In our exposition of the gospel of Mark, we are in the middle of three incurable cases that were presented to Jesus for healing. Last time, we looked at the demon-possessed man, that no man could tame. In this passage, we are introduced to two other incurable cases: that of a woman who suffered from an issue of blood for 12 years and who had spent all her savings on doctors, only to be worse and not better; and that of a father whose daughter was near death when he came to Jesus, and then died while Jesus was on His way to heal her.
This passage shows us the triumphant faith of both the dad and the woman with the issue of blood. They demonstrated a faith in Christ that overcame all odds. It was humble, confident, overcoming, and courageous faith. We also see in this passage the compassion, love, and power of our glorious Savior. His power cannot be fathomed, nor his compassion measured. He has power to cure the incurable, and compassion for the hurting and the outcast. He took upon Himself our uncleanness, sickness, and death, that He might impart to us His righteousness and fill us with His joy and peace.
As you read the passage, consider the following questions:
- What obstacles did Jairus have to overcome in order for him to come and present his need to Jesus, and what does that tell us about his faith?
- What gave Jairus the courage to continue to believe, after he heard that his daughter had just died and he shouldn’t trouble the teacher further?
- What obstacles did the woman in our story have to overcome in order for her to touch Jesus, and how did that demonstrate her faith?
- Why did Jesus want the woman to publicly confess what had just happened to her, and how does that apply to us?
- How did Jesus’ words encourage the faith of the woman, and how does that encourage us?
- How do both of these healings demonstrate to us the gospel?
May we see more of the glory of our Savior this coming Lord’s Day.