The Gospel of Mark 5:21-34

 Brian Hirvela

4/4/24

And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet and pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come, that by coming, You may lay Your hands on her, so that she will be saved and live.” And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

And a woman—who had a hemorrhage for twelve years and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His garment. For she was saying, “If I just touch His garments, I will be saved from this.” And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she knew within her body that she had been healed of her affliction.

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples were saying to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He was looking around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

Jesus was asked to leave the Gerasenes because of His work by cleansing a man of “Legion”, casting out the multitudes of demons, and setting the man right in his mind. This act involved sending the demons into a herd of swine which ran headlong into the sea causing the people of that area to tell Jesus to leave. So, Jesus and his disciples crossed the sea to Galilee.

Upon arrival, many people gathered around Him. As the people of the Gerasenes reject Jesus, we find many more who do receive and welcome Him. The crowd was so large He had to remain on the seashore for it was a large open area. For many have heard of the works of Jesus and the great deeds He has done.

Though many gathered around Him, One man named Jairus came to see Him. Jairus is a synagogue official like Elders in the church today. One who ran the place of assembly of those who believe or practice their worship. He had prominence in the community and yet He denies that to run to Jesus and plead for his daughter’s life as she lies in bed dying.

Jairus has obliviously heard what Jesus has done and in desperation, with great reverence and humility he falls at the feet of Jesus “earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come, that by coming, You may lay Your hands on her, so that she will be saved and live.”

Having compassion, Jesus “went off with him, and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.” Picture in your mind a large crowd, like when President Obama won the election, that size of the crowd. Well maybe not that large, but you get the understanding. Jesus had that many people pressing around Him.

It’s here where we take a break from the story of Jairus, for the scriptures focus on one woman in the crowd. She had a hemorrhage for twelve years and had endured much at the hands of many physicians and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse.

Some of you can relate to her troubles as she suffered so many years with no real help, but she heard about Jesus. She may have heard the stories of the healings He has performed and being in that crowd and seeing Him “She came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His garment.” For she was saying, “If I just touch His garments, I will be saved from this.”

She was desperate and put her faith in the holiness of Jesus. It’s not like she was saying this is my last hope, she said this is my hope, He can save me from this persistent bleeding so I will only touch His garment. “And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she knew within her body that she had been healed of her affliction.” Oh, what secret joy she had in this that she is finally cured of her affliction.

But Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched My garments?” “He knew it not by any deficiency of spirits, through the exhausting of this virtue, but rather by an agility of spirits, in the exerting of it, and the innate and inseparable pleasure he had in doing good.” (Matthew Henry) And He knew it was a woman, for “He was looking around to see the woman who had done this.”

“And being desirous to see his patient, he asked, not in displeasure, as one affronted, but in tenderness, as one concerned, Who touched my garments?”(MH)  For Jesus has compassion for people. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:17

Yet the disciples with Him were rude in their response, seeing only that which they could perceive because many were pressed around Him, ridiculed His question saying, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And despite this affront, Jesus bypasses their comment and seeks out the woman who had touched His clothes.

“But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.” This woman had no idea what would happen, she only knew what she had done and she in reverence fell before Him at His feet. Much like Jairus who came pleading with Jesus and falling to His feet, so to this woman shows honor and respect to Christ.

With all humility subjects herself to the will of Jesus and for her faith, He says to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” For it is by faith we are healed and saved upon our honoring of Christ Jesus. Have you thought about whom you worship? Jesus is God and He is worthy of your worship. This woman put her trust in the one who could heal her, and that faith saved her.

Notice how Jesus calls her Daughter? In John 1:12 it is written, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” Her salvation came through her faith in Jesus for what He could do and He in return called her daughter, saved her, and gave her peace, and healed her of her affliction. Although she stole a miracle, Jesus loved her, and her faith saved her.

I ask again, who do you worship? Do you know that your creator created you to worship Him? It is man’s end to Worship God and enjoy Him forever. John in his first letter writes, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ".

Fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus the Christ. What greater joy is there? But how do you get there? By having faith and believing in Jesus. Come, fall at the feet of Jesus, and confess all to Him as both Jairus and the woman have done.

Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners repress the truth and hide in their darkness because they love the darkness, they are unbelieving, vile, foolish, rebellious, haters of God who have adopted the ideologies of this world and the doctrines of men, become slaves to their sexual desires, perverting the flesh and mind, who rebel at the created order of God doomed to condemnation and will be judged by Jesus and sent to Hell where they will burn for eternity in the lake of fire.

But God so loved His creation, Mankind, that He sent His Son Jesus, who can forgive you of your sins and redeem you, for He has the authority and the power. Jesus brings eternal life to all who repent and believe. For Jesus bore all our sins; He bore all the sins of all who believe in Him. Jesus was born and lived a perfect life of obedience to God as a man. Jesus was condemned to be executed and die in the sinner’s place. He suffered the totality of God’s Wrath upon Himself on the Cross, which every sinner deserves, so that those who believe in Jesus may have peace with God. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death, and lives, and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and He is in your midst with us, come out of the darkness as we proclaim the light of His salvation.