Man on a Mission: A 5-Day Journey With Jesus Through Mark 5–7Sýnishorn

Jesus, a Grieving Father, and a Desperate Woman

When Jesus arrives back on the Jewish side of the lake to continue his rescue mission, he is met by a huge crowd. Out of that crowd, two individuals emerge in intertwined stories of despair. The first is an influential man, a leader of a synagogue; the second is an impoverished woman who has been cut off from all normal life for over a decade because of the ravages of a fierce physical ailment. Both come to Jesus because they are desperate—they have run out of other options for solving their problems. The man’s daughter is dying; the woman’s existence is already more like death than life, and her resources are exhausted. In their interwoven stories, Jesus demonstrates three missional attitudes and actions toward them.

First, Jesus is READY for “interruptions.” It looks like the new day is shaping up to be a large-crowd event, with lots of seaside preaching and teaching, when the synagogue official shows up with his request: “My little daughter is dying. Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live” (v. 23, NLT). Apparently, without hesitation, Jesus turns from “the big stage” to this more intimate need and accompanies the man toward his home, with the multitude following. On the way, the desperate woman creeps up behind him through the crowd and receives healing and wholeness like a lightning bolt rushing through her body when she touches Jesus’ robe. Just as Jesus did not hesitate to interrupt his preaching tour to make a sick visit, now he does not hesitate to interrupt his route to that visit to have a redemptive conversation with the woman who has touched him. (We can only imagine the desperate father’s impatience during this halt along the way, especially when we find out that his daughter has indeed died during his trip to fetch Jesus.)

Perhaps Jesus’ readiness for interruptions emerges from the second missional characteristic he demonstrates: BOLD ATTENTIVENESS. Jesus is deeply aware of the people he is with and deeply attuned to their needs. Mark has told us that the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus at the beginning of his ministry (1:10), and he remains boldly attentive to the Spirit’s leadership. Jesus pays close attention, both to people and to the Spirit. When Jesus realizes that healing power has gone out from him to meet someone’s hidden need, he pays attention, asking a seemingly nonsensical question in that crowded setting, “Who touched me?” (v. 30). It’s a bold question asking for boldness in return—and the woman responds by falling on her knees in front of him, exposing herself to whatever wrath or criticism may await her.

And it is precisely here that we see Jesus's third missional characteristic in this pair of stories: great TENDERNESS. Although Jesus can be quite brusque with those who try to impede his rescue mission, like the scoffing mourners at the home of the little girl (vv. 39–40), he offers restorative tenderness to the rescued ones. There is no criticism of the woman when she reveals her identity; instead, Jesus addresses her tenderly as “daughter” and sends her home in peace. When he comes into the room where the little girl’s body lies, he takes her hand and addresses her as Talitha, “little girl,” a gentle, affectionate form of address.

The two recipients of Jesus’ mission in this pair of stories are low-status people in that historical and social context—a child and a sick woman. They’re not “worthy” of an influential teacher’s time and attention. But Jesus offers them his readiness to be interrupted by their needs, a bold attentiveness to their situation, and a deep tenderness as he restores them to the fullness of life.