Talítha Cumí!

Mark 5:21-29

“21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, (of the Sea of Galilee) a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.’ 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.”

Jairus begs Jesus to heal his daughter.

Woman sick for 12 years.

“25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.”

Woman with the issue of blood for 12 years touches the tassel of Jesus’ talith.

The account of Jairus’ daughter is intertwined with the story of the woman who was sick with a bleeding condition for 12 years.  Wherever these two stories are told, they are always in conjunction with one another. Why?

Well, for one thing, they occurred at the same time; back to back, which would in and of itself make sense. But that’s not the only reason.  Not by a long shot!  As usual, the Holy Spirit, our Master Storyteller, has great purpose in everything He does. What is on His mind this time? That’s what we’re going to study here at some length; but I promise, it will be well worth your time. 

Many Layers Of Meaning.

The Bible is multi-layered storehouse of treasures and can be studied in many ways. On the surface, known to the Jewish rabbis as the “P’shat,” these two accounts are stories of two different healings.  But if we dig a little deeper, down to the 4th layer, known to the rabbis as the “Sod,”  that’s where you’ll find the prophetic significance of these two stories. It becomes clear that this is also a story about two healings of an altogether different sort.

(For more on the different layers of Bible study you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2021/01/21/eutychus-the-story-behind-the-words/)

Significance Of Numbers. 

In all three accounts, the Holy Spirit specifically makes mention of the number, “12,” which is a very significant connection. But He also chooses to include a bit of the original language Jesus used, namely the two Aramaic words, “Talithá Cumí.” Whenever He does either of those two things, pay even closer attention. They paint a very clear picture of what Jesus actually did when He raised this young girl from the dead.  There’s an exciting story behind those words!

These two back-to-back accounts are documented THREE TIMES, once in each of the synoptic gospels:  Matthew 9:18-26, Luke 8: 41-56 and here in Mark 5:21-29.  When anything is recorded 3 times it means the Holy Spirit really, really, REALLY wants us to study them because He has something important He really, really, REALLY wants to tell us.  The passage in Mark recounts the story in the greatest detail so it we’re going to use his account to study and discover what in the world is so important.

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The Number 12.

Here’s what we know from the surface story.  The young girl was 12 years old; the woman with the issue of blood was sick for 12 years.  We can safely conclude that this young girl was born when the woman’s suffering began or visa versa.  Could this be a coincidence?  Again, not a chance!  The Holy Spirit NEVER includes numbers in the text on a whim, just to make the book thicker. Quite the contrary: They reveal deeper truths for anyone who is hungry enough to search out their meaning.

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The Jewish rabbis have long been aware of the phenomenon that numbers have meaning. They call it “Gematria.” For more on the topic of Bible Numbers and their meaning, you may follow the link below to a series on that topic:

Secrets In Bible Numbers Part 1.

12 is the number of government, administration or, in the case of the young girl, it signifies an entire generation. It is mentioned many other times throughout the Bible. For instance: Jacob had 12 sons; there are 12 Hebrew tribes and 12 apostles.  The Book of Revelation is filled with multiples of 12, like 12,000 X 12 = the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the Tribulation, and so on.

“Daughter, your faith has healed you.”

A Healing Like No Other.

This woman’s healing is unlike any other documented in all of scripture. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE ELSE, that was healed by Jesus, either heard Him preach, asked Him directly for their healing, OR He was performing some action for them. For one man, He made clay to anoint his eyes.  Others He touched in some way.  Others He commanded that they get up and walk. The point is, EVERYONE ELSE ASKED for healing first and waited for Jesus to act.

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Not her.  She, like a leper, was shunned and separated from human contact because of her bleeding in accordance with the law of Moses, recorded in Leviticus 15:25-27.  As a result, she could never go out in public and hear Jesus preach.  Like a shut in, she could ONLY HEAR “ABOUT” JESUS from other people.

This poor woman had suffered terribly for all those years and gone to many doctors only to become even more sick.  She spent all her money and was now totally broke as well. Undoubtedly, she was physically very weak and it’s entirely possible that she was just as near death as the young girl.

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When you think about it, Jairus’ daughter might not have even died had Jesus not stopped to attend to the woman. Remember, when her father first approached Him, she was only NEAR death. But the delay in His arrival was just enough time for her to expire. Ah, but don’t worry! It’s all part of the message to us in the stories of these two women.

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You and I, Church, are in the same boat as the older woman in many respects.  We also cannot physically see Jesus. We cannot physically touch Him in person or hear His sweet voice with our physical ears.  We can only HEAR “ABOUT” HIM because, physically, He is in heaven. We have other things in common with her that we will be discussing later that may come as a shock to some.

