These verses are two, unique circumstances woven into a single narrative. On the surface, this is a no-win situation for Jesus; attend to the woman with the hemorrhaging disease or hurry on to save the preteen from an untimely death.
But is it a no-win situation? Are there more possibilities than choosing either A or B?
Consider the woman herself. She already spent all she had seeking cures, only to find the cures were worse than the disease. Seems risky to elbow her way through that crowd only to become exhausted by the effort and, if history repeats itself, be worse off. But upon further analysis, what risks are there really, and are they worth the effort?
Deep into the story it looks as though Jesus’ decision to stop the crowd and address the woman with the hemorrhaging disease was the wrong one, because the little girl dies. “Wrong decision, Jesus” thinks anxious father Jairus, especially when he learns his precious child is dead. Is this not a perfect example of poor prioritization? Why or why not? Keep in mind this is Jesus we’re talking about. What is, in fact, the risk in trusting him?
This is an excellent place to begin our thoughts about risk assessment, risk prioritization, going against the advice of the noisy, emotional crowd, and using your instincts, based upon your experience, founded on good judgement.
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