Bible Materials

Mark 5:21-43 (2008)

by Paul Choi   09/13/2008   Mark 5:21~43

Message


JUST BELIEVE

Mark 5:21-43

Key Verse: 5:36 “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

  What does living by faith mean? Living by faith means to simply believe what God said and trust in him who will lead us to his best way, even seemingly impossible situation. Hebrews 11:1 defines the word of faith in this, “”Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  For example, God called Abraham and promised him that he would make him a great nation and a source of blessing. God’s calling and promise was beyond Abraham’s expectation, imagination and ability.  But, Abraham simply trusted in God and obeyed him and lived with God’s promise. When Abraham simply trusted in God and lived by faith in him, God kept his promise and made Abraham great and become a source of blessing.

  In today’s passage Jesus blesses those who have such simple faith. Through their faith, Jesus heals two women; one is young and the other is old. Through these two events Jesus also teaches his disciples how to live by faith as disciples of Jesus and how to experience the power of God as the servants of God. Let us learn how to live by faith and who Jesus really is through today’s passage. Amen.

  1. Jairus’ faith (21-24a)

When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. (21)  That is to say, Jesus came back to the place where he had started from for a retreat with his disciples. Already, many who were needy and helpless were waiting for Jesus. The crowd of people did not give Jesus and his disciples even a few hours of sleep. Among the crowd, there was a synagogue ruler, Jairus.(22a) 

  Who was Jairus and why did he come to Jesus? Look at verses 22,23. “Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” We don’t know exactly how his little daughter became sick and what her real problem was. She was an adorable 12 years old girl. She also might be the ruler’s one and only child. She was so dear to her father that she was a joy and the meaning of the ruler’s life.  The ruler loved her very much and did everything for her. Every morning he taught her the law of God and prayed for her before she went to school. Frequently he took her outside to the park, to gorgeous restaurants, Borders, and even to the ballpark to spend more time with her.  Before going to bed, the father put his hand on her head and prayed for her and blessed her. His daughter made his life happy, abundant and meaningful. But one day, this little girl lost her appetite and began to cough, and then lie down with high fever. At first, he thought she had the flu and gave her Children’s Tylenol and Motrin. But, her condition grew worse until her condition became very critical. He took her to the emergency room, and many doctors tried to heal her. But there was no sign of her recovery. She was dying.  Her father, who was watching his daughter having breathing difficulties with unconsciousness, felt the heaven fall and the earth split. He felt like dying. He was desperate but he was helpless. He did not know what to do. He cried and prayed with many tears. While he was praying in desperate spirit, God helped him remember the name of Jesus. “Jesus, Jesus!” He remembered the name of Jesus. ‘Jesus’ He is the one who healed the sick and preached the kingdom of God. Jesus of Nazareth, who healed the leprosy, opened the eyes of those born blind, and raised the lame. Jairus also remembered Jesus who welcomed anybody and everybody and served them all until no was left behind. When the ruler remembered the name of Jesus, he had a beam of hope and life in such a darkest moment of his life.  Suddenly he got strengthened by this hope and went to Jesus.

  But, before he made a decision to go to Jesus, suddenly he thought of himself, a synagogue ruler. At that time, a synagogue ruler was in a high position. The synagogue was the center of Jewish community life. Even these days, the Jews live around the synagogue. The synagogue ruler thought about his tradition and pride as a synagogue ruler. Jesus was good, but was regarded as a country evangelist and was known as a junior carpenter originally. His prejudice and pride would not let him go to Jesus for help. If he thought about his human pride , prejudice, and tradition, he might not come to Jesus.  But, what did he do? What was his attitude toward Jesus?

