Mark 5:21-43 (No. 6)

The miracles of the healing of the woman and the young maiden portray a powerful story, with some serious implications for the nation of Israel and the Tribes of Judah and Levi. The structure of the Texts is examined as follows.

Structure of the Text

The Gathering

The text starts with the gathering of the people to Christ.

Mark 5:21-43 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

Jairus Comes

Then a ruler of the synagogue named Jairus came to him and paid homage to him. This is an important aspect of the way in which Christ then dealt with him. Jairus represents the faithful in Judah and Levi and their house is blessed in the faith.

²²And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

Jairus’ Confession of Faith

Jairus here expresses the assurance of faith.

²³And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: [I pray thee], come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

Thus he has an assurance that she will live.

The throng follows

The throng then follows him. We might say these are those who represent the called but not chosen. They saw what Christ was doing and followed him but not from deep faith.

²⁴And [Jesus] went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

Woman’s Confession of Faith

In vv. 25-28 we see the Woman’s confession of faith.

²⁵And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, ²⁶And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

Here she was unable to be healed of the Priesthood and the physicians.

²⁷When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. ²⁸For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

This is another example of strength by faith.

Miracle of Justification by Faith

The miracle of justification through faith is seen here as of great power.

This woman was ritually unclean for twelve years. This was a symbol of the elect who were dead in their sins and unclean before God. She was aware she was unclean but Judah and Levi were not aware of their position. Only through the Holy Spirit are we brought to repentance and a state of awareness of our own sin.

²⁹And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in [her] body that she was healed of that plague.

Holy Spirit drawn in Faith

In verses 30-32 we see the Holy Spirit drawn through Christ in Faith even though there were others not as genuine who also touched him and allegedly followed him. These are those who call him Lord Lord yet do not obey the commandments. The Holy Spirit was accessed by faith.

³⁰And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? ³¹And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? ³²And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

The Holy Spirit was taken from Christ to the women only through the strength of her faith. The apostles then did not yet understand the lesson being taught here. There were many touching Christ, yet he knew when he had been accessed for the power of the Spirit.

Confession of the faith before Christ

This confession was one of all the truth. She bared her heart to Christ and confessed.

³³But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

Approval and acceptance by Christ

Christ here makes the statement of his acceptance through her faith.

³⁴And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

After this instance we see that there is perhaps a more serious test of faith.

Test of Faith

Next we see Jairus approached by the Messenger from the house. Here we see the faith of Jairus tested.

³⁵While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's [house certain] which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

The sentiment here is that she is dead; why worry with this man; he can do nothing for you.

Christ encourages the faith

The next verse shows the phase of encouragement. This is the structure of I will never leave you or forsake you as a promise of God. This understanding was to be important to the church in what are serious trials (Ps. 10:14, 22:11; 27:9; Heb. 13:5).

³⁶As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Elect apostles follow

Only the elect apostles were allowed to follow him to the house of Jairus. These three were as witnesses to the work.

³⁷And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

Christ declares the Resurrection

Christ entered the house. There he effectively declared the Resurrection and Salvation of the maiden bride. For the elect death was to be as one asleep.

³⁸And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. ³⁹And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

Lack of faith in Levi

We see here a distinct lack of faith among the house of Judah and Levi.

⁴⁰And they laughed him to scorn.

Removal of the Old Order

The symbolism here draws a number of examples of prophecy. It alludes to the protection of the Elect as the Nation and based on families. The concept is that of calling one of a city and two of a family (Jer. 3:14).

Christ enters the chamber

Christ entered the bedchamber. He then declared the choice and selection of Israel as the mother of the woman, who was the church.

⁴⁰But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

The structure of the Resurrection is detailed. The Church is promised the First Resurrection from this action. The details are in Revelation chapter 20. The sequence is explained in the papers The Soul (No. 092) and The Resurrection of the Dead (No. 143).

The damsel who is 12, is the church before the resurrection and is not yet of marriageable age and strength. The concept is based on the foundation of the twelve who form the foundation of the City of God (see the paper The City of God (No. 180)). The woman herself was also brought to repentance in the sequence of the twelve years. In this she was a witness to Israel in her faith.

Miracle of the Calling and understanding

⁴¹And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. ⁴²And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was [of the age] of twelve years.

The text seems to place emphasis on the fact that she was of twelve years. Perhaps this is to indicate a capacity to walk but it seems both ages are the same and perhaps indicate that they were both selected when the Messiah reached marriageable age and was an adult. Thus they were betrothed to him from the omniscience of God. The woman with an issue was unclean and hence not to be touched. She also was set aside for Messiah from this fact. Look also at the paper Song of Songs (No. 145). The young maiden was set aside at the same time, but from her birth.

The Great Astonishment

There was then a great astonishment of the onlookers who heard but did not hear and saw but did not see. In this we are called to confound the mighty (1Cor. 1:27).

And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

The Mysteries of God

Christ then gave the charge of the keeping of the Mysteries of God to the Church and the care of the church in its administration and spiritual nourishment.

The elders of the church were made stewards of the mysteries of God (1Cor. 4:1).

The command to give the maiden something to eat is the same injunction Christ later gave to Peter: namely, Feed My Sheep.

⁴³And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. (KJV).

Thus what appears to be two unrelated texts in the gospel of Mark is actually a powerful story of the predestination of the elect, their setting aside and their calling and hence their Justification and Glorification in the First Resurrection.

As Paul says:

“For all things work together for those who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.

For whom He did foreknow He also did predestine to be conformed to the image of His son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom He did predestine, them he also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things?

If God is for us who can be against us?

He that spared not His own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things?

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that Justifies” (cf. Rom. 8:28-33).

The story here in Mark and the performance of the miracles is a powerful story of the Christ and the calling of the Church.

PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA

Email: secretary@ccg.org