Commentary - Mark 5:21-43

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Mark's gospel, we are presented with a literary sandwich, a story within a story. This is a common device Mark uses, and he uses it here to great effect. We have the desperate plea of a synagogue ruler, Jairus, for his dying daughter. His story is the bread. But on the way to answer that plea, Jesus is interrupted by another desperate case, a woman with a chronic hemorrhage. Her story is the meat in the middle. The two stories are not accidentally placed together; they are meant to interpret one another. Both Jairus, a man of standing, and the anonymous woman, an outcast, are brought to the end of their ropes. Both are driven to Jesus in utter desperation. Both must exercise faith in Him. And in both instances, Jesus demonstrates that He is the Lord over both disease and death, over both ritual uncleanness and the final enemy. He is the one who brings life and cleansing wherever He goes.

The central lesson is about the nature of true faith. It is not a polite, religious sentiment. It is a desperate, clinging, and sometimes unseemly grasp on the only one who can save. It is the kind of faith that pushes through crowds and is not deterred by bad news. It is the kind of faith that takes Jesus at His word, even when circumstances scream the opposite. And it is this faith that Jesus commends and rewards, showing Himself to be the source of all life and healing.

Outline

Context In Mark

This passage follows a series of powerful demonstrations of Jesus' authority. In chapter 4, He calmed the storm, showing His power over creation. At the beginning of chapter 5, He cast out a legion of demons, showing His power over the spiritual realm. Now, in this section, He will demonstrate His authority over disease and death itself. Mark is systematically building his case for who Jesus is. He is not just a great teacher or prophet. He is the Son of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the one to whom all authority has been given. The desperation of the two central figures in this story highlights the utter inadequacy of human solutions and the absolute sufficiency of Christ.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 21 And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.

Jesus is constantly on the move, but He cannot escape the crowds. His power and authority are a magnet. The people are drawn to Him, not because they all have a robust theology of the incarnation, but because they have needs, and they have heard that He can meet them. The seashore becomes His impromptu office, His place of ministry. He does not resent the intrusion; He has come for this very purpose.

v. 22-23 And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet and pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come, that by coming, You may lay Your hands on her, so that she will be saved and live.”

Here we see desperation breaking through social and religious barriers. Jairus is a synagogue official. He is part of the religious establishment, the very establishment that was growing increasingly hostile to Jesus. But his daughter is dying. All his status, all his connections, all his religious observance, is useless to him now. And so he comes to the itinerant preacher from Nazareth. He falls at Jesus' feet, a public act of complete submission and humility. His plea is earnest, born of a father's love and fear. He believes that Jesus' touch can bring healing and life. This is not a fully-formed Christology, but it is faith. It is a turning away from all other hopes to fixate on Christ alone.

v. 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

Jesus agrees to go. He responds to this plea of faith. But the crowd is a problem. They are not just following; they are "pressing in on Him." The Greek word suggests a crushing, suffocating pressure. This is not an orderly procession. It is a chaotic mob, each person jockeying for position, trying to get closer to the celebrity healer. This chaotic scene is the backdrop for the interruption that is about to occur.

v. 25-26 And a woman, who had a hemorrhage for twelve years and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse,

Now for the meat in the sandwich. Mark gives us a truly pathetic case. This woman's condition has lasted for twelve years. Under the Levitical law, her condition made her perpetually ceremonially unclean (Lev. 15:25-27). Anyone and anything she touched would also become unclean. This meant twelve years of social and religious isolation. She was an outcast. On top of this, she had suffered much from doctors and had spent all her money on their failed cures. She was not just sick; she was broken, broke, and ostracized. She is the picture of human hopelessness.

v. 27-28 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His garment. For she was saying, “If I just touch His garments, I will be saved from this.”

She had heard the reports about Jesus. A flicker of hope was kindled. But her approach is furtive, secretive. She comes up from behind, hidden by the crowd. As an unclean woman, she had no right to be in a crowd, touching people. To touch a rabbi would have been unthinkable, a defilement. But her desperation fuels her faith. Her theology might be a bit superstitious, "If I just touch His garments," but the object of her faith is correct. She believes power resides in Jesus, and that even the slightest contact with Him is enough. She is reaching out for salvation, for wholeness.

v. 29-30 And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she knew within her body that she had been healed of her affliction. And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched My garments?”

The result is immediate and undeniable. The healing is instantaneous. She feels it in her body. But Jesus also feels something. He perceives that power has gone out from Him. This was not an impersonal, magical force that leaked out. This was a deliberate, divine transaction. Jesus is not a passive good-luck charm; He is the active source of healing. His question, "Who touched My garments?" is not for His own information. He knows perfectly well who touched Him. The question is for her benefit. He is not going to let her slip away with a stolen, anonymous blessing. He wants to bring this private healing into the public light.

v. 31-32 And His disciples were saying to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” And He was looking around to see the woman who had done this.

