A Risk of Faith
Posted on Jun 24, 2024 by Shari Van Baale
The Gospel for this Sunday (Mark 5:21-43) tells of two healings that Jesus performed on females. Besides having this in common, both the unnamed woman who had a hemorrhage and Jairus, father of the girl who was near death, risked a lot to come to ask Jesus for his healing touch. Jesus also risked a lot, by having contact with two people considered unclean by Jewish laws in the Old Testament.
The first part of this passage tells of Jesus healing a woman who was considered unclean and thought to be an outcast. According to Wikipedia, “Because of the continual bleeding, the woman would have been continually regarded in Jewish law as a Zavah or menstruating woman, and so ceremonially unclean. In order to be regarded as clean, the flow of blood would need to stop for at least 7 days.”
She had been suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years and the doctors had not been able to help her. Despite all of this and the risk of touching someone considered unclean, Jesus aided her. She was healed simply by touching his cloak, and he told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Jairus, who was a leader in the synagogue, also risked a lot by asking Jesus for help. According to iDisciple, “As ‘a ruler of the synagogue,’ Jairus had a reputation to keep. Falling down at the feet of Christ and begging him to help was not going to go over well with the religious leaders if they found out.”
When Jesus and three of the disciples arrived at Jairus’ house, the girl seemed to already be dead. “Some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ ” (Mark 5:35) When Jesus said, “The child is not dead but sleeping,” the people there laughed at him. But Jairus did not mock him and came to believe in Jesus because he saw his healing power firsthand.
Not only did Jairus risk being outcast from the synagogue, but Jesus once again touched someone considered unclean. According to Sermon Writer, “Touching this girl violates Torah law, which renders a person who touches a dead body unclean until evening (Leviticus 11:39) or for seven days (Numbers 19:11). Such a person is required to remain outside the camp (Numbers 5:2-3).”
Both Jairus and the unnamed women came to faith in Jesus as a result of his healing. They both took risks, didn’t care what others thought, and they were healed because of their faith.
It doesn’t say, but I like to think that the girl who was healed became a believer, too. And I am sure she had a story to tell. But Jesus tells them not to share what happened with anyone.
I am sure it was hard for the girl and Jairus not to tell everyone what had happened. But Jesus told them not to, which may seem kind of strange. According to Christianity.com, “There may be various reasons Jesus commanded silence. Perhaps Jesus knew awareness of the miracle would bring harm to others or restrict his ability to move about freely. Maybe He wanted to protect the family or curb sensationalism. Jesus may have desired his miracles to support his message but not overshadow it. Possibly he didn’t want people to follow a phenomenon rather than a Savior. Some people may have wanted to press a position on him, making him a political figure. Maybe his followers would have become sidetracked. The truth is scripture does not tell us why. But we know his time had not yet come for people to know what had happened in that room. Jesus knew what lay ahead of Him. He recognized the work He still had to do.”
Jesus continued to perform many miracles during his time on earth, and he is still working to perform miracles today. Having faith in him makes the impossible become possible.
Shari Van Baale
Salem Communications Coordinator