Mark 5 in Three Reading Strips
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Read Mark 5:21–43 completely before using these original paraphrased strips. A1/B/A2 are editorial reading labels. Keep the Scripture text beside the worksheet; do not replace the passage with these summaries.
Filled strip A1 — Mark 5:21–24
People and need: Jairus, a synagogue leader, approaches Jesus about his daughter, who is near death (5:22–23).
Movement: Jesus goes with him; a crowd follows and presses around Jesus (5:24).
Speech: Jairus asks for help for his daughter (5:23).
Open thread: The request is underway; no recovery has yet been narrated.
Filled strip B — Mark 5:25–34
People and need: A woman has suffered bleeding for twelve years (5:25). Mark gives background to her distress (5:26).
Movement: She approaches through the crowd, touches Jesus' clothing and is healed (5:27–29). Jesus turns and looks for her (5:30–32).
Speech: She tells what happened; Jesus addresses her with a daughter term and speaks about her faith (5:33–34).
Open thread: Her encounter has reached its conclusion; the journey to Jairus's house is still not complete in the narration.
Filled strip A2 — Mark 5:35–43
People and need: Messengers report that Jairus's daughter has died while Jesus is still speaking (5:35).
Movement: Jesus continues to the house, takes the girl's hand, and she rises and walks (5:37–42).
Speech: Jesus addresses Jairus about fear and belief (5:36), speaks to the girl (5:41), and gives closing instructions (5:43).
Ending: The girl is twelve years old (5:42). The final verse includes privacy and food instructions; retain it on the strip.
Paired clues: separate evidence from interpretation
| Clue | Evidence on both sides | Possible interpretation to test |
|---|---|---|
| Daughter language | Jairus's daughter, 5:23 and 35; Jesus' address to the woman, 5:34 | The phrasing connects two recipients of attention; it does not identify the woman as Jairus's child. |
| Twelve | Woman's twelve-year suffering, 5:25; girl's age twelve, 5:42 | A noticeable parallel, not a hidden numerical formula. |
| Fear and faith | Woman's trembling and Jesus' response, 5:33–34; Jesus' words to Jairus, 5:36 | A thread joining the encounters without making them identical. |
| Falling before Jesus | Jairus, 5:22; woman, 5:33 | Similar posture within different approaches and needs. |
Three questions and answer guidance
What disappears if you read A1 and then A2, leaving out B? You retain Jairus's plot but lose the woman's encounter and the adjacent words about faith before Jesus addresses Jairus. Cite 5:25–36. Other text-supported comparisons are welcome.
Choose a clue and defend your comparison. For example: twelve occurs at 5:25 and 5:42, describing suffering duration and the girl's age. This is an observation; its significance is an interpretation. A good answer identifies both verses and avoids an unsupported number code.
Why keep verse 43 attached to A2? It adds instructions and practical care after the dramatic action. A summary ending at 5:42 would omit that part of the scene.
One filled observation-to-interpretation card
Observation: 5:35 begins while Jesus is still speaking, and the news about the girl has changed since 5:23.
Interpretation to test: The interruption makes the renewed danger more urgent for the reader and brings the woman's encounter into the reading of Jairus's story.
Boundary: The passage supplies no exact delay and does not say that talking to the woman caused the girl's death.
Blank set for your rereading
| Field | A1 | B | A2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact reference | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| People / need | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Movement / pause | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Speaker / words to inspect | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| What changes / remains open | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| My comparison | My notes |
|---|---|
| Evidence in the first scene | ________________________________________ |
| Evidence in the second scene | ________________________________________ |
| Interpretation with a reason | ________________________________________ |
| What the text does not establish | ________________________________________ |
| Question to revisit | ________________________________________ |
Keep the boundary visible
These narrated healings do not establish a guaranteed present-day medical outcome or a judgment about an ill person's faith. Optional reflection should remain distinct from Scripture observation and should not replace qualified medical care. The exercise does not assign a spiritual score.
Sources and next reading
BSB Mark 5: biblical passage only; checked against the local BSB v5.9 corpus.
Original AI-assisted reading material with source checks; no pastoral endorsement is claimed. All biblical descriptions are paraphrases. Read, save and print the worksheet as a companion to the complete passage.