Mark 5:21–43 — Our Hope in Life and Death

This message is from Mark chapter 5 verses 21 through 43 and is entitled "Our Hope in Life and Death."

Mark 5:21–43

It was delivered to Ecclesia churches on Sunday, August 3, 2025.

So in our last passage, we saw these examples of Jesus' authority over chaos.

And we saw that he was able to deal with the chaos in the world around us as he calmed

a storm and challenged his disciples to choose trusting him over fear.

But we also saw him challenge the spiritual chaos that was caused by demons.

But in doing so, he also challenged the status quo of the kingdom of men, the kingdom that

he was stepping into.

And people responded to that challenge in one of two ways.

They either rejected their old life and kingdom to follow Jesus, or they rejected Jesus in

favor of their kingdom.

And the ones who rejected Jesus chose a temporary and limited peace that would not last, but

the one who chose to trust Jesus was filled with this unshakable joy and caused people

to marvel at God with their testimony.

So hopefully we experienced and responded to that challenge to lean into trusting Jesus

and choosing his lasting peace in this life and the next.

Today we're going to follow the story of two more individuals with one story kind of sandwiched

between part one and part two of the other.

Instead of Jesus going out to meet these people, this is the story of two people who came seeking

Jesus or at least what he could do for them.

And one will put their hope in his goodness,

but they will doubt his power.

And the other will put their hope in his power,

but will actually doubt his goodness.

I think when it comes to the leaders

that we choose to put our hope in,

we all want something similar.

We want to know that they are, A, powerful enough

to lead us where we want and need to go,

but B, that they're also good enough

to follow through the process, right?

Nowhere, I think, do you see this desire more clearly

than during a political primary season.

There's always this form of an argument

that goes something like this.

One side says we should choose this candidate

because they have the power and the popularity to win.

The victorious end will justify some of the questionable means

and the character and the policies

that will get us to victory.

While the other side argues that we should choose

this other candidate, even though they're an underdog,

because we believe that they're a good person

and it's better to aim high even if they come up short.

And most people are caught somewhere in the middle

trying to figure out what in the world we do with candidates that fall short on both counts.

So even if you haven't been in a debate with somebody on this issue, I think we can all identify

with the desire for both a leader that is mighty and a leader that is good.

And while you will never find anyone in politics who is sufficiently both of those things,

That's the ongoing debate. You will find one who is and his name is Jesus. That is the good news

of today's passage that Jesus is our comprehensive hope in life and in death. He is both the good

king who leads us in this life and also the powerful victor over death. He is our ultimate hope

for both this life and the life to come. So let's get into God's word together and let's draw

nearer to Jesus through it. The first part of our story is Mark chapter 5 verses 21 through 34,

Mark 5:21–34

and we're going to look at like 21 through 24 to start.

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him

and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name,

and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is

at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live."

And he went with him. So we have the introduction of our first character, Jairus. Let's take a

a moment to learn just a little bit about him and then we'll look at the story of this woman

who's kind of inserted into the middle of the story of Jairus and his ailing daughter.

A few things that we recognize about Jairus that help us to understand who he is and that's unique

about the way that he comes to Jesus. First, we're told that he's the ruler of a synagogue,

which should not be confused with a rabbi or a teacher. This is not somebody who is holding a

similar role that Jesus does in that culture. The ruler of a synagogue was

almost more of a deacon type of role in the local synagogue. He would have been

responsible for lining up the teachers and the readers for each service that

they had for things like caring for the physical building. It was certainly not a

position that was without respect or honor, but it was also more of a caretaker

an administrator than a teacher. And what's interesting is that he does not go

to his local rabbi or priest, but instead he seeks out Jesus to help his

daughter who, he says, is at the point of death or at death's door. Why? Well, it

says he's heard stories about Jesus. He's heard stories about the miracles that

Jesus has performed. He's heard probably about the paralytic being healed after

being lowered down to Jesus. He's heard about the sick being made well. He's heard

about how Jesus has taken the time to touch the broken and make them whole.

And so he has hope that Jesus might come with him. But what do we know about the

faith of Jairus at this point? We know that he has at least some hope that

Jesus will be good and kind enough to come back with him to heal his daughter.

I was loved seeing stories of famous actors and musicians who will come to see somebody

in the hospital.

I saw one story where a famous band found out that someone couldn't come to their concert

because they had just gotten chemo and they were too sick to come.