The disciples are clueless, as they often are. Their response is based on pure pragmatism. "Jesus, what are you talking about? Everyone is touching you!" They see the physical reality of the crowd, but they are blind to the spiritual reality of what just happened. There is a world of difference between the casual jostling of the crowd and the intentional touch of faith. Jesus ignores their sensible objection and keeps looking for the one who touched Him with purpose.

v. 33-34 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

She is terrified. She has been found out. She likely expected a rebuke for making a holy man unclean. But instead of a scolding, she receives a commendation. She falls down before Him, just as Jairus did, and confesses everything. Jesus' response is filled with tenderness. He calls her "Daughter," restoring her to the community, giving her an identity beyond her disease. He clarifies the means of her healing: "your faith has saved you." It wasn't the garment's magic, but her faith in Him. And He gives her a benediction of peace and lasting wholeness. He healed her body, but here He ministers to her soul.

v. 35-36 While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what had been spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”

The story snaps back to Jairus, but the situation has deteriorated. The delay has been fatal. The messengers arrive with the worst news: the girl is dead. Their advice is logical from a worldly perspective: "It's too late. Don't bother the Teacher anymore." They see death as the absolute end. But Jesus "overhears" them. He doesn't wait for Jairus to despair. He immediately intercepts the message of hopelessness with a command of faith: "Do not be afraid, only believe." He is telling Jairus that the game has not changed. The circumstances may have escalated from sickness to death, but the solution remains the same: faith in Jesus.

v. 37-38 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. And they came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly crying and wailing.

Jesus now dismisses the crowd and even most of the disciples. He takes only His inner circle, Peter, James, and John. This is not a public spectacle; it is a sacred moment, and only those with a certain capacity for understanding are invited. When they arrive at the house, they find the chaos of professional mourning. This was a cultural practice, but it was a demonstration of unbelief. It was the sound of people who believed that death had the final word.

v. 39-40 And entering in, He said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and crying? The child has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was.

Jesus confronts the noisy grief directly. His statement, "The child has not died, but is asleep," is not a medical diagnosis. He is not denying the biological reality of her death. He is redefining death from His divine perspective. For the Lord of Life, death is a temporary condition, like sleep, from which He can awaken someone. The mourners, who know death when they see it, laugh at Him. Their scorn reveals their utter lack of faith. So Jesus puts them out. Unbelief is not welcome in the presence of a miracle. He clears the room of cynicism, taking only the parents and His three disciples into the place of death.

v. 41-42 And taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”). And immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.

Here is the climax. Jesus takes the dead girl by the hand. This is another violation of ceremonial law; touching a corpse rendered one unclean. But for Jesus, the flow of power is the other way. He is not defiled by death; death is defeated by His life. He speaks to her in Aramaic, the common language, with a simple, gentle command. "Little girl, arise." And life obeys its Lord. The effect is immediate. She gets up and walks. Mark notes that she was twelve years old, the same number of years the woman had been suffering. The result for the witnesses is utter astonishment. They are blown away, their minds reeling at what they have just seen.

v. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that some food should be given to her to eat.

Jesus' final commands are curious. First, He orders them to keep it quiet. This is the "messianic secret" in Mark. Jesus is not trying to build a movement based on signs and wonders. He knows that this kind of miracle will be misunderstood as a call for political revolution, and His mission is to go to the cross. Second, He tells them to give her something to eat. This is a wonderfully practical and earthy touch. It proves that she is not a ghost or a vision; she is a real, living, hungry little girl. It shows His tender, practical care. He didn't just perform a cosmic miracle; He cared about a little girl's empty stomach. This is our Lord, powerful enough to raise the dead, and compassionate enough to make sure they get lunch.

Application

This passage is a collision of two worlds. You have the world of human desperation, sickness, uncleanness, and death. And you have the world of Christ, a world of life, power, cleansing, and authority. The bridge between these two worlds is faith.

Jairus was a man of high standing, and the woman was an outcast. It makes no difference. Before Christ, all our earthly distinctions melt away. Both were helpless. Both needed a savior. And so it is with us. Whether you are at the top of the heap or the bottom of the barrel, your fundamental need is the same. You need Christ.

Notice the nature of their faith. It was not polished or sophisticated. It was raw, desperate, and focused entirely on Jesus. They had nowhere else to turn. This is often where God wants us. He will allow our lives to fall apart, our finances to evaporate, and our health to fail, all to drive us out of our self-reliance and into a desperate reliance on Him. True faith is not one option among many; it is the only option when all others have failed.

Finally, see the Lord Jesus here. He is not put off by our mess. The woman was unclean, but her touch did not defile Him; His power cleansed her. The girl was dead, but her deadness did not contaminate Him; His life resurrected her. Do not think that your sin, your shame, or your brokenness is too much for Him. He is the great physician, the Lord of life. He invites you to push through the crowd of your fears and doubts, to ignore the messengers of despair, and to bring your impossible situations to Him. Do not be afraid, only believe.