Power Over Disease and Death
Text: Mark 5:21-43
Core Idea: Jesus has the power to heal and revive us. He has conquered death and life could be ours if we would just come to Him. Then let us come with this desperate faith in Jesus Christ – our only hope – because He will always stop for us.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. Thank you, Teresa, for sharing your story with us – and reminding us that God’s ways are not our ways, but they’re always good because God is good. I pray that all of us were inspired and encouraged by her story. Like I said before, if you want to share your story, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and we would love to hear how God has been journeying with you.
Well, we’re going through the Gospel of Mark. Last week, we learned that Jesus has the power to set us free from evil – that He will deliver us from our enslavement with His life-giving Word if we would just come to Him. Today, we’ll see that Jesus has power over not only the devil but also disease and death. So, if you have your Bibles, please turn to Mark 5:21-43. Let me read this for us.
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 leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet. 23 He 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 people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “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 leader, 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 began to walk 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.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
There are three things I would like for us to see from this passage:
THE DESPERATION
THE HEALING
THE RESURRECTION
1) THE DESPERATION
Verse 21. We see Jesus back on the other side of the lake (a Jewish region), where He was immediately met with another large crowd. And Mark tells us that one of the synagogue leaders named Jairus came to Jesus and fell at His feet. Now, we must keep two things in mind to understand the significance of this. First, the synagogue leaders were some of the most respected and revered people in their culture – a figure of wealth and social status, men of great devotion to God. So, it would’ve been odd to see such a man of authority humbling himself like this. Second, Jesus was not received well by many of the religious leaders at that time – in fact, some of them accused Jesus of being demon-possessed and others even plotted to kill Him (Mk. 3:6, 22). So, for this respected religious leader to come and fall at Jesus’ feet would’ve been a huge shock to the people. He had so much to lose just by going to Jesus, but he did it anyway. Why? Verse 23, “He 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.’” This man had a 12-year-old daughter (v. 42) who was dying from an unknown disease. The situation seemed urgent, which was why he was pleading. I was going to say, “Put yourself in Jairus’ shoes,” but it’s something that I don’t even want to imagine. If any of my children were sick like this, I would be on my knees anytime if I knew that there was even the slightest chance for my child to be well, which is why I can only imagine the kind of desperation Jairus must have felt. But for whatever reason, he firmly believed that Jesus could save his daughter; he believed that Jesus was her only hope. Then can you imagine his excitement when Jesus said yes? Yet at the same time, his heart must have been shaking with fear with the possibility that Jesus might be too late. So, they hurried toward his place.
Verse 25. Remember the large crowd that was following Jesus? Well, in the middle of the crowd was this woman, “who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.” She was physically hurting the entire time Jairus’ daughter was alive. And if that wasn’t enough, verse 26, Mark tells us that she spent everything she had trying to get various doctors to cure her, but nothing helped – in fact, her efforts left her not only financially broke but also in a worse condition. And if that wasn’t enough, she was probably hurting spiritually because the Jewish law would identify her as ceremonially unclean, which meant that she wasn’t allowed in public worship. And because of this, she was probably hurting socially too because touching her would make that person unclean, which meant that she must have been an outcast – abandoned by the people. She was unclean, unwanted, and alone. Then imagine this woman trembling in the crowd. She knew that she shouldn’t have been there because she can make others unclean; she knew that it could incite uncontrollable rage from the crowd. But she went there anyway. Why? Because she heard something about Jesus. She must have heard that Jesus healed a leper, that He enabled a paralytic to walk – and countless more stories. And she knew that Jesus was her only hope. She had nothing else left. So, she risked the public scorn and fought through the crowd to get to Jesus. She didn’t even want Jesus to see her. So, she came up behind Him, reached out her hand, and touched His cloak thinking, verse 28, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.”
