Mark 5:21-42
Part I: The Request of Jairus
Mark 5:21–24
21 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. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 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.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
Reflections: Let’s take a step back for a moment. Remember, Jesus’ entire mission is to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. He teaches about it in chapter 4 through parables, and in chapter 5, He demonstrates it through miracles. At the beginning of the chapter, He heals a Gentile man. In this specific narrative, He heals two very different Jewish women.
One is the daughter of a “good Jewish man”—someone who did things the right way and who knows the law. However, being upright does not save his daughter from illness and death (the results of sin). The other woman represents the marginalized side of Israel: those who are "unclean" and cannot enter the temple or worship spaces. Yet, for Jesus, both women require the same medicine: His touch, His healing, and His power.
Scholars call this a “sandwich story.” It begins with one story, inserts another in the middle, and returns to conclude the first story at the end. Both accounts are centered on fear, faith, and the authority of Jesus to free people.
Jesus has returned to this side of the lake after an "epic side quest," and the crowd—the same crowd that heard Him teach in chapter 4—is still with Him. Up to this point, the general consensus is that this preacher from Nazareth is special, though some have already begun plotting against Him.
We are introduced to Jairus, a synagogue leader. Think of him as the congregational president, treasurer, or secretary. He is an upright, likely wealthy man. He probably wanted to maintain a safe distance from Jesus to avoid upsetting the religious establishment, but then tragedy struck. He fell on his knees and begged Jesus to heal his daughter.
Part II: The Woman in the Crowd
Mark 5:25–29
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 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. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
Reflections: As Jesus sets out, an interruption occurs. A woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years enters the scene. After seeking help from many doctors and exhausting her finances, she had only grown worse.
Beyond the physical tragedy, her condition rendered her ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15). She was perpetually barred from the temple and public life. While scholars debate how this was enforced in practice, the Law stated she could not be declared "clean" until the bleeding stopped and she offered a sacrifice. She was a social outcast, yet she took a massive step of faith simply by showing up and seeking Jesus.
Peter Chrysologus (Sermon 33.4):
"No seas were ever so troubled by the ebb and flow of the tide, as the mind of this woman, pulled to and fro by the sway of her thoughts. After all the hopeless strivings of physicians, after all her outlay on useless remedies, after all the usual but useless treatment, when skill and experience had so long failed, all her substance was gone. This was not by chance, but divinely ordered, that she might be healed solely through faith and humility, whom human knowledge had failed through so many years. At a little distance apart from him stood this woman, whom nature had filled with modesty, whom the law had declared unclean, saying of her: She shall be unclean and shall touch no holy thing. She fears to touch, lest she incur the anger of the religious leaders, or the condemnation of the law. For fear of being talked about, she dares not speak, lest she embarrass those about her, lest she offend their ears. Through many years her body has been an arena of suffering. Everyday, unceasing pain she can endure no more. The Lord is passing by so quickly. The time is short to think what she must do, aware that healing is not given to the silent, nor to the one who hides her pain. In the midst of her conflicting thoughts, she sees a way, her sole way of salvation. She would secure her healing by stealth, take in silence what she dares not ask for, guarding her respect and modesty. She who feels unworthy in body, draws near in heart to the physician. In faith she touches God. With her hand she touches his garment, knowing that both healing and forgiveness may be bestowed on this stratagem, undertaken due to the demands of modesty, and not as she otherwise would have preferred. She knew the gain she sought by stealth would cause no loss to him from whom she took it.… In an instant, faith cures where human skill had failed through twelve years."
Part III: "Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You"
Mark 5:30–34
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Reflections: Jesus, realizing power has gone out from Him, asks, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples are baffled; everyone is pressing against Him! Then the woman, trembling with fear, falls at His feet (just as Jairus did) and reveals the truth.
Jesus calls her “Daughter.” She is made clean and freed. It was Jesus’ touch that healed her, received through her faith. This applies to us as well: when we touch the Lord through His Word and receive His Body and Blood, we are healed from our sins and called children of God.
Part IV: The Resurrection of the Girl
Mark 5:35–40
35 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?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
Reflections: The focus shifts back to Jairus. The news arrives: his daughter is dead. Note that the Gospel of Mark highlights who truly recognizes Jesus. The demons and the tormented recognize His divine power, while those who see no need for salvation view Him merely as a "teacher."
Jesus tells Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe.” Having just witnessed the power of faith in the woman’s healing, Jairus chooses to believe.
Jerome (Homily 77):
"Someone may wonder or ask: Why are these three apostles always chosen and the others sent away? Even when he was transfigured on the mountain, these three were with him. Yes, these three were chosen: Peter, James, and John. But why only three? First, there is the mystery of the Trinity embedded in this number, a number sacred in itself. Second, according to Moses, Jacob set three peeled branches in the watering troughs. Finally, it is written: “A three-ply cord is not easily broken.” Peter is chosen as one upon whom the churchwould be built. James is the first of the apostles to be crowned with martyrdom. John is the beloved disciple whose love prefigures the state of purity."
When they arrive, the funeral has already begun. In the ancient world, there were professional mourners. Those without faith mock Jesus when He says, “She is asleep.” To be fair, naturally speaking, the dead remain dead.
Part V: Talitha Koum
Mark 5:40b–43
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. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Reflections: Jesus takes charge. He enters the room with the parents and the three disciples, takes the girl’s hand, and commands her to rise. She immediately stands and walks! Everyone is astonished. Jesus' preaching, His power over nature, and His healing all leave the people in awe.
Theodoret of Cyr (Dialogue 2):
"For since eating is appropriate for those living this present life, the Lord necessarily demonstrated this by means of eating and drinking, thus proving the resurrection of the flesh to those who did not think it real. This same course he pursued in the case of Lazarus and of Jairus’ daughter. For when he had raised up the latter he ordered that something should be given her to eat."