  Look at verse 22b. “…he fell at his feet.” The ruler knelt down before Jesus as a man worshiped God.  He humbled himself before Jesus for help. He curbed his pride and tradition and made himself nothing for the sake of his sick daughter. How do many people in this world curb their pride for the sake of others? Many people, even many parents close their heart for their children to save their own skins and keep their pride. I respect Ronald Reagan, the President of United State of America. He is one of the greatest president of America. But he might not be a good father to his children. Once I had a chance to listen to his oldest son Michael Reagan, who shared his life testimony in public. The president was strict to his eldest son Michael, somewhat mean to him. The son was thirst for his father’s love. He was eager to hear from his father, “Son, I love you.” But, the son had never heard from his father, “I love you, son” until he was too old to move. Michael confessed, “My dad loved America. He loved the world. But he did not love me, the one who was closest to his life.” We don’t know why the president treated his son like this. Probably because of his pride or probably because of discipline. Anyway the son was so hurt until he heard finally from his father, “Son, I love you.” But in today’s passage, the synagogue ruler was different.  He humbled himself and fell at Jesus’ feet and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” We must curb our pride and tradition and any human barrier to help others. We must put aside our human pride and prejudice in order to talk with our children and our students. Above all, we must come to Jesus with a humble cry. God never ignores our humble cry. Jesus did not ignore the ruler’s humble cry. Let us read verse 24. “So Jesus went with him.”  Jesus was moved by Jairus’ humble cry. Jesus was willing to heal his daughter.

 

  1. On the way Jesus healed a helpless woman (24b-34)

What happened on the way Jesus was heading to Jairus’ house? Look at verses 24b-29 “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” We don’t know what disease the woman had. Definitely, she had a women’s disease. But she was not allowed to appear in public according to Moses’ law. Leviticus 15:19 says, “When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.” She was an unclean woman according to Moses’ law. We know that the symbol of woman is beauty and purity. So we call women’s hair center ‘beauty salon’ whereas we call men’s ‘barbershop.” But this woman lost her beauty and purity since she had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She was a shameful woman and a smelly woman. We imagine how much money she spent to buy perfumes to cover up her smell. Worse than this, the Bible says that she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. (26) 

  One day she heard that Jesus was passing by. She decided to come to Jesus for healing. But, she knew well that she could not appear in public. She also knew that she did not deserve to ask Jesus’ help in public. So she put herself among the crowd and finally she came up behind Jesus. With trembling heart, she secretly reached out her shaking hand and touched the clothes of Jesus. What happened when she just touched the cloth of Jesus by faith? Look at verse 29. “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” No body knew what happened to her body but her alone. Immediately she sensed that her bleeding stopped and she was freed from suffering. At once, she experienced the power of God, which was circulating her whole body and soul.

 Here we learn ‘just touching faith’ from this woman. She knew very well that she could not appear in public. She knew well that she did not deserve to request of Jesus for healing. But, she had faith in Jesus. She had ‘just touching faith’. Just touching faith is requesting the Messiah’s mercy. Just touching faith is the woman’s humble cry for the Messiah’s mercy. Her request for the Messiah’s mercy seemed to be small, but indeed it was a great faith. She had a great faith in Jesus’ healing power. She believed that Jesus could heal her bleeding with his minimum amount of power.

We need just touching faith in doing the work of God. These days some missionaries visit campus and pray for God’s mercy. They just beat their chest with broken hearts and pray and come back home. But they believe that God will answer their prayer for new Bible students when they just ask Jesus’ mercy. They are like Ruth in the Old Testament, who went outside to pick up the leftover grain to feed her poor mother-in-law Naomi.(Ru 2:2). They are like the Syrophoenician woman who humbled herself like a dog before Jesus for his mercy on her sick daughter. (Mk 7:24-30) Just touching faith moved the heart of Jesus. Just touching faith brought the Messiah’s mercy to her life.

