George Orwell said, On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good and not quite all the time.

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1 Introduction Do you want to me made whole? George Orwell said, On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good and not quite all the time. The sixth chapter of Mark has been filled with opportunities. The opportunity to know God s Servant (vv.1-6); the opportunity to share God s Word (vv.7-13); the opportunity to repent of sin (vv.14-29); the opportunity to demonstrate compassion (vv.30-44); the opportunity to grow in faith (vv.45-52); and now we are given the opportunity to receive the Lord s assistance; to get help (vv.53-56). The Bible teaches that human beings are morally and spiritually diseased. Physical disease robs us of the ability to work, and and will sometimes incapacitate us to life s pleasures. Humanity suffers from a moral disease called sin. Sin separates us from God; and incapacitates us from being able to know God, fellowship with God and enjoy God. But Jesus is the great healer, Jesus is the Great Physician who is ever present; who requires no payment, who alone can effect the spiritual cure. Kings and counselors, legislators and philosophers, moralists and priests, have all tried to remove the moral disease and failed. C.S. Lewis in his winsome way said, No clever arrangement of bad eggs will make a good omelette. The atheist Friedrich Nietzsche knew something was profoundly broken inside man. Which is it, is man one of God s blunders or is God one of man s? Oscar Wilde said, We are all in the gutter. But some of us are looking at the stars. Jesus told the world; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18). Recognize Jesus (vv.53-54) Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. The region called Gennesesaret (a garden of riches) was located north and west of the Sea of Galilee. The plain of Gennesaret is about two miles wide and about four miles long. On the other side of the storm we often encounter a garden of riches! Mark 6:54 And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, I want to draw your attention to the phrase the people recognized Him. The verb translated recognized is epignontes which means in part to know by experience; but might include a more comprehensive understanding; many of these people experienced first hand the healings in 1

2 Capernaum and the feeding of the multitudes. The popularity of Jesus had grown in the Galilee. Many of the people had experienced first hand the miracle power of Jesus and were themselves recipients of that power. Jesus has established Himself as a powerful preacher and teacher, casting out demons and raising the dead. But His power to heal sends the ancient versions of social networking into overtime. You would think it was black friday at Walmart and Target. Have you ever experienced the presence of Jesus? What does it mean for us to recognize Jesus? We come in contact with Jesus our Healer, through His Word, through His Gospel, where He shows us the way into life more abundant, through faith, repentance, regeneration--offered to all who are spiritually sick and suffering, by His infinite grace (see p. 63; Homiletic Thesaurus; Ellingson). Realize Your Need And Believe Jesus Can Help (v.55) Mark 6:55 ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. With recognition came realization. Our text reads ran through the whole surrounding region...the people who recognized Jesus and ran everywhere telling family members, friends, strangers, anyone who was sick or afflicted that Jesus was in town. The care, the intensity, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick --moms, dads, children, relatives, if people were to sick to walk the people would carry them to Jesus. If Jesus went north, they went north. If Jesus went south they went south. William MacDonald writes;...the Lord was besieged with sick folks. No matter where He went, people carried needy cases to Him on mats. The market places become impoverished hospitals (p.46). There is a growing sense of excitement. People are knocking on doors. People are talking about the arrival of Jesus. People rushed to tell their friends. People prepared their sick for the journey to wherever Jesus might be. The people did not try to hide their need or ignore their symptoms. William Barclay with insight suggests They came to get. They came with their insistent demands. They came--to put it bluntly--to use him. What a difference it would have made of, among these crowds, there had been a few who came to give and not get. In a way it is natural 2

3 that we should come to Jesus to get things from him, for there are so many things that he alone can give: but it is always shameful to take everything and to give nothing, and yet it is very characteristic of human nature (Barclay; Mark; p.162). Does the sinner dishonor or disobey God when the sinner wants to use Jesus to get what only Jesus can give? I don t think so. Jesus said he was a servant. There is no hint in the text that Jesus feels insulted or put out. The philosopher Blaise Pascal said, Jesus Christ taught men the simple truth about themselves: they were selfish; enslaved to their appetites; blind, sick, unhappy sinners; that it was laid upon himself to deliver, enlighten, bless and heal them; and that this would be brought about by hatred of self, and by following him through poverty to the death of the cross. Jesus was available, accessible, reachable, to make them whole, to touch loved ones. The people understood that Jesus was different, Jesus really cared about the people and had the power to make people whole and well. Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Luke 19:10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. C.H. Spurgeon; I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need. In Isaiah 53 we learn: 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; No wonder William Barclay said-- By a man s reaction to Jesus Christ, that man stands revealed. Recognition of His identity and realization of His power brought people to a place where they were willing to go where Jesus went. Martin Luther told his congregation; Christ had neither money, nor riches, nor earthly kingdom, for he gave the same to kings and princes. But he reserved on thing peculiarly to himself, which no human creature or angel could do--namely, to conquer sin and death, the devil and hell, and in the midst of death to deliver and save those that through his Word believe in him. What is the role of the Church? Social concerns? Salvation sermons? Spiritual rally center? Is the Church a sacred store where you can buy Jesus paraphernalia? Is the church a hospital where the sick can receive healing? Where are the Servant Churches? Request Without Shame Or Reservation For Jesus To Help You (v.56) 3