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Hearing And Receiving.

This subject of “Hearing and receiving” is a running undercurrent throughout the Bible and one of the keys to understanding this story. Well, something this woman heard caused her to receive.

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For more on hearing and receiving you may follow the link below:

Crowned With Goodness (טוב) And Dripping With Abundance (דשן).

Whatever it was she heard, the Church needs to hear today.  It definitely could not have been the law. That is what disqualified her from touching His garment and receiving her healing in the first place.  If she had obeyed the ordinance in Leviticus 15, she would never have gone out in public at all, especially if she believed she would defile everybody.  In the law, she also would have found no faith to receive her healing.  But somehow, she found the courage to venture out in public, at the risk of being stoned to death, to touch one person:  JESUS!

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Where did she get the strength, courage and determination to go out in public, in the middle of a crowd, no less? She heard about grace!  She heard about the things Jesus did and said! She heard that, though she was sinful and unclean, she, too, could be healed! She heard and heard and heard and heard, again…..and again and again and again. That’s what caused her to be able to receive!

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Talith with blue tassels on the corners.

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Special Revelation.

She crept up from behind with a shaky hand and, with what little faith she had, touched the hem, or tassel, of His Talith. That is the prayer shawl worn by every Jewish male, pictured above.  Why did she do that?  How did she know to do that in the first place?  She would have had to believe He was The Messiah, first and foremost, and secondly, she would have had to have been familiar with the passage below from Malachi 4:

“But to you who fear my name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with HEALING IN HIS WINGS…”

“His wings” were the tassels, or kanaphim, of his talith!  NO ONE ELSE is ever recorded to have touched His His WINGS.  She is the only one.  It had to have been a revelation given to her by the Holy Spirit!

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For more on the meaning of the blues tassel, you may follow the link below:

The Blue Tassel: Part 5 Of 6- High Priest’s Garment Series

What does this mean for us today?  That we, even if we feel sinful, unclean, or unworthy, it’s ok!  WE CAN RECEIVE OUR HEALING TOO!  Jesus has qualified us BY HIS SHED BLOOD.  Hear and hear and hear and hear how Jesus loves to heal again and again and again.  Hear and receive your healing!

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Active Healing.

Amazingly, out of that great press of people physically touching Jesus, she was the ONLY ONE WHO got healed.  In that she came from behind, as though to steal her blessing, demonstrates that her faith was imperfect.  But as I said before, EVERYONE ELSE Jesus healed waited for Him to say or do something; even Jaírus.

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The most unique thing about her healing was of the countless multitudes Jesus healed, hers was the only “Active” healing.  By that I mean, she received without Jesus knowing it first or being asked directly. In other words, without His initiative.

“Who touched Me.”

Who Touched Me?

When Jesus perceived that power had gone out from Him, He said something that totally baffled his disciples: “Who touched me?”  What did He mean, “Who touched me?”  He was in the middle of a great crowd pressing in on Him! Lots of people were touching Him.  Nonetheless, He stopped, turned around, and sought out the woman. You see, unlike in the Old Testament when no one could ever see His face, Jesus lovingly turned around to see who it was.  He wanted her to see His face, to see His love for her in His eyes. Then He said the most amazing thing to her:  “DAUGHTER, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Literally, His words were, “Go into peace.”  He wanted her to know that He freely, openly, gladly healed her! Nowhere is it documented in the entire Bible that anyone else was called “DAUGHTER;” no one except this woman.  It was a warm, affectionate, family term.  Jesus wants you and I to feel the same way:  Warm and affectionate toward Him. We are family, after all.  We are not orphans.

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Jaírus And His Daughter.

As for Jaírus’ daughter, the young girl was very near death.  Her father was a ruler of the synagogue and a very prominent man about town.  Even so, he set that aside and came to beg the Master to come and heal her.

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Jesus allowed ONLY Peter, James, John and the girl’s parents inside their home.  He ousted the professional mourners, who scorned and mocked Jaírus for bringing the Master to his home because, by this time, the girl was already dead.

Why did He force them to leave?  Because Jesus would have none of their nonsense.  No detractors, no nay sayers. No one to bring fear and doubt to quench her parents’ faith.  He entered the room where the child lay, took her by the hand and said to her, “TALÍTHA, CUMÍ!”  IMMEDIATELY THE GIRL AROSE AND WALKED, FOR SHE WAS TWELVE YEARS OF AGE.

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“Talitha cumi!”

