World English Bible translation
When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea. 5:22 Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 5:23 and begged him much, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her, that she may be made healthy, and live." He went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they pressed upon him on all sides. 5:25 A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years, 5:26 and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse, 5:27 having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes. 5:28 For she said, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well." 5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" His disciples said to him, "You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, 'Who touched me?'" He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 5:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease."Today's Lesson
Today's story might be called the miracle within the miracle. Through this story, Mark tells us something new about Jesus and His authority over illness and disease. In yesterday's lesson we saw that Jesus had taken His disciples and traveled to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to escape the multitude. There He met a demoniac. After casting the unclean spirits out of the man and into a herd of pigs, Jesus and the disciples were asked to leave the area. On returning to the area around Capernum, Jesus is met by the multitude and there He receives a request.
There was a ruler of the synagogue named Jairus whose daughter lay ill unto death. He pleaded with Jesus to come and help his daughter. Jesus agrees to help and as they were going to the house of Jairus the crowd was pressing on them. There was a woman in the crowd who had been ill for twelve years. From the details we are given, it is difficult to speculate on precisely what her ailment was. What can be gathered is that the people of her society would have shunned her. Anyone coming in contact with her would have been considered ritually unclean within Jewish society. We are told that she had exhausted all normal treatments as well as her life savings in trying to seek treatment for this ailment.
As Jesus passes in the crowd, this woman reaches out and touches His clothes and she is immediately healed. Jesus perceives that "power had gone out from Him" and asks the crowd who it was who touched His clothes. At first His disciples did not understand because so many people had been near enough to touch His clothes, but the woman, knowing herself to be healed, came forward and told Him the truth. Jesus commended the woman for her faith and sent her away with His blessing.
What is different about this healing as compared to those that have gone before is that the woman was healed by touching the clothing of Jesus without His conscious decision to heal her. Jesus did not set out to heal this woman. It happened because she had the faith to reach out and touch Him. Through this story we are being encouraged to reach out and boldly approach Jesus with faith that we will be saved. God not only appreciates our boldness in matters of faith, He demands it. Boldness need not diminish our awe and respect for God. Sometimes boldness can be based on our reverence and awe. Let us reach out to Christ in our time of need. Let us reach out boldly and with complete trust!
What are you desperate for God to do for you? Have you been bold enough to reach out and touch His garments?
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