Jesus Heals a Man's Daughter

Third Sunday of Pentecost

Mark 5: 21 - 43

Matthew 9: 18 - 26

Luke 8: 40 - 56

In a time and place where women were not always considered full participants in society, Jesus listened to, taught, and healed many women.

There are two women in today's lesson: the daughter of a rich man, Jairus, and a woman who feels so inferior that she cannot approach Jesus directly.

Both are in situations in which they could make another person ritually unclean under Jewish law. The daughter is believed to be dead, and simply touching a dead body could prevent an observant Jew from worshiping.

And the woman has a continuous bodily discharge. Any sort of continuing discharge (a running sore, for example) could make either men or women ritually unclean, and anyone suffering from such an ailment could contaminate a ritually clean person.

But Jesus, instead of being made unclean himself by touching unclean people, remained pure in his own body, and by his touch he made the unclean clean - he had what some scholars call contagious holiness.

And by healing these unclean people, once again he fulfilled his mission: his purpose was always to heal people who were prevented from worshiping God by their afflictions.

In this story, Jesus has just returned from the Decapolis to the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee.

1. Who was Jairus?

[Jairus was in charge of the Jewish meeting place.]

2. What did Jairus ask Jesus to do?

[Jairus asked Jesus to heal his daughter.]

3. What did the woman in the crowd do?

[The woman came up to Jesus and touched his clothes.]

4. What happened to the woman?

[The woman was healed of her illness.]

5. What did Jesus say about the girl?

[Jesus said, "She isn't dead. She is just asleep."]

6. What happened to the girl when Jesus touched her?

[The girl got right up and started walking around.]

Jesus Heals a Man's Daughter

Mark 5: 21 - 43

In Jesus' lifetime, not all families thought that daughters were as important as sons - only sons could bring fame or wealth to the family.

But this father loved his daughter so much, he asked Jesus to save her.

Just as we do when we read a parable, we may insert our names in this story for the people who are not named. How does the story sound then?

The Jewish meeting place, or synagogue, was a place where Jesus often taught in small communities.

Jesus spoke to the little girl in Aramaic, a language which is related to Hebrew, that the everyday people spoke at that time.

1. Where was Jesus?

[Jesus was beside the Lake of Galilee.]

2. Who asked Jesus for help?

[Jairus, the leader in charge of the Jewish meeting place, asked Jesus for help.]

3. Who didn't ask Jesus for help?

[A woman in the crowd following Jesus didn't ask for help.]

4. What did the woman do?

[The woman barely touched Jesus' clothes.]

5. Who did Jesus heal?

[Jesus healed both the woman and the little girl.]