Third Millennium Study Bible
Notes on Mark 5:21-34

Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers - Mark 5:21-24

Jesus crossed over the lake again and was pressed by crowds (cf. The paralyzed man - Mark 2:2-5). Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers, approached Jesus. The phrase, "one of the synagogue rulers" is an ambiguous phrase that could mean "the ruler of one of the synagogues" or "one of the rulers of the synagogue." Though he was a layman, a rulers responsibilities were socially and religiously very important, including not only the upkeep of the building, but also the good order of the service and the choice of Torah readings.

Why did Jairus approach Jesus? His daughter was dying. He desired Christ to come "lay his hands" on her (cf. Simon's mother-in-law - Mark 1:29-31) so she could be made whole, or be healed. Jesus went with him.

A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years - Mark 5:25-34

In Mark 5:25, we observe a woman with "a flow of blood" for tweleve years! The text is not more specific, but in Leviticus 20:18 in the Septuagint (LXX, Greek translation of the Old Testament - see below) the same term designates menstrual bleeding, which would have rendered the woman ceremonially "unclean" (Lev. 15:25-33). Her hemorrhaging condition "grew worse" (Mark 5:5:26), no doubt disqualifying her not only from marriage (Lev. 20:18), but also from most aspects of Jewish religious life. Hughes states:

The display of God's power in this text involved two [Jairus and this woman] contrasting segments of society. On the one hand it focused on an outcast woman who had been suffering a disastrous hemorrhage for twelve years. The hemorrhage rendered her ceremonially unclean in Jewish society (Leviticus 15:25-27), which meant that she was a transmitter of uncleanness to all who came in contact with her. If she had been married, she was likely now divorced from her husband. She was ostracized from normal society and debarred from worship in the synagogue and Temple. Her desperate situation had driven her to pursue medical help, and "She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors" (Mark 5:26). The Talmud listed no less than eleven cures for this specific illness. Some were potions, but others were mere superstitious folly. For example, in one place it said:

Take of the gum of Alexandria the weight of a small silver coin; of alum the same; of crocus the same. Let them be bruised together, and given in wine to the woman that has an issue of blood. If this does not benefit take of Persian onions three pints; boil them in wine, and give her to drink, and say "Arise from thy flux." If this does not cure her, set her in a place where two ways meet, and let her hold a cup of wine in her right hand, and let some one come behind and frighten her, and say, "Arise from thy flux."

In another place, the Talmud recommended that the afflicted woman carry a barley corn which had been taken from the droppings of a white she donkey! Very likely this woman had tried some of these remedies, but to no avail. Mark says she "had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse" (Mark 5:26). The wretched woman was broke, cut off from home, society, and religion, and in declining health. She was at the bottom!

In the press, in the crowd, she touched Jesus' garment; perhaps one of its four tassels (Num. 15:37-40). She reached out because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed" (Mark 5:28). Then in Mark 5:29 we see that "Immediately" (cf. Mark 1:10) "her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering."

Jesus immediately felt power leave him. Jesus asked repeatedly who touched him (Mark 5:30). Hughes says, "Then the world stopped. Jesus realized that his healing power had gone forth (in fact, he willed it) and began asking repeatedly, "Who touched my clothes?" Jesus noticed the touch of faith even though, in such a dense crowd, all kinds of people were probably jostling him. Jesus kept looking around (Mark 5:32). Because the woman had been a social outcast for many years, the healing was only complete when Jesus had publicly identified her, commended her for her faith and declared to all that she had been healed (Mark 5:34) and thus cleansed. Jesus commented on her faith (Mark 5:34). Mark stressed the role of faith in Jesus in the furtherance of Jesus' ministry. This woman had faith. Hendriksen says:

The greatness of this woman's faith consisted in this, that she believed that the power of Christ to heal was so amazing that even the mere touch of his clothes would result in an instant and complete cure. That this faith was nevertheless by no means perfect appears from the fact that she thought that such an actual touch was necessary and that Jesus would never notice it. But he did notice it, rewarded her faith by restoring her to health (Mark 5:29), and then gave her an opportunity to change "faith concealed" (Matt. 9:21) to "faith revealed" (Mark 5:33), which resulted in further encouragement (Mark 5:34).

The woman was "healed," literally "saved." The double meaning of this verb (also used in Mark 5:28)- "heal" (the body) and "save" (the person) - and the place of faith in the healing process, indicate that the goal of Jesus' healings was to bring people to faith and to full salvation (John 1:40-41; 2:5, 9).

"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your illness." What wonderful words to hear after the torments of this world had ravaged this woman for years. Hendriksen states:

Lovingly Jesus calls her "Daughter," even though she may not have been any younger than he was. But he speaks as a father to his child. Moreover, he praises her for her faith, even though that faith, as has been indicated, was by no means perfect; and even though, as Mark 5:27 indicates, it was he himself who, through his earlier marvelous words and deeds, had brought about that faith. Her faith, though not the basic cause of her cure, had been the channel through which the cure had been accomplished. It had been the instrument used by Christ's power and love, to effect her recovery. Cf. Eph. 2:8. Is it not marvelous that Jesus, in speaking to this woman, says nothing about his own power and love, the root-cause of her present state of well-being, but makes special mention of that which apart from him she would neither have possessed nor have been able to exercise? Moreover, by saying, "Your faith has made you well," was he not also stressing the fact that it was his personal response to her personal faith in him that cured her, thereby removing from her mind any remnant, however small, of superstition, as if his clothes had contributed in any way to the cure?

By means of these cheering words Jesus also opened the way for the woman's complete reinstatement in the social and religious life and fellowship of her people. Now she can go and continue to travel the rest of her life "in peace," that is, with the smile of God upon her and the joyful inner knowledge of this smile. Cf. Isa. 26:3; 43:1, 2; Rom. 5:1.

Probably even more is included in this encouraging command, "Go in peace." In view of the immediately following words, namely, "Be - meaning Be and remain - healed of your illness (literally: your scourge)," and in view of the fact that in all probability Jesus spoke these words in the then current language of the Jews (Aramaic), have we not a right to conclude that nothing less than the full measure of the Hebrew Shalom, well-being for both soul and body, is here implied?

Related Resources

• The Intertestamental Period - Years of Silence

<< Previous Note(s)

Mark Main Page

Next Note(s) >>