Introduction: One Miracle Away
The tension of believing in God while feeling like He isn’t answering. Have you ever felt that your prayers just drop off a cliff? That’s what we’re going to talk about today — faith in the midst of our mess.
The Text: Mark Chapter 5
Two intertwined stories of people who encountered Jesus — Jairus, a synagogue leader whose daughter was dying, and a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.
Jairus: The Desperate Father
Jairus was a highly respected synagogue leader in Capernaum — yet he fell at Jesus’ feet and begged. His 12-year-old daughter was near death. Despite the personal and social risk of approaching Jesus (the Pharisees were already plotting against Him), Jairus’s desperation drove him to faith. He had heard the whispers of a miracle.
The Woman with the Bleeding Disorder
For twelve years she had suffered, spent all she had on doctors, grown worse — and been cut off from community, family, synagogue, and temple. Unclean. Alone. But she pressed through the crowd and reached out to touch the tassels (tzitzit) of Jesus’ garment, the sign of a rabbi’s authority and his call to do good. “If I just touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
The Power of “If I Just…”
In a crowd of people pressing against Jesus, only one person truly reached out in faith. Jesus felt the power go out from Him. He stopped. He looked for her. He called her daughter — restoring her dignity, her place, her identity. She went home in shalom — whole peace and complete healing.
Her faith becomes our example: If I just open my Bible even when I don’t want to… If I just pray even when I don’t fully believe… If I just share what’s going on in my heart…
Back to Jairus: Don’t Stop Believing
While Jesus was still speaking, word came that Jairus’s daughter had died. But Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He went to the house, put out the mourners, and raised her back to life. What seemed like a delay — the interruption of the bleeding woman — was not a mistake. Jesus arrived at exactly the right moment.
Application: Continue to Reach Out
It is in wrestling that we grow. God is not absent in your mess — He is tuned in, looking for you in the crowd. Whether your name is Jairus or the unnamed woman, Jesus calls you His son, His daughter. Don’t give up. Continue to reach out.