A Tale of Two Daughters (Mark 5:21-43)

Resource by Peter Park

If you have your Bibles…Turn to Mk. 5. Two stories are intertwined into one about two very different daughters, not biologically related, both have life changing encounters with Jesus. Look at FAITH and what we can learn about it…

Mk. 5 21 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. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, 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 And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

So Jesus is on his way to see Jairus’ daughter but a huge crowd of people are waiting for him and swarm him. And one of them was a woman with an issue of blood, meaning likely that she was suffering from constant menstrual hemorrhaging for 12yrs. And the physical pain and suffering may not have even been the worst part. She would also have suffered emotionally, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually. Because of her issue, she would have been considered unclean. So she wouldn’t have been able to go to the temple or even be around other people. She would have been an outcast, isolated, and alone. She spent everything she had searching for a cure. – Broke. No one could help her and things were only getting worse. – Hopeless.

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.”

Imagine how desperate she was. 12 years of suffering and isolation. Desiring to be loved, belong to a community, maybe even have a family one day, but who would want her in the condition she was in?

Thinks – This is my chance. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. 1. Faith – Leads to intentional action. Faith takes risks. It doesn’t sit back. It’s not passive. (Asking someone out. Grace -> Me. It doesn’t just happen.)

If your faith is not active, not at work, you have to question if there is faith at all. Bible/James – Your faith is dead. Works doesn’t mean you have faith. There are all kinds of reasons even unreligious people do good works – to make them feel better about themselves, for people to think highly of them. But genuine faith does produce works and you show your faith by your deeds. (Can’t tell my wife, Grace, I love you and expect her to believe it without showing her. My attempts may not always work, oftentimes they don’t. But you have to try and prove it.)

29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

You can always count on the disciples to completely miss the point. Who touched you? Everybody is touching everybody. (Bukit Bintang. Friday night. Holiday.) Lots of people touched Jesus by happenstance – pushing and shoving. But not everyone who brushed up against Jesus was healed. The woman, however, touched Jesus’ garment intentionally. She reached out and took hold of Jesus in faith. That’s what led to her healing. It’s exactly what Jairus was looking for from Jesus – a healing touch for his girl.

Note: Jesus perceived that power had gone out from him, almost as if he had no choice. 2. Faith – Jesus’s response to faith is like an automatic reflex. He didn’t stop in the moment to think about what he would do. – Let me consult my disciples. No. As soon as the woman touched him, healing power immediately flowed out from him. Reflex – (I’ve only ever hit my mom once. Elbowed her in the face. Wasn’t really my fault. Tickled/Scared me. I didn’t do it on purpose. My body’s natural life/death reflex.) Jesus’s response to faith, it’s like it’s automatic.

Doesn’t that make you think about what your life could look like if you had this kind of faith that Jesus automatically responds to? Your life, your family, this church, our city. That should get you excited! Because if you will reach out with faith to take hold of Jesus…His power will dispense. He wants us to have this kind of faith to show his power.

But God is not a genie that we’re trying to get to do our will. Not health, wealth, prosperity. False teachers may claim that, oh, you just have to have enough faith. But the Bible doesn’t ever promise us those things in this life. It’s our responsibility to know what are the things God desires to do, what are the promises he’s made in scripture. And then pray that scripture back in faith – Then he has to answer. – Your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven – When we pray in faith that God advances Christ’s kingdom, he will do it. (Your glory at stake.)

32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 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.

The woman was exposed. She had touched Jesus without permission. And she knew she had broken a religious law. She was shaking, scared. She had avoided holy people like Jesus for 12yrs. And she doesn’t know how Jesus will respond. Will he blow up in anger towards her? Will he humiliate her? Or make an example out of her? Look what Jesus does…

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

Couple of things about Jesus as we go through the story as well. First, Jesus has incredible compassion towards the woman. What’s Jesus’ first word to her? – Daughter. This woman, who no one cares about and looks down on, is called, daughter by the God of the universe, the one who created her and knew all her suffering. And the implication of being called daughter is that she is not only physically healed but her faith has healed her spiritually as well. With her physical healing, she could take part in the temple’s religious activities again and be in fellowship with other people. And because of her spiritual healing, she now has peace being in right relationship and fellowship with God. She’s free to live her new life with Jesus in his family.

3. Faith – Leads to life changing experiences with Jesus. Faith is always rewarded. Not with things. With more of Jesus – And with Jesus, that means more of his provision, deliverance, working in your life. A lot of people want amazing things to happen in their lives, but they don’t want Jesus. And they miss the whole point, that if you don’t have Jesus and the life change he brings, it doesn’t matter if you have everything the world has to offer you, you have nothing. Jesus is the treasure that faith brings.

