Mark 5:21-43
Notes
Transcript
Jesus Heals and Raises the dead
Jesus Heals and Raises the dead
Mark 5:21-43
Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter
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.
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.”
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.
We have seen Jesus display his authority over demons and unclean spirits.
We have seen Jesus display his authority over the teaching in the Synagogues.
We have seen Jesus display his power to heal the lame.
We have seen Jesus display his authority to call men to himself.
We have seen Jesus display his authority to forgive sins.
We have seen Jesus display his authority to control nature and the weather.
We have seen Jesus display his authority to command a legion of demons at once.
We have seen Jesus display authority over Satan and his temptations.
Today we are going to see his power to heal without saying a word
And
Today we will see that Jesus has authority over death!
This story is a combination of two stories. This is called a Marken Sandwhich.
Mark begins a story and then interjects another story into this story as the original one plays out. He could tell them separately, but as well see, they play out in real time together.
We are going to see faith move two people to act and seek out Jesus!
These two people are very different and their reasons for coming to Jesus are also different.
Both are women/girls needing healing. One, a 12 year old girl, needs healing from illness, and One is a woman who has been suffering for 12 years from a sickness.
The 12 year old girl is sick and desperately in need of healing.
The woman has been sick and held captive by her sickness for 12 years.
The woman seeks Jesus out in direct contradiction to laws and rules about her issue.
The girls father desperately seeks Jesus to beg him to come and heal his daughter.
The man is a prominant religious ruler.
The woman is a rejected outcast that isn’t even allowed in the temple to worship.
Let’s begin where Mark begins with the introduction to Jairus and his issue.
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.
So Jesus is now back on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Remember he had taught a parable on the sea regarding the different soils that the seeds were planted. The seed being the gospel and the soils being the people that heard the gospel. Jesus then expounded on that parabel to his disciples and others that were with him using 3 more parables before sailing across the sea and encountering the dangerous storm and crashing waves. After calming the storm and making it to shore, Jesus was immediately confronted by the demoniac which we discussed last week.
Now he is back on the other side of the sea and again he is met by a large crowd. I honestly think that these folks were camped out along the sea just waiting for his return.
Well her he is immediately met by Jairus. The interesting thing about this is the fact of how it describes Jairus’s confrontation with Jesus.
“Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly!”
Let’s take a look at what we have heard from the “Religious leaders.”
The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
It is amazing what desperation can do in the mind of a skeptic. When your child is in danger, there is no too much that you aren’t willing to do. However, i believe that Jairus is acting in faith, this isn’t just some last ditch effort to see if this might work. Jairus knows that Jesus is the only hope for his daughter and he is not going to allow the faithlessness of other religious rulers deter him from going to the one who has power and authority to heal and save. Jarius knows that if Jesus will just touch his daughter she will be healed.
We see the accessibility of Jesus in this story. Jesus has been going back and forth across the sea and has been surrounded by crowds since before he saved the lame man from his sins and then healed his legs. Jesus’s fame has traveled and people are flocking to him. Now we see that Jesus recognizes this man’s faith and his desperation and Jesus is willing to go immediately with him to see his daughter.
As we meet Jairus and see that Jesus is willing to go heal his daughter, the story is interrupted by yet another person desperately seeking Jesus.
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.”
We are introduced to a woman with a problem that has been going on for 12 years. This particular problem would have detrimental consequences and restrictions for this woman because of Jewish Law. This sort of problem would render this woman being considered “unclean.” Normally she would be considered unclean for a period of 7 days, but after that, so long as the flow of blood had ceased, she would be allowed to resume her normal life. However, this woman’s issue had not ceased for 12 years. Meaning for 12. years she was considered unclean, which means that she could not have any physical contact with anyone or they too would be considered unclean. If she wore clothes, those clothes would be considered unclean. This is a ceremonial uncleanness, not so much a “contagion.” Meaning she could not worship in the temple or otherwise be included in family functions. She is an outcast.
We learn that she had spent all. her money trying to have the problem solved and she ended up worse off. She is completely hopeless, that is until she finds out about Jesus. She has finally found hope. She has finally found her answer. She puts herself at great risk by venturing out into public. She is having to push through a crowd. I imagine she hasn’t been in a crowd in a while. So she decides within herself that Jesus has the power to heal her and we know that he does.
She places her faith in action by seeking him out. She knows that if she can just touch something that belongs to him that she will be healed. So she desperately reaches for the tassle on his garment. I don’t believe this is superstitious, I believe that she wouldn’t dare reach to touch his body or expect that he would touch her, but she just wants to come into contact with the closest thing. So she reaches out and touches his garment and she is immediately saved! Jesus knows that he has healed this woman’s physical problem, but there is still the social problem. She will still be an outcast if it isn’t known that she has been healed.
Jesus stops his trip to go heal Jairus’s daughter and asks who touched him. Jesus gives her the opportunity to come to him and shows her that he is interested personally in her. She realized the power and authority of Jesus and she is immediately afraid. Much like anyone is who faces the One True God. She falls down and tells the truth about her situation and what she had done. Jesus doesn’t scold her for touching his clothes while she was unclean. Jesus commends her faith, and in front of everyone calls her his daughter. Remember he is on the way to save Jairus’s daughter and he has just saved his own daughter!
1 John 3:1
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
Those who belong to Christ are children of God.
The plot thickens as Jesus has been hindered by the woman though.
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.
So Jesus has been held up by the healing of the woman, and now people have come to tell Jairus that his daughter has died and that he should not trouble the “teacher” anymore. what an interesting turn of events. Jairus, desperate to have his daughter saved, remember she was sick to the point of death, has sought Jesus out and begging him in broad daylight amoug a crowd of people to come and heal her. And now he is told that she has died and there is no longer any reason to trouble Jesus.
Why,
Because they do not beleive that anything can be done at this point. Jesus has healed people and he has forgiven them for thier sins, but he hasn’t raised anyone from the dead. So as far as they are concerned all hope is lost and the girl is gone.
But what does Jesus say, DO NOT FEAR, ONLY BELIEVE!
The man showed faith by seeking Jesus out, Jesus tells him to hold on to that faith, it has not been in vain. Continue to believe even though it looks like all hope is lost.
Jesus dismisses the crowd. He continues on to Jairus’s home with just his inner 3. Peter, James and John.
When he arrives, he is met with astonishment and ridicule. He isn’t phased by lack of faith. He makes a statement that the girl is only asleep. In fact she is lifeless, but he is the giver of life. Jesus calls her to arise, and she does just that. She gets up. They are amazed and he tells them to keep it secret. I believe that he does this for their own good. The religious ruler has sought Jesus out at the possible detriment of his own career and reputation, now if word gets out that his daughter was raised from the dead by Jesus, his entire family would be potentially ousted. He simply tells them to get her something to eat. This girl has been very sick and has even died for a moment. Her body was in need of nourishment because she has been made well.
Jesus does not want her to suffer any longer or be treated as sick any more. Feed her and let her get on with life.
Jesus is the giver of life. Jesus displays his authority over even death.
