Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons,
a ministry of Second City Church in Midtown Harrisburg.
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Instagram and YouTube. We hope you enjoy this
sermon. God Bless. Lord God, thank you for this
beautiful passage that we have from the Gospel
of Mark of your tenderness and your compassion,
your kindness to us who are in need, doing what
you alone can do, saving, healing. God, we pray
that you would speak to us again today, that
you bless the reading and the preaching of your
word. The words of my mouth and the meditations
of all of our hearts would be pleasing in your
sight, Lord, that we would grow in faith and
belief and trust in you. Amen. All right. You
all remember that we left off the week before
last Palm Sunday in Mark, right? Mark chapter
five. Did you have that bookmark still? No, okay.
Well, that's where we left off. And so we're
jumping right back into the Gospel of Mark. A
lot of times, John mentioned earlier that we
are in the season called Epiphany, which really
began on Tuesday, which was Epiphany, which is
the 12 days of Christmas lead up to Epiphany,
where we remember the wise men coming and falling
at the feet of Jesus and offering their gifts.
But it's really the season where we think of
the revealing of God to the whole world. The
manifestation of God in the flesh for the life
of the whole world. And so what we have done,
what's been our practice at our church is that
we've spent this time specifically looking at
the gospel texts. The gospels are these accounts
of the life of Christ. If there are books within
the great book that Christians hold most dear,
they are these ones that tell us about Jesus,
what he said. and what he did, how he taught,
and how he engaged with others, of course, about
the cross and the resurrection and all of that.
But these books, the Gospels, Matthew, Mark,
and so we're in the second one, Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John, they begin the New Testament.
And they are, they're biographies, right, which
means life writings, biographies, they're life
writings, they're life accounts. But they're
certainly not biographies like we think of biographies.
We aren't told what school he attended, what
degree he got. We're told nothing of what Jesus
looked like really or what he sounded like. We
don't have sort of this account that we think
of as a biography. And in fact, it's kind of
interesting. We only have one account of the
life of Jesus from The birth narratives that
we look at in Luke and in Matthew, all the way
up until he begins his earthly ministry, which
is like 30 years. And the ancient world knew
just like we do that these are such formative
times. We get one story. And actually in Mark,
Mark just jumps right into Jesus' baptism in
John. We don't even have an account of all of
the Christmassy stuff that we've been talking
about for the last month. in the gospel of Mark.
Was such a formative thing something that you
would expect in any kind of biography, right?
If you want to learn about someone, where were
they born? What were their parents' names? Stuff
like Mark doesn't dive into any of that kind
of stuff. So, we have this revelation of God
for us in the gospels, but it's not the revelation
that we might expect to have. And yet it's a
true revealing of God, a true telling of the
life and ministry of this God -made flesh. And
one of the things that we see, particularly actually
in this little section that we're in, is how
wildly different it is. And in that wild difference,
it calls for amazement, to be overcome with amazement,
to be overcome with this real reality that God
is among us. God in the flesh. And ever since
this was first written, ever since the events
that were recorded in Mark took place, they continue
to have the same reaction. Not with everybody,
of course. What an amazement. God? For us? God
who transforms lives, transforming me? So we
have an amazing couple of stories before us this
morning. Beautiful, beautiful stories, hopefully
ones that you know. And they not only go together,
but they actually go with the two stories that
precede them. They are part of Jesus' Galilean
ministry. This began actually, you heard in verse
21, and when Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side. And so it's this little account
of these three stories that take place around
the Sea of Galilee. The first one is when they're
actually crossing the Sea of Galilee initially,
which you'll remember was when Jesus is in the
boat with the disciples and he is asleep in the
middle of a storm, a deathly storm, and he's
just asleep there. And in the midst of it, they
wake him up and they actually say this word,
these words, do you not care that we are perishing?
And of all things, Jesus wakes up and he rebukes
the wind and the waves and they obey him. He
just says, peace be still, and they are stilled.
And the account ends, that account ended, verse
41, they were filled with great fear and they
said to one another, who then is this, the end
of chapter four, that even the wind and the sea
obey him? Their reaction to Jesus having power
over the physical world is one of amazement,
awe, a proper fear. But it also may be a greater
faith. Oh my word. What do we have before us?
