A Desperate Approach and 6 Words We All Need to Hear

Mark 5:21-43

Whether in the O/T or in the N/T the Bible is very clear about the way God comes to dwell in the hearts of people; very clear about how one is given a new birth, the gift of salvation.

In the O/T, even before the Israelites began their journey to the promised land, God showed this to Moses:

Exodus 25:8-9 “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.”

In the N/T, Jesus Himself teaches of this “Way or truth:”

Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus states the following, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Yet, through the infestation of sin and the work of the enemy, many have been deceived about how to be reborn & accepted by God:

Self-reliance

I can make my own way/find my own way

Rules/Works/Religion

I can do enough good

I can follow enough rules

I can go do the “religious” things...

And God will accept me

Further, through the infestation of sin and the work of the enemy, people have been led further and further into these things (religiousness, worldly living, and apathy).

The Biblical reality, however, is this: It’s found in the question Jesus asks Peter and the disciples: Mark 8:29 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”” The reality is: What makes or breaks your relationship with God is what you say about Jesus Christ. And what you say about Jesus Christ comes from the right posture of your heart.

Tonight, we look at what Mark records in the accounts of Jairus and of a bleeding woman, about what the Bible teaches are two approaches needed to experience restoration: Desperation and hopelessness.

We begin with Jesus, Jairus and his situation:

I. (v.21) The Crowd that had Gathered around Jesus

Mark 5:21 “Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.”

This was typical throughout Jesus’ ministry—people were enamored/curious/questioning/or trying Him

II. (v.22-24)

Mark 5:22-24 “And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.”

(CONTEXT) Jairus, his daughter, and his plea:

Jairus

A ruler of the synagogue

Elected into his position

Highly respected, capable, and popular

Wielded great power--he determined who would teach in the synagogue and supervised them

Daughter

His only daughter

12 years old (Luke tells us this)

Extremely sick-to the point of death-(Greek translation suggests to the last gasp)

Jairus’ approach to Jesus--Desperation; desperation grabs the attention and care of Jesus; but note 4 things about desperation:

Selfless attitude: rulers like Jairus were actively and violently opposed to Jesus, they publicly expressed their opposition:

By coming to Jesus, Jairus:

Ran the risk of that hostility being turned on him

Ran the risk of being censored and shut out from his peers

Ran the risk of losing his position and profession

By coming to Jesus, it also reveals that Jairus was no longer concerned

If he was censored by his peers

About losing his position and profession

if hostility was turned his way

Further, by coming to Jesus, it reveals Jairus believed

Life was too important-especially the life of his only daughter

None of what he knew was helping;

None of his religious rule keeping and law-keeping were helping;

All of what he thought and believed was failing to save his daughter’s life.

Note this also: Jairus himself went to approach Jesus (“Seeing Jesus,” he went); Jairus was so desperate for help:

He left his daughter to seek after Jesus—he didn’t send anyone else. It’s your sin, it’s your struggle, it’s circumstance and your heart—people can pray for you, talk with you, encourage you—but you are responsible for seeking Jesus for your healing—it’s not the responsibility of anyone else

Humble attitude: Note that Jairus, “fell at His feet.”

(See what happened)

Jairus pushed and shoved his way through the crowd as fast as he could

Jairus’ pace quickened when he saw Jesus

Jairus, when he finally reached Jesus, “…fell at His feet…”.

Humility at its highest; b/c despite his position and authority, he gave it and himself up, and fell at Jesus’ feet.

Pleading attitude

“Pleading”; means to call to one’s side for help, to entreat, to plead, to beg

Expectant attitude

Note the words of Jairus, “Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed.” Jairus

Had an expectation/certainty/confidence Jesus could save his daughter.

(CONNECTION-YOU and ME)

Our approach (your approach to Jesus) must involve the same heart posture of Jairus—that of desperation

Selfless You and I;

Must come to the point where we admit

“There is no answer within yourself. Your own goodness, your own discipline, your own devotion WILL NOT save you (from your sin), There’s only One – and He’s the One that took your place!” (Judah Smith); (A selfless approach to Jesus requires us to say, “It is NOT ABOUT ME, IT IS ABOUT JESUS!

