Hurting People Are In The Crowd Series

The 3 C’s of a Healthy Church - Hurting People are in the Crowd

Mark 5:21-34 (p. 702) February 5, 2017

Introduction:

I saw this meme on my Facebook page that said, “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”

SHOW PICTURE

I discovered that truth long ago…In every single crowd is someone whose marriage is shattered…In every single crowd is someone grieving the loss of someone they love…In every single crowd is someone who has been abused or is struggling with addiction…In every single crowd is someone who is hurting physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Every one of us here today has been shocked by a marriage ending that we thought was rock solid. Every one of us has experienced the pain of a friend or family member who reaches a time when they can no longer hide the battle they face with pornography, or alcohol or some other issue they have tried to hide from people.

In this crowd this morning, I promise you, there are people who are at the end of their strength, because they spent all they have emotionally to try and fix the problem on their own, searching for a miracle.

Some think they are looking for love.

Some think they are looking for money.

Some think they are looking for a new opportunity.

Some are looking for answers.

Some are looking for fulfillment.

But what they are really looking for is a miracle!

Third Day has an amazing song entitled, “I Need a Miracle”. The first verse and chorus says,

Well, late one night she started to cry and thought he ain’t coming home. She was tired of his lies, tired of the fight, but she didn’t want to see him go. She fell on her knees and said, “I haven’t prayed since I was young, but Lord above I need a miracle.”

(And then the chorus says) Well no matter who you are and no matter what you’ve done, there will come a time when you can’t make it on your own. And in your hour of desperation know you’re not the only one. Praying Lord above, I need a miracle.

There are many common denominators found in this woman in our text, and every single one of us need a miracle.

The reason that the gospel is “Good News” is that Jesus can provide that miracle. It’s why those of us who have experienced His power are compelled to share the gospel.

What is the first element in the life of someone who needs a miracle?

I. DESPERATION

In this large crowd following…In front, pressing on him is a woman who had been hemorrhaging blood for 12 years. She had seen doctor after doctor. She is suffering and she has emptied her bank account trying to get better, but instead of getting better she kept getting worse.

She is weak, she is anemic, she is pale. She has reached the end of her rope and has no energy left. You and I know she has experienced depression and is discouraged dealing with this sickness for 12 years. And not only that, because the Hebrew law considers her “unclean” she would have experienced “social isolation.”

Don’t believe me? Listen to….

LEVITICUS 15:25 (p. 79)

12 years of physical, emotional, financial suffering…alone.

And when she sought help, those she trusted did more harm than good. These doctors prescribed remedies that did nothing, but they were glad to take her money.

But aren’t we just like her? We try to fix the issues on our own. We talk to people who pretend to know the answers, but we end up broke. Maybe we even try to self medicate with drugs or alcohol to numb the pain and nothing is working. We end up miserable and we need a miracle right now.

But then…

II. SOMEONE TELLS US ABOUT JESUS

Verse 27 tells us, “She heard about Jesus”…I am not trying to be silly, but someone had to tell her about Jesus.

“Faith comes by hearing the message of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

There were no newspapers. There was no Channel 18 News. There was no Facebook or Google.

She heard about Jesus because there were some excited people in the area talking about a Man who performed miracles.

Had they been guests at the wedding in Cana, where He turned water into wine? Was it the leper He cleansed or Bartimaeus who had been blind. Or was it the widow whose son Jesus brought back to life?

We don’t know for sure, but we know without a doubt, someone told her about the healing power of Jesus.

I can’t prove it, but I believe she encountered someone with a personal testimony of healing, someone who had been radically changed by the powerful touch of Jesus Christ. Here’s why I believe that. As she approaches Jesus from behind, urgently moving through the crowd, she thought, “If I just touch his clothes I will be healed.”