Mark 5:24-34
24 A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
LESSON NOTES
Faith Is the Channel, Not the Cause.
The woman’s healing came by Jesus’ power, but her faith was the conduit through which His grace flowed. Faith doesn’t replace Jesus’ power—it connects us to it.
Desperate Faith Leads to Dependence.
The woman’s long suffering left her desperate enough to reach for Jesus. Sometimes God allows desperation so that we learn to fully depend on Him rather than ourselves.
Dependent Faith Means Letting Go of Self-Effort.
She could not heal herself, and all her efforts only made things worse. True faith releases our grip on self-effort and holds fast to Jesus as the only source of salvation and wholeness.
Salvation is About a Relationship, Not a Transaction.
Jesus refused to let the woman quietly slip away. He called her “Daughter,” turning her faith from a private transaction into a public, relational transformation. Faith isn’t just believing—it’s belonging.
Even Small Faith Moves the Heart of Jesus.
The woman’s trembling, timid touch was enough to draw out His power and compassion. Jesus responds not to the strength of our faith, but to the sincerity of it.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. "You don't realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have." Talk about this quote with your group. Put into your own words what it means to be desperate for Jesus?
2. In what ways can we practice “touching His robe” in our daily lives—taking small steps of faith that connect us to His power rather than depending on our own effort?
3. Jesus calls her out of the crowd in order to deepen her faith. What might God be using in your life right now to deepen your faith?
4. Jesus didn’t just heal this woman — He called her “Daughter.” How does this shift from a transactional to a relational view of salvation encourage your walk with God?
5. How can this story encourage someone who feels like their faith is weak or hesitant right now? What does it reveal about the heart of Jesus toward imperfect faith?
