When I was a kid, it was really important to establish a certain status of where you were on the teen food-chain. Who had the upper hand? “I can do this” and “I’d did blab, blab, blab.” My Dad is stronger than your Dad! My Mother is stronger than your Dad! It was all for show and it really did not have any basis on truth or whether or not your dad could indeed even want to be stronger than another man.
It was all status. Who you were and what you could do was always challenged. An over night at a friend’s house would ALWAYS include each kid telling the most outrageous lies about themselves. Things that were really extreme! Mine was that the De La Cour family adopted me as Space Travelers had left me behind in New York City. Since few boys had ever been to NYC, it was believed. My older brother went along with this lie and told the boys that it was true; I was from a planet behind the Coalsack Nebula. (FYI: The Coalsack Dark Nebula (or simply the Coalsack) is the most prominent dark nebula in the skies, easily visible to the naked eye as a dark patch silhouetted against the southern Milky Way.)
That is nothing in the scope of being outrageous as our next passage in Mark’s Gospel, chapter 6:45-56. A man who could walk on water! That would have been a great campfire story, except that it was 100% true. Let’s read this and see what we can learn from it.
Jesus Walks on the Water Mark 6:45-56
45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw Him and were terrified.
Immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak, and all who touched Him were healed.
Let’s walk through this story and see what is going on:
As soon as the feeding of the 5,000 were over and that the extra bags of food were picked up, IMMEDIATELY Jesus made His men get into the boat. He was to stay behind to dismiss the crowd. He also had some unfinished work to do. It says: 46 After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray.
The crowd might have tried to persuade them to FORCE Jesus to be their political leader. After all, He could do it all! He could make sick people well; He could feed them, protect them from death and maybe even make the Roman army leave. He was a superman!
Crowds in this sort of a situation look for someone to follow. Look at the events in Egypt. Who will lead them? Who is talking the most? Who is getting the people to side with them? The one who is the most dynamic might indeed be leader of that country were 40% live under the poverty level. The Christian minority has been suppressed for over 30 years. The economy is in shambles. Police can’t be trusted. The SAME man held the power over them for most of their lives! Certainly, there most be someone who can walk on water? And, if we find him, we will follow him. We just need a change. Almost---any change will do!
But is that OK with you? Anything other than what I am going through right now. I need a change. If it would get me out of the problems I am facing now, fine! Even if it takes away some personal freedoms and be outside what I know to be God’s Will for me? But, NO! I’d better not! I have a Christ-Life to live. Stay the course!
So, Jesus gets away to pray. He finally finds some peace and quiet and He talks with His Father. What would He say to Him? What would His Father say back? Speculation again: “I love you Father! I praise You! I lift up Your Holy Name! Thank You for what You are doing! Thank You for what You will be doing!” And as evening comes, Jesus looks out over the Sea and sees His men in that boat. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.
And what did Jesus do next… About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. It was almost dark when they started. During the night, Jesus could see them out there. Now, it is 4 in the morning and still they are rowing. The wind was up against them all night long. It was a hard day’s night. They’d been working like a dog! And at 4 AM, Jesus walks on the water by them while they were in the boat on His way to the other side of the Sea. He intended to go right by them.
He went to them. True, not in the usual way but He went to them. He cared, yet He was about to pass by them, What is all that about? He was also not going to show off to them. And when they saw Him, they greeted Him and called out to Him with glee. No, they freaked out! when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified. Very … predictable response on their part.
Granted, none of them have ever seen anything like it before and neither have you. You’d do the same as they. Walking on the water is radical! It is not something you see every day---in fact, you will never see it! But here comes Jesus. Walking on the water.
My Savior can walk on water; Can your savior do that? There are a lot of false saviors in the world today. In First John, he calls them the “anit-christ.” And they will increase in the world as the end comes nearer. Many claim to be The Christ but only One is the REAL Christ…and His name is Jesus. And there is huge amount of evidence to support that! The Bible, changed lives. Many verses in the Bible point to Him as being The Messiah.
