JCSLK #35 Jesus and the Unexpected Miracle aka the Hem of Faith

 

JCSLK #35 Jesus and the Unexpected Miracle 

Text: Mark 5:1-20

Introduction

We have come to the day following the “busy day” of Jesus ministry. The day before Jesus taught and healed, condemned the Pharisees with the unpardonable sin. He then slept through a terrible storm, stilled it and to end the day around midnight he cast out the legion of demons from the demoniac. After the men of Gadara praying for Jesus to leave their shores, Jesus and the disciples sails back across the sea of Galilee and into the homebase of Capernaum. We assume they all slept that night, at least in watches, through the same sea that had tried to kill them just a few hours before.

We pick up the narrative in Mark 5 verse 21.

If I had been able to preach all of chapter 5 last Sunday, my outline would have been Demons Defeated and my second point would be where we are starting this morning, with the woman who touched Jesus garments as Disease Destroyed, but I thought about entitling this part of the sermon “The Hem of Faith.” Please just think about that for awhile, before groaning to loud. And yes I have copyrighted that title so to the preachers and teachers in our congregation, you’ll have to only pay a small fee to use it.

We are going to stay with the letter D alliterations this morning so let’s start reading in vs. 21, and we’ll call this …

Disease Destroyed - Mark 5:21

And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. Luke gives a fuller picture of the scene in …Luke 8:40 And it came to pass that when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

A Hopeful Father Waits

Mark 5:22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

As soon as Jesus and the disciple hit the shore, the people were waiting for him, eager to see him again and they must all have had needs and wants and desires that they believed Jesus, the Messiah, the prophet, the healer could deliver to them. Two people in all that mass of humanity have needs that on this day rise to the top. The first is Jarius, the ruler of the synagogue. The word used here means the man who over saw the administration of the synagogue. He was not a rabbi, a teacher or a scribe, but made sure of the day to day running of the meeting place. He probably was familiar with Jesus, since Jesus had taught and visited the synagogue in Capernaum.

Jairus finds Jesus falls at His feet and then he besought him greatly, the word besought is the same word used by the legion of demons, the men of Gadara and now by Jairus, parakaleo. It means to implore, beseech, to sincerely and desperately ask. In all the places we have read it in Mark 5 this is the first time it is used in a positive sense, seeking Jesus to come not sending Him away or being sent away from Him.

Jarius besought, beseeches, prays, implore Jesus, to come with him because “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so she will be healed and live.” Jesus set off towards Jarius’ house. Oh, how this father must have now rejoiced. After waiting all night to see when and if Jesus would come back, making his way down to the shore, finding Jesus and begging for the life of his little daughter, the Greek word tells us that this is his only child and Jesus is his only hope.

Now, now, now Jesus is following him to his home, they are fighting their way through an unyielding, unknowing crowd, but they are on their way to save his daughter. Oh, how Jairus must have been so relieved, so now filled with hope. He had found the Messiah, the healer and all they had to do was get to his daughter’s sick bed and all would be right. His child would live, his child would live.

But as you know this is not how the story goes.

A Hurt Woman Hopes

In Mark 5:25 we read of the unexpected miracle,  25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of l 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.

This unknown, insignificant woman was part of that great crowd of people, though which Jesus was moving trying to get to Jarius’ house. I’m sure the disciples were out front trying to clear the crowd for their Master. This ill, weak, anemic woman, who has been losing blood for 12 years is in this vast crowd and she is tells herself, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” The case her means she keeps telling herself over and over, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” Like a mantra, her entire being is poured into this one thought, one hope, one action.

She comes up behind the Lord and Luke 8 tells us, “and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.” She touched the border of his garment, this was probably one of the prayer tassels made of white and blue threads that every Jewish male wore at the four corners of their robes. She may have been too weak to do more than just lay in Jesus’ path and as he passed by she reaches out and just touches in faith with one of her outstretched fingers, the part of Jesus clothes that representing prayer.

Mark 8:30 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.

Listen to Luke’s account Luke 8:45 And Jesus said, ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, ‘Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, “Who touched me?” 46 And Jesus said, ‘Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me’. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, ‘Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace’.

A Halfway Faith Heals

There is no other miracle in the Bible like this one. A healing where Jesus does not initiate nor direct the act of healing. Here is a woman who had faith in Jesus to heal her, but not the courage to confront Him or ask Him. She has faith, but it is almost a superstitious faith. It is not in Jesus the person, savior or Messiah but only in Jesus as the healer and not even in Jesus’ touch or command but only in her act of faith in touching his garment. And she is right, the power of Jesus heals her and Jesus seemingly isn’t even aware of this until after it happens and he feels virtue, the word is δύναμις dynamis, power.