Secondly, Jesus’ holiness is greater than uncleanness. Normally, an unclean person touching a clean person would make them unclean. If I had covid (I don’t) I don’t go around touching all the healthy people so I can get better. No. If I do that, you all get sick. But with Jesus, his holiness, his cleanness, makes what is unclean clean. The opposite happens. That’s how holy he is. It overcomes all uncleanness.

And I love how Jesus is so unhurried and present with this woman. Remember, Jesus was on his way not to heal this woman, but a little girl. But Jesus is not thrown off by the unpredictable. He can’t be interrupted. Everything is so intentional and purposeful.

See Jairus and the woman have something critical in common that is more meaningful than all of their differences. Both Jairus and the woman have a God-sized need. They’ve exhausted all their options and resources. They’re both desperate for God to work, to do only what he can do. 4. Faith – Requires humility and desperation for Jesus. Jarius even left behind his daughter on the deathbed. He could have sent a friend or a servant. But he went to Jesus himself. What kind of faith does that take? To leave your little girl behind and what is likely to be your final moments with her. The only way that happens is if you’re desperate enough for a chance at a miracle. So Jairus, this important, highly esteemed man, when he came to Jesus lowered himself like the woman and fell down at the feet of Jesus.

Do you have that kind of desperation for Jesus? If we’re honest, we usually don’t. Usually, we’re hedging our bets. Prayers – If God works, great. If not, I’m going to do this and that just in case. But self-sufficiency and self-dependence have no place in the Christian life. There’s no such thing.

Now, how would you feel if you were Jairus watching all this happen? Maybe – Who cares about this woman? She’s a nobody. Jesus, we really don’t have time for this. We have to get to my daughter. There’s not much time. (Ellis – Seizure. Call 911. I don’t care what else is happening. My only priority is getting to the hospital.) It’s great that Jesus is so present when you’re the woman or the reader, but it doesn’t feel so great if you’ve ever been in Jairus’ position.

But again, Jesus is unhurried. And he shows no favoritism. No partiality. No special favors. Doesn’t matter if you’re a nobody or you’re somebody. To Jesus, we are all the same. We’re all lost and needy for him.

35 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?” Again, imagine how Jairus is feeling. It’s too late. My girl is gone. Jesus could have just spoken a word when Jairus first came to him and healed his daughter that way. He has that power and healed that way in the gospels. It’s like Jesus was taking his time on purpose to set up what was to come…

5. Faith – Trusts in the waiting. Have you ever noticed that God almost never works according to your timeline? Why is that? He’s early or he’s late but rarely when you want or even how you want it. It’s like he’s got a plan of his own! And the question is, will you take matters into your own hands and do it your own way or will you patiently wait for him? Maybe you’re wanting to get married, and you can’t find a suitable believing spouse and you’ve been patient but there’s no one so you’re willing to date a nonbeliever even though the Bible has made clear you shouldn’t. And the question ultimately boils down to, do you trust God. Will you believe that he has shown himself trustworthy enough for you to have faith in him?

The alternative of not waiting on him, we see over and over again in scripture, leads to really bad decisions and consequences. There’s no such thing as a good decision that goes against God’s ordained ways.

Waiting is not a passive thing we do. Just sitting around doing nothing. No, it’s a time to press into and engage with God more. Because God is not just about the end result or destination. He uses the times of waiting to do something in us that is just as valuable as the place or thing we’re waiting for. So the scriptures are filled with encouragement for us to wait on God, to remember who God is and then trust in him. Look…

Lamentations 3:22-26 26 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great if your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Psalm 33:20-22 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

God is absolutely worthy of your trust and your unwavering faith in him. And when you question his love, his goodness, his sovereignty, his plan for you, all you have to do is look at what Jesus has done for you on the cross and the life he gives you through his resurrection. And that should settle all your doubts. It’s ok to feel like, God, I don’t know what you’re doing. But that’s totally different from, God, you don’t know what you’re doing. – God can’t be trusted and Jesus isn’t enough.

36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

Jairus’ grief could have led him to despair and bitterness, to lose his hope, to lose faith. I came to you for help but you took your sweet time with this lady no one cares about. I thought you could help me but you didn’t seem to be in a hurry to help or that you even cared. And I’ve lost my final moments with my girl. Jesus, it’s too late. Don’t even bother.

Jairus had believed that Jesus could do the hard thing of healing and saving his daughter’s life but would he now believe Jesus to do the impossible? 6. Faith – Overlooks fear and looks to God to do the impossible. Faith keeps going even when all hope seems lost because nothing is final until God has the last word. And that’s the faith Jesus was growing in Jairus.

