Urgency pt6

Do you ever wonder if Jesus notices you?

I think about this a lot. From my perspective, I seem very insignificant. I am one man among 4 billion people. All of them have needs far greater than my own. And in a lot of ways, I would rather God take care of my wife, my kids, my friends, my brothers in Ghana, than me.

And yet, He notices me. Far more than that, He wants to give His attention to me.

(Talk about the challenges of paying attention to 4 kids…)

This passage of scripture should give us a lot of hope. Jesus has TIME and more than that POWER to meet us right where we are…and to give us far more than we could ever hope for.

With Him, we have hope of renewal and restoration…even when all seems lost!

(Read Mark 5:21-24)

This passage starts like many in the Gospels. A desperate person. An interested Savior. And a trip to someone in dire need.

The Gospel according to Mark Faith that Defies Defeat (5:21–43)

So Jesus went with him.” In that simple statement, which recalls the equally simple description of Jesus’ purpose in 1:38 (“This is why I have come”), Mark testifies to Jesus’ commitment to minister to human need and to the inestimable worth of the human individual for Jesus

Yet in this, there is something that Mark mentions that will matter in a moment. The size of the crowd.

There are a LOT of distractions. And we face those as well. Jesus, however, is single minded. He has a mission. This should be a reminder to us. When God sends us, we need to focus…until He draws us away…as we will see in a moment. We need to be aware, despite the distractions, that God is at work in the midst of the mission.

(Read 5:25-34)

So. Many. Things.

First, there is a woman who is suffering, who wants the smallest amount of hope. She doesn’t want a word, or even a look, she just wants to touch the hem of his robe. Can you imagine? We take our access to Jesus for granted. We have His full attention in a moment by moment basis. She had faith that if she just touched his clothes that she could be healed. What faith!!!

The Gospel according to Mark Faith that Defies Defeat (5:21–43)

In v. 29 Mark describes her condition as a mastix, a graphic expression meaning “whip, lash, scourge, or torment” (see Acts 22:24; Heb 11:36). The term combines physical suffering and shame, hence something akin to punishment. In a dramatic volley of Greek participles, v. 26 graphs the woman’s condition precipitously: having a blood flow, having suffered from many doctors, having exhausted all her wealth, having not improved but having gotten worse. The same verse is equally emphatic and categorical: she suffered much from many physicians, exhausted all her resources, and gained nothing. Clearly, the woman’s prospects are no better than the dying girl’s

What if we were so determined…to catch just a moment with Jesus…to believe that the very least of Him could change us forever. And the best part is…we can have so much more than that. (Gospel presentation here)

The Message of Mark 9. The Nature of True Faith (5:21–43)

this unnamed woman has cut through all the barriers, impelled by need, and by two steps has found the secret of faith—trusting Jesus and telling him all. What he accused the disciples of still not properly having (4:40) he now praises the woman for possessing

The only thing better than her faith is His reaction…He KNOWS!!!!

Vs 30 is one of my favorite humor moments in the whole Bible…who touched me? The disciples...”uh everyone????”

But Jesus knows that someone has reached out in faith. And that “power” has gone out from Him. And He wants to know who!!! This is the heart of discipleship and the essence of following Jesus. So many people want “hell insurance’ but Jesus wants a relationship and to invade every part of your life!

The Gospel according to Mark Faith that Defies Defeat (5:21–43)

She wants a cure, however, a something, whereas Jesus desires a personal encounter with some one. He is not content to dispatch a miracle; he wants to encounter a person. In the kingdom of God, miracle leads to meeting. Discipleship is not simply getting our needs met; it is being in the presence of Jesus, being known by him, and following him

vs33- why does she come in fear and trembling (explain about uncleanness…)

The Gospel according to Saint Mark 12 Power to Restore Life (5:21–43)

Her affliction is not simply physical, however; her complaint was presumably vaginal bleeding (a vital fact that male commentators assume, but which most coyly omit to state!), and she is therefore unclean (Lev. 15:25–30) and thus an outcast from society

I think many of us are hesitant to come to Jesus for healing- spiritual or otherwise- because we are afraid we will be rejected, berated, condemned, but notice Jesus’ reaction…joy....welcome…compassion…love…he calls her daughter!!!

(Read v35-38)

But in the midst of her healing, there is another matter…more pressing…more dire. Remember the little girl? While Jesus was helping this woman, she died.

There is an old Gospel song that says, He may not come when you want Him, but He will be there right on time....I think some of us, like this father probably feel like Jesus is late…maybe even too late…yet He is fully in charge and fully capable of restoring in His own time.

Look at verse 36- Do not fear…just believe...

The Message of Mark 9. The Nature of True Faith (5:21–43)

Trust the person, not the circumstances. Jairus had just witnessed a lonely, sick and shunned woman manage to do this very thing. He must also believe, because Jesus had shown his intention to make the girl well. It is significant that the tense for believing means ‘keep on believing’. The sense is, ‘Don’t go on fearing the worst, but do keep on believing for the best’

Why? Because when you believe in Jesus, you are trusting in Someone who is limitless.

(Read v39-43)

When does the little girl get up? Immediately after Jesus tells her to. His control. His Word. His command. All immediate.

Jesus knows the urgency of your situation. He is not put off by anything. But we are!

The Gospel according to Mark Faith that Defies Defeat (5:21–43)

Jairus and the woman have only one thing in common: both are victims of desperate circumstances who have no hope apart from Jesus.

We are troubled by circumstances that seem insurmountable…but Jesus is not only undaunted…He is undefeated.

Where do you need Jesus to restore you today? Where do you need His healing? What do you need to surrender to Him…to not fear but believe?