Series: Mark, #13
August 26, 2007
HEALING FAITH
Mark 5:21 – 6:6
How many of you believe that God heals people today? Not just through medicine, but sometimes miraculously, where there is no physical explanation for it, and it seems to fly in the face of all that we would expect? We firmly believe God is still in the business of healing. He has not changed; His power has not changed; His love for us has not changed. God still heals.
This morning, we are going to look at two instances when Jesus healed people, and then tonight, we are going to come together in our prayer meeting and ask Him to continue to do that for us.
Because the Scripture passage this morning is so long, I’m going to summarize it as I go, but I invite you to open your Bibles to Mark 5:21ff, and follow along as I recount the stories.
After healing the man named Legion, Jesus went back across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, where he was accosted by a man named Jairus who wanted him to come heal his twelve-year old daughter. Jairus was the president of the synagogue, and therefore a leader in the community. Jesus had created quite a stir in his synagogue earlier, when He healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, but we really don’t know what Jairus’ opinion of Jesus was. At this point, all we know is that his daughter was desperately sick, and he was therefore desperate enough to come and humble himself before Jesus and beg for His help. He obviously believed at some level that Jesus could heal his daughter, but whether that was a strong, confident faith because he had seen a healing in his synagogue, or more of a “it can’t hurt to ask” type of faith, we don’t know. But whichever it was, Jesus responded immediately and headed off with him to go see the little girl.
He was surrounded now by Jairus, the twelve disciples, and a large crowd of curiosity seekers who had heard the leader’s request and wanted to see what Jesus would do. But before they got to Jairus’ house, a woman secretly intercepted Jesus. She had had a bleeding problem for twelve years. Given the extremely rudimentary state of medicine at that time, you can understand why Mark says she had suffered a lot at the hands of the doctors, and still wasn’t any better.
She was also broke! We know people today who wind up homeless because some medical condition drained all their funds and put them in debt. This woman had spent everything she had on doctors over the past twelve years.
Moreover, the Law (Lev 15:25-27) said that because of her medical condition, she was ceremonially unclean. This meant that she couldn’t be around other people, because if she touched them, they would become unclean, too. If she had been married, this almost certainly meant that her husband had long since divorced her. She couldn’t go to the synagogue to worship, either. This physical illness had all sorts of social and spiritual and financial implications for her.
What was her faith like? She thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” People of that day commonly thought that the touch, or the clothes, or sometimes just the shadow of holy men could heal. It is likely that her faith was something on that order, something very close to superstition.
This lady was desperate, so she sneaked through the crowd, even being willing to touch some of them inadvertently I’m sure, and surreptitiously grabbed Jesus’ robe for just a second. Immediately her bleeding stopped! She could tell that she was healed. You know, when you are sick, even with just a cold, you feel sick. You can tell that something is wrong in your body. But when the fever breaks, or the cold starts to go away, you just know that you are on the mend. You start to feel better. This lady knew instantly that she had been healed. What a feeling that must have been! She had been dealing with this ailment for twelve years, and now, suddenly, she is well!
But Jesus stopped, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" The disciples thought this was a stupid question. He’s in a crowd, lots of people are jostling around together. Obviously, lots of people were touching Him! But only one touched Him in faith.
Jesus kept looking around and asking, until the woman came and fell at His feet, trembling with fear, and told Him the whole story. Jesus said to her, Mark 5:34, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Jesus was so tender with her. He sees Himself as her father, and of course He would want to help His daughter. That’s how He sees you and me, too. He’s our heavenly Father, and He loves us like His own children.
Strictly speaking, it was not her faith that healed her. We would not say, for example, that if you believe a witch doctor’s incantations and sacrifice will heal that you will be healed, just because you have faith. It isn’t faith that heals, it is God; but in this case, it was the woman’s faith in Jesus that released the power of God for her.
So this woman who had suffered so much for twelve years was healed from a disease that had ruined her life!
BLANK SLIDE
Just then, some men came from Jairus’ house and said, "It’s too late! Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher any more?" What a blow! Jairus had had faith that Jesus could heal his daughter; believing Jesus could raise her from the dead was another story. At that point, I think most of us would just give up, like the messengers had. We’re like Martha and Mary when Lazarus died. They said to Jesus when He finally arrived, “If you had been here, our brother would not have died.” Implication: but now that he’s dead, there’s nothing you can do. Now that this little girl is dead, there is no reason to bother the teacher any more. Nobody can do anything about death.
Mark 5:36, Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
The New Living Translation says, “trust me” and I think that’s better here. In our culture today, “believe” can often mean no more than hoping that something good might happen. But Jesus really means for this father to keep trusting Him. OK, you trusted that I could help your daughter when she was sick; now keep on trusting me even though she is dead.