Isa 50:6 for one, tells of the time of His problems at the trial. “I offered My back to those who beat Me, My cheeks to those who pull out My beard; I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting.”
And the long verses from Isa 53:4-12.
That Savior was walking on water. Is that so hard to believe? We have seen from our studies so far, that this Jesus had 100% authority over scores of things…from nature, to sickness, to demon spirits, to death itself. He did not do this to show off. He was going to pass them but when they cried out, He went to them to give them comfort.
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Comfort, ye My People!”
You see, the fishermen and those who lived around the sea had a belief that demons lived in the deep waters. They lived down there and they would, from time to time, visit the surface and cause damage. Jesus spoke to them, “It is I!” “Don’t be afraid!” I’ll take care of you. Haven’t I already shown you how I take care of you? I provide all you will need. You can be filled and be satisfied in Me.”
And the waters in your life are stormy. You are in deep water and the wind is blowing, and you may fall overboard. It is dark and there are no lights but you are splashing, turning, falling deep into the dark unknown. And Jesus speaks to you. Right where you are today! Verse 36-b and all who touched Him were healed.
Does that sound good to you? That is how this passage ends. That is a good ending. But the rest of the story is yet to be lived out.
The Gospel has a good side to it! Redemption, Salvation, eternal life! Forgiveness! The rewards of following Him! Being partakers of the Divine Nature! (2 Peter 1:4) It’s all-good!
But the Gospel also has a dark side to it. We will have persecution. “My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15
Think about it! Jesus had been with them as they came over the sea in the storm…He calms it. They landed and are met with a man with a legion of demons…He sets him free. They see a woman who, for 12 years, has been bleeding…she is healed. A young daughter of a synagogue ruler been brought back from the dead. 5,000 people filled with fish and bread and now this-walking on the water. ……..And all along, they were hearing the teaching of this Man Jesus. Vs 51-52 They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. So why should we be surprised? Are we hardened, too? Jesus has the authority over all things.
He has authority over you. He is calling you to follow Him. He is calling you to give what you have to keep that which only He can give you. Life in HIS Name! He is calling you to call Him ruler of your life. He will not knock you down. He will not smack you on the side of the head. He will not pull your leg. He just went to the Cross and died for you.
And now He is walking on the water. Showing you His Power. Let Him take you for a walk of your life. Let Him be who He is: Lord of ALL. And all who touched Him were healed…
Please read Mark 6:30-44
With just one month into 2011, most resolutions have probably waned or vanished altogether. As followers of Christ, it's exciting to remember that we have the unfailing love of God and the constant promise of renewal through His Grace. There is no need to wait for New Year's or spring or any other outside prompting. God helps us to see our errors, forgives us, and shows us how to correct them and to grow closer to Him. God is never boring! Every moment with Him is full of promise and transformation.
This month is almost over. As we say goodbye to this month and welcome February, we need to ask ourselves a question: How can this month be different from all the other months in my life? We will be looking at the same passage this week as we did last Sunday. Let us look to God’s Hand to show us how to depend on His leading and on His providing us with all we need to walk this Walk of Faith.
Today, we will be looking at six statements or questions that deal with this miracle.
First: the background.
The “Feeding the 5,000″ is the only miracle recorded by all four Gospels.
Disciples came back from their mission, they were tired and hungry, did not have time to eat. They needed rest.
Jesus just heard about the death of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:13).
Jesus wanted Himself and His disciples to withdraw from the crowd so that they can have some rest.
They headed to Bethesda, by boat to discourage the crowd from following them. Trying to get away from them.
Bethesda – City name means “Fisherman’s house”, it was home of Philip, Andrew and Peter.
They were looking for a Mini vacation!
Crowd there was in deep need; much physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The people sought teaching and healing. They were already gathered at the place, before Jesus arrived.
Mark 6:34 says that Jesus had compassion on them because they were sheep without shepherd.
