We’re in the second week of a series titled Good News for People Living in a Bad News World. All around us people are dealing with bad news all day long. Today, we’re going to get a burst of good news. Good news that will make a difference for someone somewhere.
Let’s Pray.
[S] “While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.
When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.” (Matthew 9.18-26, NIV) [S]
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Living on the Fringe. There are a lot of people living on the fringe. The fringe of life. The fringe of society. The fringe of work. The fringe economically. Some of you know what it’s like to live on the fringe.
The woman in this passage would have been living on the fringe. Her condition among other things forced her to the fringe. Her condition made her ritually impure. She could not go to synagogue. She could not go to the Temple. And whoever or whatever she touched would become impure as well and would need to be redeemed by following the prescribed offerings. So she kept to herself always floating around the edge or the fringe, possibly as long as 12 years.
Usually we associate living on the fringe as a negative or a problem or something to overcome. But I’m here to tell you that this scripture [S] reveals that living on the fringe is the better way to live.
Let me explain. This woman lived on the fringe in two different ways. She lived on the fringe as I’ve alluded to in the negative, but she also lived on the fringe in another way. Don’t miss this. Don’t let this slip through your fingers. She lived on the fringe of Jesus’ garment. She lived on the fringe of Jesus’ robe. She lived on the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. And that puts living on the fringe in an entirely different light.
Jewish men in Jesus’ day wore special fringes on the corners of their clothes or garments. It wasn’t to accessorize their fashion but was in response to God’s command in Numbers 15.37-41. “The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ” (NIV).
Observant or practicing Jewish men still wear these tassels which are called “tzitzit” (ziszis) on their tallit (taleet) or prayer shawl. These “fringes” are visual reminders of the 613 commandments of God. In a sense these tassels act like tying a string around your finger to remind you to stop by the store on the way home to pick up a gallon of milk.
But there was more to it than this. Apparently there was the belief among some that the fringe of the Messiahs prayer garment contained healing powers. The word translated for “fringe” or “Tassel” was also translated as “wings” in passages like Malachi 4.2. [S] “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings”. [S] This is taken as a prophecy of the messiah.
So, this woman was doing something remarkable here. She believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that he had healing in his wings and so she reached out for his fringe. [S] And in that moment she went from living on the fringe of society to living on the fringe of Jesus. Living by the fringe means being someone who calls upon Jesus for help. Living by the fringe means reaching out for Jesus. Living by the fringe means including Jesus as a serious option to making your life better. Living by the fringe means that you’re a person of faith who asks Jesus to get involved in your life. Living by the fringe means to be someone whose always going to Jesus for help. Her decision to live by the fringe made her life better. [S] Living by the fringe, it’s what Disciples do.
I want to share more of my testimony with you. Last week I shared how I lived on the fringe of life for a few years. Today I want to share with you my experience of living on the fringe of Christ.
It was around 1990 or 1991. I had been having some aches and pains in my side. Something just wasn’t right. After some tests including an ultrasound I learned that I had gall stones. Gall stones too big to pass, hence my symptoms. The doctor recommended surgery to remove the gall bladder. An appointment was made with a surgeon at Methodist Hospital in Lubbock, TX and a date for surgery was scheduled.
Sometime between that news and the date of the surgery I had United Methodist Evangelist Bob Mussmon preach a revival at Earth United Methodist Church. He was certainly more than this little church had ever imagined including myself.
On the last night of the revival preached upon the power of God. He concluded his message with an invitation for people who wanted to be healed from something to come forward. “Oh no” I thought to myself as I slide down in the pew. “Why did he have to do that?” No one moved forward. He made a couple more invitations and still no movement. And then he said, there was someone in particular who God wanted to heal and they needed to come down. And if they didn’t come down he would call their name. I thought, I’m moving next year. No one came forward. And then he said, “Bryan, I want you to come forward and let me pray for you.” And then he invited a few of the church leaders to come around me and place hands on me as he prayed.
I remember thinking to myself, this can’t be happening to me. I didn’t feel anything going on inside me. I didn’t feel any sort of surge. I didn’t feel any different. Quite frankly, I didn’t know what to think about all of this. I wanted to be healed, but I didn’t feel healed. So maybe I hadn’t been. And then I cringed because of the passages that speak of being healed as a result of faith. I remember reciting the words of the man who said, “Lord, I want to believe. Help my unbelief.” This went on for several weeks. In the end I was resigned to go through with the surgery. I guess I really didn’t think anything had happened to me.
But my wife was adamant about calling the surgeon and asking for another ultrasound to confirm or verify that I still had stones. I was embarrassed. This was a man of science. And this was my first major experience with a potential healing that seemed beyond my reasoning. But I called his office and spoke with his nurse asking for another ultra sound. When she asked why? My heart stopped. Oh man, how can I tell her without telling her. So, I sheepishly told her the truth. I had been prayed over and was told that I would be healed of my gall stones. And I didn’t want to have to go through surgery if that was indeed the case. Sometime later the surgeons nurse called back and said the surgery was still on and the surgeon didn’t see any need for another test. He had seen the original films and the gall stones which were too large to pass. I said, Okay, hung up and told Luckie. Luckie wasn’t happy with that. And so she made sure I scheduled an ultrasound at the hospital on our own.
I’ll never forget that day. I was on the table and the radiologist went to work using the sonogram. After a few minutes I could see his eyebrows furrow. He excused himself and said he’d be right back. When he returned he had another radiologist or technician with him who sat at the controls and repeated the procedure. They talked in hushed tones and pointed at the screen. After a few minutes they got up to leave and said we’ll be back. This time they came in with the lead doctor and settled around the screen. Finally, they turned to me and the doctor said, “Mr. Fink, we can’t explain this. But we can’t find your gall stones anywhere. If we were you we’d cancel your surgery.”
I said, “O let me tell you why I don’t have gall stones any longer.” And then I told them. I’ve not any issues with my gall bladder since then. Do you know why? Because I lived on the fringe of Jesus.
You found a piece of string or yarn in your bulletin this morning. This is to tie around your finger to remind you to be a disciple that lives by the fringe.
As we sing the closing song I’m going to make myself available to pray for God to heal some area of your life. But you’ll have to come forward and kneel at this altar. When you come briefly tell me where you’d like to see God’s power released in your life. I will anoint you with oil with the sign of the cross on your forehead and pray. If when the praise team is done with their song and there are still people wanting prayer, play another song and others can leave quietly. If you want to experience disciple life, maybe it’s time to live on the fringe.
The woman said, “If only I could touch the fringe of the Messiah.” What do you say?