Taking just the three disciples who were the closest to Him, Peter, James and John, Jesus went on to Jairus’ house. There He was met by a group of professional mourners. These were people who went to homes where someone had just died, where they cried and wailed to sort of express the grief of the family and friends in a public way. But Jesus said, What’s all this commotion? The girl isn’t dead; she’s just asleep.
The Scripture regularly uses the word “sleep” to refer to death. For example, 1 Thes. 4:14, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus [when He returns to earth] those who have fallen asleep in him.” Why does the Bible use that word for death? I think it’s because for God, to raise someone from the dead is no harder than to wake someone from sleep. Jesus said that He was the resurrection and the life. He has life in Himself, and He can give it to whomever He wants.
The people there laughed at him; they knew death when they saw it. But they did not know the power of God. So Jesus put everybody out of the house except the girl’s parents and the three close disciples. He took her by the hand, said, Little girl, get up, and immediately she stood up and walked around! Can you imagine what that did for her parents? Mark tells us they were completely astonished! I’ll bet that’s putting it mildly.
Here is something else in the ministry of Jesus that doesn’t compute. No one in that room—neither the parents, or the three disciples—expected Jesus to do that. Death is final—they thought. Earlier, during the storm, the disciples woke Jesus, but they certainly didn’t expect Him to calm the storm. Here, the disciples were curious as to what He would do with a dead girl, but they certainly didn’t expect Him to raise her from the dead. It’s almost as though Jesus is trying to teach them—and us—to expect the supernatural. If Jesus is around, you can never tell what might happen.
BLANK SLIDE
Then I want to look at the next section in Mark, where we have a contrast to these two stories where people had some measure of faith in Jesus. Mark 6:1, Jesus left Capernaum and went to His home town of Nazareth, about 25 miles to the west. On the next Sabbath, He taught in the synagogue there, and the people were amazed at Him, but not in a good way. They were skeptical of his miracles, because, they said, we know his mother, and his brothers and sisters. He’s just one of us. Where does he get off being so famous and acting like he’s so great?
In response, Jesus said, Mark 6:4 (God’s Word), "The only place a prophet isn't honored is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house." He could only do a few miracles there—just healed a few people. Mark 6:6, And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
This raises the painful question, what amazes Jesus about you? Is it your faith, or your lack of faith? Jairus and the woman may not have had perfect faith; we don’t think they did. But they had enough faith that Jesus rewarded them by performing miracles on their behalf. But the people in Nazareth were so sure they knew who Jesus was, and that He was just a man, that their lack of faith stifled His power. I don’t think my faith amazes Jesus, but I sure don’t want my lack of faith to amaze Him. I want to stretch myself—and us—to trust Him more, and this evening in our prayer meeting we’ll have an opportunity to do that.
I want to use these two stories as the basis for talking more broadly this morning about the role of faith in healing. In many of the accounts of Jesus healing someone, faith is mentioned in some way.
I. The Role of Faith in Healing
It seems to me that there are different standards mentioned in different places in the Scripture, as to just how much faith we have to have.
A. High bar Mark 11:24
For example, in Mark 11:24, Jesus sets the bar very high: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” This sounds like we have to have absolute confidence that God is going to give us what we ask for. Believe that you have already received it. I seldom get over that bar. I know people who try to talk themselves into believing this, but it always sounds kind of forced and phony to me. But fortunately, there are other, more encouraging passages where the bar is not so high.
B. Medium bar Mark 1:40 Matthew 9:27-30
Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Matthew 9:27-30 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!” [28] When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. [29] Then he touched their eyes…[30] and their sight was restored.
So in these two instances, all the person had to do was to believe that Jesus could heal them and He did. They didn’t have to believe that He was going to; in fact, the leper is not sure at all. He just knows that if Jesus wants to, He can.
That’s better for me. I can do that. I have no doubts at all that Jesus is able to do absolutely anything. So it’s encouraging to know that even this lower measure of faith can be enough.
But we have reason to believe that not even that is required in all cases.
C. Low bar Mark 9:22-24
In Mark 9, Jesus encounters a man whose son is tormented by a demon, and the disciples could not cast it out. The father explains to Jesus, Mark 9:22-24, “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." [23] " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." [24] Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Boy, do I like that! Because this father is not even sure if Jesus can do anything for his son. Jesus picks up on that, and insists that everything is possible for the one who believes, because God’s power is not limited in any way. There is nothing that God cannot do. The poor man immediately exclaims, I do believe—something (he doesn’t say what he believes); help my unbelief. And Jesus does! That’s the great part. Jesus does not lecture him on why he should have more faith, or how much faith he needs to have; He just heals the boy. I bet that helped the father’s faith!
So it doesn’t take a lot of faith for Jesus to respond with a miracle. He said all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed.