How do we respond when they invade our privacy?
So many times, when we are tired and weary, under stress, and people come to us in need, and we try to avoid them. They come with hope of getting something, to share or to have fellowship. Are we available to their needs?
Jesus had compassion on them; He welcomed them not out of duty or obligation, but out of love and care & God’s Will. You may want to think of an incident, when you are so tired and need rest, and your friend comes and you start thinking, “Oh, no, how do I get rid of him?” Need to be careful!
Jesus was a caregiver—first to His disciples and then to the crowd.
Jesus taught them about the Kingdom of God, healed them (for hours). (During this time, the Beatitudes were being shared as well as teachings on being Poor in Spirit and what the Kingdom of Heaven was like. HUGE topics and spiritual battles.)
Jesus must be teaching well, that crowd did not disperse in the evening; they were too engrossed into listening to Jesus. (Of course! As NO ONE TAUGHT LIKE THIS MAN, with such authority!)
Think of any church meeting, when preacher goes little long, and people start looking at their watch. Not this way with Jesus. Not a sin to look at the watch but there are things that must be more important. Only two hours a week in worship is not enough for any believer.
“Give them something to eat”
Crowds were not worried, but the disciples were. It’s like the 12 came and tells Jesus, “its time to close, let them go.” Jesus reply is startling, “Give them something to eat.” – What!?
Was Jesus serious, 5000 men, women, and children? They didn’t have enough money to feed them. It is like an eight-month’s wages, thousand of dollars, were they going to use all that for feeding them one meal?
I am sure they were trying to think practically, "Let them go." But Jesus’ ways does not seem practical at times.
Read Judge 6-7: Gideon’s army of 300 men winning against 150,000 Midianites.
“What do you have?”
Jesus asks another question, “What do you have, go and see?” Don't just wonder what is for your use. Get active. They found a boy with five loaves of bread and two fishes
How can a few pieces of loaves, fishes feed the 5000?
Totally inadequate, impossible to feed them all, but this is all they had.
Jesus prepared them for a Miracle – All were hungry, He didn’t want chaos, disorder, shoving, pushing. He wanted to organize, to give order to the crowd.
Disciples don’t understand, “Why is He doing that?” However, as confused they were, they followed what He said. Sometimes you just got to do what He said to do! Jesus wants us to act in faith, though it may sound foolish or silly or unlikely at the time. Jesus did not do miracle first and then told them about organizing crowd. He readied the crowd and His 12!
Prayer of thanksgiving –most important part of miracle. It came from God! Giving thanks to The Father, not credit on Himself, but exalting God, the Father. Thanking and blessing God. He then broke them and distributed them.
Five thousand people-- must have taken some time. AND ALL were fed and satisfied!
Jesus’ final assignment for His disciples:
“Go and gather broken pieces.” To make them realize that God’s provision is more than adequate. (He, in fact, later on reminds them about it in Mark 8:19) Profound impact on disciples, all gospels have account of it. How does it impact you?
Why this miracle?
This miracle created a problem for Jesus’ ministry. Popular for providing but not so much in the spiritual sense.
In was also a Lesson of Discipleship for His Disciples. Do what He tells us to do!!!
“What do YOU have?”
Of course, our resources are way inadequate for the needs of this world. But we are to bring what we have to Him. And put it into His Hands.
There may be a need for clear vision and planning. This is not always the case. Time is sometimes an issue. We must be open to His leading: stop what you are doing, look and see what He is doing and go do it WITH Him! He will in turn, bless them and place them back into your hands, multiplied, more powerful than you can ever imagine. Too often, we are overwhelmed by the need, and give up, questioning adequacy of God.
When we see the world, we are stunned by the need all around us. People are deserting God. So much of pain, and suffering, persecution, hurt, wars. And we realize that our resources are very limited. We might feel we cannot help due to lack of resources, so we hold back: Don’t!
