The Gospel
Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this,
The Sermon
This is one of my favorite passages
from the new testament. Jesus has reached the shore of the sea of
Galilee and immediately has been surrounded by a great crowd of
people. They have heard the stories that he is a miracle worker.
Then one of the leaders in the synagogue pleads with Jesus to save
his dying daughter. Jesus agrees and they proceed to his house, but
on the way a woman who has been suffering for 12 years with
hemorrhaging reaches out and touches the hem of his robe.
She had been to every doctor, every
healer. She had spent all of her money and she was desperate. She
had nowhere to go. The temple was off limits because her bleeding
made her unclean. She was not allowed to touch anyone because if she
did they also would become unclean.
She believed if she could just touch
Jesus robe she would be healed. Jesus sensed her touch and the power
that was drained from him by her act and immediately asked who had
touched him. She confesses and his response is, “Daughter, your
faith has made you well.” By calling her daughter he is affirming
to her that she is a child of God. She is truly his daughter.
Sure, miracles like this that have been
told for thousands of years have the ring of magic to them. Some may
discount them as just stories but not me. I am a believer. I
believe in God's power working through Jesus then and the power of
Jesus today. Jesus did a lot of healing when he walked the earth and
he is healing us today.
He made it very clear to the Pharisees
that physical healing was not as important as spiritual healing. In
an earlier story from Mark, a paralytic is lowered from a roof so
that he can ask for Jesus to heal him. Jesus first said, “your
sins are forgive". Then he healed the man of his physical ailment.
Bodies will pass away over time but the spirit is eternal.
In a few minutes we will confess our
sins and we will ask God's forgiveness. It will give us a chance for
our eternal souls to be healed. God will forgive us our sins and we
will be cleansed.
God Bless,
and told them to give her something to eat.
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