Faith that Transforms

"Faith that Transforms: The Power of Jesus in Desperate Times"

This week we come back to the gospel, its not that I wanted to move away from 2 Corinthians for it is filled with all kinds of important teachings for us. However this week there was an opportunity to come back to the gospel for one of the most important stories of Jesus ministry. It sort of struck me hard this week reminding me of what we went through with Kaleb when he was born. It came to me this week as I listen to a couple of other people telling their stories of a similarity to our own, one loosing not just one but two children, and the other like us ended up on the other side where our child survived.

While we came close, I cannot imagine the hurt and pain of loosing a child, yet today this is what we find a leader of one of the synagogues coming to Jesus for he knows his daughter is ill and probably will die if something doesn’t change. I say I find this fascinating not only that I can relate to this father knowing that Jesus is the only hope in this situation but the fact that Jesus was the only hope for him, tells you a whole lot.

Then right in the middle of all of this is another act of desperation a woman who is desperate herself, seeking Jesus, knowing that he was her only hope.

I. Jairus’s Desperate Faith (Mark 5:21-24)

Mark 5:21–24 ESV

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. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 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.” And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

You can imagine now there has to be a bit of tension here in Jairus, an uneasiness and uncertainty going to Jesus, knowing what other leaders have been saying about him, and yet what the people had been saying. His fellow leaders doubting this man was from God, because healed on the sabbath, he wasn’t like the other rabbis, and he was from Nazareth. The people however they are telling stories of how he is healing people, how he is teaching differently than what they heard in the synagogues, and even maybe he had head about what just happened on the other side of the sea, how Jesus cast out a legion of demons that had possessed a man.

You can imagine the desperation it took to go to Jesus and say please come heal my daughter, knowing that this was the only hope, nothing the doctors could do, he illness was continuing to get worse.

What do you do when all hope is lost, when the doctor says sorry there is nothing more we can do? What do you turn to? It seems that when you reach the point of desperation is when you find out what you truly trust in. For some of us it draws us closer to God knowing that he is able to do far more than we ask.

Despite all the Jairus may have heard, he knew one thing that it was his only hope, that all he could trust is that the stories they were saying about Jesus were true and if they were he could heal his daughter and if not, well at least he gave it a shot.

Jesus seeing this, hearing him ask to just come lay his hands on her so that she could be healed and so Jesus went.

Then there is this last line “and a crowd followed him and thronged about him. That is a great crowd began to form and surround him.

II. The Woman’s Persistent Faith (Mark 5:25-34)

Mark 5:25–34 (ESV)

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” And he looked around to see who had done it. 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. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Right in the middle of this story as Jesus is on his way, pushing through the crowds, trying to get to Jairus’ daughter there is another woman who desperate for healing hears of Jesus, seeing this great crowd, also hearing the stories the people are saying has the same thought, if only I could get Jesus to heal me.

This woman for many years has experience great trouble where she has continued to bleed, her menstruation never ceasing, having been 12 years now, she has sought out many doctors to no avail, in fact is says that she has suffered much under many physicians. Everything they have tried has only made he situation worse, and then to make matters worse, to be in this condition meant that she was also ceremonially unclean. She would not have been allowed in certain places, her husband, if she has one would have had to sleep in a different bed than her.

Jesus however, if she could only get close enough to touch even his garment she would be healed. As I read all of this I am struck, for on one occasion the man says to Jesus just say the word and my servant would be healed, Jairus thinks it would take him touching his daughters head to heal her, and this woman she thinks it is enough to just touch his garment. Faith, yet faith needing something to cling to the garment, the hand, or even a word, yet it was enough each according to measure of their faith.

What is that is enough for us? To see the miracle, the supernatural unexplainable, with your own two eyes, Thomas needed this and Jesus said you are blessed, but more blessed are those who do not see and yet believe. For some maybe it is something small and unexplained check in the mail when you are completely out of money. The treatment working when even the doctor isn’t sure. For some just the word may be enough, hearing the stories of Jesus how he has healed, how he rose from the dead, how the disciples who once ran away three days later were willing to die for the story they were telling.

What does it take for our faith to cling to in order that we may believe? Sadly for some, the world has so convinced them that the natural world is all there is, that miracles cannot happen, that there has to be some sort of reasonable, natural explanation for these things to occur. Faith in nothing but what we can see, with our natural senses.

Jesus however does heal, in fact he doesn’t even do anything, but he knows something has happened, he can feel it, like a disturbance in the force. I know a Star Wars reference there. Seriously though Jesus knows, and I am sure even the who and what but using this as an opportunity to show what faith it takes he asked who touched me. This isn’t like who touched me in a bad way of how dare you, but more of hey who did this thing that even to touch my garment, knowing in faith that is all it takes to be healed?

The woman however it says comes in fear and trembling, this is how we should be coming before God, in fear in trembling, we do not deserve this, we know that we are sinners, and sinners cannot stand before a Holy and perfect God. We cannot look a the face of God, because of our sin lest we die. It is a fearful thing for sinners to fall into the arms of an angry God, but what to know something that is why we do what we do here in the church, we come before God, we ask that he be hear with us, the invocation, you know it, In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Yet how can we stand here before God in our sin? We cannot, thus we can only then confess our sins and ask for mercy, the confession, God be merciful to us sinners. It is then and there that we hear the mercy as this woman hears, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” To us it sounds something like this God is merciful and has given his son to die for us and for his sake forgive you of all your sins.

Is the words enough for you to believe?

III. Jesus’s Compassionate Response (Mark 5:35-43)

Mark 5:35–43 (ESV)

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?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”

And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 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. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

You have to wonder at this point did the woman stopping Jesus cause enough delay that it was too late for Jairus’ daughter? Was it all in God’s time as in the case of Jesus waiting 4 days after hearing of Lazarus? So many questions to ponder yet the text does not say for certain. Whatever it is now the word has arrived that it is too late, his daughter has died, if only Jesus had been there.

I have always pondered that thought, if only Jesus had died and stayed in the tomb then all of this would have been for nothing, we would not be hear today, in fact I would say the whole world would be different at this point. Except something did happen, something no one ever expected and it all revolves around this statement Jesus says to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.”

“Do not fear, only believe.”

Fear keeps us from believing, and doubt causes unbelief, again to what does your faith cling to? Jairus right next to Jesus, knowing that this is his only hope, watches this whole scene play out, even the woman touching his garment, seeing that she was healed. He does not want to loose his daughter, you can imagine all that must be racing through his mind. Jesus says “Do not fear, only believe.”

Death is so final, and so certain, yet what does scripture tell us first John 11:25-26

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

and secondly Hebrews 2:14

Hebrews 2:14 ESV

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

We know the rest of the story, Jesus says to her arise and she arises and lives, she is not dead but sleeping. We too someday will reach that point in which our mortal bodies will give out, this tent will fade away, but even still we know what Jesus says “Do not fear, only believe.”

IV. The Transformative Power of Faith

Again I ask to what does our faith cling, well to the promise given through the word, through the means of the sacraments in the waters of baptism we are drowned our old self and raised us to new life in Christ, in the bread which feeds us his body which is given for you and in the wine which cleanses us, it is his redeeming blood that was shed for us on the cross, covering us, washing us anew, giving us the forgiveness of sins. We then can now stand before a Holy and perfect God, not by our own volition but because of Jesus, because he tells us do not fear, only believe.