And so the whole band actually came and performed in the hospital room.

And everyone was shocked that they had gone out of their way to do that, but they recognized

their goodness.

It was unexpected, but they recognized something inherently good about these people taking the

time to do this.

So Jairus, it seems, has faith in the goodness of Jesus because he comes to him and boldly

asks him to come back to his home to heal his daughter.

However, we also see the limitation in Jairus faith, don't we? A few things.

There's a sense of desperation.

He's falling down at Jesus' feet and pleading with him to come because

she's close to death.

There's a sense that Jesus has to hurry because time is almost up. So apparently

Jairus doesn't believe that Jesus' power is greater than death.

And there's also a belief that he thinks Jesus must do something specific to heal her, right?

He says, "You come and lay hands on my daughter."

This is different from the Centurion that we hear about in Matthew 8 and Luke 7.

This Centurion believed that Jesus could heal from a distance with just a word.

He had an idea of Jesus' authority.

but this man, I mean, not only does he believe that Jesus' authority is limited by proximity,

by space, but also by time. You have to come and you have to touch her so that you can heal her,

and you have to hurry because we might be running out of time. But Jesus doesn't stop to correct

this crying man at his feet. He's going to show him his authority instead, and he goes with him.

So, Jairus does not fully understand or believe in the unlimited power of Jesus, but he does

dare to hope in his goodness.

So with that, let's look at character number two, who interrupts this story with her own.

But in doing so, actually helps us to understand the conclusion to Jairus's story in a few

moments.

So let's read this next section.

verses 25 through 34.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for 12 years

and who had suffered much under many physicians

and had spent all that she had and was no better but rather grew worse.

She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and

touched his garment for she said if I touch even his garments, I will be made well.

And

immediately the flow of blood dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him,

immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"

And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you and yet you say,

'Who touched me?'"

And he looked around to see who had done it.

But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down

before him and told him the whole truth.

And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.

Go in peace and be healed of your disease."

So let's look at what we know about this woman and her condition.

She had suffered from a chronic, ongoing condition for 12 years.

And not just any condition, but one with massive cultural and social implications.

Beyond just being physically draining and uncomfortable and unpleasant socially due

to Jewish law, she would have been expected to separate herself from other people.

So according to Leviticus 15, 25 through 27, "A woman with a discharge of blood was considered

ceremonially unclean, and anyone who touched her therefore also became unclean.

But the other big issue was that she would have been barred from going to the temple

during that time.

So in a very basic way, she was completely isolated from community life and from religious

life, which in that day and culture was a kind of death sentence.

In a world where you need your community to survive and your community is centrally gathered

around religious life, being excluded from those things made life beyond difficult, beyond

hard.

Furthermore, we know that her suffering has been made not better, but worse, under the

doctors that she's paid to help her.

And to make matters even worse, they have taken all of her money for cures that have

only brought her suffering and made her life worse.

So just like the little girl who is on the edge of death, this poor woman has been experiencing

a kind of living death for 12 years.

But she's heard of someone now who she believes can help.

What do we know about the woman's faith in Jesus?

We know that she believes in the power of Jesus because she fully believes that if she

can just touch the hem of his garment, she will be healed.

And we know that this isn't something she just wonders about, but is willing to risk

leaving her isolation to push through a crowd she's not supposed to be around, breaking

the law to touch a rabbi of all people.

He's risking a lot by even being around this crowd of people and reaching out to touch Jesus,

yet her belief in his power leads her to do this.

So why does she have this high level of faith in the power of Jesus' garments specifically?

I mean, she's probably heard stories about him healing people and may have had a common

belief at the time that religious leaders and powerful people had a kind of aura around

them that would heal others.

So for example, Alexander the Great had people who would follow him around trying to touch

him and his clothes for this exact reason.

It was a common belief in the ancient world.

But remember that this is likely a Jewish woman.

And we know that the Jews of this time had their own beliefs and some superstitions, which

were at least rooted in prophecy.

So one such belief came from Malachi 4-2, which talks about the Messiah who is to come

having healing in his wings.

Now the passage in context is clearly a metaphor for the Messiah bringing healing.

But many rabbis of that day held and taught the belief that the Messiah would have special

powers to heal in the wings or corners of His garments.

Now we know that it was not the garments, but Jesus Himself who healed.

