Introduction: Have you experienced something that foreclosed your hopes and dreams for the future? From my youth I thought God wanted me to become a lawyer and work for the church. I worked hard, got great grades, and progressed through school to the point where I needed to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Today, students routinely enroll in LSAT preparation courses. No one suggested that to me. I took the test knowing nothing about it. My resulting score broke my heart. Was I not to become a lawyer? What a setback! Because I had not finished the test in the time allotted, my father suggested a speed-reading course and retaking the test. I followed his advice and my score increased about 20%. One of today’s top law schools accepted me as a student. What does the Bible teach us about setbacks? Let’s dive into the Bible and learn more!
I. Dueling Setbacks
A. Read Mark 5:21-23. Have Jairus and his wife suffered a setback? (Yes. Their daughter is on the “point of death.”)
1. How desperate was Jairus? (He knelt before Jesus and “implored” Him to help.)
B. Read Mark 5:24. Has Jesus agreed to save Jairus’s daughter? (It seems so because Jesus heads for his home.)
C. Read Mark 5:25-26. How desperate is this woman? (She was sick and getting worse. She had spent all that she owned on being cured by doctors.)
1. What was her experience with the doctors? (Not only was she getting worse, she had “suffered much” under their medical treatments.)
2. Would you say that she suffered setbacks? Was her hope for the future dim?
3. Consider the nature of her illness. Was this the kind of illness that would present additional problems?
D. Read Leviticus 15:25-27. Could she have a normal relationship with others? (No. She was unclean. Anyone who touched her things would be unclean.)
E. Read Mark 5:27-29. If you had been asked to give advice about this woman’s plan, what would you have suggested? (She might make Jesus unclean. He might not appreciate that.)
1. What is the outcome of her plan? (She is healed.)
F. Read Mark 5:30-33. What is the state of mind of this woman? (She is so fearful she is trembling. She thought she was in trouble for touching Jesus.)
1. Who else is in trouble? (Jairus! His daughter is on the verge of dying and Jesus is being delayed by a woman who, like many others, had touched Jesus’ clothing.)
G. Read Mark 5:34. Jesus announces the healing and tells the woman to go in peace. He is not angry with her. Who should be angry? (If Jairus fully understands her situation, he should be furious. This delay might cause him to lose his daughter. Delaying the healing of the woman would cause absolutely no problem. She had been like this for twelve years. A delay of twelve additional hours would mean nothing.)
H. Read Mark 5:35. Has the worst happened? Have Jairus and his wife suffered a completely senseless setback? (That is how I would have viewed this. We will learn that Jairus’s daughter is only twelve years old.)
1. What do those from Jairus’s home think about the situation? (The rescue attempt has failed. Do not trouble Jesus anymore.)
II. Overcoming Setbacks
A. How did the woman with the issue of blood overcome her setback? (She persisted in pursuing Jesus – even when “wiser” people might have warned her that this was a bad idea.)
B. Read Mark 5:36. Notice in Mark 5:33 that the woman was fearful. Jesus tells us that Jairus was filled with fear. What do you think that means? (They were worried about the future.)
C. Read Mark 5:37. Reading between the lines, tell me how Jairus has reacted? (He had been leading Jesus to his home. He must have continued to lead Jesus. This reveals that he has accepted Jesus’ invitation in Mark 5:36 to “only believe.”)
D. Read Mark 5:38-40. How do Jairus’s friends and family react to Jesus? (They laugh at Jairus’s source of hope.)
E. Read Mark 5:41-42. How has Jairus reacted to a terrible setback? (I’ve told you that I would have been in a rage over this. But there is no evidence in the Bible that Jairus was angry. He continues to work with Jesus even after his daughter has died.)
1. What is it that would have made me (and I will guess you) angry? (From a human perspective, Jesus has no sense of priorities. He could not tell an emergency from a chronic illness.)
a. Let’s look at this logically. What claim did Jairus have on Jesus’ time? Did Jesus have any obligation to him? (Jairus was begging Jesus to come. My suggestion of anger is based on Jesus agreeing to come and a completely unnecessary delay causing the death of my daughter.)
b. In the end, did the delay matter? (Not at all.)
2. What lesson should we learn from the fact that the delay did not make any difference in the end? (We must trust Jesus. We must not underestimate His power.)
3. Let’s apply this to your life. Have you had a setback involving the death of a family member? Were you angry that God did not save your family member?
a. Do you believe that Jesus will raise your family member to eternal life?
b. In light of eternity, will that delay make any difference?
F. The story of the death of Lazarus is found in the 11th chapter of John. Let’s consider the points that intersect with the story of Jairus. What is Jesus’ relationship with Lazarus and his two sisters? (Read John 11:5. Jesus loved them.)
G. Read John 11:14 and John 11:20-21. Is Martha accusing Jesus?
1. Is Mary so upset she will not even greet Jesus?
H. Read John 11:32. What is the first thing Mary says to Jesus? (Both sisters cannot understand why Jesus did not save their brother.)
1. What does this teach us? (It is a natural reaction to question why Jesus did not remove the setback in your life.)
I. Read John 11:43-44. What does this show us? (Jesus has power over death. We need to trust Him.)
III. The Boat
A. Read Mark 4:35-36. Whose idea was it to cross the Sea of Galilee? (Jesus suggested it.)
B. Read Mark 4:37-38. Have the disciples suffered a setback? (Yes.)
1. How serious is it? (They think they are going to die.)
2. What is their argument for Jesus to intervene and save their lives? (That He cares. “Do you not care that we are perishing?”)
C. Look again at Mark 4:38. What do you think about Jesus sleeping through this storm? (It seems nearly impossible.)
1. Let’s fit this story into the setbacks in our lives. Did it seem that Jesus was sleeping and not coming to your rescue?
2. Did you argue that He should care about you?
D. Read Mark 4:39 and Mark 4:41. Is this like the account of Jairus — people underestimate the power of Jesus?
1. Did the sisters of Lazarus underestimate the power of Jesus?
E. Read Mark 4:40. What is Jesus’ rebuke to the disciples? What did they lack? (Jesus says they have no faith.)
1. How can that be true? They turned to Jesus for help in the storm! (Their lack of faith and their lack of peace is due to underestimating His power.)
F. Friend, when a setback comes in your life, will you believe that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth? Nothing limits His ability to solve your setback. However, the solution and its timing might not be consistent with your plans. Will you agree, right now, to give Jesus your complete trust?
IV. Next week: Share Him.
Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.
