8.19.2026 - Matt Hekman

August 19

Today, with the gentleness of God in mind, we will consider the story of Jesus, Jairus and his daughter, and the woman Jesus heals. We find the story in Mark 5:21-43.

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.

Jesus doesn’t hesitate here, he is presented with a need and away he goes. The gentleness in Jesus approach is seen in his willingness to immediately help on Jairus’ terms. He doesn’t tell him, “bring your daughter to me and I’ll heal her.” He doesn’t tell him, “you can go home, she’ll be fine.” He goes, ready to perform the miracle asked of 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.”

Jesus is interrupted in the middle of an urgent matter. No one would have noticed if he just kept moving along. The woman’s faith would have been justified in her mind as she was healed just as she believed she would be. But Jesus stops and allows this interruption, adding the faith of more than just the woman he healed. And we see again his gentleness in how he deals with her. She is terrified, trembling in fear. How dare she presume to “steal” Jesus’ healing power without asking? But instead of addressing her as ‘woman’, Jesus calls her ‘daughter.’ He credits her faith as the thing that healed her. It wasn’t Jesus’ clothes. And he sends her off in peace, freed from suffering.

This gentle interaction had to affect many in the crowd, and I have to think it caused many to believe.

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 what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Again, Jesus’ gentleness in action. He had just healed the woman a moment earlier, so it should be easy to believe. But he pauses in the moment to reassure Jairus, telling him, “Don’t be afraid.” How often do we need to be reminded of Jesus power to heal or make things right? Sometimes we need him to just remind us by his Spirit – don’t be afraid.

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.

Recalling the beginning of this passage, Jairus specifically asked Jesus to “put your hands on her so she will be healed.” We see that Jesus did exactly that, gently fulfilling Jairus request and showing that same gentleness to his daughter.

Throughout this story we can see the gentle nature of Christ as he deals with each of the three main characters. In Christ, we have a God who cares for us and treats us with the same gentleness. May we strive to be like him in our interactions with those who reach out to us, needing our care.