Must come to the point where go ourselves:

It’s your sin, it’s your struggle, it’s your circumstance and your heart—people can pray for you, talk with you, encourage you—but you are responsible for seeking Jesus for your forgiveness and healing

Must set aside everything to get to Jesus:

What sin needs to be set aside?

What lie of the enemy have you been believing that needs to set aside?

What stronghold and temptation need to be laid aside?

What is the fear you are holding onto, that you need to let go to get to Jesus?

Set aside everything (friends, family, reputation, all of it) to get to Jesus.

Humility: You and I:

Must approach Jesus with a heart of humility; A laying down of

Pride and self

Selfish control

Prejudices

Must approach Jesus with a heart of:

Admittance of your status as a sinner and the position of Jesus as the Savior

Pleading

Must understand, at least two things:

It’s not enough to merely know of your need—you have to verbalize your need—b/c in verbalizing your need—it draws out your faith

John 5:1-15 (Man at the pool of Bethesda)

John 5:6 “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?””

We must be persistent

Mark 10:48 “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!””

Expectant

Must approach Jesus:

With the expectation/certainty/confidence that God will do what He promises to do--when it comes to your sin and struggles.

If you don’t believe that Jesus can heal you from your sin, then you are missing out on the single greatest promise that God offers, and your belief in Him in incomplete. (REPEAT)

Jairus’ approach to Jesus was desperate, he was in great despair over the sickness of his daughter.

There’s one aspect of Jairus’ approach we don’t see here, not yet. He needed hope, needed faith that Jesus was whom He said He was, that He could heal his daughter

Enter the woman from last week and all we talked about (25-34).

III.(v.25-34) A Women’s Hopeless Approach

(CONTEXT)

Mark 5:25-26 “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.”

v.25-26

Teach she was

Bleeding for 12 years

Being taken advantage of:

Tried all she knew, she was seen by many doctors and spent all she had—yet she grew worse

Poor and destitute, and up to this point,

Trying to find healing for herself.

Teach us also, she was

At a point of hopelessness, down to her last resort:

12 years of uncontrollable bleeding

No one could touch her, or anything she touched

She was considered unclean, so much so she was divorced from her husband

Totally cut off from society

This was a deep, personal, and intimate matter

NOTE:The culture and “leaders” in this woman’s society, kept her living in her place where her only identity was in her disease and its effects:

v.27-28 (Mark 5:27-28 “When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”” )

“When she heard about Jesus…”

She not only heard of Jesus, she believed the gospel (good new) of Jesus

She trusted what she heard—if she didn’t trust she wouldn’t have gone.

She believed what she heard—if she didn’t believe she wouldn’t have gone.

She acted on what she heard: Luke 8:44 tells us she was so determined to reach Jesus she ignored

The crowds

The ridicule

The culture

The heritage

The looks

“…she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment...”

v.29 (Mark 5:29 “Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.”

The woman’s condition was immediately healed, she no longer was bound to her condition

In Jesus’ cleansing, washing, and forgiveness of our sin(s)

He never heals you partially from the bondage of sin;

The blood of Christ removes it all

Jesus always forgives, redeems, and lays waste to your sin, 1 out of 1, 100% of the time, completely….IF YOU GIVE IT TO HIM;

v.30-34 (Mark 5:30-34 “And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”” )

The touch-Jesus felt power leave Him-Why?

It was a touch of faith; healing doesn’t happen apart from faith

“There is a huge difference between bumping into Jesus here and there and reaching out to touch Him in faith. You can come to church week after week and “bump into” Jesus. That isn’t the same as reaching out to touch Him in faith.”

Thinking you can receive healing from Jesus and then continue in your sin doesn’t get you healed, it keeps you broken.

Desiring healing from Jesus means you are fed up with your sickness and don’t WANT IT ANYMORE.

The Question-Why ask who touched Him? (v.32 proves He already knew, “And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.”)