Jesus is looking for people who are ready to believe, trust Him, who are willing to bring whatever little they have. (Instead of complaining or stepping back.) God’s provision is more than adequate. Are we ready to trust Him, believe that even though the task is immense! Our God is more than sufficient!
All we need to do is to bring our resources, use our gifts, talents, time, energy, and He is going to bless them and multiply them. Our role in all this is to agree with is plan to make disciples. We need to discover out spiritual gifts and work inside that framework.
Consider this truth! (APPLICATION)
Q: How does five loaves of bread and two fish feed 5,000?
A: God’s math doesn’t need to add up.
Now, I can understand the saying: “… the wise man (who) will invest everything he has in the life of Faith.” ~Michael Eaton. Rather than holding back on what we have, hoarding it for ourselves, we are to extend our influence—our resources—to the needs around us. God invites us to be investors for the Kingdom of God. This is not only about money, It is about having the Holy Boldness to do many things to spread the Gospel and then wait for God’s blessing to come in.
Some of the things we do, we do them because of time restraints. The Singapore Team has come here for the past three years. They had invested a large amount of money in their outreach into our neighborhood. They spent a lot of time in prayer before they came. While they were here, they engaged in extended prayer times for the Work of God’s Spirit. Ken-San spoke three times this past Christmas. At one meeting, only a few came and heard his message. On Christmas Day, he spoke again and the response was very positive! Five adults FROM OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD responded that they wanted to ask Jesus into their lives. Three others indicated interest in learning more about the claims of Jesus. Question: can you put a price tag on that? Sure a lot of money was spent. But also, five of our neighbors have new life.
But, now, what is our response to that? Invite people from Singapore to come again in 11 months and do it all over again? I think not. We need to do that work—as a Church Body. We need to be the ones who give up our five loaves and two fish so that Jesus can touch our efforts and bless them and feed others in our area with the Good News. If we don’t, then we better not open ourselves to teams from outside our area to do the work for us. We need to be the ones who do the outreach.
We should never stop investing with the Gospel in as many places as we can. Whenever we as a Church engage in Kingdom activity, we offer the Holy Spirit something He can and often will use to save people’s souls.
Wasn’t that what Jesus was aiming at? Was it to feed the people with bread and fish or was He interested in meeting special needs of the people? They looked at this miracle as proof that He could be the political leader of Israel. Jesus was looking to set them free from the bondage of being self-centered and careless and free from the dullness of life. Of being concerned more for the needs of people’s broken hearts.
We are broken people. Jesus did not come to fix us! He came to make us new! That is the Power of the Gospel. To take away our cold hearts and to give us new hearts that is made in the likeness of our Creator God.
What do you have to give to Jesus today? Something small? It does not matter—not in His Hands! Five or 5,000 loaves of bread. Two or 20,000 fish. When He touches our gifts, a miracle happens. Let Him touch what you are & what you have and see what happens!
Please read Mark 6:30-44
Does Jesus really care about your needs? After reading this passage, you may wonder… sure, He did such a wonderful job with the small obento the boy had. Five loaves and two fish—to feed over 5,000 people on that hillside—was more than enough!
But does He do that kind of thing today? Does He really provide for His People? When we look at the Old Testament, we can see times in the Hebrew’s history when God sure had provided for them. Victory in war, manna from the sky when no food was available, opened the Red Sea to escape the Egyptian army. Even when things looked bad for Israel, God’s promise was to hold the test of time. He would say: “I am the God of Israel!” “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
So, today, we hear of people’s needs. Someone will share his or her need for a job. Another, their need for better health. Still another, the need for comfort. Does God really answer—like He did in the times of the Bible?
Who would say YES to that? And why would we say YES? Because some of us have seen such answers to our prayers. Our needs were met. Our bills were paid. Our loved one is yet alive! And still we have some doubt. Please understand that some doubt is good—when it brings us face to face//heart to heart with the Person of Jesus. In our story today, He was the One who directed the action, the one who caused the 12 to see something that was out of the ordinary. ~ A miracle.
