Scripture: Mark 5:21-34
Theme: Wholeness/Complete Healing
Title: SOZO Healing
This sermon looks at the woman with the Issue of Blood. Jesus was determined to heal her body, mind and soul (Sozo). She almost settled for only a physical (iaomai) healing. She almost settled for a lesser blessing. Are we tempted to do the same?
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer who came to take away the sin of our world!
To say that John Mark was a literary genius would be a gross understatement. The more you read his Gospel the more you are impressed with how he writes and how he allowed the Holy Spirit to give him the words to put down on parchment. This morning's Gospel lesson is a testament to his ability to flow in the leading and guidance of God's Holy Spirit.
Our story or rather stories this morning have been referred to as a sandwich passage. That is to say, our passage seems to have one main story with a smaller yet very important secondary story meshed right in the middle.
The passage starts out with Jesus returning from his trip from across the Sea of Galilee where he had freed a man of a legion of demons. You can read all about that in the first part of Mark chapter five. It is an amazing story of freedom, deliverance and discipleship in its own right.
Anyway, the news quickly got out that Jesus was back and Mark tells us that a great crowd of people had gathered on the shore line just waiting for Jesus to get out of the boat so that they could once again hear his words, be in his presence and hopefully see him heal someone or free them from bondage. However, before Jesus can get back his land legs this man named Jarius comes running up, falls at Jesus' feet and begs him to leave the crowd and come back to his house. His precious little girl is dying and Jarius believes that Jesus has the supernatural power to heal her. All Jesus needs to do is to come as quickly as he can to his house and touch the girl.
You can imagine the shock that went through the crowd that had gathered on that shore line. No one wants a little girl to die. Much less a little girl of one of the men who were their local spiritual leaders. Jarius was one of the ones that had led their Jewish worship services, that had taught them the Torah and that had helped their families when they were in need.
I can imagine everyone quickly getting up and begin leading Jesus towards Jarius' house. Time was of the greatest essence. Jesus needed to get to this little girl as soon as possible. No one or nothing could get in his way. I can see people gathering up their stuff, making sure the path was open for Jesus. I can see people running on ahead to tell the family that Jesus was on his way. Don't lose hope, the healer from Nazareth is coming.
It is right there that the sandwich part of our story takes over. Jesus gets slowed down. In fact, Jesus gets stopped. A little lady who had suffered from some type of blood disease (most likely some type of cancer) caused quite a scene.
Oh, she had not meant to cause anything. She actually just wanted to touch Jesus' robe and then move out of the way. She really didn't want anyone to see her or even to know that she was around. She was trying to be as discreet as possible.
Mark shares with us that for the past 12 years she had been doing her best to get well. But no matter how many people had tried to help her she couldn't find a cure. And now, after 12 years she was almost out of money and hope. We are led to believe that she had just about exhausted all her options and was at her wits end.
Some where she got the idea - "I will touch his robe" and I will be made whole. Matthew tells us that she just touched the hem of his garment where the little blue tassels were attached. She had this idea that if she just touched something that belong to Jesus then perhaps, some way, somehow she would be made whole.
It's amazing the things that we will be willing to do when we get desperate isn't it? Twelve years is a long time to have to deal with a continual life interrupting bleeding issue. Twelve years is a long time to go from this doctor and to that doctor and realize that no one can find the answer to your problem. Twelve years is a long time to take all kinds of medicines and cures only to realize in the end you are worse off than you were at the beginning. Twelve years is a long time to hold on to hope that perhaps the next doctor or the next bottle of medicine will finally be the cure.
You can almost hear her talking or thinking to herself. She had tried her best. She had gone to all kinds of doctors and traveled to places like Capernaum, Tiberias, Magdala, Sepphoris and even Jerusalem. Each town had specialists that purported the idea that they could heal almost any disease or condition. Each time she had set out with a heart full of hope. Each time she had come back home full of failure and despair. Each doctor or healer had said nearly the same thing.
- "Try this potion, this herb or this series of medications and I think they will work." - "Your condition is very hard to diagnose."
-"You can try this but we cannot make any promises."
- "I'm sorry. There is simply nothing we can do for you. The best we can do is to try to make you somewhat comfortable."
