5:21-23
We now get two well known healings. Jesus crossed again to the other side and was, as usual, met by a large crowd. In the previous incident Jesus was met by the demoniac running up to Him, this time he is met by a much more respectable individual running up to Him, but one in no less a desperate situation. This time it was Jairus, a synagogue ruler. So someone who was respected in the community. His daughter was very seriously ill, apparently close to death. He begged Jesus to come and lay hands on her so that she could become well. So the synagogue leader had heard about Jesus and believed that He did indeed have the power to heal.
5:24-26
Jesus went with Jairus, but while everything would end well, the journey would not be smooth as far as Jairus was concerned. As usual Jesus was followed by vast crowds. Out of this crowd was one woman, a woman who would be considered to be of little importance. She had had a discharge of blood for some twelve years. This would make her ceremonially unclean (Lev 15:25-27), and so would severely limit the part she could play in the religious life of the community, as well as the physical suffering involved. So there would be a psychological and well as a physiological aspect to her affliction. She had spent much money on physicians, but things had only got worse. It is worth noting that the physician Luke fails to mention this latter point in his account of the incident!
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