• 'Thy sins be forgiven thee.'- Any false prophet could claim to forgive sins.
  It is beyond the capability of men to determine the truth or falsity of such a claim.
• 'Arise... and walk.'- The result of this command to a paralytic man would be easily verifiable by any observer.
  Jesus' demonstrated ability to do the latter, verified His authority to do the former.
  The healing was a sign (''that ye may know,'' v.6) to Israel concerning His identity (cp. Isa 35:5,6).

• His authority to forgive is based upon who He is and what He has done for the sinner.
• The basis for the forgiveness of sins is His blood sacrifice, because sin cannot be put aside until the sinful flesh is dead. cp. Rom 6:23; Lev 17:11; Heb 9:22; Mat 26:28

"Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law's demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone." [Hymn, 'Rock of Ages']

1. The dispensation of Law was about to end.
   The Pharisees and John the Baptist lived under the OT system established by Moses.
   For them, fasting was a matter of religious duty and an external display of righteousness.
2. The dispensation of Grace was about to begin.
   The NT system was made possible by the Lord Jesus, and is centered around Him. Joh 1:17
   He is the Bridegroom. His disciples feasted on His Presence while He walked among them (as John the Baptist had observed, in Joh 3:29). They would fast later (in sorrow at His death, Joh 16:20-22; and in deep prayerful dependence upon Him after His ascension, Acts 13:2,3; 14:23).

1. new cloth on an old garment...- New cloth will shrink at a different rate than old cloth.
   If the old garment is repaired with a patch of new cloth, the resulting stress on the fabric will soon extend the damage beyond the original torn area.
2. new wine in old wineskins...- Wineskins are bottles made of animal hides.
   New wine is not yet fermented. The fermentation process produces pressure which will stretch a new wineskin, but would rupture an old wineskin (which had already been stretched to its limit).

• both the new wine and the new wineskins.
     -- The filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18), and
     -- the new creatures (born-again believers) in which the Spirit dwells (cp. 1Joh 3:24; Jude 1:20,21,24).
• both the old bottle and the new bottle.
     -- the Law (the old bottle) was fulfilled by Christ (Mat 5:17), and
     -- Grace (the new bottle) is filled and expanding for those who are in Christ (cp. Rom 5:20,21; 2The 1:2,3).

1. the woman had an issue of blood {GK=haimorrheo, a flow of bood}, twelve years (v.20)-
   • The cause of her condition is not stated.
     Perhaps a pregnancy had ended tragically in miscarriage, with the complication of continual bleeding as a constant reminder of her sorrow. Perhaps she desired to have children, but was unable due to continual menstruation.
   • The effect of her condition was, in a word, "exhaustion."
     • All human hope of a cure had been exhausted.
     • "All her living" had been exhausted in the search for a cure.
       Her life and all that she had earned in her lifetime, had been spent on doctors. Yet, her condition only grew worse. Mark 5:26; Luk 8:43
     • Her body was increasingly exhausted, from anemia, as her life blood drained away at an ever worsening rate.
       She must have struggled as she worked her way, through the crowd, to reach Jesus. But she pressed on, by faith. "If I may but {lit., if only I may} touch..."
     • Her social life was long gone. Her condition made her 'unclean' (see Lev 15:19-33).
       She was cut-off from her husband, and from worship in the congregation. Anyone who touched her would be unclean. Yet, she was too weary to worry about such things. In the press of the crowd, she would be hidden. Who would know?
2. the ruler's one and only daughter was twelve years old (Luk 8:42; Mark 5:42).
   • Born at the time when the woman's sorrows began,
     this girl's life had brought joy to her family, until her sudden illness and, now, her death.
   • Here, two paths filled with the sorrows of death, converged at Jesus.
     • In the one case, twelve years of grief, relentless and wearing.
       In the other, twelve years of joy cut short by a sudden and tearing grief.
     • The woman came to Jesus, broken and unclean.
       The religious leader, once proud to stand aloof from such troubled people (v.11), came broken and desperate.
       They met, uneasily, before the One who was, for each of them, their only hope.
     • Jesus dealt with them, individually, with tender care, without respect of persons.
       Imagine the ruler's anxious impatience, as Jesus took time, time that his daughter did not have, to search the heart of an 'untouchable' woman.

1. To the woman, Jesus said: 'Thy faith hath made thee whole {GK=sozo, hath saved thee}.'
   (In Mark 5:34, two phrases are translated 'made thee whole.' The first, as here.
   The second, 'be whole {GK=hugies, sound} of thy plague {lit., scourging}.')
   • He did not mean that the power to heal was in her faith,
     but rather, that her faith had been placed in the One who has 'virtue' {GK=dunamis, power} to heal. Luk 8:45,46
   • Jesus insisted that she rehearse the facts of her healing.
     She 'told him all the truth,' confessing both her unclean condition, and the means by which she had been made whole. The source of her healing was clearly identified. His power had been effective within her, because she had put her faith in Him. cp. Mark 5:28-34
   • This Physician is trustworthy (v.12), though all other physicians have already failed.
2. To Jairus (the ruler of the synagogue) Jesus said: 'Only believe.'
   Faith trusts the Lord Jesus, when...
   • hope is almost gone.-
     Jairus had not approached Jesus until his daughter was 'at the point of death' (Mark 5:22,23). Perhaps he had delayed turning to Jesus, hoping that she would improve. When her condition turned desperate, he was willing to take a great risk. cp. Joh 9:22
   • hope is entirely lost.- cp. Mark 5:35,36
   • the believer's only hope (the trusted One) is mocked by all.- v.24; Mark 5:38-40

• the harvest is plenteous... the laborers are few...- cp. Joh 4:35,36
• pray ye... that He will send forth laborers...- cp. Luk 6:12,13; Acts 13:2; 2Thes 3:1