Look at verse 30. “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”  The woman thought that noone knew her secret touching, even Jesus because there were many people crowding against Jesus. She was not the only one who touched Jesus, but many. However, Jesus raised a question about who touched his clothes. His disciples answered, “You see the people crowding against you, and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?” (31) Look at verse 32. “But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.” Jesus clearly felt that his power had gone out to someone who touched him in secret. When Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it, the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet, and trembling with fear; told him the whole truth. (32) She could not hide herself anymore because she believed that Jesus already knew that she was the one who touched him. Before Jesus and the crowd, the woman told the whole truth about who she was, why she came to Jesus, what her problem was, what she believed about Jesus, and what happened to her when she touched Jesus, and so on

What was Jesus’ response to her truthful testimony? Look at verse 34. “He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Jesus called her ‘daughter’ as a father calls his lovely daughter. Jesus was moved by her faith and blessed her faith. Jesus said that her faith had healed her. Jesus did not rebuke her for her secret behavior. Rather, Jesus praised her faith. Here we learn that it is by faith which can heal all kinds of sickness and diseases physically and spiritually. Jesus also blessed her saying, “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Jesus gave her true peace from fear, shame, guilty feeling and self-consciousness. Jesus healed not only her physical sickness, but also her spiritual one. Indeed, Jesus is the true Messiah and Savior of the world.

  1. Jairus’ just believing faith (35-43)

Look at verse 35. “While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said, “Why bother the teacher anymore?”  The woman’s testimony was so heart-moving and thorough that nobody sensed that the time passed considerably. While Jesus was still speaking, the messenger from Jairus’ house interrupted him saying that Jairus’ daughter was dead. They meant that Jairus did not need Jesus anymore since his daughter was already dead. What thunderous and heartbreaking news for Jairus! Jairus overcame his pride and came to Jesus and humbled himself for Jesus’ mercy. He also bore the woman’s interruption patiently until she finished her long life-testimony. He patiently waited until Jesus finished speaking to her. But, what did he get out of his faith and patience? It was his daughter’s death. Jairus must have felt that the heaven fall and the earth split. Sorrow and grief began to overflow his heart like Hurricane Ike. But, what did Jesus say to Jairus?

  Let us read verse 36. “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Jesus ignored what the messengers had said about her. Jesus did not pay attention to the report about her death. Jesus ignored because he believed that he would raise her up from the dead. Jesus ignored because he has power to give her life even though she was dead. Sometimes, we also need to ignore the unbeliever’s discouraging advice or remarks. We must ignore all unbelieving, negative, pessimistic, and humanistic words which discourage our faith.  Jesus encouraged Jairus saying, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  What Jesus meant was, ‘Do not listen to the unbelievers. Listen to me and trust in me to the end.” He also meant, “Stop calculating and have faith in God!”( Mk 11:22) He also meant , “ I am the resurrection and the life….” (Jn 11:24,25)

  Jesus wants us to have ‘just believing faith’ in the seemingly impossible situation. The fact is fact. I mean that she was already dead. She stopped breathing, and her heart-beating ceased, and her body became cold and rigid. There was no more life in her when the messengers left for her father. Nevertheless, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, Jairus.  Just believe!” When missionary Grace Park failed the English test for nurses a second time, the situation seemed impossible. But, God encouraged her and us with these words “Don’t be afraid; just believe” Our students may be afraid of uncertain future security. They may think they will not pass the exam and finish school properly if they give their lives to Christ as disciples of Jesus. But, Jesus encourages us saying, “Don’t be afraid, my children. Just believe.”

  What happened when Jairus just believed Jesus and followed him? Verses 37-43 explains how Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter and raised her from death. Jesus took only three top disciples Peter, James, and John to Jairus’ house. When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. (38) Jesus went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”(39) What Jesus meant was that they must not disturb her sweet sleeping. But they laughed at Jesus. (40) After Jesus put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples and went in where the child was. Jesus took her by the hand and said to her, ”Talitha Koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”) Look at verse 42. “Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (She was twelve years old). At this they were completely amazed.”  Then Jesus gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. (43)

In this way Jesus blessed Jairus’ faith and raised his daughter from death.

  Through these two events Jesus helped his disciples to have faith in him. Jesus showed his disciples how to live by faith and how to experience the power of God. The disciples learned just touching faith from the woman and just believing faith from Jairus. Above all, they learned that Jesus was pleased with faith and blessed those who come to him by faith. May God give us just touching faith and just believing faith so that we may please Jesus and experience the power of God in studying, working, parenting, preaching and teaching.  Amen.



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