Some would say that when the people there saw the generous actions of the one with the small lunch, they broke down and shared what they had and when it was all over, everyone had shared with everyone else and everyone was filled—even with a surplus left over.
But that was not what happened. If it did happen that way, the story would have been told that way. In truth, Jesus, who knew that there was going to be a need, took what was given to Him and He multiplied it many times over.
Think of what that would mean to us today! A point of application here: IF WE GIVE WHAT WE HAVE TO JESUS, HE WOULD BLESS IT AND MULTIPLY IT MANY TIMES OVER.
Whenever we as a Church engage in Kingdom work (enterprises), we offer the Holy Spirit something He can and often will use to save people’s souls.
Wasn’t that what Jesus was aiming at? Was it to feed the people with bread and fish or was He interested in meeting special needs of the people and of His 12? The people looked at this miracle as proof that He could be the New Leader of Israel. He was looking to set them free from not the bondage of Rome but from the bondage of being self-centered and careless. From being concerned more for the things of this world than the needs of our broken hearts.
We are broken people and as Vidar reminded us last week, Jesus did not come to fix us! Jesus came to make us new! That is the Power of the Gospel. To take away our stone cold hearts and to give us new hearts that is made in the likeness of our Creator God.
So, how does God feed us today? First, you need to know when you are hungry. Sometimes during the workday, you might just keep working without a break. You start to have a hunger pains and you feel a little dizzy. Then you look at the clock and say, “Wow, I have not eaten yet!” Once you feed your body, you feel refreshed and continue the work.
It is true with Spiritual Hunger. Do you know that you are spiritually hungry? Many people don’t know that they are starving their spirit. Many don’t even know there IS a spiritual part of their being! They go through life and there may be a tug in their sprit but the person is not use to that feeling so they let it go. Jesus said that if you are hungry, come to Him and eat and be satisfied!
It is true with being thirsty. Without water, you can become dehydrated and fall sick. Again, Jesus said—and he is talking of a different level of thirst, Come to Me and drink and not be thirsty again.
John 4:14 "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.
John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.
There is a vast hole in our lives. We try to fill it with all sorts of things; some good things ~ other bad things. We look for love. (We might look for it in all the wrong places.) We look for it friendships; we look for it in families; in fellowships and it seems dry and lacking real joy.
I asked the question at the start of this talk: How does God feed you? Here are some ways: He feeds us through Friendships. A true friend is a gift from God. One that will stick closer than a brother. A friend that we can share our life with! This is a true Gift from the Lord.
He feeds us with Family. Sometimes, families are the most difficult people to live with. Strangers get along better than some families do. Why is that? Because the family is God’s building block for community. He wants us to be in a family that reflects His love and care. It is His way to build us up into the people we need to be. The Evil One, Satan’s design, is to fight the ways of God. To destroy families. To hurt friendships and to drive a wedge between family members. But God’s design is to build up the family. He feeds us with families that care.
He feeds us with Fellowship. Many times, after the service is over, people stay around here for one, two even three hours and then, leave together to go have more fellowship someplace else. That is feeding time for us. We are made to fellowship. We do our best service for Him when we fellowship, because that reflects His Love and Holy Character. He feeds us in our fellowships.
The Bible talks about Wisdom as a person. Looking at the Book of Proverbs, verse after verse teaches us how important Wisdom is in our life. With Wisdom, we can really know Him. Proverbs 4:5 says “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget My words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
The beginning of wisdom is the knowing of God! With Wisdom, the walls of doubt and loneliness are pushed down. Proverbs 24:3-4 “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”
The biggest way Jesus feeds us is by His WORD. The Word of God, the Bible, is the source of all there is to know about Him and His plan for you. His Word is a lamp unto my paths, a light unto my way. He makes the path clear when I look at it from His Word.
His joy is found in His creation enjoying Him. That is the full duty of man. To love Him and to enjoy Him forever. Our hunger goes away when He satisfies our soul. We thirst no longer for the things that will dry up because we have taken His Word into our lives and we now are really alive! We are not fixed but made new.
