Getting to Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Read: Mark 5:25-34
Read: Mark 5:25-34
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
One of my favorite Southern Gospel groups The Collingsworth Family sing a song that goes along with this passage. Some of the words go like this:
My physicians tried in vain
For twelve long years of pain
Is proof that there is nothing they can do
But I just heard somebody say
"There's a healer on the way"
Somehow I have to press my way through
I've gotta get to Jesus
Gotta get to Jesus
I know that He's the answer to my needs
Bring Him all my problems
Only He can solve them
Mend the broken pieces
Gotta get to Jesus
Have you ever had a problem or situation where you felt.... “I’ve gotta get to Jesus about this”
We can take comfort and hope from this passage - that this is possible.
Our passage is really part of a series of miraculous events in the life of Christ around the Sea of Galilee.
He had just healed the demoniac and the pigs ran into the sea.
He came back to the eastern side of sea and was on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter when the miracle from our reading takes place.
A few things I want us to notice this morning:
Who this woman was
What this woman did
What her action caused
Who this woman was -
The story breaks in with just a brief description of who this woman was. We are never told her name - she is identified not by name but by her problems. Look at this description...
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
That is quite the way to be identified
Samuel Brengle in his illustrative style portrays this poor woman like this:
a poor, pale-faced, hollow-cheeked, ill-clad woman, who had been sick with an issue of blood for twelve years. The people, no doubt, had grown very tired of seeing her shambling along week after week to see the doctors, upon whom she had spent all her living in a vain twelve years' search and struggle for health. She was just a 'nobody '—everybody was tired of the sight of her, and here into the throng she came with her bloodless face and tired eyes and shuffling feet and threadbare, faded clothes. The crowd jostled her, crushed her, trampled upon her slow, heavy feet, blocked her way;
Do you have something in your life that identifies you this morning?
Heat aches?
Failures?
Sorrow?
Secret sin?
Brokenness?
Sickness?
While this woman and perhaps you are identified by your problems - the woman offers a solutions -
What this woman did - I Gotta Get to Jesus
Mark 5:27-28
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
In the majority of the miracles around this time period, Jesus goes to people or is in their location. But right here in this passage a woman says, “If I can get to Jesus - no if I can just touch his clothes I shall be whole.”
Matthew says border Luke says hem - if you have a modern translation it may say “fringes”
Hem, border, clothes, fringes - it’s all the same Greek word and goes back to the Old Testament
Deut. 22:12 the children of Israel were required to put fringes on the bottom of their robes.
It is the same word found in Isaiah 6:1
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
It's almost like someone is asking Isaiah, "You saw the LORD? What did He look like?" Isaiah could only respond well, uh, uh "YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HIS HEM"
This hem or border or fringe was a sign of a person’s authority - it was used in business transactions -
they might be pressed into clay like a kind of signature as everyone would have a little different pattern for them. No two were alike.
Husband could divorce wife by cutting off the hem of her robe.
The Mari Tablets (14th BC) tell us that when you took someone to court you pulled them into the courtroom by their tassels. Your authority was over their authority. Notice where the tassels play a role
in biblical narratives –
I Sam. 24 where David shows Saul the tassels he has snipped from his robe; This was Saul's Kingly authority no wonder David later repented that he had done this.
Elijah threw his mantel onto Elisha calling him to follow him and then later passed his mantel with his four tassels on to Elisha
people throwing their tassels on the donkey and in front of donkey of Jesus on Palm Sunday; They were literally submitting their authority to Jesus
And then there is my favorite our text this morning the woman with hemorrhage reaching out to touch the hem of Jesus's Garment.
She knew what she was doing, This dear woman in a situation that she hadn't been able to find help anywhere else wasn't grasping for just a touch (although friend that would have been sufficient)She knew what she was doing she was grabbing Jesus' authority.
This woman found out that being touched by Jesus and touching Jesus was the same thing - she also found out that both of them are effective only when appropriated by faith.
What this action caused - Both Jesus and the woman knew something had happened.
If you get ahold of the authority of Jesus - You’ll know it and all of heaven will know it!!!
No longer was this woman identified by her problems - she was no longer the woman who had an issue of blood - no longer was she the woman who had an impurity - no longer was she identified by her issue -
She no doubt was still pointed at by people in the marketplace and whispered about behind her back - but no longer did people have to say, “stay away form her she is unclean” “She is the woman who has an issue of blood”
No now they were saying “there is the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ robe and is healed”
See if Victoria will play softly “Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary”
This morning I want to go back to our initial question - what are you identified by?
Your....
Heat aches?
Failures?
Sorrow?
Secret sin?
Brokenness?
Sickness?
A burden for someone else?
I want you to know that right now Jesus is here, you can press through the crowd and touch the hem of his garment and be changed.
Won’t you come to him now?