The biblical story in Mark 5 features two powerful miracles: the healing of the woman with a haemorrhage and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. Both instances highlight the importance of faith in Jesus’ ability to heal and restore life.
In the first, the woman believed that if she just touched Jesus’ cloak, she would be healed, and she was, but when Jesus asked who had touched him, she became afraid and confessed to Him that it was her. Jesus then tells her that through her faith she has been healed.
In the second miracle, Jesus is approached by Jairus, a leader in the synagogue, who is desperate for help as his daughter is dying. On arriving at the house they are told the girl has died. However, Jesus enters the house and declares the girl was not dead but sleeping and raised her back to life. This miracle demonstrates Jesus’ power over death and His compassion for those who seek him.
Jairus’s daughter represents the very centre of Jewish society in that Jairus is “one of the leaders of the synagogue,” while the woman represents the extreme periphery, i.e., those who are ritually and socially outcast.
Yet in both cases “Faith” plays the central role. A reminder to us that Jesus can bring life and healing even in the face of death and social stigma, and that faith is essential to experiencing His power.
When occasionally those doubts creep in, it is time to reflect back on our reading today and be reminded that we need to have a strong and true Faith.