May 14, 2010

Faith is everything

Mark 5:21-43

Danelle Parker
Friday's Devo

May 14, 2010

Friday's Devo

May 14, 2010

Central Truth

 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. . . . And without faith it is impossible to please Him . . . ." (Hebrews 11:1, 6a)

Key Verse | Mark 5:36

“[D]o not be afraid any longer, only believe.” (Mark 5:36b)

Mark 5:21-43

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing 1 5:36 Or ignoring; some manuscripts hearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus 2 5:38 Greek he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Footnotes

[1] 5:36 Or ignoring; some manuscripts hearing
[2] 5:38 Greek he

Dive Deeper | Mark 5:21-43

"Hi, my name is Danelle Parker, and I am a believer who struggles with unbelief" is how I introduce myself in Celebrate Recovery (CR), Watermark's 12-step recovery ministry. When I started at CR, I knew I struggled with co-dependency. When I felt insecure, fearful, or worried about a situation, I would try to control it by fixing, planning, or manipulating people and circumstances to feel less fearful. Co-dependency was just a symptom. I struggle with unbelief. Fear and worry come from not believing that God is God, that NOTHING is too big or too broken for Him, and that I matter to Him. I believed that God was busy with the bigger things in this world, like natural disasters, war, disease, and famine to really take care of me, so I set off to take care of myself.

I made a mess of things.

This passage really spoke to me because of the faith these people demonstrated. There's the woman who had been living with a bleeding disease for 12 years. She was considered unclean and probably an outcast in her village because of this disease. She was so sure of Jesus and who He was that she knew, if she could just touch part of His clothing, she would be cured. She believed that He would help her, no matter what. How many times in my unbelief have I not reached out to the Lord because I messed up or felt unlovable? She believed He would heal her despite her “uncleanness.” 

Then, there's the synagogue official whose daughter was dying. It was not popular for synagogue officials to go to Jesus and ask for help or to admit in public that Jesus was the Son of God. But Jairus did. He knew the truth and believed that Jesus could and would heal his daughter.

I am amazed and a little envious of their faith. I wonder, would my faith have made me well (verse 34)? A couple of years ago, the answer would have been "no." But today, I would say the answer would be different. Praise God! 

Discussion Questions

1. Does your faith make you well?

2. What in your life do you need to hand over to God and not fear any longer?

3. Are you struggling with believing in God’s character or His promises?

4. Do you believe/know that God is good all the time?

FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What does it mean to feel hopeless? 

2. Who in these verses felt hopeless? 

3. What does Jesus say to Jairus in verse 36?

4. What can you do next time you feel hopeless?