21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing[c] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Question 1
How do you feel when you have to go to a doctor? Are you ever worried that they won’t be able to help you?
Question 2
What was similar and different about the two women?
So far we have seen that King Jesus has authority over nature, over the spiritual world and over diseases. Now we’re going to see that he even has authority over life and death.
Here is the story of two very different women. The first daughter has been suffering for twelve years, and the nature of her illness made the experience even worse. The fact that she was bleeding meant that she was considered dirty. She wasn’t allowed to go to the temple, and other people wouldn’t want to touch her because she would make them dirty too. But this woman heard about everything Jesus had done and knew that just touching him would haunt her. And that’s what happened. Just as touching the woman made others dirty, touching Jesus Christ makes her clean. Now her life changes completely.
The second girl is in a very different situation. We don’t get the impression that she’s suffered for a long time. In fact, during the twelve years of her life she was in a very privileged position as the daughter of the synagogue leader – she was allowed to be involved in the religious world. But she has now been cut off from society and is considered dirty because she is dead. But that doesn’t bother Jesus. He approaches the girl and treats her as if she is just sleeping! He tells her it’s time to get up, and the girl has to listen. Touching Jesus brings life. In fact, this King is so powerful that bringing someone back from death is just as easy as waking them up!
Question 3
If Jesus is King, what do you believe his actions show us about the kingdom of God?
Pray to God and ask him to show you more of Jesus.