What can he do? Then you might remember that
the next little story in this trio of amazed
reactions to Jesus. So they cross over and they
go and they find this demoniac. He was living
among the tombs, right? He'd been bound by chains
and all this. And he was crying out and it says
he was cutting himself with stones. And Jesus
heals him and he goes to the towns and they come
back and they're amazed. Verse 20, when he went
away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis,
which means the 10 towns, Deca 10 polis, the
10 towns around, how much Jesus had done for
him. And everyone marveled. People saw the amazing
work of Jesus to just speak and the wind and
the waves obey him and how he can speak and the
spiritual world has to obey him and the reaction
is one of amazement, awe, holy fear. Who is this
that's before us? The revelation of God, God
in the flesh. So today we have these two stories
and You all have heard me teach the past, especially
when we were looking at Genesis a couple years
ago about how often the Bible uses this, a chiastic
structure, this inclusio. And that's not quite
exactly what's happening here. That's a very
common Hebrew sort of way of teaching, but it's
definitely a narrative sandwich, if you will.
There's bread on either side, right? And there's
some stuff in the middle and it's all working
together. You can't just kind of take off the
bread and you don't have a sandwich anymore.
And you can't just have bread or you just have
bread. It's not a sandwich, right? They work
together. It's sort of one account, but it's
two stories within this one account. He's relating
them to together in such a way that he's presenting
us with one big idea. And so I want us to look
at these two stories. And I want us to see some
of the similarities. I want to see some of the
differences. And then I want us to kind of sit
in the big idea, okay? So if you consider some
similarities, there's some really interesting
similarities that are at play here in these two
different stories. Immediately, if you think
of these two different stories of the young girl
and her father going to Jesus and then, you know,
Jesus eventually ending up at her house and healing
her and all. And you think of the woman who goes
to Jesus and she just touches elsewhere. And
Luke says, just the hem of his garment, just
a little bit of it. The immediate thing that
you think of as a similarity is a physical need.
There's just this theme that's similar in these
two stories that are at play. They're both sick.
No doubt these accounts that we have all together.
and the reaction of amazement have to do with
how Jesus showed his power, right? And we could
say, okay, well, just in the similarities of
these two stories, where Mark is putting Jesus
forth, he's revealing Jesus as the one who can
have power of the physical world and over the
spiritual world and actually over our illnesses.
Like there's a truth in that that's at play in
that similarity between these two stories. There's
also just some really interesting small details
that invite us to say there's something that
these are to be held together. So the first thing
that we read, verse 21, after he situates in
around the Sea of Galilee and they're coming
back across the other side, it says, a great
crowd gathered about him. And he was beside the
sea. So that's verse 21. And when you begin the
account of the woman with the bleeding, the second
part of verse 24, it says, and a great crowd
followed him. It's the same phrase that's being
used there, this great crowd about Jesus. And
so we're supposed to take them together again,
okay? Just a small detail. Another small detail
that you probably heard when Cynthia read this
to us is that verse 25 tells us this, and there
was a woman who had a discharge of blood for
12 years. And then if you jump down to verse
42, it says, immediately the girl got up and
began walking for she was 12 years of age. Just
a small little detail, but one that's interesting
that, again, Mark is saying, take these texts
together. He's tying them together for us. This
is an interesting thing. In both stories, the
Lord is met with some rebuke. It is funny. It's
kind of a silly thing. Verse 31. And his disciples
said to him, you see the crowd pressing around
you. And you can imagine sort of, you know, the
ancient Near East, like a lot of places today,
there's these crowds in these towns that are
just pressing up against you. Maybe you went
to the farm show, think of that. You see the
crowd pressing around you and yet you say who
touched me. It's as though they are saying, Jesus,
this is absurd. Sort of rebuking. Later on in
verse 39, it says, and when he entered, he said
to them, why are you making a commotion and weeping?
The child's not dead, but sleeping. And they
laughed at him. That laughter, that word laughter
could be translated scoff, laughed him off, rebuke,
because it's such an absurd thing. They know
what dead people are like. They know why they
are mourning. They're not being fooled. So there's
this connection here of these rebukes taking
place against Jesus, the absurdity of what he
is saying. Another really interesting similarity
in these two stories of the account of Jesus
healing has to do with Jesus getting into contact
with the unclean. Both are accounts in which
Jesus comes into physical contact with those
who are unclean. The woman with the discharge
of bleeding, she probably touched the hem of
Jesus because she actually was aware that if
she was to touch somebody, that other person
would be unclean and would have to go through
all the ceremonial cleansing process and all
of that. It was almost a way of her being kind
and attentive because she knew, because she had
been taught, it had been reinforced for her time
and time again over these 12 years. Don't touch
anyone. and Jesus comes into contact with this
unclean person. This would have happened just
by this interaction of touching him. But not
only that, the interesting parallel is that Jesus
touches the young girl who is dead, which again
would have made him unclean. But of course, this
is part of the great lesson of Christian faith.
Jesus does not become unclean because he associates
with sinners. Sinners become clean in our association
with him. Amen. Thanks be to God. He makes us
righteous. He can come among us in our uncleanness
and make us clean. But those are some of the
similarities. What I'm saying is it is unquestionable
that these texts are to be taken together. We
take them together. But there's some really,
really interesting differences too. There's some
sad differences. Think this young girl is deeply
loved. She's surrounded by a community that cares
for her. She has a loving father that goes, it
seems travels to some extent to find Jesus. He
doesn't mind humbling himself, he falls down
before Jesus. She has a loving father. I mentioned
that there's a whole commotion of people, right?
They get to the house, they come to the house
of the ruler of the synagogue, verse 38, and
Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing
loudly. There's a whole community that surrounds
this family and this young girl who loves her,
who mourns her passing, who desired her life.
Almost as if to sort of exaggerate this, What
we're also told is that he, this is verse 40,
and they laughed at him, but he put them all
outside and took the child's father and mother.
And this girl is surrounded by love, surrounded
by care, a couple parents that desire her presence,
who are mourning her passing. And yet, this is
a huge difference, right? This other woman seems
to be completely alone. utterly destitute, on
her own through her trial. No one comes to her
as we read actually in Mark chapter two on her
behalf, tearing apart the roof, lowering her
down, getting her before Jesus that he might
see her and heal her. No one is alongside of
her. There are no friends. They're present for
her. There's no family that is there desiring
her healing. No one speaks and pleads on her
behalf. We are just told that the woman came
in fear and trembling and fell down before him.
We're actually told that she had spent all that
she had. Which is to say there's nobody sort
of helping her out in her ailment as far as we
can tell. She was destitute alone. Another difference
is that the girl's illness seems to be very acute,
demanding immediate care. It's part of the strangeness
of this passage is that Jesus takes his time
with a woman who's had 12 years of bleeding.
It's a chronic illness. Why not rush Lord Jesus
to this girl who is dying? Don't you understand
the difference between acute and chronic illnesses?
It's a great difference here. A lesson for us,
of course, in that of Jesus' knowledge, his awareness,
his timing is perfect, though it's not what we
often desire. Maybe the greatest difference in
these two accounts and these two people is the
power differential that's at play. It's highlighted
for us actually very explicitly. We have Jairus'
name, and that's not necessarily part of what's
going on with the power differential. Likely,
most people think that Jairus is mentioned here
because he maybe really became part of the worshiping
community. It was like, I've told you this before,
when there's a specific name mentioned around
a healing, you should really be like, why would
they do that? Well, the thought is go and talk
to them about it. It's Jairus. He's known in
the Christian community in the early church.
Go and talk to them about it. And Mark rarely
gives names, and the gospel writer rarely give
names. And so when they do, you kind of got to
go, why would they have done that? But his name
is not really what's emphasized, it's his position
that's emphasized. It's kind of interesting.
His position is mentioned three times, as if
to say, do you understand this is a big deal,
okay? Verse 22, of course, then came one of the
rulers. of the synagogue, verse 36, while he
was still speaking there, came from the ruler's
house, right? It could have just been from Jairus's
house. Verse 38, they came to the house of the
ruler of the synagogue. And a ruler of the synagogue
would have actually, often it would have, come
to that place because his aptitude, because of
his know -how, because of his success within
the community, because of his respect in the
community, because of his devotion to God. He
would have been somebody who was devoted, desired
God, and it was known in the community and probably
somebody of great organizational ability. That
specific role within the synagogue would have
kind of been like our equivalent of an elder
in the church, okay? So they were to oversee
some of the building, but also the spiritual
formation, not the priestly role of the primary
role of teaching and sort of the sacrifices and
all that. That would have been different. This
would have been a lay leader, but it's sort of
like thinking about in the Presbyterian world,
the moderator of the session or the clerk of
the session. So it would have been somebody that
was like known in the community and loved in
the community and certainly respected in the
community. One of the things you note is that
he goes to Jesus and he speaks to Jesus. He's
used to other people engaging with him and listening.
Now he does this humbly. He falls down before
him, but he speaks. On the other hand, we have
this nameless woman, probably legitimately unknown
to the entire crowd. Like I said, nobody there
with her. Likely a single woman. because she
had spent all that she had on the physicians
seeking her healing. She'd been unclean for 12
years, which would have been long enough for
even the friendships that she did have to sort
of dissipate over time, not being able to engage
with her because of her uncleanness. She was
alone. She comes and she doesn't speak to Jesus.
Now she's invited to eventually and she shares
it. She doesn't have the same approach. There's
a massive dynamic of power at play here, massive
differential that we see here. And before we
get to the main, the big point of this text,
I sort of want you to sit in this because I was
thinking about this in some ways. I sort of wanted
this to be the main point of the passage, but
I don't think it is. So I want to just sit with
you for a moment. Think about how wonderful this
is. that Jesus is inviting all kinds of people
to him. I mean, it is a great temptation. I guarantee
you've had this thought where maybe Christianity
is for kind of people. I mean, part of the big
dynamic in the Bible, in the New Testament, is
Jew and Gentile. Maybe all the Gentiles have
to become like Jews, right? Maybe those Magi
just need to become Jewish in order to truly
worship him. Or maybe you think, Maybe think
that Christianity is only for a certain level
of education. Maybe a certain socioeconomic dynamic.
Christianity is for the poor or is for the married
with children. I think we're tempted to think
you have to have your life in this kind of way
to enter the doors of the church. What do I wear
when I come? Right? That kind of question. But
think of how destitute this woman is. Think of
how well -to -do this man is. And Jesus welcomes
them both. And he desires both of their healing.
And he acts for both of their healing. His compassion
and his love doesn't know the bounds that we
want to put on people. It's a wonderful thing.
One of the great differences in this text is
actually that this destitute woman, let me say
this, she is the only one in all of the gospels
who Jesus calls this, is called daughter. The
woman who's estranged, so she has nobody else.
I mean, Jairus says my daughter, right? But Jesus
calls this woman and he says, you are my daughter.
And actually, it's really kind of interesting.
You know, we have Jesus saying, little girl,
I say to you, rise. But actually, first, we have
it in Aramaic, verse 41. Taking her by the hand,
He said to her, Talatha kumi, which means, little
girl, I say to you, rise. And of course, there's
a question there. I mean, I don't know if you
have asked this question, but why would Mark
leave that in the Aramaic? And why would he need
to translate it? He's just spilling ink that
doesn't need to be spilled. Why not just say,
and he said something that meant, you know, little
girl, rise up. Little girl, I say to you, rise.
What's the deal? Well, I think the best explanation
that I read about was that these were the exact
words that Jesus spoke. And his words were cherished
so much by Jairus and others. And they said,
I know exactly what he said. Just like this woman
said, I know he called me daughter. I know when
he healed my daughter, he said, in Aramaic. Odd
detail. Talatha Akumi. Jesus is calling all sorts
to himself. He's doing so with kindness and gentleness
and tenderness and compassion Which is to say
there's no social standing that puts you outside
of the possibility of God's grace And his invitation
is for you wherever you are this morning The
offer of salvation is for you where you are right
now today alone, maybe filled with people around
you, feeling outcast, feeling a part of something,
God's invitation is for you. But there is something
needed. And I do think this is more the big point
of this text. Both the woman and the young girl
are healed because of faith in Jesus. They're
healed, they're saved because of faith in Jesus.
And it's a faith that is saying, you alone can
do what no one else can. I think both of these
scenarios are painted as bleak as possible. Of
course, you probably... notice, and I've mentioned,
but verse 25 and 26, it says in there, you know,
there's a woman with a discharge of blood for
12 years and who had suffered much under many
physicians and had spent all that she had and
was no better, but rather getting worse, growing
worse. It's just the direst of dire situations.
And what is more dire than death and the community
around you mourning? I mean, what is clear here
is that they are saying, nobody else can do this.
No one else. They're healed, they're saved because
faith in Christ that He alone can do what they
cannot do for themselves, what others cannot
do for them. They have faith in Christ Jesus,
but the help that they need, only God can supply.
And that is at the heart of Christianity. Coming
to a place where you say, I can't do it. The
world about me can't do it. You alone, faith,
trust. They're both in utterly dire situations.
I've mentioned a few times that the girl is dead.
And I wonder if you're thinking, well, Jesus
corrects them. He says, she's just sleeping.
Did any of you think that? No, no, none of you
did. Maybe you didn't because you know that sleeping
is often actually a euphemism in the New Testament
for death. That was actually mentioned in our
adult Sunday school class this morning that Jed
mentioned. And actually the word for arise in
verse 41, little girl, I say to you, rise, is
often used in the New Testament to refer to the
resurrection. What will happen for those in Christ
Jesus? Think of Actually, verse 42, we're also
told that she got up. This also is, again, a
word that's used for the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians
4, 16, which we also looked at this morning in
Sunday School. It said, the dead in Christ will
rise. It's the exact same word that is mentioned
to her, of her here. These are utter, dire situations,
which is to say they are situations that demand
God alone. God alone to act, to work, to save,
which is exactly what He does. Which is exactly
what He's about. You all probably don't remember,
and that's totally fine, that the beginning of
last February we looked at this beautiful passage
where these friends did lower their friend down
through the roof, right? They took off the roof
and lowered him down. And in that passage with
the paralytic, Jesus says, which is easier, your
sins are forgiven or rise, which by the way is
the exact same word here in verse 42. Jesus is
doing what he alone can do, bringing healing,
bringing salvation into a situation that is completely
dire that where they have to say, God, our faith,
our trust, our belief is in you alone. Of course,
at the end of chapter two, when he does this,
he says this, those who are well have no need
of a physician, but those who are sick, I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners, the needy.
Yes, Jesus is the great physician. but He is
so because He alone can do this work. He alone
can heal us of our greatest need, our sins. What
this woman and this girl were in desperate need
of first and foremost, okay, first and foremost
was not the healing of their bodies, but peace
with God and eternal salvation, the forgiveness
of their sins. And how did they receive this?
How did they receive this saving relationship
with Jesus? They received it the same way that
anyone only ever does, which is by faith and
by faith in the work of God for their salvation.
Think about this, verse 34 says something wild,
right? He says, daughter, which I said was just
so beautiful and it's unique in the gospels.
He says, daughter, your faith has made you well.
your faith has made you well. Verse 36, if you
go down, but overhearing what they said, Jesus
said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear,
only believe. That word faith has made you well
and belief, by the way, in the Greek is the same
word. For some reason in English, we often change
it. But have faith. Faith is what saves. We receive
salvation by faith and by faith alone, which
is to say it is never what you do. It is simply
trusting the reality of what Christ can do and
has done on your behalf. Which is why it's not
based on your social standing. It's not based
on your community that you have. Your salvation
is not based on what books you have read. or
what ailments you have, your salvation is only
ever on the work of Christ and grabbing onto
Him, trusting, having faith that He will do what
He has said He will do, that He has done what
we are told He has done. One of the things that's
great about this passage is that it sort of highlights
for us how much it has nothing to do with us.
And I think it kind of does this in some, I think
kind of funny ways. Because both of the faith
of Jairus and the faith of this woman, they're
not the faith that we would think like, oh man,
they have strong faith. We need strong faith
because then it makes it sound like it's up to
us. If we put that category on it where you're
like, oh, then it maybe it has to do with us.
This has nothing to do with them. They have actually
kind of superstitious faith. If I just touch
the hem of his garment, maybe that's a magical
hem, right? It's almost like a superstitious
faith. Ah, it's like a talisman, something special
that can heal. As if Jesus couldn't just heal
her by the word of his power, as he does so often.
He just spoke and the wind and the waves obey
him. Don't need to touch his hem. Or think of
Jairus and all. We know from other accounts,
that Jesus didn't have to be present for a healing
to happen. And yet Jairus is like, come on, come
on. And the people go to him, you know, saying,
you know, your daughter's dead, but it's almost
like saying, why didn't you come? You have to
be here in order for it to happen. Which we know
that's not true. It's sort of this, I want to
say it's a small faith, but it's a real faith.
And what an encouragement. The extent of your
faith, right? Your ability in it is nothing.
It is simply grabbing on, trusting, believing
that God can act, that He can work, that He can
save, that He can do it. And interestingly, isn't
it? I mean, almost as if to drill this in, it
leaves us with a real interesting theological
question. The girl is saved. by the faith of
her dad. I don't really want to, nor do I have
time to get into that right now. But let me try
to draw this near to an end, it's that time,
with a thought for you. You likely think that
it would have been better for God for him not
to allow this woman to have 12 years of social
estrangement. No doubt. nights, weeks, months
of tears over her situation. A hemorrhage that
lasts for 12 years, why would God allow that?
No question you think, why allow a 12 -year -old
little girl to go through this? Why allow her
parents and her community to suffer so? My guess
is that you have those... thoughts. And that's
the main thing you think. If God would just allow
the physical ailments to not be there, this would
have been so much better. And yet I guarantee
you that that is not the case for this woman.
It's not the case for Jairus and his family.
because it was actually in their most dire need.
It was when they came to the end of themselves
and the end of the ability of all the other things
in the world that they've been grabbing onto,
like the physicians and all this kind of stuff
to get to, that they finally go, I need to go
to Jesus. And it was there that they actually
found real lasting, everlasting life. that it's
actually sometimes the very ailments and the
trials that we go through that finally get us
to the point where we say, I'm going to stop
trying to control it all and actually trust in
the reality that God can do what He alone can
do, that God is able. They found their eternal
salvation and they were amazed at God. I mean,
why were the disciples in the boat amazed? They
were full of fear and awe because they knew that
God alone can do that. Why were the people in
the Decapolis in such awe when this demoniac
comes and tells them what had happened? Because
they knew God was among them. Why at the end
of our passage does it say, and they were immediately
overcome with amazement? Because God alone did
what God alone can do. All these stories are
showing us that Jesus can do what God alone can
do, and I want to tell you, go to Him. Go to
Him. Go to Him in your feeling of loneliness
and estrangement. Go to Him in your physical
weakness and ailments. Go to Him when you've
come to the end, not knowing what to do. What
we see in The New Testament and the text of these
gospels is that when God is revealed, when anybody
comes to Lord Jesus and says, save me, heal me,
He responds with compassion and with kindness,
with gentleness. And again and again and again,
He's saying, you can trust me. You can have faith
in me. That's the invitation of Christianity.
That's the revelation of God. for us this morning.
Let me pray for us. Lord God, thank you for the
gospel text from Mark this morning. Lord, thank
you, Lord Jesus, that you alone are our salvation,
that we can have faith in you, weak and frail
and sometimes even superstitious kind of faith
in you. And your compassion is for us and your
grace is for us. God, increase in us our dependence,
our trust, our belief, our faith in you, we pray.
Amen. Thank you for listening to Second City
Sermon's podcast. We hope this sermon has encouraged
you to worship God and to celebrate the gospel
of Jesus. Please consider subscribing to this
podcast and joining us in person each Sunday
at 10 a .m. You can find us online at secondcitychurch
.org and on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Thanks again for listening. God bless.