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JESUS
AND THE HEMORRHAGING WOMAN |
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Mark 5:21-43 |
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One of my favorite authors today is a
professor at
Loyola
University
in
Chicago
.
His name is Father John Powell. In addition to being a
best-selling writer, he is also a highly popular lecturer, teacher, and
counselor. In his book entitled Through the Eyes of Faith, he tells
about
his prison ministry. About once a month, he visits a prisoner in the
state
penitentiary. He describes how difficult that is for him
personally... the
atmosphere is dismal, dark, depressing... and charged with suspicion.
However, on one occasion, Father Powell said he had an enlightening and
inspiring experience in that stern and somber prison environment.
An elderly woman was standing beside him as they moved through the visitor
line. Together, they went through numerous security checkpoints.
They were
required to produce identification; they were required to pass through
metal
detectors; they were led by heavily armed guards through countless doors
made of strong steel bars. And through it all, John Powell said he
could
not help but notice how this sweet, dear woman was smiling warmly toward
everyone, waving tenderly to the guards and calling many of them by name,
and greeting everyone in a kind and loving way.
John Powell was fascinated with her. She was absolutely radiant.
She was a
ray of sunshine and a breath of fresh air in that sullen place. Suddenly,
John Powell said to her, “Gee, I’ll bet you bring a lot of love into
this
world with your smiling face and words.”
“Father,” she replied, “I decided long ago that there are no
strangers in my
world. Only brothers and sisters. Some of them I haven’t met
yet.”
Reflecting on that experience, John Powell wrote this remarkable
paragraph.
Listen closely. He said:
“That lady drew out of me a deep and warm reaction of love. And
gradually I
came to realize that people are not one thing, good or bad, but many
things.
In every human being there is warmth, love, affection, but there is also
hurt, anger, weakness. We stimulate or draw out of them one or the
other.
It all depends upon our approach, and our approach depends upon our
attitude.”
And then Father Powell writes these concluding words:
“This was the genius of Jesus. He took people where they were and
loved
them into life. This is precisely what Jesus did for ... those whose
lives
He touched. He was a living portrait of love in action. And
the caption
under the portrait reads: Please love one another as I have loved you.
Yes... this was the genius of Jesus. He took people where they were
and
loved them into life.”
(See John Powell, Through the Eyes of Faith, Tabor Publishing, Allen,
Texas
1992, pp. 60-61.)
This is precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in
Mark 5. He loves needy and hurting people into life. This
passage is a
fascinating one because here we have a story within a story... or two
healing stories rolled into one... and the people involved could not be
more
different.
On the one hand the family of Jairus represented the “upper crust” of
society. Jairus was ruler of the synagogue. He was a man of
substance...
rich and powerful and religiously prominent. In the synagogue, he
“called
the shots.” He decided who would preach, what scripture would be
read and
what hymns would be sung. He represented the elite of society,
especially
the religious world, but this day Jairus was troubled. His
12-year-old
daughter was dying.
On the other hand, the hemorrhaging woman in the crowd was a social
outcast.
She was considered “unclean”... as one who was under the judgment of
God and
therefore not allowed to set foot in the synagogue. In this magnificent
passage, these two vastly different people... the down and out
hemorrhaging
woman and the upper crust daughter of Jairus are loved into life by our
Lord. Remember the story with me.
Jesus and His disciples have been going from town to town. He has
been
preaching the gospel and healing people. Large crowds are coming
out. They
are clamoring to see Jesus and hear Him. One day this man called
Jairus
came looking for Jesus. Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue. He
falls
down at the feet of Jesus and pleads with the Master to come to his house
because his only daughter (who is about 12 years of age) is gravely ill
and
dying. Jesus agreed to go with him, and as they went, people began
to press
in around Jesus. The New English Bible puts it dramatically... “he
could
hardly breathe for the crowds.” The people were so excited to be
near the
Master that they were pushing and shoving and crowding in close to Him.
In the crowd that day was a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years.