Once a person becomes a follower of Jesus, all the old things pass away and all things become new! 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. We are no longer sheep without a shepherd—alone in the world—blinded by the shinny stuff of material lust. We are found. We have a place to go when we die. He has prepared a place for us. He died on the Cross to take our sins away. We all need to turn to the God of the Bible and receive what He died to give us: FORGIVENESS for our sins!
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Next Sunday.
Only a few weeks into 2011, most resolutions have probably waned or vanished altogether. As followers of Christ, it's exciting to remember that we have the unfailing love of God and the constant promise of renewal through His Grace. There is no need to wait for New Year's or spring or any other outer prompting. God helps us to see our errors, forgives us, and shows us how to correct them and to grow closer to Him. God is never boring! Every moment with Him is full of promise and transformation.
When someone asked me what my New Year's resolution was, I quickly realized that the myriad of things I'd been considering - to be kinder and more patient, to be a better friend, to develop a more positive attitude - were all covered by being a dedicated follower of Jesus. If my life truly reflects the love of Christ, then patience and kindness and cheer will naturally follow.
How can this week be different from all the other weeks in my life? Maybe as we look again at the Feeding of the 5,000 from Mark 6, the Lord will show you how to depend on His leading you and on His providing you with all you need to live this Life of Faith.
Romans 1:14-17 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Next Week: Mark 6:30-44
Just what was Jesus' main point in this passage?
Was it only to feed 5,000 people with a small obento of five small loaves of bread and two fish?
How does the Church today face shortages and can God provide us with all we want and need?
How does this feeding relate to the Mission of the Church today?
Come next Sunday, 10:30, for Worship and the Word.
Mark 5: 25-34
Last year, we were looking at some verses in the great Book of Mark. We saw what kind of authority Jesus had. He has authority to called His followers; He drove out Evil spirits, and He taught with authority—unlike anyone else. He healed many who were sick; like with leprosy, a paralytic; He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. A dead girl became alive when He touched her. Such wild things happened when Jesus came into a room or into an area. The sick got healed—not just better and the dead became alive again. Nature was under His control—His authority, and people started to listen to Him. They came to Him from all over the region. Jesus seems like He was trying to get away from them at times by getting into a boat, walking on the water—to evade their desire to make Him king. (We’ll get back to that in another talk.)
You might remember that Jesus was on His way to help a man who came to Him because his little girl was dying. Jairus said, “Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
Then something happened that seemed like an interruption to poor Jairus. Jesus stopped. He stopped because someone touched Him.
This lady had a problem: for such a long time, she had been bleeding. Being unclean, she could not do the tasks most ladies would have. Some people would avoid her altogether. She could not attend Temple worship. She could not even hold her child-if she were a mother. If she was married, she could not be intimate with her husband. Her issue of blood was also draining—not only her health but her financial life as well. For over 12 years, doctors have been taking her money. I don’t know if they knew how to treat her—the fact remains, she was still bleeding.
Leviticus 15:25 "'When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period.'"
Religious law prevented her from being involved in ANY social or religious activity whatsoever! She was a real cast away! And after 12 years, she was beyond any hope of getting better. Every day for the past 12 years, she was bleeding. Think of the condition she’d be in! No money, no family, no interaction at all—except for the so-called Doctors of her day. And she had heard that Jesus was around. Just like Jairus had. He was looking for Jesus because of his personal need. This lady as well. Her faith in the medical profession was below zero. They could only help themselves to her bank account. She was desperate! She had to touch Jesus’ cloak. She had heard about Jesus and come to understand that it would only take that touch and her ills would be over! But she had to do it in secret. She had to come up behind Him and ambushed Him with this forbidden touch.