But I bet the rest of that walk home must have felt like a million km. Hanging on to all hope in Jesus’ words. – Do not fear, only believe. Just as the woman with the issue of blood had believed against all hope, against all odds that Jesus could work a miracle. – I don’t know how but I believe anything is possible with God and that’s my only hope.

Do not fear, only believe is a word for us too. Do not fear, only believe for wayward children, unbelieving spouses, anxiety, depression, hard situations where there seems to be no way out. God is able to work and answer your prayers and/or he will supply every need to endure. And in that process, he will grow your faith to believe that Jesus is enough. He’s better than even the healing or deliverance. He is our all in all. But we have to believe in faith as if he can and will work.

38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him.

Jesus foreshadowing something big is about to happen. But the people’s response shows their lack of faith in who Jesus is and what he can do.

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. (Just as with the woman with the issue of blood, being around and touching a dead body would have made Jesus ceremonially unclean. And this is not a major point in the sermon, but Jesus is not afraid to enter into our mess and our filth. In fact, that’s the very reason he came. Because he couldn’t stand to see us living the way we were in the stench of death. He came to set us free and give us life.)

41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” (My boys – Get up boy! Jump on them. Like when I wake up my girls – Whisper gently, baby girl, time to get up.) Again, you see the compassion of Jesus.

42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Don’t tell anyone – Theme in Mark. Why? A few things: 1. Big Crowds. Practically, harder for Jesus to move around. 2. Some in the crowds were wanting to make Jesus King and overthrow the Roman government. They saw him as a political savior. But he was, of course, much more than that. And that wasn’t his agenda. 3. His time hadn’t come yet to fully reveal why he had come and what he’d have to do. There was still ministry to be done before laying down his life.

Give her something to eat – Why? Because she was hungry and Jesus cared for her. (Not a ghost. No imagination.)

7. Faith – Leads others to life changing encounters with Jesus. For those who don’t know any better or can’t help themselves. If Jairus had given up when word came that his girl had died, his daughter would never have been restored to life. You are supposed to be like Jairus for unbelievers in your life – your neighbors, your coworkers, your classmates…you’re in all those places not just to live, and work, and study. You’re sent into them as mission fields.

Mk. 5…It’s intentional that the story of Jairus and his daughter is interrupted in the middle by the story of the woman with the issue of blood. The woman is being contrasted to both Jairus and his daughter.

Woman vs. Jairus – She was a nobody. But Jairus was a well known and important figure in the community. The woman was ceremonially unclean and unable to participate in the temple activities. Jairus would have helped with the administration of the temple activities and so would have avoided women like her, and she would have avoided men like Jairus so as not to make them also ceremonially unclean. And Jesus heals this woman, making her clean and brings her in. He calls her, Daughter, the highest, most important name that can be given.

Woman and Daughter. The daughter is from a well known/respected family. The woman’s identity and family is unknown. The little girl was twelve years old and for her entire life she would have known love and belonging. The woman on the other hand had the issue of blood for 12 years. She was alone and rejected that entire time. And just as with the woman, who received new life after her encounter with Jesus, Jesus entered into the uncleanness of the little girl’s dead body to make her live again. Both were loved as daughters of the Heavenly Father.

It doesn’t matter who you are…rich, poor, important or unseen, ethnic background, religious background, man or woman, young or old. You have a disease called sin and because of it, you are unclean and separated from the God of life. You are dead in your sin. And there’s nothing you can do to fix yourself. And people who also need saving from death themselves cannot save you. No prophet, religious leader or teacher, no one who supposedly has had dreams, visions, or revelations and has died themselves – They’re not at all qualified to tell us how to overcome sin or defeat death. Only the one who has power over death has that right.

And the good news, the gospel, is that there is healing available to you. All you need is the faith to stretch out your hand to take hold of Jesus, to come to the end of yourself and come to him in complete desperation.

Like Jairus, God the Father knows the pain of losing a child. He sent his one and only son, Jesus, to rescue us from our sin. And to do that he was rejected by the Father, taking upon himself our sin, and died the death we deserved so we could be freed from the penalty of sin and have life. Jesus who was righteous and clean became unclean so that we the unclean could be made clean. But it doesn’t end there, Jesus rose victorious over the grave. Jesus’ authority and power over death – Easy. Son/Daughter, time to get up like from a nap. So you and I don’t have to fear death because of our faith in Jesus, the one who has overcome.

And for all who trust in him, in Jesus’ sacrifice, the Father makes us his sons and daughters. Only your faith in Jesus can make you well, to give you peace. Will you receive it?

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