Everyone was amazed of course, especially the nay sayers.  They’re a typology of the scoffing kind that are here and about today from those who don’t believe in healing either. Then Jesus, ” commanded them (the parents) strictly that no one should know it, and said that SHE SHOULD BE GIVEN SOMETHING TO EAT.”

Notice He said to give her something to “Eat,” not “drink.” (Remember this for later! 😉)

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Connecting the dots.

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Secrets In The Hebrew Language.

Ok; let’s connect the dots.  Why did Jesus bring only His inner circle?  Throughout the Gospels, He did that a lot.  Notice that their names are also always mentioned in the same order. Here’s why:  Peter’s name means “Stone;” James means “Replace or usurp;” and John means “GRACE.” It’s a message!

THE LAW HAS BEEN REPLACED BY GRACE!

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Why did the Holy Spirit record the text in the original Aramaic?  Because it paints a clear picture of what He actually did.  “Talitha,” is the feminine of talith which, as you read earlier, is the Jewish prayer shawl. “Talitha cumí” literally means “Little girl under the talith, arise!”  It’s a picture of Jesus removing the Talith He was wearing, placing it over the girl…..literally covering her with His righteousness from head to toe…..commanding her to arise:  “Talitha cumi!”  

His talith was made of pure, white linen.  It is a picture of divine righteousness and purity.

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Miracles Are Signs.

Why is this so critical for us to understand today?  Because miracles are signs, not just visible expressions of God’s power, according to John 20:30— “And many other SIGNS {miracles} truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples….”

The Holy Spirit has carefully selected 33 specific “Signs.”  These He included in the Bible to teach us lessons, but also because Jesus did so many miracles, there’s no way they could all be recorded.  Each one is there to teach us something about our wonderful Jesus.  Like numbers in the text, they also are not arbitrary or haphazard just to make the book thicker.

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The Church brings the light of Christ to the world.

Typologies.

Women in the Bible are a depiction of either the Church or natural Israel.  For instance, Jesus calls the Church, “His bride.” When Israel went astray and worshipped other gods she was called “Unfaithful,” as in a wife who is unfaithful to her husband.

In this case, the woman is a typology of the Church in the last days.  As you know, she was sick for these 12 years with that life-threatening bleeding condition.  As you may also know, as long as a woman is bleeding, she CANNOT have children. Her bleeding condition also prevented her, according to the Law, from touching other people.

Like this woman, the Church has had a long season of a life-threatening bleeding condition.  What is causing her “Bleeding?” Is it because of “sin in the camp?”  Is it that we don’t pray and seek God’s face enough?  Perhaps we don’t have enough faith or patience? Is it because we’re not doing everything we can to please Jesus or we we don’t trust or worship God often enough or well enough? No. None of the above. Then what is it?  

Isaiah 64:6 tells us. It says, “ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is as filthy rags.”  What does he mean by “Filthy rags?” Isaiah is comparing the rampant self-righteousness in the Church to sanitary napkins filled with blood.  As the verse says, much of the Church has been trusting in HER OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is nothing more than filthy rags/soiled sanitary napkins. YUK!

YUK!!!

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Self-righteousness means her focus is on herself and on her own performance, always self-evaluating, because of the belief that she is still under law, which is performance based. She is of the mistaken belief that she must try to obey the Law in order to be acceptable to God for fear she will lose her salvation. THOSE ARE LIES FROM THE PIT OF HELL. 😡

The Church MUST let go of this self effort, this performance-mentality. She needs to touch the tassel of Jesus’ talith, symbolic of our right standing in Christ, and be healed of her bleeding. She must understand she is ALREADY CLEANSED AND RIGHTEOUS before God, being completely cleansed of ALL unrighteousness: PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE.

The days have finally dawned when the Church at large is recognizing this and being healed!

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Inability To Reproduce.

Because of her bleeding condition, the Church at large has had a hard time both evangelizing and making converts. In other words, reproducing. That’s not to say she has been completely barren, of course. Why all the difficulty?

Because many pastors today are preaching a mixed “Gospel,” if you can call it that. They are telling people they have to obey the law of Moses in order to be pleasing and acceptable to God.  News Flash: God is not interested in outward obedience but in heart transformation which results in right living as a byproduct.

As long as the Church is afflicted with her bleeding “condition,” she will be unable to reproduce “children” and affect the younger generation. She can evangelize all she wants but there will be little, and in many cases, zero results.  The congregations of those who preach this mixed “gospel” will eventually find real food to eat in another “pasture” before they starve to death on the milk (The Law) law that is being preached.  This is why many churches have dried up and closed their doors.

