughter from the dead. ^{Mk 5:21} “And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, ^{Lk 8:40} [and] welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him ^{Mk 5:21} beside the sea.”

Jesus and the disciples have been crossing back and forth across the Sea of Galilee and, on this crossing, they went from a Jewish to the Gentile side of the sea, where his popularity has constantly grown. Over on the Jewish side he was asked to leave because they blamed him for the loss of income from the destruction of the large herd of pigs. Somehow, the crowds knew he was returning and they were all waiting for him beside the sea.

^{Mk 5:22} “Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, ^{Lk 8:42} for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. ^{Mk 5:22} [When] seeing [Jesus], he fell at his feet ²³ 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.” ²⁴ [Jesus] went with him and a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.”

These rulers of the synagogue were laymen who presided over the affairs of the synagogue, including organizing and teaching in synagogue services. Most of these were Pharisees. The fact that Jairus, who was one of these rulers, came and fell at the feet of Jesus, seeking his help for his dying twelve-year-old daughter, demonstrated an urgency and a sincere need. This was his only daughter and he wanted Jesus to come with him and lay his hands on her, because he believed that Jesus could make her well. Jesus consents and goes with Jairus with a great crowd following and thronged about him. What a lack of privacy and what pressure to always have people pressing in on you as you travel.

They were making good progress until a woman worked her way into the crowd and managed to come up behind Jesus. ^{Lk 8:43} “[Now] there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. ^{Mk 5:26} [She] had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” ²⁹ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”

Jairus came to Jesus on behalf of his dying daughter, but this woman came with her own need, not to make a request, but to touch Jesus, for she believed if she could just touch him she would be healed. Before coming to Jesus, she had suffered with a flow of blood for twelve years at the hands of her physicians who could not help her and in the process had taken all she had to live on.

Since this woman had a constant discharge of blood, she was considered ceremonially unclean and thus not permitted to enter the temple section reserved for women and was not permitted to be in public without making people aware that she was unclean. Her plan to work her way through the crowd and touch Jesus would technically make everyone she touched unclean, including Jesus. But she was desperate and believed she had no other option and tried to carry out her plan in secret so that no one would know they were being made unclean by her touch.

 She makes her way through the crowd and came up behind Jesus and touched his garment, “And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.” It appears that her plan was successful, but you can be sure your sin will become known. She had violated the rules for being unclean. People may not know what she did, but when her faith drew power for her healing from Jesus at her touch he knew something had happened and was about to find out what.

In our next lesson, the drama will continue as the woman identifies herself and word comes that the daughter of Jairus has died.

Prayer

Father, Jairus and the woman both exhibited faith but in different ways. I wonder, how are the different ways we demonstrate our faith.