3 Feb 26 | When Faith Interrupts Death
Jesus is not delayed by interruption; He uses it to reveal what true faith looks like.
The Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to him,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.
Today’s Focus
This Gospel reveals that Jesus is not delayed by interruption, nor limited by impurity or death. Through the hemorrhaging woman and Jairus’ daughter, Mark shows that faith is not proximity, urgency, or action, but sustained trust that allows divine power to become personal and salvific, even when evidence suggests loss.
In the Margins
In this Gospel, we have a story inside a story. The outer story is that of Jairus and his daughter. The inner story is that of the hemorrhaging woman. This literary technique is often called a “Markan sandwich.”
As Jesus is going to the daughter of Jairus, the woman He encounters has a condition of “ongoing discharge of blood.” This would have led to chronic weakness or anemia and due to Levitical Laws, would have made her unable to fully participate in daily life. For her to touch a person would have typically resulted in that person becoming unclean. She does in fact get to touch Jesus, who then stops and questions who the person was. His disciples are surprised, because many people had been pressed against him, but there was one He was now looking for.
This is because he felt a power leave Him. The word used is dynamis – the same root for dynamic or dynamite. It is active power. It is not magic, it is also not automatic. If it were automatic, He would have felt the power leave every time someone came into contact with Him. The answer to how this all works comes from what Jesus says to the woman.
First, He calls her daughter. This is Him publicly restoring her place within the covenantal society. He tells her that she was healed through her faith in Him. Not through the act of touching. This is important and is later echoed. Mark shows that physical proximity or action alone is insufficient. Faith is what allows the encounter with Jesus to become salvific. Jesus has made the unclean clean, but it was granted because the woman was filled with faith.
Meanwhile, Jairus’ daughter passes away between when he left and Jesus arriving to the house. Jesus tells Jairus to “just have faith.” This is a command of sorts. As He shows up, there are people inside weeping. Jesus takes only those inside who are His disciples and the father. When He tells the people that the girl is not dead, they ridicule Him. Then, after the ridicule He throws them out of their own house, and they listen!
This girl is presumed dead, and during the mourning period, Jesus limits the space to those capable of trust. By removing the mourners, the resurrection occurs in a context of faith, not ridicule. Jesus takes the mother and father into the room of the child and commands her to rise. Unlike Elijah or Elisha, Jesus does not pray or invoke God. He commands. This is quiet divine authority. The final instruction, “Give her something to eat,” grounds resurrection in ordinary life. Restoration includes care, not just astonishment.
One last note to tie everything together is the age of the girl, 12. This was also the number of years the woman was hemorrhaging. It is also the number of tribes of Israel. Twelve signals covenant fullness, it is the people of God.
Jesus can be trusted to work miracles, we need to work on our faith. This Gospel serves to remind us that things happen on a timeline that works for God as well. Jesus does not fret because the young girl was in dire situation, He has command over all. Jesus can work amazing things, we just need to be ready and have faith that He will. This Gospel does not promise that Jesus will act according to our urgency. It insists instead that faith must endure even when evidence suggests loss. Jairus is not told to understand. He is told to trust.
Reflection Question
Where are you tempted to believe that delay means denial, rather than instruction?
A Small Invitation
If this reflection helped you, consider sharing it with someone who may be carrying more than they were meant to.