Throughout the Scripture, God invites us and commands us to pray for specific things.
II. Invitations to Pray James 4:2; Matt 21:22; Luke 11:9-10; John 16:24
James 4:2 , “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” This says very plainly that there are some things God is willing to give us but does not, simply because we have not asked Him for them. [PHOTO]
I was thinking about this the other week when our youth intern Candace asked me if Barbie and I would participate in a game with the Disciple Now kids, which involved getting my face and hair thoroughly covered in peanut butter. I thought to myself, why am I doing this? Just because she asked. I would never have volunteered for that, but because she asked, I was willing to do it. Do you think God is any less gracious than that? Ask!
Here are just a few more invitations to pray with God’s promises to answer.
§ Matthew 21:22, If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
§ Luke 11:9-10 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
§ John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
We also have
III. Specific Instructions to Pray for the Sick James 5:14-18
“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith [we’ve just seen that this doesn’t have to be great faith. Just faith that Jesus can heal is often enough.] will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [OK, so now we think there’s a catch—we have to be “righteous”, and who can be that? But we are righteous in God’s sight because we have been forgiven and justified by our trust in the cross of Christ. To reinforce his point, James goes on to say that [17] Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. [18] Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” There’s no indication that Elijah was any more “righteous” in his life than we are; he was a man just like us. But God honored his prayers to turn the rain off for a whole region of the world for three and a half years. That should encourage us as we pray specifically for sick people.
IV. “If it is your will” Matt 7:11
Many times you will hear people pray, “Do such-and-so if it be your will, Lord.” I don’t think we should do that. That’s sort of a cop-out to protect God and us. We feel like if we just lay the request on the table, and God doesn’t grant it, then we have to assign blame somewhere, either to God, or to ourselves, and we don’t want to do either. That’s not the case. We start from the clear teaching of Scripture that God is a loving heavenly Father who loves to give good gifts to His children (Matt 7:11). Even we know how to give good gifts to our children; how much more does God! We know that He has told us to ask, and we know He can heal, and that He is a loving and good Father—so we ask boldly, not timidly. Father, this is what we want you to do. Period.
It’s true, of course, that some are not healed. Honestly, up to this point in my experience, most have not been healed supernaturally. God used the Apostle Paul to heal many people, but He let him suffer with a “thorn in the flesh”, which was apparently some kind of physical ailment. Why are some healed and others are not?
V. Why Some Are Not Healed
A. “Already” but “not yet”
One reason is that even though the kingdom of God has already come in the person of the King, Jesus, it is not yet fully here. Already here, but not yet fully here. Jesus reigns on earth, but not everything on earth fits His perfect will. He allows a lot of bad things to happen, even to good people. Sin is still rampant; we do not yet have total freedom from pain and disease. Because the kingdom is not yet fully here, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s a prayer that God will continue to extend His rule over every aspect of life here on earth. There’s no sickness in heaven. So to pray for the kingdom to come is to pray for God’s rule over sickness on earth as it already is in heaven.
A second reason why some people are not healed when we ask for it is the mysterious sovereignty of God.
B. The mysterious sovereignty of God Deut. 29:29
God saves some, but not all. He answers some prayers, but not all. He heals some people, but not all. We don’t understand that, and we are not going to. Deut. 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” God has told us everything we need to know in order to follow Him completely. But He does not have to tell us why He does what He does. The secret things belong to God. He does not have to explain Himself to us. There is mystery here, and we just have to submit ourselves to His superior wisdom and sovereignty and live with it.
But having said that, it is important to remember that God has commanded us to ask for what we want and need, and has made many great promises to give us what we need.
VI. Prayer meeting tonight
So tonight at 5:00pm, we are going to use our prayer meeting to pray for people who are sick and need God’s healing touch. I know of many in our congregation who have serious medical needs, and I’m sure there are many more I do not know of. But whatever your condition, we invite you to come, and we will pray for you. We are not going to pray for people who cannot be present tonight, though we do that on other occasions. So even though you may have a dear relative in another part of the country who is ill, we won’t be praying for them tonight.
Elders will be there, and we will anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord, and ask God to heal you.
If you are coming tonight to be prayed for, I urge you to spend the day in prayer and worship. James says that we should confess our sins to one another in the context of praying for healing, so you should confess your sins to someone before you come. There is sometimes a mysterious link between sin and sickness and we want to remove all impediments to the flow of God’s power. I urge you to fast as well. Get yourself fully in tune with the Lord. See the Prayer-Gram in the bulletin for some more thoughts along this line.
God is sovereign. We cannot force His hand, and it is very hard to know His will in advance on matters like this. But we ask, because He invites us to, and because He is so loving and so powerful that it makes sense to ask. And then we leave the results in His hands. Our attitude is that of the Psalmist in Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.