Two Desperate People: Jairus and the Bleeding Woman
I had the amazing opportunity to preach to the youth group where I volunteer. Here is the message.
Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to preach to the youth group where I volunteer. The passage was assigned to me, and the theme I had to follow was “BIG FAITH.” Here is that message formatted for this blog:
Here is Mark 5:21-43 directly from the Bible (NIV version) without the verses listed:
When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet.
He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.
He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
Immediately, the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
(End of the passage)
First, let’s look at some similarities and differences between the two healings that took place in this section.
For starters, they were from the same town of Capernaum.
Jairus and the Bleeding Woman walked the same streets, knew the same landmarks, knew where the best hummus was served (just kidding)… And yet, as we will get into, their experiences in that town were very, very different.
Let’s remember that in any town there are people who are wealthy and people who are struggling, and hopefully, we can give to local charities to help our own community members! But let’s get back to similarities.
The next thing that was pointed out to me (from the sermon tagged below that I watched for prep) was the number “12.”
How old was the little girl? 12.
How many years had the lady been bleeding? 12.
My new favorite podcast, The BEMA Podcast (listen starting with season 1, it’s so good!), taught me this: We must remember that while the Bible is written FOR everyone, it was written TO a specific audience. Specifically, with some NT exceptions, the ancient Israelites.
Jewish culture 2,000+ years ago looked for symbolism in a story. So the number “12” was no accident. It historically represented completeness and order. (12 disciples, 12 tribes of Israel, etc.). Jesus took two situations that were chaotic and desperate and brought completeness (restoration) and order. Pretty cool!
Next, what gender were both of the people who got healed? They were women!
It’s easy for us to forget this, but back then women were second-class citizens. They got their status through their dad and then their husbands. Men offered protection in every aspect of life back then.
So if your father was prominent and respected, then you were too. If your dad or husband was… not… or you didn’t have either, you had extra low status.
This is why God so often talks about taking care of the orphan (fatherless) and the widow (husbandless). It’s not only a nice thing to do, but it’s also because they didn’t have the protection, wealth, land, or status that was supposed to come from a father and/or husband.
So the fact that Jesus healed two women (one younger, one older) is a huge testament to how Jesus cares about everyone. Let’s remember that no one is ever “beneath” us!
Now let’s go through some differences.
First, when Jesus got off the boat, he was swarmed by people. How did Jairus happen to be first in line? Probably wealth.
It could’ve been luck… but it probably was the fact that he was a prominent leader who had power and wealth. Similar to today, if someone pulled me aside mid-meeting and said, “Hey, the governor is outside and needs to talk with you,” I’d take the meeting!
Now, Jairus wasn’t quite to ‘governor’ status, but it’s very likely that he had people who helped him get a conversation with Jesus, just like a celebrity would be able to do today.
Jairus’ daughter probably lived a very normal, upper-middle-class life and had a loving father. Like a lot of 12-year-olds, she probably had friend drama, maybe there was a cute boy at the synagogue where her dad taught, and maybe she worried about her looks… However, not all of her problems were small: she had recently fallen very, very sick.
Let’s contrast that young girl with the other person who got healed. The Bleeding Woman was not even named in the story!
She was a big character who received a big miracle, and yet they didn’t think it was relevant to include her name. Or maybe they didn’t ask… or maybe it was so chaotic they didn’t get the chance.
Needless to say, it is very clear this unnamed woman did not have a “skip the line” option. She was even lower in status than just being a faceless member of the massive crowd: she was an OUTCAST due to her bleeding condition that made her unclean in that society.
As far as we can gather, she had no father or husband to protect her. Instead of being looked up to, she was looked down upon. Instead of having money, she was very poor; she spent all of her money on doctors who unfortunately couldn’t figure out her illness.
Jairus and the bleeding woman may have been from Cappernaum, but their experiences in that town were wildly different. And yet…
And yet we find these two very different people in the same spot of deep desperation.
They both tried everything they could to try to heal an illness, but nothing worked.
They also both took some big risks.
Jairus risked his reputation and his pride when he bowed down at Jesus’ feet. I can only imagine that he had some Pharisee connections that wouldn’t have been too jazzed to hear that Jairus was begging for Jesus’ help… but he did it anyway.
The Bleeding Woman could’ve gotten punished - maybe even killed - just by being in the crowd because she was an outcast who was strictly prohibited from social settings. Not only did she risk that punishment, but any woman touching any man in public was a huge no-no. But she did it anyway.
What a powerful reminder that money, status, health routines, etc., ultimately can’t save us. The highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows alike will find themselves one day at a place of deep desperation, where nothing else will work other than a miracle.
Let’s remember that we should not idolize money (or be jealous of those who have it) because money can not help anyone escape death!
As we think of the two very different characters in the story, do you want to know what I think is the best similarity of all?
These two unlikely story-mates had BIG FAITHS!
When the world told them they were crazy and out of options, they believed Jesus could heal anyway.
After Jairus humbly fell at Jesus’ feet in front of everyone, Jesus agreed to head to his house. However, the crowds were intense. I can only imagine Jairus’ impatience as more and more people slowed them down!