We can only speculate why this all happened this way. Did Jesus know but pretend he didn’t, did God the father in his providence see that this happened. Did Jesus who had limited himself to the body of a man and the knowledge of a man at most times while on earth, genuinely not realize until it had happened that this woman was healed. We don’t know. I think Jesus did not know and that God’s providence caused all these events to take place so that we could sit here today and marvel at this woman’s faith and Jesus power.

However it happened, Jesus confronts the woman. For her this must have been the hardest thing to do, it was easy to secretly touch his garment, but now all this vast crowd would know that she was an unclean woman and had been losing blood for 12 years. No one could be near her, or touch her for then they would be unclean as well. I’m sure she kept this hidden but now it would come out. “Who has touched me?” Jesus calls out and the woman must come forward and tell her story. Her life has been ruined by this plague, all her money is gone, wasted on worthless doctors.

Listen to some of the prescriptions for her disease given in the Talmud, the core teachings of rabbinical Judaism.

“Take of the gum of Alexandria the weight of a zuzee (a fractional silver coin); of alum the same; of crocus the same. Let them be bruised together and given in wine to the woman that has an issue of blood. If this does not benefit, take of Persian onions three logs (pints); boil them in wine, and give her to drink, and say, ‘Arise from thy flux.’ If this does not cure her, set her in a place where two ways meet, and let her hold a cup of wine in her right hand, and let someone come behind and frighten her, and say, ‘Arise from thy flux.’ But if that do no good, take a handful of cummin, a handful of crocus, and a handful of fenugreek. Let these be boiled in wine and give them her to drink, and say, ‘Arise from thy flux!’ ” If these do no good, other doses, over ten in number, are prescribed, among them this: “Let them dig seven ditches, in which let them burn some cuttings of vines, not yet four years old. Let her take in her hand a cup of wine, and let them lead her away from this ditch, and make her sit down over that. And let them remove her from that, and make her sit down over another, saying to her at each, ‘Arise from thy flux!’ ” - Quoted from Lightfoot by Geikie, “Life and Words of Christ”). – Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 1:189.

No wonder she was destitute and desperate. “Arise from thy flux!” make you want to slap somebody. Sounds a lot like the charismatic faith healers of today. “Get up out of the wheelchair.”

Jesus tells this woman, Mark 5:34 “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace,” This also makes this miracle unique, I didn’t know this until this past week or so, but this is the only place in the Bible where Jesus calls anyone “Daughter.” Now if you want to prove me and the references I studied wrong, then this next week read all the Gospels accounts and come back and let me know. I would appreciate your research and you’ll benefit from reading the Gospels. And no cheating by using a concordance or digital Bible. How lazy can we be?

Daughter, thy faith has made you whole, go in peace. Now this is not the word Shalom, we would expect but the word εἰρήνη eirēnē; which means at one, quietness, rest, to set at one again. We would hear it as, “Thy faith has made you whole, now go and be whole. The first expression literally means has saved you, referring to salvation from her physical affliction. The second expression means to be well, healthy, and is a present imperative, meaning that she was to continue in health.

Why did Jesus do this? Why the confrontation, the questions, the need to bring this woman’s shame into the open? I think it was very needful because her faith was an imperfect one, she had faith in the One who could heal here but she needed to have faith in the One who would save her. Touching his garment had brought healing to her body but Jesus needed to touch her heart to bring complete healing of body and soul. She needed to come in contact not with the hem of his garment but with Him who would die for her.

A Halfway Faith, Still Saves

There Are Three examples of faith in Mark 5. The demoniac had to have faith not to be freed from demons but to obey the Lord and go back to Decapolis and preach. This woman had faith in a thread from on the Lord robe and later Jarius who started this day in great faith and hope in finding the Lord, will almost his faith when his daughter dies after the delay caused by this woman.

Halfway Faith. This woman’s faith is kind of a halfway faith, an imperfect faith and yet she was healed. Why? We know the answer, Jesus tells us, “Thy faith.” Her faith reached out and through the fringe of his garment touched by just the finger of her hand she experienced the power of Jesus.

This gives me such hope and comfort for so many, many people who begin their search for Jesus with imperfect faith, with often error filled faith. There was no power of healing in a piece of thread, or the touch of the woman’s finger, the power was in Jesus. Yet, she was healed.

There is no salvation in a rosary, no salvation in a crucifix, no salvation in a building filled with statues of Jesus, or the saints. There is no salvation in a belief system that mistakenly believes in sign miracles or angel manifestations or foolish, ignorant, hoaxsters who call themselves modern day prophets. But sometimes, and I pray that it is more times than you and I can imagine, sometimes that imperfect faith fashioned around something about Jesus rather than pure, complete knowledge and truth can bring a person to salvation when they finally, truly see and hear Jesus. Isn’t that what happened here. Isn’t that why Jesus called her back. Her imperfect faith needed to be grown to a perfect faith in Jesus.