This was her faith – it might have been superstitious, self-centred, immature, and weak, but it was also desperate for Jesus. You see, true faith displays this kind of desperation for Jesus because you know that there’s no other hope, nowhere else to look, no other solutions. True faith grabs a hold of the person and the work of Jesus Christ; true faith really believes that Christ is the Solid Rock, and all other ground is sinking sand. I said it a couple of weeks ago but it’s worth repeating here: it’s not the quality of your faith that saves you; it’s the object of your faith. This woman’s hope was not in how strong her faith was, but in how strong the object of her faith was. Her desperate faith brought her to Jesus, and it was His gracious power that healed her.
If you’re not yet a Christian, we’re thankful that you’re here. Now, let me ask you: are you desperate today? I wonder if you’re hurting like this woman – physically, dealing with chronic pain that’s constantly affecting your mood, marriage, work, or just everyday life; financially, always living in fear, living paycheck to paycheck; socially, feeling alone, unwanted, and ignored. If this is you, what have you got to lose by coming to Jesus? I invite you to grab His garment. Pray to Him. Talk to other Christians about Him. Hear His Word because this Word has the power to calm the storm, drive out demons, and breathe new life in you. I’m not promising that He’ll give you everything you want, but He’ll give you everything you need.
Now, let me speak to the Christians. This is where your faith will be tested. It’s one thing to say, “I believe that Jesus did that for them because He is the Son of God” – but it’s another to say, “I believe that He can still do this in my life today.” Then let me ask you: do you have this kind of desperate faith in Jesus Christ? Do you truly believe that if it’s not Jesus, you’re hopeless, helpless, doomed? Do you believe that you’ll be lost without Him, which is why you’re, in one sense, ready to press through the crowd, risk all that you have in order to get to Jesus? Or do you have something else that can replace Jesus if He doesn’t pull through? Trust Jesus. Come to Jesus. Call on Him because He will answer.
2) THE HEALING
Verse 29, “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” For the first time in 12 years, she was free from her disease. What’s amazing was that she wasn’t just physically healed; she was now spiritually clean and socially accepted. Everything changed the moment she touched Jesus. Now, I’m almost certain that she wanted to just touch and run – just slip out unnoticed, because she knew that she could be in trouble for touching Jesus when she was unclean. But her greatest nightmare came true. Verse 30, “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’”
Now, let’s think from her perspective. She probably knew that she couldn’t stay hidden. Then she must have slowly stood up, uncovered herself, and walked toward Jesus, wondering, “Will He reject me too? Will He publicly shame me? Worse, will He curse me for what I did?” And trembling with fear, she told Jesus the whole truth – how it started, all of her hurt built up over 12 years, the desperation, and what led her to touch Jesus. Now, this is so important to see because from her perspective Jesus’ call to identify herself, make herself vulnerable in public was a very frightening thing – possibly a humiliating thing; but from Jesus’ perspective, it was so that she can have peace in her heart. Friends, coming to Jesus, making yourself vulnerable before Him and His community could feel absolutely terrifying; but I want you to know that it’s more liberating than you think, it’s more sanctifying than you think. He invites us to come out not to humiliate us but to give us peace, to free us. But there was more for her. Jesus knew that she needed much more than physical healing. She was isolated. She was in the shadows. She was an outsider. So, by inviting her to tell her story publicly, He wanted others to know that she was clean – He wanted to release her from that horrible life of alienation by restoring her spiritually and socially. And the blessings didn’t end there.
Verse 34. I wonder if there was silence after she finished sharing. Even if it was a few seconds, it must have felt like an eternity for this woman. And this was how Jesus broke that silence: He looked at the woman and said, “Daughter.” The commentaries say that this word is a term of the most intimate endearment – you would never use it on someone you just met. In fact, this is the only time in the entire NT that Jesus addressed anyone with this word. This woman nobody wanted had just been called “my precious daughter” by the King of kings. This woman no one would dare touch was embraced by the most powerful and tender arms in the whole universe. This woman nobody else knew was known by the Lord of lords. You see, Jairus was a dad who was pleading for his daughter. But this woman had no father who would plead for her. So, Jesus became her father who wouldn’t only plead for her but actually give her what she needed. He was saying, “I know the situation is urgent; but I’ve got to stop for her. She doesn’t seem to matter to anyone else. She seems like an inconvenience to others. No one else sees her. But I see her. And I want her to know, and I want everyone else to know that she’s my daughter. I’m going to heal her and release her from the pain that has been keeping her in the dark. I’m going to give her a new identity, a new life.”
