Jairus' Daughter Resurrection

And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. (NASB) Mark 5:24

The crowd was so eager to talk with Him that they pressed against Him as they walked. The Greek word for “pressing” has the idea that the people were pressing in from all sides. It must have been difficult to walk with people bumping and maybe some pushing others so that they could walk next to Jesus. What a picture!

Jairus’ eagerness for Jesus to reach his daughter must have caused him some anguish as the crowd slowed their progress. But Jairus did not know and could not have expected that Jesus was about to stop and take care of someone else first. His daughter would have to wait. Jairus’ patience would be tested and his desire would soon be frustrated.

Neither Jesus, the disciples, nor Jairus knew that a woman who had a twelve year hemorrhage was about to interrupt their trip. They did not know that she was moving her way through the crowd.

A woman who had 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 cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” (NASB) Mark 5:25-27

This sick woman was now poor. She had not always been poor. She had given all of her money to the ancient physicians who did not know how to heal her. They had made promises that they did not keep. We are told that she suffered “much” from these “physicians” only to get worse and not better. This woman had been abused and robbed in the process. (A dear friend of mine once advised me that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the last half of their class! He was having fun with his comment, but yet his statement is true.) None of the doctors of that day could help this woman.

Therefore, she came after Jesus. We are told that she “came up” through the crowd. Since the crowd was pressing against Jesus, she must have brushed by others in order to get through the crowd. When she reached Jesus, she touched the edge of His cloak. Luke 8:44 says that she touched the “fringe” of his cloak. This may refer to the tassels on his cloak if it had tassels. She was trying to avoid attention. She came up from behind and leaned over or kneeled down in order to touch the edge of His cloak. She did not attempt to speak with Him. In fact, we see shortly that she probably did not want to talk with Him.

For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. (NASB) Mark 5:28-29

Immediately the woman was healed. Jesus was and is the Healer of healers. He is the Doctor of doctors. If you do not mind, let me say that Jesus “graduated at the top of His class.” He is the God of the universe. She believed, and immediately she was healed.

Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” (NASB) Mark 5:30

The Interruption. Immediately Jesus knew that power had left Him. Someone had been healed. Mark 5:30 and Luke 5:17 are unique verses in the gospels because only these two verses reveal that when Jesus healed, power flowed from Jesus. As soon as Jesus knew that power had flowed from Him, He stopped, turned, and asked, “Who touched My garments?” Wow! The woman must have been stunned and fearful, and Jairus must have been anxious. Jesus is thinking about, “Who touched Me?” and Jairus is thinking about his dying daughter. Jairus must have thought, “Doesn’t Jesus understand that my daughter is about to die?” Jairus wanted something else. He must have been like the man who did not want to relocate. But Jesus stopped and asked what appeared to Jairus to be an unimportant question.

The disciples had a different thought.

And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” (NASB) Mark 5:31

The disciples seemed to have good perspective. It sure seemed stupid to ask, “Who touched Me?” with all the people pressing upon Him from every direction. The Greek implies that the disciples were repeatedly asking this question as Jesus looked for the woman.

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. (NASB) Mark 5:33

When she came forward, she fell down at Jesus’ feet and explained why she touched His cloak. While we are told what she said, it is clear from Jewish law that she was not supposed to touch another person while she had a flow of blood (Lev. 15:25-33). The Mosaic law said that a woman with a flow of blood was unclean while the flow continued. She was not allowed to attend the temple worship or participate in social life. No one could touch her, and she could not touch anyone. Seven days after the flow of blood stopped and after she offered a sacrifice of two pigeons, she could return to normal life. This poor woman had been an outcast, or unclean, for twelve years! Yet, she had touched Jesus’ garment in violation of the law. Therefore, she had good reason to be fearful. She had violated the law, and according to Jewish custom made Jesus unclean. She had also given the appearance of showing disrespect for Him. She must have been in great emotional anguish, fearing rejection. She might have been afraid that Jesus would undo the healing.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” (NASB) Mark 5:34

This passage clearly teaches that she was healed because of her faith. It is obvious that her faith motivated her to push her way through the crowd and touch Jesus. She had faith in Jesus. But it is an error to assume that all healing requires faith. For example, the resurrection of the widow of Nain’s son did not require faith, since her son was dead. Dead people do not have faith.

The Bad News. How did Jairus feel while Jesus stopped, looked around, waited for the woman to come forward, and then spoke with her? How did he feel as the minutes passed one by one as Jesus and the woman talked? How did he feel when someone from his house came with the following report,

While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” (NASB) Mark 5:35

The message must have been one of pain. His daughter was now dead. His wish for healing now seemed pointless, and his desire that Jesus would hurry was frustrated. I imagine he was grieving already with a flashing thought of disappointment that Jesus had delayed. Did he have a moment of anger? I am sure that the messenger’s suggestion that Jesus was no longer needed seemed logical. But it was also a reminder that Jesus had not hurried to help. The comment also revealed the messenger’s lack of faith and lack of understanding that Jesus was God.

Jesus heard the report and responded.

But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.” (NASB) Luke 8:50