Searching For A Miracle
Mark 5:24-34
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• People today are searching for many different things.
o Some are looking for love
o Some are looking for money
o Some are looking for opportunity
o Some are looking for answers
o Some are looking for fulfillment
And some are just looking for a miracle!!
Whatever the reason, they are facing certain situations and their only answer is a miracle.
Webster’s defines a “miracle” as: an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is regarded as an act of God
You may find yourself at a place where you cannot solve your problem on your own, you have tried everything and looked everywhere with no success. Through your struggle you have failed to look to the One who can do what no other can do. We serve a miracle working God and nothing is beyond His power. Just think for a moment about all of the miracles that Jesus has performed in the Gospel up to the time of this miracle..
He:
o Turned water into wine
o Healed the Nobleman’s son
o Cast out demons
o Healed Peter’s mother-in-law
o Healed many of the sick in the city
o Cleansed a leper
o Healed the Centurion’s servant
o Healed a paralyzed man
o Healed the man with the withered hand
o Raised the widow’s son
o Calmed the raging storm
o Cast demons into a herd of pigs
As we come to our selected text we find one miracle being interrupted by another miracle. Look to Mark 5:24 “And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him” We arrive in the midst of the story of Jairus and his sick daughter. She was 12 years old and at the point of death, in fact she did die. Jairus went to Jesus for a miracle and that is exactly what happened, Jesus raised the little girl from the dead. As they are headed to Jairus’ daughter, Jesus is interrupted by the lady that we read about in verses 24-34. She is described as a “woman with an issue of blood” This was a lady who was searching for answers …she needed a miracle.
Tonight I want to preach on the subject “Searching for a Miracle” In this encounter between Jesus and this lady we see certain elements that may come in the life of one who is searching for a miracle.
Let’s see:
I. The Severe Desperation Involved v25-26
Miracles… people get real skeptical when you hear that word. Even Christians roll their eyes when you speak about God working a miracle. We fail to realize that miracles still happen today just as they did in the time of Jesus. It is one thing for an unbeliever to be skeptical about a miracle, but if you are saved you have already experienced the greatest miracle of all time …SALVATION!!! Some people have to reach a devastating situation before they are willing to open their eyes and see that God is their only hope and to see that God can & will work a miracle in their life.
Look at this woman’s situation for a moment:
A. The Sickness - v25a And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood
“An issue of blood” - speaks of hemorrhaging, or bleeding, from some part of the body.
This woman endured a continual flow of blood.Due to her blood loss, she would have been weak and anemic.She would have been pale in appearance and would have had no energy at all. Do you know what it is like to have no energy at all? It is frustrating and discouraging. We can assume that as a result of her physical ailments, she may have experienced depression and discouragement.
B. The Span - v25b “twelve years” - Not only did she face serious health problems, but she also found no relief. She had endured this disease for 12 years …over a decade of sickness. This woman would have been considered unclean according to the Law. This would have resulted in social isolation:
Leviticus 15:25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. 27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Could you imagine 12 years of isolation and separation? What a sad existence.
C. The Suffering - v26a And had suffered many things of many physicians,
She not only suffered the effects of her disease but she suffered as a result of those whom she has hoped could heal her. For a long time this lady had been looking for answer but to no avail. The Doctors were no help at all; you can read into this verse that they did more harm than good for this woman.
D. The Spending - v26b and had spent all that she had, - The doctors and their useless remedies had not helped her.
But they apparently took her money anyways. After all of her searching and suffering now she had spent everything she had. Here she is, sick, separated and broke! Yes I would say she is in a place of severe desperation! Oh, but it still gets worse! Notice:
E. The Spiral - v26c and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, - After 12 years and many doctors, After hoping and praying that the next remedy would be the one to heal her, Things just get worse …literally her life was draining out of her
As I mentioned, sometimes folks have to come to a place of “severe desperation” before they are willing to look to Jesus for a miracle. You may be here and spiritually you are in the same situation as this woman. You are suffering with an unclean disease …SIN!
You are looking for help, hope & happiness
You have searched everywhere with no success
You have looked to other people and they couldn’t help you
You have spent much money trying to buy things that will provide you with happiness …it didn’t work
You have dedicated yourself to you career and you are miserable; you have a void that cannot be filled.
You thought a new relationship might solve your problem
You thought that more material goods & money would make life better
You turned to drugs & alcohol to numb the pain you face.
You have tried it all AND NOTHING IS WORKING!!
YOU ARE MISERABLE AND YOU NEED HELP NOW!
You my friend are at a place of “Severe Desperation” and that may be the best place for you to find the answer that you need! This woman was at that point in her life and she found the answer… but how? That is the next thing I would like for us to see. Consider:
II. The Specific Information Involved - v27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
Notice the phrase -“When she had heard of Jesus”
How did she hear of Jesus?
• There was no Daily Home
• There was no Fox 6 news
• She didn’t have a Facebook account
• She didn’t have Yahoo news
She heard of Jesus because there were some excited people in the area talking about the man who had done so many miracles. We have already reviewed the miracles of Jesus thus far in the Gospels. It is possible that she has had a first hand encounter with one of the people who were healed. Maybe she had heard from someone who witnessed one of the previous miracles. Maybe she heard from someone who heard from someone who witnessed the miracles. Regardless, we know that somebody told her about the healing power of Jesus Christ!