Brothers and sisters, hear this beautiful truth: no matter how urgent the situation may be, Jesus will always stop for you. Think about that. He’s not annoyed by your prayers; your needs are not an interruption but a concern to His own heart. He cares about everything that you’re thinking about, every single thing that you’re wrestling with. You have His attention. He’s not distant from you; He is near you. He wants to encourage you, challenge you, comfort you, strengthen you, guide you, provide for you, cry and celebrate with you because He sees you as His daughter and His son. And this is why we can have hope in this broken world.
Here’s an application for us as well. We just learned that Jesus stops for us when no one else will. Then as followers of Jesus Christ, we should stop for others when no one else will. This means that we must at times stop what we’re doing to look around even when our lives are busy and filled with urgent things. I know, this is not easy. This will be inconvenient. This may be costly – it may cost us money, time, energy, an opportunity for something that you always wanted to do. This could feel like an interruption to your life. But we’re called to share that love with others because we have been first loved by the Lord. Then brothers and sisters, what is God asking you to lose in order to care for someone today? Are you willing to sacrifice for their sake, for Christ’s sake? This is a high calling. But I pray that we would be a community that has the courage to stop for others, that will learn to love and care sacrificially with His help.
3) THE RESURRECTION
Verse 35. Mark brings us back to the story of Jairus. All this was great for this woman – but what about Jairus’ daughter? Imagine how anxious he must have been – his daughter was on the brink of death. Why was Jesus listening to her whole life story? This made no sense. Jairus must have thought, “I’m glad that she’s healed. Now, can we go? What are you doing, Jesus? Let’s go or it’ll be too late.” But Jesus didn’t budge and the thing that Jairus feared all along came true. Verse 35, “While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead.’” This miracle of healing was a powerful moment for this woman, but it just became a painful moment for Jairus – his precious little girl was dead. The people said to him, “Why bother the teacher anymore?” In other words, “It’s too late. There’s nothing Jesus can do now. Jesus was too late.” Can you imagine the emotion that flooded into his heart?
But listen to verse 36, “Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’” Now, the word “overhearing” also means “ignoring.” Then this is what was happening: ignoring, disregarding what they said, Jesus was inviting Jairus to hear what He had to say. Do you remember the quote that I shared a couple of weeks ago by Paul Tripp? He said, “Fear is, by its very nature, an interpretation of life.” We must recognize that we’re constantly interpreting every moment of our lives. Of course, no one does this consciously; but that doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. And here, Jesus was ignoring what the people said, their interpretation, their way of perceiving the situation and said to Jairus, “Let me interpret this for you. I know you’re afraid. You think that I let you down. But remember what I just did for this woman. Don’t let death get in the way of your faith in me. Wait for me. Watch me. Hope in me. Believe that I don’t make mistakes. Believe that I can do so much more than you can ever imagine. You came for healing but I’m about to give you something even greater.”
Friends, let me ask you: have you ever asked yourself, “Why isn’t God coming through?” Do you feel like He’s delaying something for no good reason? Are you trying to hurry Jesus? Are you done waiting? Are you ready to give up? If this is you, listen to what Jesus is telling you today: Don’t be afraid; just believe. In other words, He’s telling us, “I know what I’m doing. Don’t try to impose your thoughts on me because it will only rob you of an opportunity to experience my power and love for you.” Listen to what Pastor Tim Keller said, “Precisely because of the delay, both Jairus and the woman get far more than they asked for. Be aware that when you go to Jesus for help, you will both give to and get from Him far more than you bargained for. Be patient, because the deal often doesn’t work out the way you expected.” In other words, trust His goodness. He hasn’t forgotten you.
