Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Mark 5:21) And when Jesus had passed over again by ship to the other side, many people gathered to Him, and He was near to the sea.
Jesus left the Gadarenes as He had been asked to do and sailed by ship back to the other side again, to Capernaum. He came onto the shore and many people gathered around Him.
(22) And behold, there came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and when he saw Him, he fell at His feet.
From among the crowd that gathered around Jesus, there came to Him one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus. When he saw Jesus, he fell down at His feet.
(23) And beseeched Him greatly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death; I pray You, come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live."
Jairus begged Jesus to come with him. His daughter was at the point of death, and he begged Jesus to come with him to lay His healing hands on her, that she might be healed and live.
(24) And Jesus went with him, and many people followed Him and thronged Him.
Jesus indeed went with the man, and a multitude of people followed after Him and crowded Him.
(25) And there was a certain woman who had had an issue of blood for twelve years.
Among the people who crowded around Jesus was a woman who had had an issue with bleeding for twelve years. This issue of blood would have made her unclean in the eyes of the Jewish law for twelve years. That is a perfect example of what sin does to a person. Our sin makes us constantly and indefinitely unclean in the presence of God.
(26) And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and nothing was bettered but rather grew worse.
The woman had sought treatment from many doctors, spending all the money she had to be cured, but nothing had made her condition better; it had only worsened.
(27) When she had heard of Jesus, she came in the crowd behind and touched His garment.
When the woman had heard of the fame of Jesus and the miracles He wrought, she worked herself up through the crowd from behind to merely touch His garment. She, perhaps, having spent twelve years being shunned, considered unclean, did not dare confront Him face to face, or perhaps she was just grabbing at Him the best she could from within the crowd.
(28) For she said, "If I may touch only His clothes, I shall be whole."
Regardless of what reason it was that brought her to touch only Jesus's clothes, the woman had faith that the mere touch to His garments would make her whole again.
(29) And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
Immediately upon touching Jesus's garment, the woman's issue of blood was dried up, and she indeed felt whole and well again. That is remarkable. There was no conscious effort of Jesus to heal the woman, although we know that Jesus knew what was happening. Just touching what was touching Him was enough to completely heal the woman on the spot! I think that shows us that no matter how unworthy we feel we are in His presence, whatever move we make toward Jesus, if done with a faithful heart, Jesus will respond willingly to save us.
(30) And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"
Jesus, of course, knew immediately that the woman had touched His garments and had been healed. It was not from some diminishing of His virtue or strength that He knew. He knew a healing had taken place and that had been from His very essence, an internal omnipresent virtue in Him to cure diseases. He turned around in the crowd and asked who had touched His clothes, knowing full well who had touched them, but doing this for the witnesses to the miracle.
(31) And His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, "Who touched Me?'"
Jesus's disciples incredulously replied to Him that there was a whole crowd of people pressing against Him; how could He ask who it was who touched Him?
(32) And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. (33) But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth.
Jesus looked around and spotted the woman who had touched Him and had been healed. She was very afraid and trembling. She knew she had been healed, and she, in her unclean self, had dared to touch Jesus's garment to get that healing. However, she came forth to Jesus, fell down before Him, and confessed all she had done and what was done for her.
(34) And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace and be whole from your plague."
Jesus told the woman that her faith had healed her. Of course, that meant faith in the One who could heal, not faith in itself. I can't help but think that is where some Word of Faith believers miss the point. They seem to act as though it is the faith itself that produces results. "If only I had faith enough, it would have happened..." I've got news for them. If it is God's will, it will happen with or without your faith! Likewise, if it is not in God's will, it will not happen, faith that it will happen or not! Our faith is in Christ alone! That woman had great faith in Him, yes, knowing He would heal, and that was fully within His will to do so. He told her to go in peace, and not be afraid, and be whole and enjoy her healing from her plague.
(35) While He was still speaking, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain ones who said, "Your daughter is dead! Why trouble the Master any further?"
Jesus had been on His way to heal Jairus's daughter when He was interrupted by this woman with the blood issue. He had been delayed, and now came word that Jairus's daughter had died and therefore, there was no further need to inconvenience Jesus.
(36) As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Be not afraid, only believe."
Jesus heard the message that was sent that Jairus's daughter had died, but He told him not to be afraid, but keep the faith, so to speak. You can bet Jesus's delay was purposeful to demonstrate His power.
(37) And He permitted no man to follow Him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
Jesus would not allow anyone to accompany Him to the ruler's house, except Peter, James, and John. It was probably much easier than normal to disperse the crowd because they had likely heard the word that the little girl was already dead. Probably Jesus did not want a huge crowd because He was humble and did not desire the applause of men; however, He took enough witnesses to make what would happen next "truth." "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." (Matthew 18:16)
(38) And He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw the tumult and those who wept and wailed greatly.
Jesus came into Jairus's house and saw all the people within the house, friends and relatives, weeping and wailing over the passing of the little girl.
(39) And when He had come in, He said to them, "Why make this ado and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleeping."
When Jesus came into the house, he asked the crowd why they were making such a fuss and weeping and wailing. He told them the little girl was not dead, but only sleeping.
(40) And they laughed at Him in scorn. But when He had put them all out, He took the father and the mother of the damsel, and those who were with Him, and entered in where the damsel was lying.
Not realizing just who had addressed them, the people laughed and ridiculed Jesus for saying the girl was only sleeping. Jesus, in turn, turned them out of the house. I do believe there is a good lesson in this and also when Jesus dispersed the crowd from following Him to Jairus's house. We don't need to have a group of naysayers and non-believers around us in such a moment. We want believers and God-fearing folk with faith to support and uplift us. We don't want to be drug down and have our faith diminished by those who don't believe. A good model of this in the Old Testament was the Shunammite woman in Kings 4. Elisha, through the power of God, had given her a son, but her son died. She went straight to Elisha to deal with her problem. Her husband and the servant of Elisha both asked about her concerns, and she told them both she was fine, even though she surely was not fine, but there was no need to tell her problems to those people who could not help her, and especially in the case of her husband, might even try to stop her.
After Jesus had put all the naysayers out of Jairus's house, He, the parents of the girl, and the three disciples with Him went into where the girl lay.
(41) And He took the damsel by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cumi," which being interpreted is, "Damsel, I say to you, arise."
Jesus took the little girl's hand and told her to arise. "Talitha cumi," Jesus's actual words are written here, and they literally mean, "Damsel, arise." "I say to you" was a parenthetical phrase added by Mark to show it was by Jesus's own authority and power over death that He told her to rise up.
(42) And immediately the damsel arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
Indeed, the little girl got up and walked. Mark made it a point to say that she could indeed walk because she was, after all, twelve years old. Of course, all who witnessed this miracle were utterly amazed.
(43) And He charged them strictly that no man should know it, and commanded that something should be given her to eat.
Once again, Jesus commanded that they not tell anyone of the miracle. Once again, I say that would be a hard thing to obey, when so many had seen the little girl dead. However, Jesus did not want it spread far and wide as it was not the time to further enrage the scribes and Pharisees against Him. He additionally commanded them to get the girl something to eat. In this, He was letting the parents know that she was restored completely to human life with all the needs of it.
With these two miracles, we see the innate nature of Christ to heal and to restore life. He had power over sickness and even death. Sin is a sickness with which we all suffer and the consequence of that is death, but Jesus came to conquer that death and to give us an abundant life:
"The thief comes not, but to steal and to kill and to destroy; I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly." (Jesus's words in John 10:10)
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