He
said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
Mark 5:34
Mark 5 [32.] He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
Mark 5 [34.] He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
Mark 5 [35.] While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”
Meaning:
Mark 5:34 contains Jesus’ words to the woman who had been healed after twelve years of bleeding. She had come forward trembling and told him the whole truth (Mark 5:33). Instead of rebuke, she received a blessing in four parts: a new name, “Daughter”; an explanation, “your faith has made you well”; a gift, “Go in peace”; and an assurance, “be cured of your disease.” In one sentence Jesus healed her standing, her heart and her future.
- “Daughter”
This is the only recorded time Jesus addressed a woman directly as “Daughter.” For twelve years she had been treated as unclean and kept at a distance (Leviticus 15:25). Now, in front of the crowd, Jesus welcomed her as family. While Jairus was pleading for his own little daughter (Mark 5:23), Jesus gave this nameless woman the dignity of being someone’s daughter.
The New Testament makes this family welcome available to all who believe: “For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). Believers have “received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15).
- “Your Faith Has Made You Well”
Jesus corrected any idea that his clothing had magical power. The power was his, but faith was the hand that reached out to receive it. The Greek word for “made you well” also means “saved you.” Jesus speaks this way to others whom he healed, such as the grateful Samaritan leper: “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you” (Luke 17:19). Physical healing was a sign of a deeper wholeness given to those who trust him.
- “Go in Peace”
“Go in peace” was a familiar Jewish farewell, echoing the Hebrew shalom, which means far more than the absence of trouble. It speaks of wholeness, well-being and right relationship with God. The priests blessed Israel, “Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6:26). On Jesus’ lips it was a gift, not just a wish: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
- “Be Cured of Your Disease”
The word translated “disease” literally means a whip or scourge, a vivid picture of how her illness had lashed her for years. Jesus confirmed that the healing was complete and lasting. She would not need to wonder whether it would return or fear that he would take it back. She could go home free.
The Significance of Mark 5:34
- Jesus Gives Belonging, Not Only Healing
The woman wanted a cure; Jesus gave her a cure and a family. The gospel does the same. It restores us to God and to his people. “Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Churches should reflect this by welcoming the overlooked and the ashamed as sons and daughters.
- Faith Looks to Jesus, Not to Itself
Jesus praised her faith, yet her faith was simply trust in him. We are not saved by the strength of our faith but by the One in whom we trust. Even trembling faith that reaches out to Jesus receives his full blessing (Hebrews 11:6).
Cross-References:
Romans 5:1: "Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" Faith in Jesus brings lasting peace with God.
Galatians 3:26: "For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus." All who believe are welcomed as God’s sons and daughters.
John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful." Jesus’ peace is a real gift, not a polite farewell.
Luke 17:19: "Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”" Jesus spoke similar words to the Samaritan leper who returned to give thanks.
Conclusion: Mark 5:34 is one of the most tender sentences in the Gospels. Jesus called a long-suffering outcast “Daughter,” affirmed her faith, gave her his peace and assured her of lasting healing. He offers the same welcome to all who come to him in faith: a new identity in God’s family and a peace the world cannot give.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible