by Mary Hale

Created on: February 19, 2010

The gospel of Mark chapter 5, verses 21-42 teaches us many things about our Lord.  It tells the story of two very different people, both needing His healing touch.  In their stories, we are shown that he has great love and caring for all of his children - no matter their standing and stature in life; he cares and loves equally both the man Jairus who is of great standing in his community and the woman whom is considered unclean and shunned by society because of her 12 year illness.  He considers both of them to be equal and worthy in his eyes.

The story of these two very different people’s meeting with Jesus also teaches us of the great healing powers of faith and love, as well as prayer.  They remind us that no matter how bad things seem to be in our lives it is very important that we never give up faith and hope.  Both of these, faith and hope, are very powerful influences in our daily lives.  On the other hand, lack of faith and hope can lead to desperation and eventually to giving up completely.  Their stories also teach us that faith and hope can give us the strength to hang on and do what is necessary during very trying and hard times in our lives.

The tale of Jairus and the bleeding woman’s interactions with Jesus begins when Jesus himself comes to shore.  When he steps off of the ship onto dry land, a large group of people begin to gather round him.  In this crowd are both Jairus and the bleeding woman, both of which are looking for healing from Jesus and are relying on their faith and hope to help them find the strength to approach this very important man of God.

Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagog, and of very high standing in the community, comes forward from the crowd and his story begins.  His young daughter, only 12 years old, is very ill and in fact on her death bed.  Having taken her to doctors and trying to heal her with all human means and still failing, he comes in desperation, trusting his faith that Jesus alone can save his daughter.

It was not easy for him to do this however, being of such high standing in his community made it very difficult for him to bow down at Jesus’ feet and ask for his favors.  By bowing down at His feet in front of the large crowd, he is showing both obvious respect for Jesus, as well as showing that He is of an even higher standing in the community than Jairus.  This could not have been easy for him to do, but his faith and

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