Power, Fear, & Faith (Part II)
Mark 5:21-43
Main Idea: We can have defiant faith in the face of fear because Jesus has power over suffering, shame, and death.
Setting the Stage (5:21-24a)
As Jesus is surrounded again by invasive crowds, he is approached by Jairus, one of the “rulers of the synagogue.” Though he was a lay leader, he had associations with the religious professionals who want to destroy Jesus (cf. 3:6). Though he probably preferred to keep his distance, an emergency has drawn him to Christ, begging for mercy.
I. Suffering & Shame (5:24b-34)
In the midst of the crowd following Jesus is a woman who has a chronic discharge of blood. Though she attempted to receive help from physicians, her condition has only grown worse, and has spent all her money with nothing to show for it all. Though her physical condition would have been chronically painful and uncomfortable, she was also full of shame as this made her continually “unclean” (cf. Lev. 15:19-27). She was excluded from worship and community in this state of uncleanness.
In faith, she makes her way through the crowd, touches Jesus, and immediately is healed. Though she desired a discreet interaction, Jesus wants more than just an exchange of “power.” He stops and calls for her to identify herself, so he might heal her not only of her physical ailment but also her shame.
“She wants a cure, a “something,” whereas Jesus desires a personal encounter with “someone.” He is not content to dispatch a miracle; he wants to encounter a person. In the kingdom of God, miracle leads to meeting. Discipleship is not simply getting our needs met; it is being in the presence of Jesus, being known by him, and following him.”
~ James Edwards
“The one who has numbered the hairs on our heads also knows every drop of blood in our bodies. Instead of humiliating this woman, Jesus validates her. She’s been excluded from the temple for 12 years, and now she’s welcomed by the one who is the temple where we meet with God (Jn. 2:18-22). If we come to Jesus with our need, our desperation, and our shame, we can know that he will receive us with tenderness too.”
~ Rebecca McLaughlin
II. Delay & Death (5:35-43)
While all of this is unfolding, Jairus is waiting. There is urgency to his situation with his daughter, and while Jesus is stopping to talk with this woman, the worst of his fears become reality. Jesus’ lack of hurry does not mean a lack of concern, however. He immediately addresses Jairus: “Do not fear, only believe.” Whatever faith Jairus had in coming to Jesus is waning or gone at this point.
“This is the challenge before Jairus, and before everyone who meets Jesus: to believe only in what circumstances allow, or to believe in the God who makes all things possible? One thing only is necessary — to believe... With respect to his daughter’s circumstances, Jairus’s future is closed; but with respect to Jesus, it is still open. Faith is not something Jairus has but something that has Jairus, carrying him from despair to hope.”
~ James Edwards
As Jesus arrives at his home, professional mourners have already arrived, as was customary. When Jesus hints at what he is about to do (‘The child is not dead but sleeping’), they mock and laugh at him in unbelief. Undeterred, Jesus gently takes this girl by the hand, stares down the great and horrible enemy of death, and “wakes” her into life, just as a parent would wake a child in the morning.
III. Fear & Faith
Mark is inviting the reader to compare and contrast the two stories in this “sandwich.” The only thing in common between Jairus and this woman are their desperate circumstances; he has a name, reputation, and social standing, but she has the one thing that matters: faith in Jesus Christ.
The faith that is commended here in this double account is faith that is not only desperate but broken. It’s not the faith of the strong; it’s the faith of the weak. It’s not the faith of the respected but the faith of the disgraced. It’s not the faith of the bold but the faith of the frightened.”
~ D.A. Carson
Both Jairus and this woman end up getting more from Jesus than they expected, while also giving more to Jesus than they expected. This is true for all of us who live a life of faith, and we shouldn't be surprised when Jesus leads us to similar places of desperation so we might trust him with a defiant, all-in faith. “You don’t know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”
~ Tim Keller
Both of these stories tell us of the good news of the gospel. Jesus would soon bleed for this woman, die for this girl, and be raised back to life to show his power over it all. Both of these women experience exactly what we will one day experience in Christ. The invitation before us is the same: “Do not fear, only believe.”
Revelation 1:17–18: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
