Authority Over Sickness
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Have you ever been sick?
And I don’t mean light cough sick.
I mean sick sick.
Maybe it wasn’t you…
Maybe it was a family member
A close friend
A teammate
A classmate
I’m not talking about “man sick,”
where a guy gets a cough and is out for two weeks.
I’m talking about:
hospitalization sick
doctors unsure sick
“we don’t know what this is” sick
cancer sick
accident sick
And I know that’s heavy to bring up right away but here’s why…
TESNION
TESNION
There are few things in life that make us feel as hopeless as serious illness
That moment when:
doctors have exhausted their options
there’s nothing you can do to bring relief
the future starts to feel bleak
Moments like that will push anyone, Christian or not, either toward God or away from Him
Tonight, Mark introduces us to two daughters, in two very different situations, who both find themselves utterly helpless
and what we’re going to see is how Jesus responds to the hopeless.
TRUTH
TRUTH
When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the sea.
Real quick let’s recap Jesus’ travels over the past few weeks
Week 1: Jesus crossed the sea → storm interrupted Him
Week 2: Jesus healed the demon-possessed man → people begged Him to leave
Week 3: Tonight Jesus returns → and a massive crowd is waiting
One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well and live.”
Jairus is a synagogue leader aka a Jewish pastor
Respected
Known
and Religious
But none of that matters when his 12 year old daughter is dying
So he does the only thing left:
he falls at Jesus’ feet
and he begs
Jesus is his last resort
So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him.
Jesus goes with Jairus
no delay, Jesus just simply goes
While they are heading to Jairus’ house the rest of the crowd begins to go with them
but they are not just walking with them they are pressing all around them
so much so that Jesus’ movements are limited
Imagine like when a famous person comes out to preform and they walk through the crowd
everyone is trying to get an autograph or picture
some of them are just trying to touch them
some are trying to get an article of clothing off of them
mass chaos
Imagine that but 100x worse
Jesus isn’t just a celebrity to these people to some he is their only hope
Jairus isn’t the only one in the crowd who has a sick love one at home
it isn’t the only one with a problem
and everyone’s problem is just as important to them as Jairus daughter is to him
Just think for a moment how frustrating this must have been for Jairus
like guys didn’t you hear my 12 year old daughter is deathly sick we need to get their fast
i’m sure others are trying to tell Jesus about their problem and how it is worst
others are just trying to see this Jesus guy
And yet all of this chaos perfectly sets up what is about to happen
Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse.
In the midst of this chaotic crowd is a woman
a woman how has suffered from bleeding for 12 years
we aren’t told exactly what this suffering looked like but we do know what this means for her
According to Levitical law (Lev. 15), she is:
ceremonially unclean
excluded from worship
untouchable
Her suffering is total:
physical – constant bleeding
social – isolated
religious – cut off
financial – broke
She is the definition of a rock bottom…
Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”
While this woman found herself at rock bottom she heard about Jesus
heard about the healing He was preforming
so she came to see for herself
but not only did she come to see but decided she needed to touch is clothing in hopes that by doing so she would be healed
She doesn’t demand healing
She doesn’t plead her case
She simply believes
And the moment she touches Him…
Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
She is healed
we don’t know exactly how or what happens but that she was able to sense it
and rightfully so, you would think that after someone has suffered this problem for 12 years they would know when they were healed
But she wasn’t the only one who sensed it
Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
But he was looking around to see who had done this.
Jesus also sensed that healing power had gone out of Him
so he stops, turns to the crowd, and ask
“who touched my clothes?”
The disciples are like uhm Jesus are you kidding me…
do you not see the hundreds of people crowded around you and trying to touch you
it would be better to ask who hasn’t touched you
But Jesus is asking for her sake, not His
And here’s the key:
There is a difference between bumping into Jesus and touching Him by faith
There are hundreds pressed against Him but there was only one reaching out in faith
You can be near Jesus and leave unchanged
Or come to Him in faith and be saved
This woman has been saved
she has been changed
and because of that she knows she must come forward
The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”
This moment is far bigger than it looks….
Up to this point, this woman’s plan was simple:
Touch Jesus
Be healed
and Disappear
She wanted restoration without exposure
But Jesus will not allow that
Not because He is cruel
but because His grace is too complete to leave her half-restored
Mark tells us she comes with fear and trembling
Why?
Because this confession risks everything
For twelve years she has lived hidden
Silent
Avoiding attention
Avoiding people
And now Jesus is asking her to step forward, in front of a massive crowd, and admit:
“I am the unclean one.”
“I touched you.”
“I broke the law.”
