“Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not fear, only believe.’” (Mark 5:36b)
In the passage from Mark’s Gospel, we find 2 people who came to Jesus for help, hoping that He would not turn them away. Jairus and a nameless woman with the issue of blood are moved by desperation to seek out the Lord, to admit that they were powerless, that they had lost control over their lives. Very often this is where the Lord wants us to be so that our desperation makes us fall at His feet, heedless of those who will see us. He wants us to come to Him with all our problems. He wants us to know that He is the only real hope we have. People will fail us; so will our money and possessions, but Jesus will never fail us. He will not reject us.
This passage shows the mercy of Christ, the compassion He has for the weak, and the love and acceptance He shows to unclean people, those the world rejects. Jesus loves and accepts those who are despised and rejected. He loves you and me just the way we are, even when we are sinful, selfish and disobedient. Not everyone may like us the way we are: parents, spouse, co-workers and plenty of other folks who are always trying to change us. They are often loaded with critical and unkind remarks but short on patience, kindness and constructive help.
Jesus is not one of them. He will not criticize us. He will point out our sins, as well as those things we need to change and then He will work to change them. Yet we must be willing to come to Him and acknowledge our need for Him.