"When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet and *implored Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’" And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came 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 affliction."
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a privilege it is to study God's Word with you today.
There is so much cultural confusion in our society, especially when it comes to gender and God's design for marriage. As a pastor, I realize that there are some of you are already encountering situations where you are being required not only to not to speak out against transgenderism and same-sex marriage but passively forced to affirm it. Transgender ideology is a much greater issue than a few individuals that choose to dress and live and present themselves in a way that conflicts with the way they were born, it is a monumental clash between that which is true and that which is false in a world where lies are overtaking the truth in everything. What is sad, is that the federal government, media, celebrities and even corporations have become sympathetic to this whole transgender movement trying to force the rest of society to have to deal with this matter. And no, I do not believe that I am overstating the issue at all. You can't go anywhere without being forced to have to deal with this.
We are all aware of the 5-to-4 Supreme Court decision of June 26, 2015 requiring all fifty states to recognize and license same-sex marriage, making it the law of the land, striking a devastating historic blow to the previously held biblical worldview on traditional marriage. Since that time we've seen a huge turnaround in public opinion on this with more than 71 percent of Americans who support same-sex marriage and 44 percent of churchgoers. President Joe Biden and others are diligently working to do the same thing with the transgender issue to ward off future judicial attempts at undoing its legality. That is not the end of the discussion, Scripture commands us in 1Thessalonians 5:21-22 "to examine everything carefully, to hold fast to that which is good and to abstain from every form of evil."
Therefore, as God fearing, Bible believing Christians, we must look at this matter strictly from a biblical perspective because the true church is all that stands between the Truth and the demonic lies that are sweeping over our nation and the church that has become very tolerant of homosexuality, same-sex marriage and transgenderism, claiming that God because He is loving He must be the
essence of tolerance; rather than acknowledging Him as the Holy God He
says He is according to the divine revelation of Scripture! I believe that it is the word of God alone has the power to bring Light into darkness that has deluded the minds of a fallen society. This is what the Bible has to say about this entire matter of gender, homosexuality and transgenderism.
Genesis 1:26-27, clearly says, "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Genesis 2:24, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
Leviticus 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." And in verse 26, "But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations."
1 Corinthians 6:9-11,"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
1 Timothy 1:8-11, "But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." While Scripture teaches that Jesus came for those who were rejected, living a life of shame, it knows nothing of a salvation that does not lead to a radically changed life.
Anybody with any understanding of the Bible, understands that the entire human race was catapulted into sin as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Sin is a force so corrupting that it deludes every thought, every act of man, that continues to spiral downward casting him into eternal hell. Therefore, we must not be silenced by those who try to preclude it to be settled for all time by a decision of political leaders influenced by none other than Satan himself. As far as I am concerned, the discussion is now just beginning because we are operating on a time clock and if we do not act swiftly, we will run out of time! Jesus Christ is the only hope mankind has for the deliverance from sin and its horrendous, everlasting consequences.
Acts 17:30-31, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
Heavenly Father,
Today's Message: Divine Interruptions and Delays
As we come to God's Word today we return to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5 verses 21 through 43. This is an incredible portion of Scripture, a memorable account of a story within a story and the unforgettable miracle within a miracle to display the power that belongs only to God, accompanied by the expression of His mercy and compassion toward human pain and suffering. As with all the miracles Christ performed, whether healing sickness and disease, casting out demons, making the lame walk or filling the need of the hungry, it was to demonstrate His deity and power over the physical and spiritual world. After all, an extraordinary claim requires extraordinary evidence, right? That's why His entire ministry was in public, so that He would reveal Himself to the crowds, and the religious leaders, who were blinded by the self-righteousness.
Unfortunately, they weren’t particularly interested in responding to His message, even though they were amazed by His teaching, they weren't interested in establishing a real relationship with Him, like many today, all they wanted was what He could do for them. I believe that Jesus moved among the people in the streets, in people's
homes, on the hillsides and by the seashore to demonstrate that He was accessible to those who were desperate for help to set the pattern that we are to follow as we minister to the world. We need not be frightened by difficult circumstances or shrink back because of those who are hostile against us, fearful of persecution, instead we must wave the banner of Christ all the more, rallying around the cross! This is especially true with the issues we're facing today.
In Colossians 3:23, Paul says "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." Sadly, it seems that we have allowed our lives to become so busy, we don't often have time for helping other people, and in turn we don’t have time to do the work of Jesus. And, in Matthew 25, Jesus said "For I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
If you have your Bible, open it to Mark chapter 5, verse 21 and following. I invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds. This is another long portion of Scripture, so we'll trust the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us and we'll see how far we get today. Mark 5:21-43.
"When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet and *implored Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live." And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’" And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came 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 affliction."
Let's look at verse 21, "When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore." Now He’s returning to Capernaum after the people of in Gadara implored Him to leave their region and the first thing Mark tells us is that "a large crowd gathered around Him." We’re not surprised, because they were always there, thousands of them came from all over to be healed. In fact, Luke 8 he tells us "the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him." Next we see one of two people who stand out apart from the crowds. A man honored and respected, who is brought low and a woman who was ashamed and rejected, who is lifted high. Allow me to mention, whether you are respected or rejected, or somewhere in between, Jesus Christ will receive you because He cares.