What Jesus already knew:

Her condition

Her need

Her sin(s)

What Jesus was doing:

His question was designed to draw out the woman’s faith

What Jesus knows about you:

He knows your sin and struggle, before you even come to Him

Nothing surprises Him

What the disciples misunderstood is something we desperately need to understand:

No matter of brokenness, no matter of embarrassment or shame, no matter feelings of unworthiness or guilt, should stand in the way of you getting to Jesus.

This was a question designed to convict this woman and draw out her faith

This is what the disciples misunderstood and missed

No amount of rules/works/religion could have saved this woman

No amount of self-reliance could have saved this woman

What saved this woman and got her healed…was faith in Jesus Christ

The Result, “…knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth

Conviction had led her to HUMILITY

“…Fall at His Feet…” (Humble attitude)

Conviction had led her to CONFESSION

“Told Him the whole truth.”

What is confession?

What is repentance?

Repentance and confession are a package deal, one cannot exist without the other

And confession led her to CONVERSION

Mark 5:34 “And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.””

“Daughter” She was now counted as in the family of God.

“She was made well”-translated this means “SAVED.” This was this woman’s moment of salvation!

The change that happened inside this woman’s heart is what brought:

The cleansing of her condition,

Her from turmoil to peace,

Her from a sinner to a saint

This woman had been living in the stain of her condition for 12 years and nothing she tried, no doctor she visited, no self-remedy she tried, no religion could help her (plus religion wanted nothing to do with her), nothing in her own strength, nothing within the world around her could cleanse her from this. For 12 years she lived void of joy, peace, and love, and void of any hope…until she stepped out in faith, to what she had heard about Jesus, and touched the hem of His robe (it wasn’t the hand on the robe—it was the faith behind the reach)

This is the faith that Jairus witnessed. Jairus’ approach to Jesus was desperate, he was in great despair over the sickness of his daughter.

IV.(v.35-43)—READ

A believing attitude does not involve attitudes of

Fear and despair (these are the 6 words we all need to hear)—note the circumstances:

While Jesus was talking with the woman, someone came from Jairus’ home with the news his daughter died

Imagine the trauma, anxiety, and nervousness he felt when Jesus stopped to handle the matter with the woman.

He was devastated, crushed, fearful, and despairing (remember the first part of the lesson)

There’s the crowd and the ridicule of the outside world telling him it was hopeless;

There was his own mind—all of what he knew, all of his knowledge, all of his religion—wasn’t enough to help his daughter.

At the same time, we must see what Jairus just witnessed: Jesus heal and save this woman; he witnessed the woman’s faith and what it took and cost her to get to Jesus

He (Jairus) would have known about her He would have been one of the ones who would have scorned and rebuked her

But now HE WITNESSED her life being radically changed by Jesus

Witnessing the heart change of another, seeing how Jesus freed this woman, gave Jairus belief that conquered fear (v.36). Jesus’ challenging statement

What this led to:

In the midst of heartbreak HIS FEAR, Jesus challenged it all with one statement.

In the midst of the world and his mind, Jesus’ statement was made direct In this midst of all of this—we see Jesus turn and speak directly to Jairus.

In the midst of this moment, no one else was this message for.

In the desperation and hopeless need, the same message is for you and only you. Yes, the message of the Gospel is for the whole world, but my Jesus is a personal Jesus and he wants a personal relationship with you Jesus knew what Jairus had witnessed He knew his need, and took the opportunity and it is an opportunity for you and me.

There are precious moments in Scripture where we can see Jesus speaking directly to an individual;

Here Jairus is confronted with the world and confronted with Jesus;

He is standing at a precipice: imagine the scene—the world telling him that death is final, that his daughter’s death is the end of the line.

And then there is Jesus, here is the Savior of the World, looking directly at Jairus, softly shouting, quietly roaring, compassionately crying out that death was not final, and what He says in these 6 words, is the definition of Jesus’ entire ministry, and it is the defining moment of Jairus’ life and the life of every heartbeat confronted with the truth of Jesus.

“Do not be afraid, only believe.”

He’s not telling you to climb the mountain, He descended it

He’s not telling you to bear your sin for you, He bore it

He’s not telling you to handle your fear yourself, He’s already conquered it

He’s not telling you listen to the world to heal your wounds, He’s shown you He bore your wounds, so believe in Him.