Even in the passage it says the power did not come out of the garments, it came from

Jesus.

But that could explain this woman's belief in why she just needed to touch the wings

or the tips of Jesus' garments.

So back to the passage, Jesus knows immediately when this woman touches him.

He knows that power has gone out from him and has healed this woman who thought that

she could touch him and kind of sneak away into the crowd.

So at this point we know that this woman believed in the power of Jesus.

But we also know from the way that she touches him and then hides in the crowd that she too

has a limitation in her belief about Jesus.

Unlike Jairus, it's not the power of Jesus that she doubts.

It's the heart of Jesus that she doubts.

She doesn't want to stop him or ask something from him or inconvenience him.

she'll just get in really quick and then get out.

She believes in the power.

She might even believe that Jesus is the Messiah,

but she doesn't understand the love of Jesus.

And Jesus is not content to let that be the case,

to let her walk away believing in his power

without knowing his heart for her.

For the record, I fully believe Jesus knew this woman

and her story and where she was and what she had done.

I don't think Jesus was asking who touched him

because he didn't know.

I think he was giving a chance to her to respond.

I don't think Jesus was looking for her

because he couldn't find her.

I think he desired to make eye contact

with this woman hiding in the crowd.

I think he wanted her to be seen.

Just like when God asked Adam and Eve in the garden,

And where are you?"

While he knew full well where they were, I think Jesus here is asking and looking and

waiting for the woman to come to him.

Because look at the way he responds to her when she does.

She falls down shaking in fear and tells him everything.

She tells him what she did, why she did it, and he does not reprimand her.

He does not call her out for breaking the law or for her lack of faith in his goodness,

because I think he sees the heart of a woman who has not really been seen in twelve years

and has not been loved in at least that long.

And he says to her, "Daughter."

He tells her to go in peace.

Why?

Because her faith that Jesus is the Messiah has made her well.

And now she leaves not only with healing, not only knowing the power of the Messiah,

but knowing the love of Jesus that is for her, knowing the one who stops to call her

daughter.

This woman found out that Jesus was indeed powerful enough to heal her, but also loved

her as a daughter, that he was powerful and good.

brings us back to Jairus, who's about to find out that Jesus is both good and powerful,

even over death itself.

Let's read the final portion of the passage together.

This is verse 35 through 43.

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter

is dead.

Why trouble the teacher any further?"

But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear,

only believe."

And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and Jesus saw a commotion, people

weeping and wailing loudly.

And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping?

The child is not dead, but sleeping.

And they laughed at him.

But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with

him and went in where the child was.

Taking her by the hand, he said to her, "Tali Thakumi, which means, little girl, I say to

you, arise."

And immediately the girl got up and began walking, for she was twelve years of age and

immediately overcome with amazement and he strictly charged them that no one

should know this and told them to give her something to eat. Talk about a roller

coaster scene of emotion. You start with the part of the story where in a TV show

the music changes, right? Someone gets that phone call and the mood changes and

and you can't help but whisper, oh no.

And it appears to everyone there that despite the healing

that has just happened for this woman who was called daughter,

that the hope of healing for the daughter of Jairus

is now lost.

They even tell Jairus to stop troubling Jesus.

But with Jesus, hope is never lost.

And Jesus ignores the comments from others around him

for the second time that day

and turns directly to Jairus,

who just has to be crushed at this point

and says, "Do not fear, only believe."

He calls him away from fear and tells him to have faith.

Then they get back to the house of Jairus

and there are already present these people

who are likely hired mourners out front along with a crowd.

So a cultural thing to understand here

is that the norm or the expectation of a family,

no matter how affluent or not,

would have been to hire professional mourners.

And that seems odd to us.

But in the same way, we hire a piano player

and efficient and limo company.

The important thing to first century families

going through this loss

was to have these hired people to facilitate the grief.

And I think this actually seems less odd to me now

after being to a lot of funerals.

And the odd sense of relief that you feel

when someone else in the room is crying,

it's like you get unspoken permission

to feel the loss and work through it,

either by crying or not,

instead of holding it in just for appearances.

And what was obvious to everyone there

as these professional mourners are doing their job,

is that the girl was dead

and the grieving process had begun.

There was no going back from their perspective.

But perspective is a funny thing, isn't it?

Because Jesus has a perfect perspective

knowing what is about to take place

and tells them that their work and the commotion

is unnecessary because the girl

isn't going to be dead for long.

