One had been alive for twelve years; the other had suffered for twelve years. One grew up in a prominent household; the other was now destitute and socially marginal. Both had a desperate need, and Jesus met that need. Both Jairus (on behalf of his daughter) and the woman with the flow of blood become models of faith in this story.
I give more details in a web article that Christianity Today asked me to write this week, here. Because of our miscarriages, my wife and I have experienced grief over the loss of children, though not children that we had spent years raising. But we can also celebrate the miracles that God does. We can learn from the faith of these two individuals in Mark 5, when called to trust Jesus for a miracle; we can also learn from the faith that the disciples should had (but didn’t) in the face of suffering, later in the Gospel. And we all can celebrate the hope that the gospel provides.