Verse 22, "One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet." If you remember our study of Matthew, this happened while Jesus was still having dinner at Matthew's house, which He was criticized for eating with the tax collectors and sinners, when Jairus came and interrupted Him. A synagogue official acted as the caretaker of the scrolls and they had the responsibility of supervising activities, appointing readers, prayers, teachers, to make sure all the public worship was conducted properly. He was connected to the synagogue in Capernaum, the same synagogue with the man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!" The religious establishment of the scribes and Pharisees, who we know hated Jesus because He publicly humiliated them, posing a serious threat to their self-righteous, superficial religiosity which they held in high esteem. So much so, they had already begun to plot His death. We can be sure that he known of Jesus, he would have heard about His ability to do what no other person of the planet could do, miraculously heal the sick. This man was in crisis, his child’s life was in danger, he needed the kind of help that only Jesus can provide, a decision had to be made quickly, so he fell at the feet of Jesus in humility and desperation, to give reverence to Him. This would have been completely out of character for a synagogue leader, so I believe this demonstrates that God had already been working on His heart and he didn’t care what the religious establishment thought about him, he had faith that Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Savior of the world.
Verses 23-24, "And *implored Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live. And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him." Matthew tells us that as they were moving toward the house of the synagogue official his daughter died, and when they arrived at the official’s house, they saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder. And Jesus told them to "Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. This news spread throughout all that land." I imagine Jairus was grateful that Jesus was accessible.
And so Jesus is on a mission, heading to Jairus' house, who was no doubt filled with gratitude and anticipating that his daughter would soon be made well when there is another interruption, a miracle within a miracle, as we come to verse 25, "A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years," though we are given quite a bit of details about her constant bleeding issue, Scripture does not tell us what caused her condition. Not only were the physical effects severe, even life threatening, she would have carried the shame of being defiled, ceremonially unclean, meaning she wouldn’t be able to go to the synagogue or the temple. If that wasn't bad enough, she couldn't touch anybody for the last twelve years or they would also become unclean according to the Old Testament book of Leviticus.
Verse 26, tells us she "had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse." No matter what the doctors did to help her, it didn’t work until the last few years of the nineteenth century, they didn’t even understand the pathology of illness or disease. You would probably be very surprised at some of the concoctions they would prescribe for a woman in her condition; none of them were helpful. And to make matters even worse, she spent all the money that she had and she got worse. Luke, being a physician, adds she was incurable. So, here's this woman who is sick, lonely and living in poverty.
Verse 27, "After hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak." Even as Jesus is pushing His way through the massive crowds, which I imagine was no easy task, we see His tenderness, His loving kindness, His sensitivity, and His gentleness demonstrated toward a woman who clearly violated every acceptable boundary, pressing her way through the crowds of people, all because she believed what she heard about Jesus. The verb used for touch is "haptó," meaning she grabbed hold of the tassel on the bottom of His robe and was clinging to it. According to Numbers 15, the Jews were to put tassels on the bottom of their robes to indicate they belonged to God. If you remember according to Matthew 23, the Pharisees broadened their phylacteries and lengthened the tassels of their garments to parade their righteous before men.
Verse 28, "For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." Probably in fear of public shame and embarrassment, being where she shouldn’t be, she's wiling to risk it just to made well. This is what desperation and faith looks like. Look at what happens in verse 29, "Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction." At once the the hemorrhaging stopped and the woman was made physically well, but what about spiritually? The verb used for hearing, in verse 27 "akoúō," means to hear God's voice which prompts Him to birth faith within. Imperfect faith in a perfect Savior will always accomplish much.
Verse 30, is absolutely shocking, "Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" There’s so much power in Him, He experienced the power flow from Him into this woman, because His power is personal. He knew exactly who had touched Him but I believe He asked for the woman’s benefit. By asking the question, it gives her the opportunity to publicly identify with Jesus and give testimony. Also, to show that she is now clean and is to be accepted back into society. I love that! Belief is personal but must also go public. That's what it means to be in Christ.
Verse 31, "And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’" Luke tells us "And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You. But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me." Was there ever any doubt that it was Peter speaking from a human viewpoint. He doesn't understand what just happened. Jesus knows she’s already been healed, He could have just let her slip back into the crowd but He's not finished, there’s more to do for her. Luke 19:10, says "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Verse 32, "And He looked around to see the woman who had done this." The Greek verb "periblépō," always in the middle voice, tells us He kept looking with personal concern. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your position in life, Jesus has a deep, personal concern for your soul but you must come to Him in humility and reverence.
Verse 33, "But
the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her,
came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth." Luke tells us "When the woman saw
that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before
Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she
had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed." This is not fear of rejection, knowing that she should not have been in the crowd. This is not fear of hostility or fear of embarrassment because of her impurity. She was already long past that when she pushed her way through the massive crowds to get to Him. This holy fear and trembling because she is in the presence of God, the same way that Jairus fell at his feet when he recognized he was standing before some greater than himself. She makes a public confession in the front of all the people the reason why she
had touched Him; confessing her sickness, confessing of her faith that she would be healed, and confessing her need for mercy. Luke 12:8, Jesus said "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;" Jesus came to offer mercy to those who are desperate and living in shame. Don't miss what happens next.
That brings us to verse 34, and we'll stop there for today. "And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." I love that this woman was not just healed but that she was also saved! He calls her daughter because she has just entered the family of God through faith. The Greek verb for well is "sṓzō," it literally means saved. She went from living twelve terrible years in shame because of her disease to being the daughter of the King of kings, rescued to be kept safe and sound! By the way, this delay didn't cause the death of Jairus' daughter. We'll look at that next time.
In Closing..
I want to take this opportunity to say just because God delays it doesn’t mean He doesn’t care, interruptions do not keep Him from being on time, He's on time every time! Every delay and interruption are all part of God’s divine design, for His greater glory and for our greater faith and each one is a divine opportunity to share the Gospel. That's what Paul assures us of in Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen