A Healing Within a Healing
Text: Mark 5:21-31
Thesis: Jesus’ power to heal is so great, to even touch the hem of his garment brought healing.
- As Jesus was on His way to the home of Jairus, to heal his daughter, a certain woman was healed. (21-29)
- This event reveals that God is never too busy for our personal needs.
- Jesus gives invitation, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
- Mark identifies the woman as someone who has reached the end of herself, physical resources and was without hope. “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.” (vs. 26)
- Dr. A.E. Sanner states, “the plight of the woman was pathetic-presumably a chronic hemorrhage, debilitating, embarrassing...impoverishing...discouraging.” (BBC, Mark, page 312)
- The Levitical law, due to her type of continuous bleeding, recognizes her as ceremonially unclean. (see Lev. 15:19-32)
- The woman was socially, physically, financially and religiously hopeless.
- The woman sees in Jesus real hope.
- The woman knowing of Jesus’ reputation to heal attempts to extract a healing from Jesus privately.
- The woman recognized in Jesus the power of God.
- Part of Jesus’ mission was to reveal to every sincere person that He is God.
- Jesus even questioned his disciple saying, “Who do the people say the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13-20)
- Jesus proclaims to His disciples also, “If you have seen me you have seen the father.” (John 14:9)
- Jesus still today wants the general public to know He is God.
- The woman not wanting to reveal her “uncleanness” devised a secret faith plan. (see verses 27-28)
- She was right about Jesus’ ability to heal her but wrong in that her actions would not be known.
III. Jesus immediately had knowledge of what took place by the woman’s actions. (vs. 30)
- The woman was immediately healed, and she was aware of the change in her body. “Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” (vs. 29)
- Jesus, however, was immediately aware that power had left him. “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (vs. 30)
- A relationship with Jesus must be personal but public, not private. “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
- “But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it?” (vs. 32)
“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
- The woman comes forward and confesses everything. (see verse 33)
- Jesus responded by blessing her. (vs. 34)