Today’s passage: Mark 5:21-43
Helpful thoughts:
- Two miracles are depicted in today’s passage. The healing of the woman with a “discharge of blood” and the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
- The young girl was, in fact, dead (Luke 8:55). This changes how we understand what Jesus says in verse 39.
- Both the woman and the young girl who was dead were “unclean” and should have rendered Jesus unclean. But instead, Jesus rendered them clean!
- The woman would have pushed her way through a crowd to touch Jesus. The fact that she had made everyone she touched unclean is probably why she came to Jesus in fear and trembling when He asked who had touched Him.
- Both this sickly woman and the ruler of the synagogue were right to fall at Jesus’ feet. Jesus is worthy. Every knee will bow (Philippians 2:9-11).
Questions to consider:
- If Jairus was a ruler of a synagogue (The equivalent to a local church before Christ), what risk was he taking in falling at Jesus’ feet to ask for help for his daughter? How might the leaders and people around him have responded, given his position of leadership?
- In what way do both of these accounts communicate an abandoning of concern for what others will say? To whom must we go for “healing” from our sin? Can the thoughts or rebukes of other people keep us from falling at Jesus’ feet? What truths about Jesus can help us to overcome those fears?
- What can we learn from the fact that the God of the universe came to a little girl and spoke to her in her heart-language (Aramaic)? What can we gain from taking time to consider the “condescension” of God to mercifully and graciously rescue and care for us?