Ever been in a crowded train? No! Well, I have. People are pushing and bumping you all over the place. The Air Show in the SDF air base near our home was so crowded, I began to think I was going to be crushed! The crowd seems not to care. They just pushed forward. No place to go but they pushed forward. It hurt! On a train once, I remember being SO pressed, I counted seven different people touching me and remembered a story that IF eight people touched you at the same time—you would die. I reached out my hand and tempted death. (I live today!)
Here was a woman in deep need and out of the protective care of a compassionate society. She broke all the rules by getting into the crowd. And then she touched Jesus. Deliberately touching Him, making Him unclean. If I just touch His Clothes…I will be healed!
Of course, Jesus was pressed upon! “A large crowd followed and pressed around Him.” But verse 30 gives us more than a clue that something ELSE was going on. “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him…” And “He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?”
His followers thought that Jesus was being silly. Of course, with all these people around You—Your going to feel the crowd pressure! But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
Did He not already know? He is God, right?!? Isn’t He all knowing? Did He not know of this incident from the beginning of Time?
I believe Jesus did know. He knows everything about everything. He knows what you are thinking right now. Don’t be embarrassed! He knows all about the stuff you are going through right now. Your pressing situations. No one else in this room has any idea of your situation, but He does. What is done in secret, it is all known by Him.
In truth, Jesus is looking for people to touch Him in their need. And to touch Him is to show Him you are ready to deal with your need. And He is looking for that today, the first Sunday in 2011. He is looking for you to touch Him----so He could touch you.
And she did just that! She touched JESUS! Look at verse 29: Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. And can you even imagine what was going on in her mind? Immediately, the pain ended. The flow stopped. She felt well again! When you are sick and you are having a hard time remembering what it was like NOT to feel so bad…THAT is how she was feeling right at that moment! And the joy was complete.
Almost! Jesus stopped and turned and asked that hard question. “Who touched My clothes?” “Oh, No! What am I to do now? I’m going to be sent to jail or kicked out of the village!” And He kept looking for the one who had done this touch thing. She HAD to come forward. And when she did, Jesus was not firm with her but listened to her truthful tale and showed compassion on her. Look at Matthew’s account of the same event: Matthew 9:22 at Dr. Luke’s account from Luke 8:47-48.
Jesus realized that power had gone out from Himself. What was that all about? Was His power pack becoming depleted?
I don’t believe it was a question of a lessening of power in His Divine Being but the movement of healing by Faith in action. In essence, Faith touched the God-Man and Jesus knew it. Faith was exercised and He could tell. There was some spiritual activity there that we could not see but Jesus could know it. A Spiritual response to this Act of Faith.
We are all having questions that might really drain us this year. Like: How Can I Cope with Stress? How Can I Rebound from Failure? How Can I Be Confident in a Crisis? How Can I Live Above Average? How Can I Overcome Loneliness? How Can I Ever Change? How Can I Be Well Again? What Will Become Of My Family When I Die?
God has more to give us this new year. There are so many more promises to claim, more ground to gain and more hope to be had. It can truthfully be said that Our Heavenly Father has more to give us this year than we can possibly obtain. But, we should give it a try anyway. One man had said (George Mueller): “faith grows with use…put it to work by reverent and faithful praying, and it will grow and become stronger day by day. We should dare to trust God for something small and ordinary and next week or next year you may be able to trust Him for answers bordering on the miraculous.” As your Pastor, I need to encourage each of you to grow in your Faith.
Everyone has some faith…the difference among us is one of degree only, and the man of small faith may be simply the one who has not dared to exercise the little faith he has.
The lady in question today, put her faith to the test. Yes, and she did it without any doubt. “If only I could touch His clothes, I will be healed!” Her faith was tested and she found it strong enough. Even Jesus said that her faith had healed her. How is your faith today? Are you willing to reach out and touch Jesus? He will only grant you His best. Reach out and receive His blessing today.
His promise to us is found in Jeremiah 29:11. Call out to Him! Reach out to Him! He will honor your Faith and touch you right back and you will hear Him say to you: “Your faith has healed you. Go in peace (SHALOM).”