And now she had gotten up the courage to try this young holy man - Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps, he had the answer. The doctors and other healers hadn't given her any long lasting relief. Perhaps this young carpenter turned rabbi had the cure or knew what to do. At least this time it would not cost her an arm and a leg. All she would be out was a little time and effort.
But just as she had gotten to the shore Jarius had come and was now whisking Jesus off to his house. This might be her only chance to be with Jesus, see him and be healed by Jesus. She knew with each passing day that her life was rapidly coming to an end. Her strength, her courage and her determination was ebbing fast. She was so tired. Oh, how she was so tired.
She also worried about this little girl. No one needs to die so young. Not when she has her whole life in front of her. She doesn't want to cause Jesus to be delayed. But there is just no way she is going to be able to make it Jarius house. She doesn't have the strength.
Frankly, she is just stressed out. And so, in desperation she reaches out and hopes for the best. If Jarius thinks that this young rabbi can heal his little girl who is dying then perhaps he can also heal her as a full grown woman from dying.
Mark tells us in verse 29 that her plan worked beyond her wildest imagination. After 12 years of doctors, spending all that time going from one place to another, almost out of money some supernatural happened. Her hopes and her prayers were answered in a mere second. As soon as she touched Jesus' robe (those little blue tassels) she felt her body transformed. She sensed new strength. She experienced new vitality. She knew instantly that she was healed. But she must keep it to herself. She can't let anyone else know. Not right now. Jesus had to get to that little girl.
But then Jesus stopped. He quit walking. He turned around and around looking at the crowd and began asking the same question over and over again - "Who touched my garments?"
Her heart sank. Jesus was aware that something had happened. He knew that someone had been healed. Quietly, she had hoped for the best. Just stay quiet. Blend in. Perhaps, Jesus will quit looking and then move on. There is a little girl that needs him. She is afraid she will be exposed.
It seems as if the disciples and the crowd came to her aid. The crowd doesn't know what to think. Jesus' disciples don't know what to think. "What do you mean, who touched your garments." "Dozens of people have touched your garment." "What are you thinking, Jesus - 'Who touched my garment?'"
Jarius is no doubt beside himself. What in the world is going on? We don't have time for this right now, Jesus. We will tend to that later. Who cares who touched your garment? My little girl is right at death's door and you are wondering who touched you? Come on, Jesus, get your head in the game. Now, is not the time to go off on some goose chase wondering who touched your garment.
It is right here though that Mark's genius comes into play. We don't see it because of the way we translate his Greek words into our English words. Sometimes in doing so we don't get to see the majesty of the words that our New Testament authors used in their writing.
So, let's go back to verses 28, 29 and finally verse 34.
If you have a version like mine then the words you find there are
+ "I will be made well."
+Then - "she was healed of her disease" and
+ finally "your faith has made you well".
It doesn't sound that much different does it? It's a shame that when they translated this passage they didn't put a note in telling us just what a difference there are between those two words - "well" and "healed".
You see, Mark purposely uses two very different words. Two words that while they are similar in some ways are vastly different in others.
The words he uses are Sozo (sozo) and iaomai (ee-ah'-om-ahee). They are both words that deal with the process of healing. But sozo is a word that is used when one desires to be healed body, mind and soul. Sozo healing is one that reaches down to the very depths of a person's being. They not only desire that their physical body be healed but they want their whole life restored. They want a healing that is comprehensive and complete. They want a healing that bring wholeness to every area of their lives.
That is what this woman desired in verse 28. She was not looking for a mere healing. She needed something much more. She needed more than her physical body being put back into proper working order. She needed more than her blood condition restored to proper health.
Over the last 12 years, this disease had robbed her mind, her emotions and her soul. This disease had affected her spirit. This disease had broken her down bit by bit to the point where she was just a shell of her former self. She didn't want to just be healed physically, she wanted to be healed in every way possible. She wanted to leave that day back the same way she was 12 years earlier. Back then she was full of life, full of spirit and happy to be on God's green earth.
She wanted her whole life back. Not just a small portion of it. She didn't want just to walk away broken in heart, mind and soul with only the blood issue taken care of. She wanted her true self back. She wanted to be full of energy. She wanted to be full of life again. She wanted to be healed from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. She wanted her mind healed. She wanted her soul and spirit healed. She wanted to enjoy life again.
