Turning Desperation into Revival
Two characters of starkly different statuses intersect on one fateful day in the life of Christ. While their prestige varies, their desperation bonds them into an act of faith that portrays the heart of the Gospel message. Read how you can turn your life from despair into revival.
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Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter
21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing[a] what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus[b] saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
No Christianity Without Christ
Christianity is Jesus Christ. That is the heart of our Christian proclamation.
The Muslim prophet Muhammad was born in 570 AD, and in 610, he began to see revelations that continued until he died in 632. As a result, there are 1.2 billion Muslims around the world.
However, by Muslims’ admission, had Muhammad never lived, someone else would’ve received those insights that now comprise the Quran. Islam could’ve arisen on its own without Muhammad ever existing.
In comparison, let’s say you lived in the first century and gave the exact teachings of Christ. The same parables, profundity, and sermons that are revered in our Holy Text. Let’s go further and say we found ourselves afoul with the Roman authorities and were crucified between two thieves. There would be no Christianity.
It’s less than the teachings of Scripture, but it’s all about what God did in Jesus. Christ had a unique visitation of the human race through His only Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem and save us. Therefore, Christianity is about Jesus Christ; our proclamation is more than simple teachings or information. It’s much more than guidance and moral instruction. It is ultimately all about one person—Jesus Christ.
From the period of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River until His triumphant entry into Jerusalem for Holy Week is known as His public ministry
We know from the Gospels that there are roughly 1100-1200 days in that time of public ministry. Yet, we only receive about 50 days in the life of Jesus. This is addressed in the final verse of John’s Gospel which says, “All the books of the world couldn’t contain the many things Jesus said and the miracles He performed.”
The story we see in Mark 5 is also covered in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. But you can’t understand the Gospel until you understand what happened on this particular day.
A Story of Two Characters
There are two key people in this story to understand that intersect on this day. One is the synagogue ruler Jairus, and the other is an unnamed woman with a blood disease. They’re about as different as you can imagine.
This passage tells us four times that Jairus was a synagogue ruler, an Archon. He was a person of enormous authority who oversaw all of the rabbis. He was a noteworthy official in name, rank, position, and power. If you saw Jairus at the market or the synagogue, it’d be the equivalent of seeing a movie star or high-ranking elected official in your everyday life.
Let’s contrast Jairus to the unnamed woman. She has no position, prestige, or authority. She is ultimately a nobody. We also learn that she is ritually unclean because she has an issue with blood.
In Jewish ritualistic laws, there were regulations about the uncleanliness of women during their regular monthly cycle. (Leviticus 15) However, if someone had an issue with blood that would never stop, this person is ritually unclean and therefore could not go into the temple. She could not talk to a priest, offer a sacrifice or approach the altar. She had no access to God.
Certain people are homebound, and we call them shut-ins. However, this woman was a shut-out.
Maybe you feel that way today? Like God has not heard or seen you. You feel shut out from the things of God. This woman was like that; the Bible tells us she had this ailment for 12 years. Jairus had a little girl suffering to the point of death, who was also 12 years old.
So we have these two journeys that are 12 years in the making. They’ve never met, and their stories unfold in crisis, yet they both met Jesus on the same day. Neither could go to the temple, but the temple came to them on that day.
The human race is somewhere between these two people, yet both find themselves in desperation. This is the fuel of every revival because the opposite of revival is desperation. This story reminds us that we’re not content with domesticated Christianity and want the real thing. We want God to walk among us, which is what happened in this story.
Defying Law; Turning Unclean to Clean
This woman with the blood issue likely waited in hiding all day. She knew people would run from her if they knew of her condition. So she had to position herself in a way to see if she could touch Jesus as He walked by.
A crowd had gathered, pushing and circling around Jesus on His way to Jairus’ house. That’s when she takes a step of faith and reaches out to touch the hem of His garment.
Let’s pause there.
According to Jewish teaching, if something unclean touched something clean, that would render it also unclean. Haggai lays out the situation: What if someone comes into the temple to make an offering to the sacred altar, and they brush up against something unclean on the way? Unfortunately, it makes the offering unclean.
The point being when clean touches unclean, clean becomes unclean. If we reverse that, if unclean touches clean, clean becomes unclean.
This woman had a deep faith and realized that something was at work in Jesus of Nazareth. This story is in the text because it wants us to recognize that this is unordinary.
If someone touched a leper, they caught leprosy, yet Jesus touched lepers, and they found healing. They caught His wholeness and life. If Jesus touched the blind, they saw irreversible things reversed.
So this woman reached out on faith to touch His garment and realized she was instantly healed. Jesus turned around to ask, “Who touched me?”
The disciples were like so many of us. They were in a crowd, and many people were bumping and grabbing. It doesn’t seem logical to turn and ask, “Who touched me,” when in a crowd. Are you crazy? Everyone’s touching!
Jesus is the most sensitive man who ever lived. He walked amongst the brokenness of this world and knows every situation, including your heart, right now. Unfortunately, because we’re like Peter, life is a bunch of accidental contacts. However, as we push and shove our way through life, instead, Jesus understood that someone had touched Him.
Jesus turned to her and called this woman without name, biography, or prestige by the greatest title He could. He said, “Daughter.” She was healed and told to go in peace through her faith in the living God. This is like her hallelujah moment.
A Greater Plan for Unanswered Prayer
While one woman rejoices on the best day of her life, another person has the worst day of theirs. Because of the delay with this encounter, Jairus’ daughter has now died. They tell Jesus not to bother coming anymore because the girl has already passed. It’s too late.
All of us, including myself, have unanswered prayers. I’ve seen God move in countless ways in my life. But we also have so many unanswered prayers, things we still pled with God to do this or that.
Jairus didn’t know that God had a greater plan for him. His testimony to God’s glory and power was in the works. He expected God to heal his sick daughter, but the Lord had a greater plan.
So Jesus goes down to the house, and people are weeping. He dismisses everyone from the room and takes her hand. Then the Bible does a very unusual thing. It gives us the original Aramaic: “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
This original Aramaic is done purposefully because the writer doesn’t want to give it to you in translation. They want you to hear it as if you were in the room. It provides a glimpse into the intimacy of the space.
We got this when Jesus hung on the cross. “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The authors wanted you to be at the foot of the cross too. They wanted you to hear it the way they heard it, with no filters.
That’s what happens when renewal comes. God takes away the filters and all the other things we put in the way to prevent Him from controlling our hearts.
God says it to you today, too. “Arise, son or daughter.” There’s something in your life that you need to get up for so He can heal or minister. Arise before the cross. Touch the hem of His garment in faith. The Lord’s garment is not some distant garment from an ancient time but something available here and now.
TL;DR
Christianity is all about Jesus Christ; without Jesus, there would be no Christianity.
Mark 5:21-43 is important to understanding the Gospel.
The story involves two people - Jairus and an unnamed woman with a blood disease.
Both Jairus and the woman were desperate when they met Jesus on the same day.
The woman defied Jewish law by touching Jesus’ garment, which made Him unclean by Jewish standards. Her faith in Jesus made her clean, and her story illustrates turning desperation into revival.
Despite having unanswered prayers, God was doing a much bigger work in Jairus’ life than he was aware.
Renewal happens when God takes all the filters we put up that prevent His work in our hearts.
Related Reading
Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayer by Rev. Paul Lawler
Jesus Weeps With Us by Rev. Jacky Gatliff