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Why Are People Leaving The Church?

Didn’t you ever wonder why people are leaving the Church? So many just don’t want to go anymore because they’re not hearing the real Gospel. Sadly, many are looking for Him in all the wrong places.  Everyone desperately wants to be loved and to belong.  Why else would terror groups like ISIS or Hamas hold such an attraction? 

Folks, there has been a spiritual vacuum for far too long. It has to be filled with something and, if not Jesus, it will be filled with whatever else is out there.  Unfortunately for many, what they don’t realize is the JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN TRULY SATISFY THEIR SPIRITUAL HUNGER. 😞

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She Is Only Sleeping.

But fear not. All IS NOT LOST! There’s hope in Jesus!  The “bleeding” prevalent in the Church can, will and, in fact, IS drying up!  The end of the scourge of self-righteousness at large is close at hand.  She is being healed of her unfruitfulness as she comes to grips with her eternal right standing before God.  She is not going to be righteous some day, SHE ALREADY IS BECAUSE OF JESUS!

As the whole Church steps into the realization this truth, there will be physical healings in her ranks.  She will find she is finally be able to touch the hearts of the young generation and everyone we thought was lost forever.  As Jesus “talith” is laid over them, in other words, they are covered with His righteousness, like Jairus’ daughter, they will arise for THEY ARE NOT DEAD; ONLY SLEEPING!

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Prophetic Of Our Times.

Last but not least, here is what these two stories tell us about our times.

Jairus was a Jewish leader, a very prominent man.  His name in Hebrew means “enlightened one.  “He is a depiction of the “enlightened, born-again Jewish leaders” of the end times who will invite the Church to come in and minister to their youth; to teach them about their Messiah, Jesus!  YAY!!! His daughter represents not only young unsaved Gentiles but Jewish youth as well! This is already happening.

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Jewish Christians.

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Unskilled In The Word Of Righteousness.

Remember when Jesus told the parents to give her something to eat not drink?  Here is why His statement was so important:

In Hebrews 5:13-14 it says 13″or everyone who partakes only of milk–(the law)–is UNSKILLED IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, for he is a babe. 14 But SOLID FOOD–(the REAL gospel)–belongs to those who are of full age, {weaned from milk, mature like the young girl} that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” 

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Law-centric or legalistic people are “Unskilled in the word of righteousness.” They think it’s about their “right doing.” They do not understand that righteousness is a gift you receive by faith apart from works.  The Apostle Paul calls them “Babes,” no matter how old or learned, be they theologian, pastor, professor or whatever. Education and chronology does not apply here.

Believers who are fully mature don’t want or need the milk of the law.  They are weaned from milk.  They need the SOLID FOOD of the BREAD OF LIFE; JESUS. That’s why Jesus told them to give her “something to eat,” NOT drink.  She doesn’t need milk, i.e. the law, which is for babies.  Again, chronology does not apply here.

In the days just prior to the Rapture, the Church will have become fully mature, shedding the long-held belief that the Law justifies her.

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Meaning Of The Mourners.

As for the mourners, they’re a picture of the law-centric people and preachers (the legalistic bunch) of our day who are howling and whining that “The church is not where she’s supposed to be! The church is crying, the church is sighing!  Search our hearts, O God; see if there be any wicked way in us; create in us a clean heart”, O God……Blah, blah blah……….quoting, inappropriately mind you, all the Old Testament scriptures, as if “sin in the camp” is the problem. 
It is not.  

They don’t realize…..yet…..that Jesus has already cleansed and made them whole. They are still looking to their performance, or the lack of it, instead of relying on Jesus’ finished work.

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Shepherds Who Will Feed.

Jesus will have none of this nonsense any more.  He is even now raising up Shepherds who will feed the flock the REAL FOOD of the Gospel of Grace, not beat them over the head with laws, laws, and more laws.  The “mourners” will be on the outside, angrily looking in. Their candlesticks, meaning their ministries or Churches, will simply shut down for lack of interest and be given to another.

It’s been a very long “12” years. Church. Creation has been groaning and travailing for the sons of God to manifest at last. Well, buckle your seat belts people of Grace, i.e., THE REAL GOSPEL!  Unprecedented breakthroughs, healings, and revival ARE BEGINNING TO HAPPEN!  The young generation is not dead; they are coming back to life for they were only sleeping!

Let’s preach to them real gospel as well as to the Church at large. Let’s cover them with the mantle of Christ’s righteousness and reach the world with The Truth!

Arise, Church.  Talitha cumí!