He says, "She's sleeping."

Make no mistake, like some folks have over the years

with this passage, the girl was dead.

The mourners were hired.

The funeral process was started.

She was not sleeping.

These were not people fooled by somebody sleeping.

What Jesus is saying here is that the condition

is temporary.

The mourners respond to this with an odd 180

from their convincing crying and wailing.

and they start laughing at Jesus.

A laugh of disbelief.

And this actually brings to mind another time

that God made what seemed like an impossible claim

that Abraham would have a child one year ahead of that time.

And do you remember how his wife, Sarah, responded?

She laughed.

She couldn't believe this news that seemed impossibly good.

And it's at this point that I have to give Jairus some credit here.

He hears that his daughter has died, but he doesn't despair.

Instead, he chooses to believe as Jesus commanded.

He hears this impossible news and doesn't laugh.

Instead, choosing to follow Jesus up to the room where his daughter lay dead.

And as a result, he gets to be in the room when Jesus demonstrates his power over death.

He was right about one thing.

Jesus is absolutely good and was willing to come heal his daughter.

But he now has some idea that Jesus is not only a powerful healer, he is the Almighty

with power even over death.

And this resurrection is just a foretaste of his own resurrection and the future resurrection

offered to all who would believe in him. If you found it odd that Jairus is one of the

few people called by name in Mark, it's very likely because he was well known by name to

both Peter and many in the early church, which means Jairus likely never stopped following

Jesus.

These two stories separately are evidence that Jesus is more loving than we expected

and also more powerful than we thought.

But together, they show that Jesus is our comprehensive hope both in life and in death.

He is a Savior who calls us into relationship with Him and leads us to certain victory in

His name.

This is the suffering servant who was prophesied by Isaiah that Isaiah 53.5 says he was pierced

for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

And with his wounds we are healed.

He is that sacrifice that took our place, but he is also the one a chapter later that

Isaiah 54 says is the maker. The Lord of hosts is his name and the Holy One of

Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For those who

would put their faith in Jesus, he is both our good shepherd in this life and

our victorious King forevermore. So as we consider how to respond to that, let me

And just start if you are not a follower of Jesus yet.

Do not delay and come to Him now.

Repent of your sin.

Turn to Jesus as Lord and Savior and be baptized in His name.

I think there's a temptation to put things off, to wait until closer to the end of your

life, but you do not know the days of your life.

God does, and He calls you to repent and to turn to Him today.

Also, I don't know a single person who has turned to Jesus later in life and believed

that they somehow got away with waiting.

Instead, their response without fail is, "I wish I had turned to Jesus sooner."

Once they have experienced the love of Jesus, there is no comparison to life without Him.

For the woman who was healed and seen and called daughter, for Jairus who watched his

daughter raised from the dead, choosing to trust Jesus was undeniably better.

So for those of us who are following Jesus, who have chosen to trust Him, I want to encourage

you to reevaluate whether you are finding your hope in His goodness and in His power.

Let me explain.

You really believed that Jesus is good and that he cares about you and that he has compassion

on you.

Wouldn't there be more things that you would bring to him on a daily basis?

Wouldn't we come first to him with our concerns and our questions?

Would we come first to him in those moments when we feel inadequate or anxious or tempted?

If we really believed he was good, would we be quick to reach out to our brothers and

sisters in the church, asking them to go to Jesus with us?

I think if we really knew the goodness of Jesus and believed it, we would hide less

often in the crowd and would be at his feet more often.

I know I would.

And finally, if you really believed Jesus is victorious, I think we would live with a

greater sense of our purpose to be a part of his coming kingdom, the one that is already

come and still has yet to come and full.

And this is challenging to me, but I think it would mean the things I have considered

to be a real leap of faith to do suddenly become just a step of faith in following Jesus.

If Jesus is the risen living King, then my life finds purpose in obeying his good commands

and trusting him.

So as we close this passage, let's lean in to a Savior who is our hope in life and death,

and let's make the decision today to trust Jesus, who is better than we have imagined,

powerful than we can understand and calls us his own.

Ecclesia is a church of house churches gathering weekly in Council Bluffs, Iowa and in homes

throughout the week.

We are a Bible-centered church focused on preaching from Scripture and making disciples

of Jesus.

You can learn more about our statement of faith and contact a pastor by visiting ecclaseachurches.org.