Risk the Reach: What Two Desperate People Teach Us About Faith

Sometimes the most important thing you can do is take a risk. In Mark chapter 5, two very different people encounter Jesus in the middle of a crowd. One risks his reputation. The other risks being seen. But both decide the same thing: reaching Jesus is worth the risk.

Who Were These Two People in Mark 5?

The story opens in Mark 5:21 with a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader. He was respected, financially stable, and well-connected. He was the kind of person who was welcome everywhere.

Then the story shifts to a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. She had spent everything she had on doctors. She was broke, isolated, and considered ceremonially unclean according to Leviticus 15. She could not touch anyone. No one could touch her. She had to announce her condition publicly so others would move away from her.

Two people. Completely opposite circumstances. Both desperate. Both moving toward Jesus.

What Did Jairus Risk to Come to Jesus?

At this point in Jesus' ministry, most religious leaders were beginning to oppose Him. Jairus was likely part of that world. Coming to Jesus publicly could have cost Him his standing, his relationships, and His reputation.

But his daughter was dying. And that changed everything.

He did not quietly pull Jesus aside. He ran to Him in the middle of a large crowd and fell at His feet. Publicly. Desperately. He pleaded, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed and live." (Mark 5:23, New Living Translation)

Faith moved him toward Jesus. He was willing to abandon everything that protected his image because reaching Jesus mattered more than protecting His reputation.

What Did the Woman with the Issue of Blood Risk?

This woman had been suffering for 12 years. Not just physically, but emotionally and socially. She was alone. Ashamed. Invisible.

And yet she pushed into a large, pressing crowd, knowing that brushing up against people while being considered unclean could bring serious consequences. She thought, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed." (Mark 5:28, New Living Translation)

She was willing to risk the reach. She stepped into the crowd, maybe for the first time in years, because she believed that getting to Jesus was worth it.

Why Did Jesus Ask "Who Touched Me?"

When the woman touched the hem of His robe, Jesus immediately knew that power had gone out from Him. He turned and asked, "Who touched my robe?" (Mark 5:30, New Living Translation)

His disciples were confused. The crowd was pressing in on all sides. Everyone was touching Him. But Jesus was not asking because He did not know. He was issuing an invitation.

He did not want this woman to walk away with only a physical healing. He wanted to heal her completely, body and soul. He wanted her story to come out. He wanted her to be seen.

There is an important distinction here. Not everyone who bumps up against Jesus is actually reaching for Jesus. You can go to church, read your Bible occasionally, wear the shirt, and still just be bumping up against Him without truly reaching out in faith.

What Did Jesus Call Her and Why Does It Matter?

The woman came forward trembling and told Jesus the whole truth. Every bit of it. Twelve years of shame, suffering, and isolation, spoken out loud in front of everyone.

And Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Your suffering is over." (Mark 5:34, New Living Translation)

Daughter. This is the only recorded instance in the entire Bible of Jesus calling someone daughter. This woman who had no one, who had been cast aside and forgotten, was welcomed into His family. He gave her a new name and a new identity.

He did not say her healing came from touching the right part of His clothing. He said her faith had healed her. The power was not in her reach. The power was in Jesus. Her reach simply made it possible.

Does Faith Guarantee That God Will Heal You?

This is an important question, and it deserves an honest answer.

Faith is not a formula. It does not control God. Sometimes Jesus brings healing immediately. Sometimes it unfolds over time. Sometimes the healing we are looking for does not come on this side of eternity. But in every case, our hope is not in how hard we reach. Our hope is in Jesus.

If you have been praying for healing and it has not come, that does not mean something is wrong with your faith. Faith reaches for Jesus and trusts Him with the outcome.

What Happened to Jairus and His Daughter?

While Jesus was still speaking with the woman, messengers arrived with devastating news. Jairus' daughter had died. They said, "Why bother the Teacher anymore?" (Mark 5:35, New Living Translation)

Maybe that is where you are right now. You have tried. You have prayed. And now you are asking, why bother?

Jesus turned to Jairus and said, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith." (Mark 5:36, New Living Translation)

Jairus had already believed enough to fall at Jesus' feet and risk everything. Jesus was telling Him to keep going. Do not stop now. The faith that brought you to Me, do not let it stop here.

When they arrived at the house, mourners were already wailing. Jesus told them the child was not dead but asleep. They laughed at Him. He put them out of the room, took the girl's hand, and said, "Little girl, get up!" (Mark 5:41, New Living Translation)

She stood up immediately and began walking around. She was 12 years old.

Death is no harder for Jesus than waking a sleeping child. That is what He wants us to understand.

What Do These Two Stories Have in Common?

Mark places these two stories together intentionally. A 12-year-old girl given her life back. A woman healed after 12 years of suffering. Jesus cares about both. He meets people where they are, with whatever faith they have.

One came publicly. One came secretly. One was honored. One was invisible. Both fell at Jesus' feet. And to both of them, His message was the same: do not be afraid, just believe.

Their faith did not make them powerful. Their faith brought them to the One who is powerful.

What Is Keeping You in the Crowd Instead of Reaching for Jesus?

This is the question worth sitting with. Is it pride? Reputation? Shame? The fear of being seen? Past disappointments? The feeling that it is too late or too far gone?

Whatever it is, Jesus is still turning around in the crowd and asking who is reaching for Him. Not just bumping up against Him, but truly reaching.

Life Application

This week, identify one area of your life where you have been standing in the crowd instead of reaching for Jesus. Maybe it is a relationship that feels beyond repair. Maybe it is a prayer you have nearly given up on. Maybe it is a struggle you have been hiding out of shame or pride.

Take one step toward Jesus in that area. That might mean telling someone you trust the whole truth. It might mean getting on your knees and saying, "Lord, I do not know what to do, but I know You have the power." It might mean choosing to keep believing when everything around you says why bother.

The risks Jesus asks us to take will rarely put us on top of a skyscraper. But they may cost us our pride, our comfort, our control, or our ability to remain unnoticed. Both Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood took that risk. And Jesus met them both.

Ask yourself these questions as you go into the week:

- What is keeping me in the crowd instead of truly reaching for Jesus?
- Am I bumping up against Jesus in my routine, or am I actively placing my faith in Him?
- Is there an area of my life where I have started to ask "why bother?" and need to hear Jesus say, "Don't be afraid, just believe"?
- What would it look like for me to fall at Jesus' feet this week, even if it costs me something?

Risk the reach. The power is not in how hard you reach. The power is in Jesus. And He is worth it.