She had tried everything she knew to try, but no luck! No relief, no
help
for her problem. No one had been able to cure her. She slipped
up behind
Jesus, working her way through the crowd... and when no one seemed to be
looking she reached out tentatively, fearfully, and touched the hem of His
robe... At once, the hemorrhaging stopped. For the first time in 12
years,
the flow of blood stopped. Jesus simultaneously felt or sensed that
something special had happened... it was a unique touch... and He felt
strength go out of Him. Immediately, Jesus stopped. He turned around
and
asked, “Who touched me?” The disciples were astonished by the
question in
the midst of all the pushing and shoving and jostling. “What do
you mean,
‘who touched you? Everybody’s touching you.’”
But you see, they couldn’t tell a push from a touch. Jesus could!
He knew
the difference... and He knew that it was a tender touch that had drawn
strength out of him. The woman had not expected to be detected, but
when
Jesus turned and asked that question, she knew that He knew... and she
came
forward trembling and she fell at his feet and confessed that she was the
one who had touched the hem of his garment. She explained in a rush
of
words why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly cured.
Graciously, Jesus lifted her up and said to her, “My daughter, your
faith
has made you well. Go now in peace.”
Notice how gentle and loving Jesus is with her. As He gives her a
new lease
on life...
He doesn’t chastise her for interrupting him.
He doesn’t critique her theology... or her superstitious expectations.
He doesn’t rebuke her for seeing Him as a “sort of last resort.”
Rather, He gives her act the most gracious possible reception.
And although we know the healing came from Him, He gives her the credit...
“Your faith has made you well,” He says to her.
Now, the rest of the story is even more remarkable. They tell Jesus
that
Jairus’ daughter is gone. It’s too late. She has already
died! I’m sure at
that moment Jairus (as any father would be) was devastated. His only
daughter snatched away. But again, Jesus is gracious and generous
and
loving. I can just imagine Him touching Jairus’ shoulder and
saying, “Don’t
be afraid now; only believe, and she will be made well.” They go
on to the
house. The people are weeping and mourning. They scoff at Him for
thinking
He can do anything about this. But Jesus goes in to that little
girl... and
He resurrects her. He loves her into life... and then (I love this)
He
tells them to give her something to eat.
Now, of course, there are many beautiful lessons here in Mark 5 in these
two
dramatic stories of healing... and we could go off now in any number of
directions. But for the moment, let’s look closely together at the
power of
love... and the amazing, incredible things love can accomplish when it is
given and when it is received.
I. FIRST OF ALL, LOVE HAS THE POWER TO HEAL.
Scientific research is now confirming what many of us have suspected all
along – that love plays a big part in the healing of a hurting body.
Love
has the power to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Have you heard the legend of the Fisher King? When the Fisher King
was a
boy, he was sent out to spend the night alone in the forest as a test of
his
courage to be king. During the night, he had a vision of the Holy
Grail
(the cup used by our Lord at the Last Supper). It was surrounded by
great
flames of fire. Immediately, he became excited by the prospect of
wealth
and glory that would be his by possessing such a great prize.
Greedily, he
reached into the flames to grab the Holy Grail, but the flames were too
much
and he was severely wounded.
As the years went by, the Fisher King became more despondent and alone...
and his wound grew deeper. One day the Fisher King, feeling sad and
depressed and in pain, went for a walk in the forest. He came upon a
court
jester. “Are you all right?” the jester asked. “Is there
anything I can do
for you? Anything at all?” “Well, I am very thirsty,”
the Fisher King
replied. The jester took an old dilapidated cup from his bag, filled
it
with water from a nearby stream, and gave it to the Fisher King. As
the
Fisher King drank, he suddenly felt his wound healing for the first time.
And incredibly the old cup he was drinking from had turned into the Holy
Grail. “What wonderful magic do you possess?” the Fisher King
asked the
jester. The jester just shrugged and said, “I know no magic.
All I did was
get a drink for a thirsty soul.”