Now, we don’t know how far they had to travel but it was far enough that when they got to his place, the mourning process was in full motion. Imagine that scene. The family and friends were weeping and wailing loudly. The custom in that day was for people to rip their clothes and shout in agony. In addition, in their culture, they would hire professional mourners to help with the grieving. Now, you might think that’s weird but think of it as hiring professional musicians to your wedding to help with the celebration. Similarly, these professional mourners would come, play music, and cry with you to help you with the grieving. Regardless, it was this solemn, heavy scene that Jesus entered, and said in verse 39, “Why all this commotion and wailing?” What kind of question is that? Why was Jesus being so insensitive? Then Jesus continued, “You don’t need to grieve because the child is not dead but asleep.” Verse 40, “But they laughed at Him.”
These people who were wailing were now laughing at Jesus, mocking Him. Now, we could understand why they laughed – because we know that the dead stay dead. But they had no idea that there was another option possible in the person of Jesus Christ – that He was able to overcome even death itself. Now, before we move on, let me quickly point out that if we don’t guard our hearts, we can easily become cynical like the mourners here. We could say things like, “Jesus, I’ve seen it so many times – that’s not going to change, that’s never going to happen, that’s never going to get better, that person will never change.” This often happens because we don’t want to be disappointed; so, we guard ourselves in our hearts – we learn not to hope too much, not to pray too boldly. We want to stay safe – within the boundary of our knowledge and wisdom. We stop expecting much from God. In one sense, we want God to remain predictable. Does this describe any of you today? If so, I pray that God will break us out of this. May we see that He is far more powerful and wiser than we could ever imagine.
Well, Jesus got these mourners out of the way and went to the child. Verse 41, “He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’” The word “Talitha” as Mark explains means “little girl”, but this too is a term of endearment but in Aramaic. And the word “Koum” doesn’t mean, “Come back to life” but “get up.” Then listen to how Pastor Tim Keller explains this verse: “Jesus is doing exactly what this child’s parents might do on a sunny morning. He sits down, takes her hand, and says, ‘Honey, it’s time to get up.’ And she does. Jesus is facing death, the most ruthless, inescapable enemy of the human race, and such is His power that He holds this child by the hand and gently lifts her right up through it. ‘Honey, get up.’ Jesus is saying by His actions, ‘If I have you by the hand, death itself is nothing but sleep.’” Isn’t that amazing? Do you see how tender and gentle Jesus is yet how powerful He is? It just took one word and immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around. It’s as if she was saying, “Hi daddy, hi mommy,” and running to her toys to play as if nothing happened. It really is an understatement to say that they were astonished because their lives must have turned upside down witnessing something like this.
Now, you would imagine the story to finish with Jairus presenting the girl to everyone so that those who were cynical could repent and believe in Jesus. But it doesn’t – it ends with Jesus telling them not to tell others about this. Why? Because He knew that His ultimate mission remained which was the only thing that would truly ensure death remained dead. Brothers and sisters, no matter who you are, you can’t escape death. It could be any day for any of us. I’m not trying to be depressing; I’m actually trying to tell you something hopeful – bear with me. Because of our sin, death has become our ultimate enemy and we have been living under its shadow. There was no way out of this – until Jesus came. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, but He didn’t remain dead – He rose from the grave, defeating death so that those who trust in Him will have eternal life with the Father. In other words, if you face death holding Jesus’ hand, it’s nothing but a short nap. Then let me ask you: do you have faith to believe that Jesus has the power to save us from death? If you’re not sure, let me tell you: He is our only hope against death. So, wherever you are, I invite you to put your faith in Jesus today because He is victorious over death. Place your faith in Christ because He truly is mighty to save.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus has the power to heal and revive us. He has conquered death, and life could be ours if we would just come to Him. Then let us come with this desperate faith in Jesus Christ – our only hope – because He will always stop for us. He is never late. He is always on time.
Discussion questions
Have you ever been so desperate for Jesus? Why or why not? (Maybe connected to this is the question: have you ever been frustrated with God’s timing? Share your experience of waiting with others.)
How can we grow in courage and heart to stop and help those who may be in need when no one else does? What makes this difficult for you? Is there anyone you can help with today?
Jesus commended the imperfect faith of the woman. How can we be more encouraging to those who may be still immature in their faith in our church without condoning bad theology?
Jesus conquered death. How does this passage encourage you today?