KJV Mark 5:2-3 “…an unclean spirit dwelling among the tombs and no man could bind him…”
NASB Mark 5:2-3 “an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him…”
KJV Mark 5:25-26 “A woman which had an issue of blood …suffered many things of many physicians …and was nothing better”
NASB Mark 5:25-26 A woman who had had a hemorrhage …endured much at the hands of many physicians …and was not helped at all”
KJV Mark 5:35 “Thy daughter is dead, why troublest thou the Master any further?”
NASB Mark 5:35 “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”
Mark 5 introduces us to the ministry of the Servant of Jehovah. Is this Servant competent to accomplish the work He has been assigned by His Master? One way of showing competence is by dealing with extreme cases. The chapter collects three of these and displays for us the all-sufficiency of this Servant.
A Man No One Could Harness
The man with legion is the first person we encounter as we progress through the chapter. Here is a man that no one could tame. With super-human strength, he resisted every attempt at control. Self-destructive and dwelling among tombs, the only “cure” for this man would have been chains or death.
But a new hope entered his field of vision as Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth, appeared. With His word, He dismissed the demons and restored the man to “the right mind” (v 15).
But rather than receiving thanks and appreciation from the citizens, He was requested to depart. Swine were more important than souls.
A Woman No One Could Heal
We next encounter the “sandwich” story of the woman with the issue of blood and the daughter of Jairus. Both involve 12-year spans of time, and both represent what appeared to be hopeless scenarios facing the Servant.
Every natural means had been exhausted. She had seen many physicians in an attempt to find a cure, depleting her natural revenue (money) and her natural resources (physicians). Luke, perhaps in an attempt to justify the frustration of his fellow physicians, adds, “Neither could be healed,” intimating that her case was beyond the curative stage.
Here was a helpless and desperate woman. But notice how much of Christ she needed. “Just a touch of the hem of His garment.” A hand of faith reaching out to lay hold of just the fringe of Christ was enough to bring healing. So little of Christ accomplished so much for this woman!
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A Young Girl No One Could Help
We can sense something of the grief and earnestness in the entreaty of Jairus. He may have been annoyed at the interruption afforded by the woman with her issue of blood. His need was urgent. Imagine then the thoughts that must have passed through his mind when the message came that they were too late. His daughter had died. “If only we had not been interrupted? Why couldn’t she wait another day? She has had this medical problem for twelve years; what’s another day?”
Now, humanly speaking, his 12-year-old daughter was beyond help. She had died. “Be not afraid; only believe.” This must have introduced a ray of hope into Jairus’ heart. But no one had been raised by Jesus up to this point in time. This maiden was about to be the first. And though they laughed Him to scorn, His word and His touch brought the maid back to her parents and to this life. Even death was no match for the Prince of Life.
Survey the chapter for a moment: not only has He dealt with three extreme cases with artless ease, but He has shown His superiority over demons, disease, and death. He is the all-sufficient Servant of Jehovah.
Consider
“Sandwich” incidents are very common in Mark. Why do you think, in Divine purposes, that the journey to Jairus’ home was interrupted by the woman with her need?