Daily Devotional For Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional for today comes from the words of Jesus found in Mark 5:21-43. We read about these same stories also in Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56. These stories were so powerful that 3 out of the 4 Gospel writers tell it.
Mark tells us that Jesus decided to cross the Sea of Galilee, leaving the area of the Gerasenes to return to Capernaum. When He got there a crowd was waiting for Him. We learn that a synagogue official came to Jesus by the name of Jairus, who had a daughter sick and close to death. He implores and begs Jesus to come and heal her. The synagogue rulers were responsible for overseeing worship services, caring for the upkeep of the scrolls, running the weekly Jewish Torah school, keeping the congregation faithful to the Law, distributing alms to the poor, and administering the care of the building. There was no permanent rabbi or teacher, so the synagogue rulers often would ask visiting teachers to teach. For Jairus to fall at Jesus’ feet begging showed not only deep respect to Jesus, but how much he loved his daughter.
As there usually is with ministry, while Jesus started on His way with the crowds following Him, He feels power go out from Him healing a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. We learn she had exhausted all her money, resources on doctors of her day. She, like Jairus, was desperate. Her bleeding put in a position of being constantly considered “unclean.” She could not go to the synagogue, nor associate with family and friends until her bleeding stopped. The Old Testament Law in Leviticus 15:25-33 was very clear about this. Anyone who came in contact with her would be also considered “unclean.”
The Gospel writers make it clear that she had suffered in two primary ways:first, rejection and isolation for her community and second, she had suffered actual pain from the treatments doctors of her day had administered. In that day there was a belief that even the clothes of a holy man held healing power (see Mk. 6:56; Acts 19:11-12). She may have feared that Jesus may not have wanted to touch her, thus making Himself unclean. Or she may have feared that if the people she had touched to make her way to Jesus knew her condition, they would be furious with her for making them unclean.
Every devout Jew wore an outer robe with four tassels on it, one at each corner. These tassels were worn in obedience to the command in Num. 15:38-40, and they were to signify to others, and to remind the man himself, that the wearer was a member of the chosen people of God. They were the badge of a devout Jew. It was one of these tassels that the woman slipped through the crowd and touched; and, having touched it, she was thrilled to find herself cured. The Bible tells us that just as soon as she touched the hem of His garment, she was immediately and instantaneously healed.
After power went out from Jesus to heal her due to her faith, she asked a question that many have misunderstood. He turned and asked, “Who touched Me?” You can almost hear the disciples responding sarcastically, “Who touched You? Lord, everyone is touching You.” Jesus knew who touched Him. The reason for the question was not to find out who, but to establish a relationship with this woman whose faith had brought her healing from the Lord. This woman wanted to leave quietly, but Jesus would not let her. He wanted to heal her spiritually. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I imagine Jairus is in a state of panic and exasperation as Jesus stopped right there. His daughter was dying.
The woman steps forward and tells Jesus her whole story, which the crowd heard as well. This is why the Bible says she came forward in fear and trembling. How would this crowd react to her knowing she had touched some of them just to get to Jesus. Jesus did not want to just deal with her physical sickness; He wanted to deal with the spiritual sickness in her soul. Genuine faith involves action. Faith that isn’t put into action is not faith (Jam. 2:14-26).
While all of this is going on, people come to Jairus and say words no parent ever wants to hear. “Your child (daughter) is dead. Don’t bother the teacher any more” I cannot imagine how this man felt, thinking, if this woman had not held the hem of Jesus and if Jesus had not stopped, he could have got to her daughter in time to heal her. But Jesus wanted to do a bigger miracle to prove He was the Messiah. Jesus saw Jairus’ face and turned to him and said, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe.” Jesus ignored the words of the people. Jairus had come to Him in faith and Jesus was going to reward this man’s faith. Death does not stop God, but our dead faith will stop us. The literal Greek text says Jesus said, “Keep on believing even now.”
Jesus only allowed His inner circle: Peter, James and John to come into the house. These 3 had been with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk. 9:2). The Bible says the house was filled with weeping and wailing. In those days, people would pay professional mourners to come to their home to wail, scream and moan when someone had died. This is the scene Jesus and the disciples walked into then. Jesus made it clear that the child was not dead, but just sleeping. Everyone laughed at Jesus but that did not deter Jesus in rewarding Jairus for his faith. Jesus put everyone out of the room except Himself, His 3 disciples and Jairus and his wife
Jesus took the little girl’s hand and in doing so was considered unclean and told her, “Little child, get up.” This 12-year-old girl got up immediately to the shock of all and Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Jesus knew that compassion was more important here than the letter of the Law. Then Jesus told them not to say anything about what had happened. Jesus did not mean, “Keep your daughter in seclusion.” Everyone would know she had been healed but Jesus wanted the details of how concealed so that people could marinate on the healing and so that this would not interfere with His ministry.
Reflection Assignment: What is it that you want the Lord to do for you that might be a miracle? Let me put it another way: what spiritual miracle rather than physical miracle do you need Jesus to do for you as you step out in faith? If the Lord were to reward you for your level of faith, what do you think He would do for you? Is there an area in your life where the Lord would say, "Keep on believing even now?
Scripture To Meditate On: Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to be a person of faith. Your Word says that faith comes by hearing the Word of the Lord (Rom. 10:17). I really need to be in Your Word more so that Your Word is in me. I do not want to crumble when storms come, but I want to stand firm on the solid foundation of faith in You. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly