It’s not easy to trust Jesus when you’re in a hurry…or if you or someone you love is in danger…or if you’re suffering. Faith is the catalyst that Jesus uses to demonstrate his presence in our lives, regardless of our situation. Together, let’s explore a powerful story of faith in Jesus and consider how Jesus invites us to trust him now. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Read Mark 5:21-43 at least a couple of times. Pay attention to the change in pace and orientation to time…an urgent need from a father, a longsuffering woman, an unexpected pause, the slow crowd, and the shock of resurrection. 2. Imagine yourself in the place of the woman in this story. Suffering from a long-term, chronic illness that is painful, severely limits your opportunities, and has been very expensive with many treatments that have never helped. What are you thinking and feeling as you reach out to Jesus? After being healed, how do you feel about the conversation with Jesus? 3. Imagine yourself in the place of Jairus. You move with urgency to bring Jesus to heal your child before she dies but are frustrated by the unexpected interlude with a woman who touched Jesus and the slow-moving crowd. How do you feel when Jesus stops to talk with the woman? What are you thinking and feeling when bad news returns from your house and how do you respond to Jesus’ contrary perspective? 4. Imagine you are one of the 9 disciples left outside Jairus’s house or one of the many others living at the time of Jesus whose child was not resurrected or whose disease was not healed, what does this story hold for you? 5. What did you hear this weekend that inspired you, challenged you, or sparked disagreement or further consideration? 6. What does this narrative teach us about Jesus and the way he works? How does this narrative shape our view of faith and trusting in Jesus? What difference does it make to understand faith as the means through which God works rather than the source? 7. How may Jesus be asking you to trust him now?