Sermon, 2012-03-11, Miracles, Healing Two Daughters of Israel 1 Title slide We are talking about the Miracles of Jesus Christ. Story of miracles in our modern world. Today - Dan Jones Story of miracles in Jesus world. Two miracles Healed a woman bleeding Healed a ruler s daughter As we read, notice how these two stories are wrapped around each other. Mark 5:21-43 21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live. 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 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. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, Who touched my clothes? 31 You see the people crowding against you, his disciples answered, and yet you can ask, Who touched me? 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. Your daughter is dead, they said. Why bother the teacher anymore? 36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, Don t be afraid; just believe. 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep. 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, Talitha koum! (which means, Little girl, I say to you, get up! ). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Sermon, 2012-03-11, Miracles, Healing Two Daughters of Israel 2 I was reading through all the miracles in the gospels. And as I did, I noticed something. I noticed in all 3 synoptic gospels, Matt, Mark, & Luke, this one story wraps around the other? Each time these stories are written, the raising of Jairus daughter wraps around the healing of the woman bleeding. And I have to say, Why? They always start with Jairus coming to Jesus, break for the story of the woman, finish with Jairus daughter being raised. Why in each gospel are they woven together? If you know the gospels, you know there are dozens of places where the stories are not in the same order. And especially the miracles, they are clustered in different ways in each gospel. But these 2 stories are always intertwined in each gospel. Why? I think it s more than just that s the way the story happened. Here s why I think that. (Blank slide) The woman has an issue of blood for how long? v. 25? 12 years. The girl is how old? v. 42? 12 years. That s got to be more than coincidence! What is 12 a symbol of in the Bible? Israel (12 sons of Jacob become the 12 tribes) The 12 disciples the Church. I think, The 12 is a clue that this is about Israel and maybe about healing old Israel s inability to stop the bleeding caused by sin under the Old Testament sacrificial system. What is the only way take away sin in the OT? Sacrifice an animal. Blood must spill. Jesus comes and when he dies on the cross he takes away our sin once and for all There is no need for blood sacrifices after Jesus. He stops the bleeding by taking away the need for temple sacrifices. What does it take for the woman to be healed? v. 34? Faith. Old Israel is the woman and the Jews. Faith in Jesus heals them.
Sermon, 2012-03-11, Miracles, Healing Two Daughters of Israel 3 The girl represents a new Israel (a new people of God). And what does it take for a new people of God? Someone will have to die and be resurrected. The girl dies and is resurrected because she represents the other 12, the Church of JC. How does the church of Jesus come into existence? Someone dies and is resurrected. And here s why, I think, the stories wrap around each other. The end to the blood sacrifices and the formation of a new Israel happen in the same man JC at the same time. While JC is on his mission to die & be resurrected, he put an end to the blood/the sacrifices. The death and resurrection and the ending of the blood sacrifices happen at the same time. They are part of the same story. That s called typological interpretation. The Bible uses that kind of typological symbolism and it s a real way to interpret some passages. God has that kind of symbolic meaning in many of Jesus miracles. They help us see the spiritual and the supernatural power of God in the word of God. But these two miracles have lots of other meaning for us. And since they are intertwined, I think there are several things we can get out of these miracles by looking for what is in common or contrasted in the two. What else does God wants us to know from how he wove these two stories together for us? Healing the two daughters of Israel shows us that 1. Miracles can happen... for anybody. This man is highest of the high. He is a ruler. This woman is lowest of the low She is poor. She spent all she had on doctors. He is a ruler. He is wealthy. He leads worship in the house of God. He is a synagogue president. She can t worship in the house of God. She is unclean. God told the OT people not to touch blood. Blood issues are called unclean health wise. If you touched blood, you had to be separate. She had little social life. In fact, that s why Jesus forces her to be known as the healed one. He was caring for her to be allowed back in the in-group socially.
