Jesus Shows the Way

Zephyr United Methodist Church

Early First United Methodist Church

July 9, 2006

Rev. Eddie Smart

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. ²²Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet ²³and 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." ²⁴So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. ²⁵Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." ²⁹Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" ³¹And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?' " ³²He looked all around to see who had done it. ³³But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

³⁵While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" ³⁶But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." ³⁷He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." ⁴⁰And 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. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" ⁴²And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ⁴³He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

    Click below to read the words of the Kenny Rogers song “The Greatest.”

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_sk-rogers.shtml

This young man had a different point of view. He had a different way of looking at things. Dick Murray had a different way of looking at this passage.

      This passage I just read has been called the miracle on the way to a miracle. Notice how one story interrupts the other. Why would Mark insert one story right into the middle of another? Is it just a good storytelling style? Did he want to dramatize getting to the girl too late?

      This isn’t the first time that Mark inserts one story in another. He did it a couple of times previous to this story. And will do it again later in his gospel. Elsewhere he allowed one story to help interpret the other. We can assume that is what he is doing here.

      The stories are alike in their telling. Both involve extreme need: The woman has exhausted all options – is now desperate. The girl is gravely ill. As a matter of fact she dies before Jesus arrives.

      Take the disciples. They are blind to what is going on with the woman. Jesus invites only 3 disciples to the home of the girl who is healed.

      Then there is the crowd. In both stories we find a large crowd. In both cases the crowd is not aware of the healing that takes place.

      It is not surprising that the responses to the healings are the same. The scripture says the woman who is healed of her issue of blood is filled with fear & trembling. Peter, James and John are in the room with Jairus, his wife and his daughter when Jesus restores her life. They are each overcome with amazement.

      These two stories are also joined at a deeper level. Mark is concerned with showing the power of the “stronger one” He does this throughout the first 8 chapters of his gospel. Mark shows Jesus overcoming illness and even death. Jesus brings the life giving presence of God into the human scene of disease, fear, alienation, and death.

      BUT there is more than that going on. Jesus has been to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – ministering to Gentiles. He has returned to minister to the Jewish people, BUT in unusual ways – tearing down the religious barriers that would prevent him from making a difference in the lives of hurting people.

      The woman had been bleeding. According to Hebrew scripture she was considered unclean, and touching her or being touched by her would defile a person. She touches Jesus, but Jesus is there to offer grace, not to follow the Law. Jesus brings a different point of view. Jesus offers a different way of looking at things.

      The girl was dead when Jesus arrived. Again the Hebrew scripture makes it clear that touching the dead body would also defile a person. Jesus touched the untouchable. Jesus brings grace. The law is no obstacle to new life for a young girl.

      Both stories are stories of Jesus bringing the restoring grace of God to those who had been off limits. Jesus shed the love of God on all who came his way. Jesus wanted everyone to experience God’s amazing grace.

      Philip Yancy is the editor at large of Christianity Today magazine and the author of several books on the Christian faith. A few years ago, I lead a Bible study based on Yancey’s book, What’s So Amazing about Grace. The expectations of those in the study were the same as mine when I first read the title of the book. I was prepared to spend weeks talking about God’s amazing grace that comes to us. We were surprised to learn that most of this book was about each of us offering grace to one another. It was not so much about our receiving grace as it was about our giving grace – giving love even to those we think do not deserve it..

      Mark is telling us that Jesus is looking at things from a new point of view. Jesus is the one who brought us a richer understanding of that undeserved love we call grace.

      Dick Murray in his book, Teaching the Bible to Youth and Adults, tells us that Mark is not simply sharing the church’s belief about Jesus– he is using these stories of Jesus as an example of how the church is to behave toward all people.

      Dick has a different way of looking at this passage. Jesus shows us the way–the way to offer grace to one another and offer grace to the unclean, the untouchable, the unwanted, the undeserving.