Then Jesus stops. “Who touched me?” He asks.
I don’t know how long this pit stop took, but I bet Jairus was thinking, “Who cares?! Please! My daughter is dying! Let’s go, let’s go!” Can you blame him?
And yet Jesus took time to call the now healed woman, “Daughter.”
I bet the Healed Woman (formerly known as the ‘Bleeding Woman’) hadn’t felt like a protected and/or beloved daughter in a very long time. Can you imagine how sweet that must’ve sounded to her ears? She was miraculously healed AND Jesus was letting her know how HE viewed her - she was loved!
What a powerful reminder that even when we feel like it’s just us fighting against the world, or we feel like we can’t rely on anyone but ourselves, Jesus is saying something like, “That’s not true. You are my daughter, you are my son. You are protected, loved, and not alone.” It is up to accept that truth.
Back to the story. Jesus then continued by telling the recently healed woman, “Your faith,” (her big, radical, desperate faith), “has made you well.”
Now we could stop the story there and it’d be an amazing tale, but let’s not forget about the other storyline.
As Jesus is taking the time to PUBLICLY call this outcast “daughter,” they get some bad news: Jairus’ daughter is dead.
As someone who has never lost a child, I can’t imagine the heartbreak. “I was too late…” Jairus must’ve thought with the deepest despair as the unimaginable was happening before him.
He just witnessed a miracle! But not for his daughter, the daughter whom he deeply loved. His money and status couldn’t save her; he was too late.
Jesus turned to the broken father and said, “Do not be afraid, just believe.”
Let’s not miss this point: Jairus was asked to have a SECOND big-faith-moment that day. As hard and as humbling as the first go around was, his logic tracked: Jairus had heard that Jesus was healing people, so he (Jairus) would ask Jesus to heal his daughter.
But now Jesus was asking him to have faith after she DIED?!
Let’s remember that we are reading this story 2000+ years later with the knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection, the story of Lazarus, and even how this particular story ends.
But Jairus was living in a moment in time where NONE of that had happened. The idea of raising someone from the dead would’ve been completely foreign and, of course, seemingly impossible.
He could’ve told Jesus to turn around and leave him as he walked home to his worst nightmare.
Instead, we know that they kept walking towards Jairus’ house. WOW! That implies Jairus once again chose to have big, radical, desperate faith. If you’re not impressed, check your pulse!
When they got to the house, Jesus told everyone that she was just sleeping and several people laughed. He shooed them outside and headed upstairs. He grabbed her hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”
Praise God! How blessed are we to be able to hear these true stories?! Jesus is awesome!
This idea of God wanting His believers to, you know, ACTUALLY BELIEVE in Him is sprinkled throughout the whole Bible: God wants us to believe that He can.
He wants you to bring your big, desperate problems to Him with the faith - the belief, the expectation - that He can do the impossible!
My pastor (Dave Olson) once said, “Instead of saying, ‘Hey God, look how big my problem is,’ say, “Hey Problem, look how BIG MY GOD is!’”
When we pray, let’s remember who we are talking to. God loves us and looks at his children with compassion and endearment.
Believe that.
But don’t stop there. I mean, my Grandma loves me as well, but she can’t raise anyone from the dead…. So, remember that our God CAN do the seemingly impossible, and He is moving today!
All that to say, I think everyone reading this falls somewhere on the “belief spectrum” of 1 - 4 listed below. Ask yourself: where do you fall?
“I don’t believe the story actually happened.”
“I believe it happened, but I don’t believe God is moving miraculously today.”
“I believe it happened and that God moves today, I just don’t believe it will happen for me.” Ooof. I think if we’re honest, a lot of us can relate to number 3. Massive disappointments from our past make us cast doubt on if God cares about us personally to intervene. I will write more on this later!
“I believe that the story is true, that God is moving today, and that I will see BIG acts of God in my life!”
I want to encourage you to talk to a spiritual leader from your church to help you move closer to being a 4 on this scale above. I promise you that you are not the first person to deal with whatever roadblock is preventing you from being at a 4, so please don’t wrestle with these things alone.
Now, if your church doesn’t believe in miracles today, RUN!
Why would we pray if God isn’t still moving? What purpose would Pentecost have served if the Holy Spirit is essentially taking a 2000-year-long nap in his new temple (our bodies)?
No, the Bible points over and over again to God wanting us to have BIG FAITH today and always.
So, whether you are a prominent leader in your town or feel like an outcast, remember that God wants you to bring your desperation to HIM!
Bible verse: Mark 5:21-43 (at the top of this blog)
Worship Song: Lord I Need You by Matt Maher
Sermon (which helped me prep, so thank you Matt Sweetman!):
Thanks for reading! If you have any comments you’d like to share, simply reply to this email if you are reading this in your inbox. However, if you are on the Substack app / website, feel free to email me at Miki@mikispeer.com
Please note: For all URL attachments, I do review the songs / sermons before I post them. However, I do not have the time to research every pastor / speaker / church that is associated with the URL link. So! Take the video / song at face value lol.