Her error was akin to one … with which I need not say that I have no sort of sympathy,—that of people who attach importance to externals as means and channels of grace, and in whose system the hem of the garment and the touch of the finger are apt to take the place which the heart of the wearer and the grasp of faith should hold. The more our circumstances call for resistance to this error, the more needful is it to remember that, along with it and uttering itself through it, may be a depth of devout trust in Christ, which should shame us. Many a poor soul that clasps the base of the crucifix clings to the cross; many a devout heart, kneeling before the altar, sees through the incense-smoke the face of the Christ.

Often is, accepted by Him whose merciful aye recognised, and whose swift power answered, the mistaken trust of her who believed that healing lay in the fringes of His robe, rather than in the pity of His heart. – Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: Mark 1–8, (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 203.

This unexpected miracle happens as Jarius watches and fears the delay. He says nothing to the Lord, he dares not interrupt, but then …

Death Denied - Mark 5:35-43

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James

Luke 8:49 While he yet spoke, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, ‘Thy Daughter is dead, trouble not the Master’. 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, ‘Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole’

A Dead Child Revived

The servant comes and Jarius hears the sentence he had so dreaded, “They daughter is dead.” Oh how his heart must have broken, how his hope must have been crushed. So close, so very, very close and all would have been well. There would have been joy in his home, but now there is only emptiness and death.

But Jesus is right there, and he tells Jarius, “Be not afraid, only believe.” Once again when we look at the case in the Greek we found that Jesus is saying, “Stop fearing! Just keep on believing! You had faith when you waited for me, faith when you sought me, faith when you found me, faith when you prayed to me. Keep holding on to that faith.”

They finally make it to the house, now a house of mourning. Mark 5:38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

Jesus arrives and the house is in tumult, the KJV says. The Jews and people of the middle east believe that mourning for the dead must be never be quiet, the louder is the wailing the greater your loss and your love for the departed. Because of this professional mourners were hired to make sure your friends and family knew of your great sorrow. There would be wailers, flute players and professional criers.

Jesus knew all this, he also knew what He was going to do and so he rebukes them. Literally He asks, “Why are you making such an uproar?”

The mourners have no understanding of Jesus’ power over death, such power that the worst thing that can happen in this life to Jesus is nothing more serious than “sleep.” Instead, they laugh at him, scorn him. After all this is their job, they knew death when they saw it. They are getting paid, so she had better be dead and death to them was job security. It meant they would always have work, but not this time.

I remember an old joke my Dad told me one day as we drove by the cemetery in our town. “Do know why they have to put a fence around the graveyard? Because people are always dying to get in.” But not this time.

This time Jesus put them all out. The verb her is very forceful, it means, to thrust out, drive them out, like the moneychangers in the temple, Christ drove the jeering crowd from the house, he just didn’t use a whip this time. And after he drove the death celebraters out the front door he went into the back room to drive death itself out of the house. Not this time, death. Not this time!

Mark 5:41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; “Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. (Aramaic for, “Little girl, arise. Young one, arise.) 42 And straightway the damsel arose and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Straightway, Mark loves this word and uses it over and over. Straightway, immediately, right now, no delay, the little girl sits up and then she gets up and then she eats up. She is twelve years old, isn’t is something that this little girl was born at the same time the woman in the street developed her illness and when the woman in the street was healed, Jairus’ daughter died. But because of Jesus she would not stay in the grasp of death anymore than the woman could stay in the grasp of a debilitating disease. The parents and disciples were “astonished with a great astonishment” the two words come from the same root but the first means, “astonished out of their minds, out of their wits” and the second is the word from which we derive the word, ecstasy. ἔκστασις ekstasis. Now instead of loud fake mourning there is true, genuine joy and ecstasy because death that day was kicked out the door along with the phony purveyors of pity.

Dead Bodies Resurrected

One day, are you listening, one day we who are believer in Jesus Christ. Who know even in our imperfect faith that He died for us, took our sin upon himself and we like the woman in the street reach out in faith and grasp that promise in faith. One day we will hear not a quiet whisper arise but a shout that will echo around the earth and throughout eternity. Listen, are you listening?

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Lord himself will shout, the archangel will add his voice and the trumpet of God shall sound and we will rise!

Conclusion

What song are you hearing right now in your heads and hearts.

"I Will Rise"

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

Are you ready? This morning are you reaching out in imperfect faith to touch the hem of the one who will save you? You don’t have to know all the theological reasons why that is true. You just have to believe, if I reach out in faith He will save me.

Have you put your faith in Jesus and this morning do you know that you and all that you know and love who have put their faith in Jesus will one day rise at his command? Are you rejoicing in that promise. There is great joy, hope and strength in that unshakeable rock of truth.

I have known a few moments in my life when I think I felt what Jarius, his wife, Peter, James and John felt that day, ecstasy. Only a few times, but one day when the graves open, the dead in Christ rise we will all experience ecstasy for all eternity. Are you listening? Are you ready.