2.7.12 2.12.2023 Mark 5.21-43 Beginning with Life

Start:

Entice: Today Mark makes us sandwich! I like sandwiches. Too Well!!! After worship last Sunday I picked up Subway for Mrs. Beckman and myself. I like all kinds of sandwiches. Except a Reuben. I guarantee that you’ve “eaten” Marcan sandwich’s before and didn’t even know it.

A Marcan sandwich begins one story, pauses it,

Mark 5:21–24 ESV

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

interjects another story which it tells in full,

Mark 5:25–34 ESV

25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

then resumes the original story.

Mark 5:35–43 ESV

35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

This makes for memorable and dynamic story telling.

This process can be depicted like this

Engage: Preaching miracles can be a little tough.

Ours is the age of faith healers making wild promises and claiming abilities equal to (if not beyond) the powers of Jesus. Minimally, contemporary culture tends to confuse Jesus’ ability and ours, maximizing the human role and minimizing Christ’s. God can do what He wants when He wants. And that capacity is not delegated to us.

Furthermore, people tend to exaggerate the number of miracles narrated and to completely forget the context and purpose which compelled Jesus to perform miracles.

Another risk is that we just say stand back and holler, “Go! Jesus!” When that happens then preaching just becomes a pep-talk. We need to understand that for Jesus, there were boundaries to be crossed and wrongs to be righted before He even got to the miracle part.

Expand: This Marcan sandwich contains an interesting time signature.

Twelve years.

Twelve years of bondage.

Twelve years old.

The woman’s suffering encompassed the entire life of the little girl. Jesus had compassion which went far beyond His specific mission and purpose. These kinds of miracles, performed in compassionate response to pain were not central to His plan.

But people were central

to His plan.

So, He intervened as often as He could. Not universally, not comprehensively. A universal and comprehensive solution to human pain and suffering required His own pain and suffering upon the cross, making all things new by His sacrifice.

Excite: What then are we to take from this passage? What can we conclude? What can we do?

Explore:

We can always demonstrate Christ-like Character.

Expand: Like Jesus we need to glimpse the people beyond the pain.

Body of Sermon: So

1 Jesus sees the unseeable.

1.1 Real Needs.

1.2 Needlessly ignored.

Women.

Sick.

Children.

Next,

2 Jesus touches the untouchable.

2.1 Perpetual condition of uncleanliness.

2.2 Permanent condition of uncleanliness.

(corpse really)

Finally

3 Jesus does the undoable.

Most would have expected a venerated Rabi to upbraid the woman for her brashness. He, rather,

3.1 Commends the Woman.

For Her faith.

With His Peace

3.2 Changes mourning to laughter, laughter to celebration.

Those who mourned mockingly laughed at His assertion that the girl would live.

The grief-stricken parents received their daughter back with amazement.

Shut Down

I’m sure that Jairus himself was Mark’s source for this story. Can you imagine, in the first generation of the Church being able to hear how a grieving father became a joyful disciple of Jesus when he saw the Messianic grace in a most personal and direct fashion. Jairus told everyone. Peter remembered and added the story to his preaching. Mark included it in his anthology of Peter’s preaching. And this woman? Did she know that the young girl, whom she shared these twelve years with walked away from death as she has walked away from her uncleanliness, desperation, and discouragement? All because God’s Christ is driven with compassion.

I don’t want to perform miracles. And I don’t think God needs us to do miracles. However, if our Gospel is to be preached, if His kingdom is to come, we need to see everyone that Jesus sees with our eyes filled with grace. We need to touch those that our culture has abused and discarded as untouchable. And we need to do what Jesus would do in accepting and affirming those who seek Him. God’s power is seen and felt in humble acts of loving service.

Mark has provided us a good meal today! Two stories on one hefty, filling sandwich. Enough nourishment for a whole week of service. Seeing as Jesus sees, touching as Jesus touches, doing what Jesus does.