4 Mark 6:56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well. Entered (eiseporeueto-imperfect tense picturing continuous activity) Jesus constantly encountered the sick, the needy, the broken, the hurt; they laid the sick in the marketplaces--the open areas just inside the city walls. The marketplaces could be described as those places where people gathered or congregated for social or economic reasons. Why did the people bring their sick to the marketplace? I suspect in the hopes that Jesus might show up! The hem of his garment or the fringe of his cloak (kraspedou) was a reference to the blue-banded fringe the Law required all male Jews to have on the corners of their outer garments (Num. 15:38). Jesus was an observant Jew and we have every reason to believe that he would have worn this tassel on his garments. Perhaps they had heard the testimony of the woman who was healed with the issue of blood (cf. 5:20); God honored their faith in the person of Jesus. There was nothing magical about his clothes. When Jesus showed up there was a sense of excitement at his presence. The people expected Jesus to be able to help. There was a sense of exhilaration. As many as touched Him were made whole! The people were not about to ignore this amazing opportunity. The people believed Jesus could help. The people believed Jesus could make them whole. Look at the expression and begged Him. The text moves from recognition to realization to a request without reservation. The expression means exactly what you think it means; entreat, beseech, implore; it means to plead; with a sense of urgency and insistence; it means to plead without regard to personal pride; the people are pleading, in humility and unashamedly and unreservedly for Jesus help. The word begged seems to include three essential attitudes necessary to be made whole. The first is profound sense of need. We sense our need and beg Jesus to help, we are desperate. The second is a keen sense of humility; our need is desperate, beyond our resources, beyond human resources. Spectators, and the curious and the skeptic and the critic are not our concern. We know longer care what the world thinks. We are willing to humble ourselves and not be guided by the unbelief of those whose opinions we treasure. The third is a deep sense that the power of Jesus and the love of Jesus and the compassion of Jesus and the willingness of Jesus is available to make us whole. The people begged simply to touch the hem of his garment. I want you to note something special; every person who managed to touch Jesus were made well. Were they made well by superstition, or wishful thinking, or magic powers? 4

5 No--touching Jesus brought healing to their whole being; Jesus did not shrink from anyone; no matter how deformed, abnormal, diseased, unattractive, dirty, immoral, or sinful. The Jews lived life-styles of kosher and cleanliness. Yet even they would sometimes be victims of disease. Jesus proved equal to the task of cleansing every disease. Humanity is morally diseased and spiritually dead. Does that shock you or surprise you? That Jesus loved them, saw their need and was willing to help. Anyone who reaches out to Him and is taken by the hand and is pulled into His Heart! And as many as touched Him were made well. The ministry of Jesus in many ways was unique. As many as touched Him. The healing was not selective. He did not separate the easy cases from the difficult cases. Jesus did not discriminate on the basis of liberal or conservative; or sex or gender or creedal bias. But some show of faith and determination was required on the part of the person being healed. The person had to be willing to touch Jesus. Jesus made them well. In this context there seems to be a freedom from the disease that enslaved the person but also there is a promise for the whole person! What happens when you touch people? Do you add chains to their circumstances? Do you serve as an example of setting people free and making them whole? Jesus is tired. Jesus is spent. Jesus has spent the night walking on the water and delivering in the storm. Jesus knows the people s motives and desires for a miracle may be less than honorable. But Jesus is motivated by compassion and concern. There could be lots of reasons to neglect and ignore the thankless crowds, the hardened disciples, and the selfish sick. It makes perfect sense that the church has lost its reputation as a place where hurting people can be helped and served. Mark s Gospel points people to Jesus and asks whether our compassion and willingness to serve will mirror our Savior. When Jesus heals... the person is received and made whole through and through. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 14:14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. What about you? Do you need to be made whole? How would you characterize your spiritual condition? Your mental condition? Your physical condition? 5

6 1 John 5:19 (NKJV) We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Romans 3:10-13 (NKJV) As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. Romans 3:12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. Romans 3:13 Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit ; The poison of asps is under their lips ; The Prophet Isaiah pictured the people of Israel and Judah spiritually blind and deaf; From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises and putrifying sores (Isa. 1:6). What is the distance between man s need and God s provision? Are you willing to stretch forth your hand and touch the hem of his garment? Or do you suffer from a paralysis of doubt? Are you unable or unwilling to lift your hand and touch the hem of his garment? People have not really changed. Will you look and live or do you prefer to keep your eyes closed tight? Conclusion Jesus provided physical healing but more importantly he provides spiritual wholeness and wellness. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and bids us put on the beautiful array of freedom; he saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit (Spurgeon). What is the advantage of being sick and broken? We have a Great Physician who can make us well. Calvin Miller To the hurting, he is the great Physician. To the confused, he is the Light. To the lost, he is the Way. To the hungry, he is the Bread of Life. To the broken, he is the Balm of Gilead. Preachers like Harry Ironside said, Christ is a substitute for everything, but nothing is a substitute for Christ. Gypsy Smith used to shout; The way to Jesus is not by Cambridge and 6

7 Oxford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Socrates, Plato, Shakespeare or the poets, It is over an old-fashioned hill called Calvary. 7