Sermon, 2012-03-11, Miracles, Healing Two Daughters of Israel 4 The two are contrasted and combined to show us that Jesus cares for us all. Miracles can happen... for anybody. Miracles happen... when you run out of options. The woman had been so long ill. She had seen doctors. 26 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. We could say she was desperate. Right? Jairus is a Jewish religious leader at a time when the Jewish religious establishment is rejecting Jesus. Jairus is risking his social position and job by coming to Jesus. This is probably a last resort for him. We could say he was desperate. Right? Both are desperate Miracles happen when you have nothing else to hope in. Maybe this is why we don t see as many miracles in the modern West. I read a story about Joy Wahnefried, who was a student at Taylor University in 2005. Migraines once a week, sometimes lasting 5 days. Vertical heterophoria One eye sees at a much higher level than the other and this causes the brain stress. It was incurable. 38 doctor s visits in four years. Stayed in dark room. 8 eye glasses prescription to try to find one that would alleviate the eye condition. Pain medicines not working. 3 prayer meetings healed. Heather Murphy a friend felt what Joy felt in her eyes without expecting it. She was healed of the migraines and was given 20/20 vision. At her last doctors visit, they sent her most recent glasses back. Christian school, credible. Miracles happen when you turn to Christ because there is no place left to turn. Miracles happen... when someone reaches out for Jesus.
Sermon, 2012-03-11, Miracles, Healing Two Daughters of Israel 5 What does the woman reach out to touch? His cloak. His coat. Jairus reaches out to Jesus... for his daughter. Dan Jones is reaching out to us for mothers and daughters in Zambia. Both Matthew 9 and Luke 8 tell us that the woman reached out and touched the edge of Jesus coat. That detail is important because on the edge of a devout Jew in this culture they had tassels, or tzitzit, with a blue thread woven through. They did this because in Numbers 15 God told them to put that on the corners of their garments to remind them to keep all of God s commandments. She touched the word of God expressed in Christ & it was where the power came forth! I had a dream this week. I dreamed I picked up the mic at the beginning of the service and I pulled the mic to mouth and I took in a lite, quick breath to speak and inhaled something and immediately I coughed it out and something white and fluffy flew out A disbursal pattern sprayed out over the people. And immediately that white powdery spray when it flew out over the people, was like a wave hitting something else, and a wave of a flock of white birds in a beam of light burst and swooped over you. The birds were not there. They were a vision. That split second didn't seem anything but whoops-in and cough-spray. And I was like Whoa did u see that? And some young man said, What? And I said, Look. And if you came and looked at the light cutting across the room you could see it again, A flock of white birds swooping over the people like the Spirit of God. And then I looked at the mic to see what I inhaled and coughed and it was a dandelion. I was holding it with the mic at the top. And it made sense. I had breathed in about a 5 th of the white head and that's what I coughed. I couldn't think what you call it and someone said it s a dandelion. And immediately I thought seeds. The word of God is the source that releases the power of the Spirit over us. The word of God is like seed being scattered. And if you are in the light and look in the light, you can see the power of the HS Being poured out over us.
Sermon, 2012-03-11, Miracles, Healing Two Daughters of Israel 6 Miracles can happen for anybody. Miracles happen when you run out of options. Miracles happen when someone reaches out for Jesus. Miracles happen... when you bend a knee to Jesus. Both bend a knee. v. 22. What does Jairus do? Falls at his feet. Worships Jesus. v. 33. What does the woman do? Falls at his feet. Trembles. Worships. Both fall on knees that is to tell us that Jesus is God. People only worship God. These people are not begging they are pointing us to who Jesus is. God s word says that one day every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Do you need a miracle in your life? Bend a knee to Jesus. Do you need to break free from something? Bend a knee to Jesus. Miracles happen... when you put faith in Jesus. Jesus told the woman Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. When they brought news that his daughter was already dead. Jesus told the synagogue ruler, Don t be afraid; just believe. Then when he followed Jesus home, he showed his faith. Both of these put faith in Jesus. And it was what saved them. Do you have faith in Jesus? Do you believe that only he can help you or heal you? Jesus is among us today. He said where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst. We are gathered in his name. Do you believe in him? Do you need a miracle? Do you need something to change? Healed? Made whole? Reach out to Jesus Bend a knee to Jesus and confess that He is Lord. We are going to sing... 346 Do Not Pass Me By