Jesus’ compassion for the sick is well documented in the Gospels. He provided healing in various forms including physical, emotional, and spiritual. Jesus healed physical ailments, but through the physical healings, emotional health was often restored and spiritual health renewed. In the Book of Mark, chapter 5, we can read two accounts of healing that occurred through faith and belief that brought physical and emotional renewal as well as restoration.
In Mark 5:22, a synagogue leader named Jairus came to Jesus and pleaded with him to lay hands on his dying twelve year old daughter so that she would be healed. Jesus agreed and went with Jairus. A large crowd was following Jesus on his way to Jairus’ home and this crowd was pressing against Him. In this crowd was one determined woman. This woman suffered from a bleeding condition that, according to Jewish Law, left her unclean and therefore excluded her from most social contact with others. She had suffered from this condition for twelve years and no doctor had been able to help her. This woman was determined to touch Jesus, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed” (Mark 5:28), and when she did touch Jesus “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering” (Mark 5:29). When Jesus was touched by this woman, He realized that power had gone out of Him and He asked who had touched His clothes. The woman came forward, fell at Jesus’ feet, and told Him the truth about what had happened. His response to this woman was, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34).
After the encounter with the bleeding woman, some people who were coming from Jairus’ home met Jairus and told him that his daughter was dead and that he no longer needed to bother Jesus with this matter. Jesus overheard what the people were telling Jairus and He said to him, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36). When Jesus got to Jairus’ home He saw a crowd of people who were mourning the loss of the little girl. Jesus said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep” (Mark 5:39). The mourners laughed at Jesus and He put them all out. With just three of His disciples and the little girl’s parents in the room, Jesus took the hand of the little girl and told her to get up (Mark 5:41) and immediately she got up and started to walk around. The parents were certainly astonished at what they were witnessing, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone about the girl’s restoration to life.
These two accounts, the healing of the woman with the issue of blood and the restoration of Jairus’ daughter, show us the power of our faith. Jesus wasn’t angry at the bleeding woman even though her touch, according to Jewish Law, would have made Him unclean. Instead He was touched by her act of faith. Many people were pushing up against Jesus in this crowd, and surely many of them needed healing. However, it was this determined woman, who was focused on Jesus, and who believed that she could be healed just by touching His clothes, that received healing. Jesus tells us that it was her faith that healed her. This woman was healed instantly, before Jesus even realized that power had flowed out of Him, and this teaches us that there is a law of faith (Romans 3:27). We have to act in faith (just as this woman did) to receive the healing that Jesus provided for us through His death and resurrection. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, for whoever “would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” To receive healing, we need to be determined, stay focused on Jesus, and act on our faith. We will then see the law of faith work in our lives.
For Jairus, after he was told his daughter had died, fear set in. Jesus told him to not fear and to only believe. This was purposeful. Fear is the opposite of acting in faith. When we allow fear to control us, we are acting in accordance with Satan and his plan, and God will not be able to move in our lives. However, when we believe and act in faith, Jesus can work and move in our lives to make what would seem impossible, possible. We have to believe though for this to happen. If we have both fear and faith in our hearts, this fear can negate our faith. This is why Jesus told Jairus to “only believe.” We also need to surround ourselves with others who “only believe.” This is why Jesus made the mourners leave the room and allowed only His three disciples and the girl’s parents to stay with Him as He restored the girl to life. We have to believe only and stay in faith to see the power of Jesus flow through us.
The Truth in Action: The bleeding woman knew that if she touched Jesus she would be healed, and it was this faith that healed her. Jairus’ situation looked hopeless, but Jesus told him to not fear and to only believe. What are you putting your faith in today? Are you focused only on Jesus and His truth? Do you feel hopeful and strengthened by your relationship with Jesus? Or, are you part of the larger crowd who follow Him but don’t put your faith in Him? To build your faith, like the bleeding woman, you must reach out to get to know Jesus on a personal level, and like Jairus you must believe in Him. Forge an intimate relationship with Jesus by focusing on and believing in Him.
Key Scripture: James 1: 5-6 – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Further Study: Read Mark 9:14-29 about Jesus healing the boy with an unclean spirit. In these verses Jesus tells the boy’s father that all things are possible to him who believes. The father responds that he believes, but he needs help with his unbelief. Unbelief is a heart issue. The only way to remove unbelief, Jesus tells us, is to pray and fast.