Mk 5:21-43
Authentic believers: While the focus is on Jesus as healer, what is stressed is the faith of those who are healed. The faith of Jairus is contrasted to the lack of faith of the crowd. The faith of the woman with the hemorrhage is contrasted to the lack of faith in Jesus’ disciples. So, the question, “Who touched me?” becomes an occasion for Marcan humor and an opportunity to point toward the woman’s faith.
While the sleep metaphor is frequently used in reference to death, here Mark employs it to call attention to the faith of Jairus. The child is called to arise from her sleep.
The point being made by Mark centers on the process of conversion. Christians die to their old selves and are raised to a new existence in which the food (Eucharist and fellow believers) of the community sustains them.