This old legend underscores a great truth that is written large in the
scriptures, namely this... Greed and selfishness bring pain and suffering,
but love brings healing and life. We see it here in Mark 5 as Jesus
reaches
out to the hemorrhaging woman and the daughter of Jairus... love has the
power to heal.
II. SECOND, LOVE HAS THE POWER TO RECONCILE.
This is why Jesus insisted that the one who had touched the hem of His
garment come forward. This woman was considered ceremonially
unclean... she
was not permitted to set foot in the synagogue. She was a social
outcast.
Jesus wanted to make it clear to everyone that she was well. He not only
healed her, He restored her to an active place in normal society. He
reconciled her with the community.
In his book, The Preaching Event, John Claypool tells a poignant story
about
identical twin brothers who never married because they enjoyed each
other’s
company so much. When their father died, they took over his store
and ran
it together in a joyful collaboration. But one day a man came in to
make a
small purchase and paid for it with a dollar. The brother who made
the sale
placed the dollar on top of the cash register... and walked the customer
to
the door to say goodbye. When he returned, the dollar bill was gone.
He
said to his twin brother, “Did you take the dollar bill I left here?”
“No,
I didn’t,” answered the brother. “Surely, you took it,” he said,
“There was
nobody else in the store.” The brother became angry: “I’m telling
you, I did
not take the dollar bill.”
>From that point, mistrust and suspicion grew until finally the two
brothers
could not work together. They put a partition right down the middle
of the
building and made it into two stores. In anger, they refused to
speak for
the next 20 years. One day a stranger pulled up in a car and entered
one of
the two stores. “Have you been in business very long here?” the
stranger
asked. “Yes, 30 or 40 years,” was the answer. “Good,”
continued the
stranger, “I very much need to tell you something... Some 20 years ago,
I
passed through this town. I was out of work and homeless. I
jumped off a
boxcar. I had no money and I had not eaten for days. I came
down that
alley outside and when I looked into your store window, I saw a dollar
bill
on the cash register. I slipped in and took it. Recently I
became a
Christian. I was converted and accepted Christ as my personal
Savior. I
know now it was wrong of me to steal that dollar bill... and I have come
to
pay you back with interest and to beg your forgiveness.”
When the stranger finished his confession, the old storekeeper began to
weep
as he said, “Would you do me a favor? Would you please come next
door and
tell that story to my brother?” Of course, with the second
telling, the two
brothers were reconciled with many hugs and apologies and tears.
Twenty
years of hurt and broken relationship based not on fact, but on mistrust
and
misunderstanding. But then healing came; reconciliation came,
because of
that stranger’s love for Christ.
The point is clear: Christ is the reconciler, but as the Apostle Paul put
it, we can be “agents of reconciliation” when we live in the spirit of
love.
Love has the power to heal. Love has the power to reconcile.
III. THIRD AND FINALLY, LOVE HAS THE POWER TO REDEEM.
Let me ask you something. Be honest now. Do you know the
redeeming love of
Christ in your life? Has He turned your life around? Has He
loved you into
life?
There is a beautiful old story about Zacchaeus, the tax collector.
It tells
how in later years, he rose early every morning and left his house.
His
wife, curious, followed him one morning. At the town well he filled
a
bucket... and he walked until he came to a sycamore tree. There, setting
down the bucket, he began to clean away the stones, the branches, and the
rubbish from around the base of the tree. Having done that, he
poured water
on the roots and stood there in silence, gently caressing the trunk with
both of his hands. When his amazed wife came out of hiding and asked
what
he was doing, Zacchaeus replied simply, “This is where I found
Christ.”
I can just imagine that for the rest of their lives, that woman who
touched
the hem of Jesus’ robe that day on the street... and the daughter of
Jairus
who was raised up in that room in her home, continually brought people
back
to those sacred spots and said, “This is where I found Christ!
This is
where Christ loved me into life!”
Do you have a sacred spot like that? This is the Good News of our
Christian
faith, isn’t it? Love has the power to heal, to reconcile, and to
redeem.
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"but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15b,
NASB).