We then come to verse 29 however, Mark the word iaomai (ee-ah'-om-ahee) is used. It basically means healing - soundness of flesh - being rid of a disease or ailment. It does not have the depth or the reach of the world SOZO.
And in verse 29 that is what happens to this woman. She feels her body begin to be transformed. She knows that inside of herself something wonderful is happening. She can feel the blood dry up and she can feel the disease going away. She can feel her physical body being healed. But she also knows that it is just a physical healing.
It is right at that moment that Jesus begins to asking his question.
Why? Why did Jesus stop and take the time to deal with this woman? What was he doing? What was he wanting to do?
+Main Point:
Jesus was wanting her to receive all that she had asked for - A SOZO HEALING - A Healing of Complete and Comprehensive Wholeness
Jesus stopped everything because He knew that this little woman needed more. He knew that if He left her right then that she would go home healed but not whole. He knew that the process of her wholeness was only partially fulfilled. Jesus knew that she needed something more. She needed her heart, her mind and her spirit restored not just her physical body.
Mark wants us to take a pause right here. So, often we are so desperate for something from God that we begin to bargain with God and with ourselves that if we just get a little bit of a miracle that will be enough. We know how busy God is and we don't want to upset the apple cart so if we can just get a bit of a miracle then we will be happy. We will go home perhaps not fully healed or whole but then again beggars can't be choosy can they?
You see it all the time in worship services, small group settings and in Bible studies. People almost get blessed but then after a little blessing they quieten down. They feel that there is no need to raise too much of a fuss. A little blessing, a partial miracle or a little anointing is better than no blessing, miracle or anointing at all.
You see it when people come to the altar or spend times some time in prayer in public worship. They know that they need to spend more time but the hour is late and people have to go so they say a quick prayer, get a little help and hope for more on another day.
It's easy to convince ourselves that we can live on half way spiritual blessings. It's easy to convince ourselves that in reality that is all we can ever hope for. It's easy to convince ourselves that is all we ever deserve. We don't deserve God's full blessings. We don't deserve God's full anointing. We don't deserve God's best so we settle on blessing number two, three or ten or twenty.
The sad reality as we read this story is that this little woman was going to settle for less than what she had prayed for, hoped for and desired. Jesus was busy. There was a little girl who needed to be saved. She got part of what she needed. That would have to be enough. After all, it was more than she had ever imagined. Oh, she hoped for more but this would be enough. She would take her healing, her quietness and go back home. She would begin putting her life back together the best she could. Now that she was free of this hemorrhaging issue she would find a way to get it all back together. And even if she didn't then it would be okay. The main thing was that this horrible disease that had broken her down for the past 12 years was finally gone.
No more doctors. No more hiding. No more shame. No more people avoiding her and telling her that she was unclean. No more having to separate herself from her family and friends. No more people looking at her and wondering why she always had this odor of death around her. No more having to cut up old rags or spend hours cleaning and recleaning old cloths. No more doing her best to hide blood stains.
But Jesus messes everything up. He will not let it go. He will not let her go. Even though there is a little girl a few hundred yards away fighting for her last breath he will not let it go. He will not put one broken sheep ahead of another broken sheep. Both women, one young and the other one not so young were dying in their own rights. One had been dying for as long as the other one had lived. Because of that fact, some scholars have even wondered if she was in fact the little girl's mother who got the very rare blood disease after giving birth called choriocarcinoma or placenta cancer. So, some have speculated that what we have here is really a family miracle story. It's a story about a whole family receiving wholeness. It's a story about a whole family coming back together healthy and sound.
I don't know if that was the case because neither Mark nor the other Gospel writers tell us. It would be a nice full story if it is true but we simply do not know. What we do know is that Jesus stopped everything to take care of this little woman's needs. Jesus didn't want her to walk away with only a partial healing. She had come for SOZO not just for iaomai (ee-ah'-om-ahee). She had come to be fully restored not just to be relieved of her blood condition.