I can’t prove this but I would think that instead of 3rd or 4th hand info, she may have heard a 1st hand account …a personal testimony, of someone who was radically changed by the powerful touch of Jesus Christ. Here is why I believe this - Notice her statement “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole”That statement alone shows extreme faith… Somebody shared a powerful testimony with this lady!
There are some people today who are in worse shape than this lady! She had a physical disease …they have a spiritual disease! There are lost people headed for hell who need to hear a powerful testimony of how Jesus radically changed you! When they hear and see what He has done in your life then they may be more apt to trust Him to TRANSFORM THEIR LIFE!! When people are searching for a miracle they need the specific information… THEY NEED TO HEAR WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU AND THAT HE CAN DO IT FOR THEM!
A story is told of a Hollywood actor “Stuart Hamblin” who was won to Christ by Billy Graham in 1949. Sometime after his conversion Hamblen ran into John Wayne who asked him about the rumor around town that he'd changed his ways. Hamblen told Wayne that it was no secret what God had done for him and that he could do it for Wayne too. Wayne said it sounded like a song and suggested he write one, Hamblen obliged:
"It is no secret what God can do”
“What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you”
“With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you”
“It is no secret, what God can do!”
Unfortunately too many people today are keeping secret what they should be shouting from the housetops! People need to hear the specific information concerning what Jesus can do in their lives! When people experience “Severe Desperation” and they are given the “Specific Information” then there may be a “Supernatural Transformation”
III. The Supernatural Transformation Involved - v28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
What do we see in verse 29? …A MIRACLE!!!
This woman exhibited great faith in her determination to get to Jesus. In past miracles the people were healed by the words of Jesus Some were healed when Jesus reached out and touched them. This lady says “All I need is to touch a piece of His clothes and I know I will be healed” Her determination is also seen in the fact that she fought her way through the crowd to get to Jesus.
v30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
There was a great crowd gathered around Jesus. This weak, frail, sickly and desperate woman fought through the crowd with what little strength she had. She finally gets to where Jesus is and she reached out and touches”the hem of His garment” We are told that “immediately the fountain of her blood dried up” The miracle that she had been looking for and longing for had happened. The thing that she had spent so much time, money & effort on was wiped away in an instant. This woman who was deemed unclean by the law is now clean because of Jesus!
WE CAN RELATE TO THAT!!!! Listen to what Paul said in - Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
When it came to the Law we were helpless and hopeless. We were deemed unclean! Just like this woman we did not have the ability to solve our problem, but praise God through the touch of Jesus Christ we have been healed!!
This woman with her physical disease sought Jesus, When it came to my spiritual disease Jesus sought me
Who He was and what He did
How He loved and Who He is
Jesus is the miracle to me
What could be more miraculous?
That God Himself would come to us
Jesus is the miracle to me
That is the last thing I would like to consider this evening. If you are “Searching For A Miracle” you may have to get to a place of “Severe Desperation” and you must have the “Specific Information”, Lord willing you will experience a “Supernatural Transformation” and when it comes to Jesus there will be a “Special Connection”
IV. The Special Connection Involved - v30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
As soon as this woman touches Him, Jesus felt “virtue” go out of Him. Virtue is a word that means “power”.In verse 30 Jesus asked “who touched My clothes?” Of course, there were dozens of people touching Him and bumping into Him in the crowd.Look at the disciples response - v31 and his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
The disciples said “Really, everyone is bumping up against you… LOOK AT THIS CROWD!” You see many bumped into Him, but this woman touched him with purposeThere are many people today who have “bumped into Jesus” … they have had an encounter with Him.
Then there are those who have been transformed by the power of Jesus, THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!
As Jesus spoke, this woman “fell down fearful and trembling” She came behind and touched the hem of His garment because:She was afraid of rejection! She must have expected Jesus to rebuke her for touching Him. According to the Law her touch would have made Him ceremonially unclean until sundown. Jesus’ response was far from what she had expected. - v34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.She was not just another face in the crowd… This woman was special. There was a “Special Connection”
With all of the other people there, even ol Jairus who was waiting on Jesus to heal his daughter, Jesus stops and takes time for this social outcast. Notice this one on one conversation between this lady & Jesus - "Daughter," "Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace and be well of your illness." What a beautiful verse… You can have a personal relationship with Jesus as well. A “special connection so to speak”
What HE did for this woman He can and will do for you!
A woman one day Tried many physicians
But daily grew worse in the bible were told
But when she had heard of this man called Jesus
She found what she needed for her body and soul
She said: If I can just touch the hem of his garment
If I could just touch one part of his robe
I know I’d be healed my sins all forgiven
If I could just touch him I know I’d be whole
One day I sat by the wayside begging
But nobody could help me down life’s weary way
Then my Jesus passed by and He heard my sad crying
And He Reached down His hands and he saved me that day!
Do you need a special touch from the Lord today? Are you “searching for a miracle”?You have a choice, you can bump into Jesus like so many in the crowd that day or you can reach out and touch Him with purpose.
You can find a miracle today!
