18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. 23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.
Mark 5:36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Both the leader and the woman approached Jesus seeking healing. His reputation for performing miracles had spread widely. People came to be healed, and for the first time, those who were hopeless found their confidence restored. The man expressed his faith by saying, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."
Similarly, the woman interrupted Jesus’s journey with a belief that, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Despite her condition being less critical than the young girl’s impending death, Jesus attended to her needs as well. Is not Jesus concerned about priorities? Who should get His attention first? Surely, she could wait just a little bit longer. Her situation wasn’t going to change even if it was a week later. Jesus demonstrated compassion and attention to both individuals.
How often do we plead and cry out to God in emergencies, but in other areas of our lives feel almost unworthy of His time and attention. There are so many tragedies in the world, who am I to raise up my problems that in comparison seem so little? Do we bother God with our selfishness and egocentric concerns? God is not about ordering our inconveniences, is He?
The focus here is driven by profound need, where both individuals experienced a loss of hope. One suffered for many years without any remedy, and the other feared losing his daughter. Jesus represents our hope. Understanding comes not from the events themselves, but from recognizing who is in control and placing our trust in Him. The woman believed touching Jesus's garment would heal her, and the man believed Jesus’s touch would restore his daughter to life. Both actions defied medical logic, but were rooted in faith in Jesus’s power.
Others can discourage our faith. Others had told the woman there was no hope for her. Others told the man not to bother Jesus because there no longer any hope, his daughter had already died. Nonetheless, Jesus embodies hope beyond our comprehension, drawing us to a deeper faith. While misguided teachings may suggest faith and hope guarantee personal desires, true faith necessitates trusting Jesus's greater plan.
Those concerns and needs do draw us to examine the person of Jesus. Who is He that waves and winds obey? Who is He that by His word demons flee? What does He have to do with my life and how I live? This miracle worker has more in mind than feeding 5,000 people a lunch. He came to invade our planet so that we might know Him who is life eternal. He has come to suffer and die that we might have a resurrection and know the intimacy of His love. He uses our experiences to grow our faith in the Person, more than the temporary outcome. People get hungry again. Waves and winds will return. Both the older woman and the young girl would have a funeral some days or years later, but He still uses our temporary concern to demonstrate His glory in which we find a deeper and lasting faith in Him.
Jesus wants to instill faith and belief in Himself. He is aware the woman has faith in Him. The man knows to whom He must turn. Without Jesus, there is no hope. His message during trials remains consistent: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Trust Him to act in miraculous and ordinary ways, to heal temporarily or eternally, and to experience His sufficient love daily. Faith is not about manipulating outcomes, but trusting Jesus to address our deepest needs often beyond our immediate understanding.
Application: Keep praying. Keep asking. Keep knocking. Keep seeking. What you will find will surprise you. Behind that door is more than what you are asking for. What you find is Jesus in whom you have everything.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that I can know You always answer our prayer in a way that is immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
