The Background of a Powerful Story

What's Behind this Powerful Story?

This story of a healing encounter with Jesus comes from the Gospel According to Mark (Mark 5:21-43).  Within this story are two intertwined sub-stories:

• Jesus heals Jairus' Daughter
• Jesus heals the Woman with the Flow of Blood

Because it's so hard to separate the two stories, they've often been described together.  The NIV titles this section "Jesus heals a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman," while the NRSV describes it as "A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed."

The Markan Sandwich

Turns out there's a reason why it's so difficult to separate the two stories and appreciate them individually.  And the reason is...the author of Mark's gospel doesn't want us to!  This narrative is an example of a unique characteristic of Mark's telling of the Jesus story.  Bible scholars call it the "Markan Sandwich."  In a number of instances, Mark sets one story inside another.  In this instance, here's how the sandwich-form outline looks:

A. Jairus' Daughter Introduced

B. The Woman Introduced and Healed

A. Jairus' Daughter Healed

This literary convention allows each story to help interpret the other.  One obvious result is that Jairus must wait for Jesus to heal another person, and in the meantime his daughter dies - that factor raises the bar of faith considerably.  There are at least 10 parallels between the two healings intertwined here.  Here are a few important ones:

• The girl is 12 years old.  The woman has suffered for 12 years.
• Both are beyond being saved by human (medical) means.
• Both Jairus and the woman fall at Jesus feet in humble faith.
• The girl is identified as Jairus' daughter.  Jesus calls the woman "daughter."
• The most important connection for the purpose of this sermon series is this - both the girl and the woman are healed by Jesus through his powerful restorative touch.

It's All About Christology...

Theologically speaking, in this section of the gospel (Mark 4:35-6:6) the focus of the narrative is on Jesus' identity. A few verses earlier, Jesus' disciples respond to His demonstration of power over nature by wondering "Who then is this?"  The identity of Jesus is the concern of the characters in the narrative.  It is also what Mark hopes his audience - those reading the gospel then...and now - will consider for themselves.

Here's the bottom line: Jesus' use of power in healing these two women is meant to say something about who he is.  

Discovering who Jesus really is.  That's what will happen as we dive into thise scene from Jesus' life, considering anew his powerful touch.


...And Three Characters
Those who experience Jesus' powerful touch in this story are...

• Jairus - prominent parent in a predicament (Sermon focus: June 28, 2015)
• The Girl - real life sleeping beauty (Sermon focus: July 5, 2015)
• The Woman - 12 years a slave to suffering (Sermon focus: July 12, 2015)

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Next Week: Who is Jairus, and how did he experience Jesus' powerful touch?