And so, Jesus gives her the opportunity to come forward and ask for a full healing. Jesus paves the way for her to receive exactly what she wanted and so desperately needed. Jesus knew that she needed more than a mere physical healing. He knew that the disease had broken her heart, her soul and her spirit. Jesus knew she needed a complete and comprehensive healing. She needed a full dose of Jesus' saving and healing touch.
All of this takes us to verse 34. Listen again to Jesus' words:
"Daughter, your faith has made your well (SOZO); go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
"Daughter" - not woman. Not sick woman. Not unclean woman. Not that woman that has taken my power without my knowledge. Not that woman who has held all of us up while a child is laying just yards away struggling to stay alive. But 'Daughter".
Daughter - a word that speaks of family, belonging and acceptance. Daughter - a word that speaks of love and caring. Daughter - a world that speaks of tenderness, mercy and grace. She was not just some woman. To God in Flesh - she was daughter. She was His Precious Daughter. One that would receive the best that God could give her. One that God would take the time to stop what He was doing to meet her needs. One that God would shower upon all his blessings and anointings.
She can now go back home. Not just physically healed but healed from the inside out. Her heart, her body, her mind, her emotions and her spirit are healed. The brokenness is all gone. The bitterness is all gone. The pain and suffering are gone. Her mind is clear. The spirit of life is back. Her eyes are once again alive. The joy of living has been restored. What made her - her was back. The light in her heart, mind and soul was back on burning as bright as ever.
It would not have been had she not stepped forward. We can all imagine how scared she was. No doubt she was scared beyond imagination. No doubt afraid that someone would attack her because she was causing Jesus to delay his trip to Jarius' house. No doubt a little worried that Jesus might turn around and curse her and give her an even greater disease.
But in that moment she saw the true face of God in Jesus. She saw the face of the One who in just a few minutes would take care of that little girl. While others thought the little girl was dead Jesus knew she was only asleep. While others thought that there was now no hope, Jesus knew better. Hope, healing and life is what Jesus does best.
This woman started out being desperate but determined to reach out to Jesus. Jesus was just as desperate and determined to reach out to her for a complete healing. Jesus was just as passionate about taking care of her needs as he was the little girl. When you are God, you don't get in a hurry. When you are God, you do your best to take of everyone's needs. When you are God, you can do the impossible not only once but a multitude of times.
I wonder this morning how many times we have settled for less than what God wants us to have? I wonder how many times we have settled for a little bit of blessing, a little bit of anointing and a little bit of grace instead of allowing God to stop the proceedings and give us what we really need?
I wonder how many times we have talked ourselves out of receiving God's full blessing in our lives? We have convinced ourselves to be content with only a little bit - telling ourselves that we can't expect any more. Telling ourselves that something is better than nothing and once again we believe that beggars can't be choosy.
But, in reality aren't we all just beggars when it comes to God, to grace, to healing, salvation and wholeness? Aren't we all in some shape or form like these two women?
Oh, we may not have a physical disease or an emotional condition but we all do have a terminal problem - SIN/UNHOLINESS. We have something more hideous than a physical disease - we have allowed ourselves to be infected by sin - we have rebelled against God and rejected His Holy Ways. We have a condition that we can't cure ourselves nor can anyone else in our world.
Only God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit can heal us of our sins. Only God can put our lives back into the right order. Only God can help us find restoration and newness of life. Only God can help us live a genuine human life here on this earth and one day on the New Heaven and New Earth.
Today, we share fellowship and experience joy by sharing the Lord's Supper together. We come to the table invited guests of Jesus. We cannot earn our way to this table nor can we take it by force. We come as people needing God's grace, God's mercy and God's love. We come acknowledging His Lordship. We come to receive healing of mind, soul and spirit. We come as fellow brothers and sister (fellow beggars) to the One who receives us as His Own Sons and Daughters. We come to the One who can and will give us New Life. We come to the One who loves us more than we can ever imagine. We come to ask and receive wholeness of body, mind and spirit.
This morning as we prepare our hearts to receive the Lord's Supper let's take some time to be with God's Holy Spirit. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, to search our minds and souls. To allow God's Holy Spirit to bring healing and wholeness into the very depths of our being. To allow God to do a work that only He can do. Let's allow God to bring SOZO to all of us today. Let's receive Him today as we gather at His Table.
Music/Lord's Supper/Pray/Blessings