According to the law, this could have meant:
public shame
rejection
anger from the crowd
But she comes anyway
She falls at His feet, not asking for healing like Jairus, but surrendering in awe and worship
And Mark says she told Him the whole truth
That phrase is courtroom language
This is testimony
A Witness’ honest confession
Jesus did not stop because He needed information
He stopped because salvation is not meant to remain private
Her faith had already healed her but now Jesus brings that faith into the light
This is not Jesus adding a requirement to her salvation
This is Jesus drawing out the fruit of genuine faith
In simple terms:
Faith is the instrument of salvation
Confession is the evidence of salvation
She does not confess to be saved
She confesses because she has been saved
If Jesus had let her slip away:
she would still be healed
but she would still be isolated
still unnamed
still silent
Jesus refuses to let her return to the shadows…
By calling her forward:
He restores her publicly
He clears her name
He re-integrates her into the community
He affirms her faith openly
This moment tells the crowd:
“She is clean.”
“She belongs.”
“She is Mine.”
And this is where we need to pause for just a second…
Because this moment does more than move the story forward
Just like the storm
Just like the demons
It points forward
Mark doesn’t include this interruption just to show us that Jesus can heal sickness
He includes it to show us who Jesus is
and what kind of rescue He ultimately came to bring
Main Point: Jesus’ authority over sickness reveals His divinity and points us toward the greater rescue He would accomplish at the cross
Main Point: Jesus’ authority over sickness reveals His divinity and points us toward the greater rescue He would accomplish at the cross
This woman isn’t just a healed woman
She’s a picture
GOSPEL
GOSPEL
Before Jesus stepped into her story, this woman was completely hopeless.
She was unclean
Cut off from God
Unable to fix herself
Unable to make herself acceptable
No amount of effort worked
No treatment healed her
No time made it better
And that’s exactly how the Bible describes us in our sin
Not just hurting
Not just struggling
But separated from God, unable to make ourselves clean
Just like her, we don’t need advice
We don’t need better habits
We don’t need more effort
We need rescue
And that raises the question:
How does Jesus actually rescue people like this?
How does He take someone unclean and make them clean?
How does He take someone cut off and call them daughter?
How does He bring peace to people who have lived in chaos?
According to the law, anyone this woman touched should have become unclean
But when she touches Jesus, the opposite happens.
Why?
Because Jesus is already moving toward the moment when He will take her uncleanness upon Himself
At the cross:
Jesus is treated as unclean
Jesus is cast outside the city
Jesus bears shame that isn’t His
Jesus carries sin He never committed
The One who was perfectly clean is treated as unclean so that unclean sinners could be made clean
So that outsiders could be brought near
So that enemies could become sons and daughters
So that restless hearts could walk in peace
This woman didn’t fully understand it yet but her healing was purchased by the same sacrifice that saves us
And that’s why faith matters
our faith doesn’t save because it’s strong
our faith saves because Christ is sufficient
Grace is the cause —> Faith is the instrument —> Christ is the Savior
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
So what does that look like in real life?
Because this woman shows us there’s a difference between being near Jesus and looking to Him in faith
Hundreds were near Him but only one trusted Him
Real Faith:
1. Looks To Jesus
Looks to Jesus, doesn’t just spend time near Jesus
You can be around Jesus your whole life:
church attendance
Christian language
knowing the stories
And still never actually depend on Him…
Faith isn’t proximity
Faith is dependence
It’s not Jesus plus effort
It’s not Jesus plus morality
It’s Jesus only
2. Confess’ Jesus
Confesses Jesus, doesn’t Hide Him
When Jesus calls her forward, she doesn’t stay silent
She comes forward and tells the whole truth
Not to earn salvation but because salvation has already changed her
Faith doesn’t stay private forever
That doesn’t mean everyone preaches a sermon
It does mean you stop pretending Jesus isn’t central to your life
At some point, people know who you belong to
3. Lives in New Identity
Lives in new identity not Old Ways
Jesus doesn’t call her “unclean.”
He calls her Daughter.
That’s identity
And identity changes how you live
If you are in Christ:
you are not who you used to be
sin no longer owns you
your past no longer defines you
Faith doesn’t mean perfection
It means direction
You don’t keep living as if Jesus never changed you
4. Walks in His Peace
Faith Walks in His Peace, Not the World’s Chaos
Jesus ends with: “Go in peace.”
Not pressure
Not fear
Not chaos
Peace
When you know who Jesus is and what He’s done, you don’t have to live frantic
You can walk in peace even when the world is loud.
This woman didn’t just get healed.
She got:
a new identity
a new direction
a new way of living
And that’s what Jesus offers us
Not religion
Not proximity
Not chaos
But rescue
Faith
New life
And peace
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Let me end with this reminder…
This wasn’t a quiet moment
This wasn’t a private conversation
This whole exchange:
the healing,
the confession,
the calling her “Daughter,”
the peace it all happens on the way
While Jesus is stopped… but Jairus is still there
Standing in the crowd.
Watching the clock
Thinking about his twelve-year-old daughter
Every second feels like too long
You can almost feel it:
“Jesus… we need to go.”
“She’s running out of time.”
And yet Jesus stops
He slows down
He calls the woman forward
He finishes what He started
One daughter has just been restored
yet another daughter is still dying
And the question hanging in the air is this:
What happens when it feels like Jesus is taking too long?
That’s where we’ll pick up next week…