In your desperation and despair, the voice of the enemy will be loud, but the roar of the rugged cross is louder There are those today who stand on the precipice, at the defining moment of their lives. And in this moment there are voices of that are telling you it’s not worth it, it’s too late, or you’ve don’t too much harm—Please know this, the words Jesus spoke to Jairus—are the words He speaks to you through the message of the Gospel…

“Do not be afraid, only believe.” In the midst of your storm and your desperation Jesus is turning and saying do not fear only believe… and he is saying it directly to you. He is saying, give me your sin, your sorrow, your pain, your hurts, your worries, your anxieties, give me the weight you are trying to carry, give me the yoke, I can take it, and I have taken it.” What will you choose?

A believing attitude DOES involve and attitude of

Obedience, an attitude that believes and follows Jesus

Witnessing the heart change of another, seeing how Jesus freed this woman, gave Jairus belief that conquered fear faith

(Connection-YOU and ME #1)

V. (v.37-38) Jesus, James, Peter, and John alone went with Jesus and Jairus to his home

Mark 5:37-38 “And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.”

Jairus’ salvation: It is my belief that what happened after Jesus’ 6 words speaks to Jairus’ moment of belief. Why?

Jairus made no effort to stop Jesus from going to his home..he let Jesus in, because… He believed that Jesus would heal his daughter

VI.(v.39-40) “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping

Mark 5:39-40 “When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.”

Everyone, other than Jesus, knew death was final, that nothing could be done to avoid death. And while this is true of the physical, the Bible always points and directs us to the spiritual.

Sin doesn’t have to have the last word

Strongholds don’t have to have the last word

Fear doesn’t have to have the final word

Death doesn’t have to have the final word

VII.(40-43)-Jesus heals the little girl, feeds her

Mark 5:40-43 “And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.”

“Astonishment” in Greek this word means “to lose one’s wits, to go out of one’s mind.”

Giving her food was to show them (her parents, Peter, James, and John) proof of life.

The greatest day in your life is the day you realize Jesus conquered death for you. When you wake up from death and enter into life and light!

Sin is

Personal,

Shameful; and

It goes against God’s desire and design for us.

Sin, unchecked:

Leaves you in a wilderness, a place where we aren’t designed to be, and a place where the enemy tries to keep us

Sin, effects:

Your relationship with God and

Your relationship with others.

The truth?

There is Jesus—He took to the cross for you

There is Jesus—He loves you and sees you, and He has a desire to forgive you

There is Jesus—He knows you and is grieved over our sin,

There is Jesus—He knows what your sin can, has, and will do to you

There is Jesus—He, not for a minute, does He desire you to carry, be in bondage, or be lost to the wages of sin.

There is Jesus— He wants, in this very moment to free you, cleanse you, bind you in the Gospel, wrap you in His arms and give you a new and true identity; an identity that is not tied to your sin.

God’s acceptance of you is not determined by

How religious you are:

How good you are/try to be

God’s acceptance of you is based on what you say about Jesus Christ

When you realize Jesus has the last word over death; you realize the empty cross, the empty grave rescued you, when you realize His resurrection bound up your sin and death and released you to life. You will not be left the same, forever you will be changed.

How long will you allow the enemy, your sin, and your circumstances to dictate your identity?

In Jairus, we see how one stepped out of religion.

In the woman, we see how one stepped out from the lies she was told in lived under.

One pleaded and begged, one had had enough of the world.

One was desperate and one was hopeless.

Both made a courageous and bold statement of faith.

Will you trust Him when you’re tired of your identity being defined by your sin?

Will you trust Him when you’re tired of your self-worth being defined by others?

Will you trust Him when you’re tired of the worthless satisfaction that comes through addiction?

Will you trust Him when you’re tired of your flesh?

Will you trust Him when the world tells you you’re not worth it, but the cross says you are?

Will you trust Him to come as you are, to lay down your burdens and your shame?

Where Jairus tried religion—the woman tried it herself—-no matter which end of the pendulum, it didn’t work and it will never.