Victory Over Diseases
Mark 5:21-34
Introduction: Jesus returned again to Capernaum, and was met by Jairus, a ruler of the Synagogue, whose daughter is sick unto death. On his way to Jairus' house, the woman of our text interrupts him and receives a "wayside miracle" ... an "over-splash" of God's grace, mercy, love and power. She wasn't the focus of the journey, and the scripture does not even tell us her name. Yet, Jesus took the time to meet her need. God can meet your need any way he chooses. Mark has proved that Jesus gives victory over dangers as he calm the raging sea. Even when the disciples were fearful and had little faith, Jesus came through for them. Then Mark proved that Jesus gives victory over demons as he freed the demoniac of Gadara, even though the demoniac felt, alone, deserted, and helpless, Jesus comes to him. Now, Mark shows us that Jesus gives victory of the issues of Life, while he is passing by on his way to help others: Jesus demonstrates His power over diseases. The contrast between these two people who anxiously waited for Jesus is striking and reveal the true Love and Mercy of Jesus. Jarius was an important synagogue officer; the no name woman with the issue was considered a nobody, Yet Jesus welcomed and helped both of them. Jairus was about to lose a daughter who had given him 12 years of happiness; the woman was about to lose an affliction that had brought her 12 years of sorrow. How different their lives had been, yet they find themselves in the same predicament.
This woman had an incurable bleeding disorder. She had been sick for 12 years with this abnormal condition. Her constant bleeding has left her weak, tired, frail, and drained of energy. It is one thing to have a bad day, week, month, or year, but this woman had a bad 12 years! Under Jewish law, she was "untouchable" ... cut off from the rest of society, an outcast. She couldn't marry, or if she was married, her condition was grounds for divorce. She couldn't go to the temple to worship. She couldn't socialize ... she was an outcast. She is known not by name, occupation, family linage, age, or color. She is known only by what she had. According to Leviticus, anything or anybody she touched would be considered "unclean". If touched, that person must wash their clothes, take a bath, and would be considered "unclean" until the evening. She infected everyone and everything she touched. For 12 long years, she had lived in this isolation.
Everybody has "issues". The trouble with issues is that they not only affect us, but everybody we come in contact with. For this woman, her blood issue had become more. It was now a dominating force in her life. We may have more in common with this woman than we care to admit. You see, today we can place ourselves in the place of this woman because all the issues she had are the same the issues we have.
(1) She had a physical issue. -The issue of blood was a physical issue. For twelve years this woman was sick. Every day, every hour, every second she was aware of her physical condition. Maybe you are sitting here today also with a physical condition. Maybe it is also for more than a year now. Even worse, the Bible reveals that this woman’s condition grew worse and worse every day. Just imagine being sick for twelve years and every year, every month, every week, hour, minute and second your condition are becoming worse and worse. Imagine the feeling of hopelessness and desperation.
(2) She had a financial issue. Secondly she had a financial issue. The tragedy of it was that she "was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse" Her money was gone, her disease was gaining on her, her one chance came now with Jesus. In our days we can say she sold her TV, her VCR, her couch, her jewelry, all she had. She had nothing left. Everything was gone. No more money. No more resources. Nothing is left. She had one big financial issue.
(3) She had a relationship Issues – deserted by family and friends. According to the Bible in Leviticus 15 a woman with an issue of blood was regarded as unclean and anything she touched were unclean. Leviticus 15:19 – 27. For twelve years she was regarded as an outcast. She knew loneliness. She knew how it feels to be cast out of a community. She knew how it feels to be ignored by people. Nobody dared to come and visit her. She was all alone in this world. How many of us can relate to this, today.
(4) She had a faith issue. Lastly, she had a faith problem. How many of us today realize that after 12 years her faith was very low. Delay is a faith killer! With each passing year and month and weeks and days she grew worse and her level of faith smaller. But thank God, He is not only looking for great faith, but God also recognizes small faith. Mustard seed faith maybe enough to perform a miracle in your life. This woman found relief when she fell down at the feet of Jesus. That's a good starting place to find relief... at the feet of Jesus.
In the example of this desperate woman, there several important things I want to mention (1) Victory over diseases begin with a desperate desire to be well (2) A willingness to Act on Your Faith: put forth an effort (3) A Willingness to put Faith in Christ alone (4) A Willingness to Acknowledge the true source of victory and (5) A Willingness to Praise God and Testify before men. Her personal confession sealed the deal!
1. A Desire To Be Well - Most people would rather have "health" than "wealth". She was no exception, except that she lost BOTH. She had tried every doctor and every cure, but all it did was make her sicker and poorer. The Jewish Talmud gave 11 different cures for bleeding. Beside tonics and other remedies, the remedies ranged from “carrying the ashes of an ostrich egg in a linen bag in the summer, and in a cotton bag in the winter to squatting over 7 trenches. This woman sought every available cure and every available doctor. Nothing worked, and now she is both sick and broke. But She was rich with desire! No matter what you go through in life, don't allow the devil to kill your desire to well. I am amazing at the lengths that people are willing to go for physical healing, who are not willing to take a single step to benefit their soul. Physical healing at best is temporary, but healing for your soul is eternal. Do you have a desire to be well? Victory over diseases begins with a desperate desire to be made whole. More than that, you must act on your faith. Victory over disease requires personal effort.
2. A willingness to Act on Your Faith - There is danger in sitting around doing nothing. The attitude of some is, If God wants me heal, He will heal me and others say, If God wants me saved, He will save me. They fail to realize that 2000 years ago on Calvary, God demonstrated his will for us. God wants you saved, healed, delivered and set free. Although, the laws were against her, the crowd was against her and her own body and mind were against her, yet she kept saying, If I can but touch his clothes, I will be made whole. If we would have victory over the diseases of life, spirit, soul and body, we too must have a desire to be well and we must be willing to act on your faith, put an effort, and make our way into his presence and reach out and touch him.
3. A Willingness to Release Your Faith in Christ. The healing is not by mere contact with him. Many in the crowd that day had contact with Christ but received nothing. They were drawn by curiosity or habit or the crowd. They have no further interest in Christ. Some comes to Church from Sunday after Sunday, listen to the truth, sing his praises, hear prayer being made without any personal interest or application, and they leave with nothing. If we would have victory over disease, you must put forth your hand and personally take it. People come to Church for different reasons. Some will come simply to admire Christ while others will see his infinite worth and eagerly take the treasure offered to them. They will claim the promises of God personally. They make up their mind, "I will not leave until I get victory over dangers, victory over demons and victory over my diseases". "Greater is he that is within me, than he that is in the world."
4. A Willingness to Acknowledge God as the true source of victory - God's grace towards us is the source of Victory. God responds to this woman's simply childlike faith, and not her elaborate works. We too simply trust Jesus —that is all. The mode or the formula is not the most important thing whether it is laying on of hands, special oil, a special person, a word of prophesy. The result comes from the love of God. It is not in the garment He worn, not the healing cloths; healing comes from Christ alone. The methods is immaterial, we must trust Christ and Christ alone. He alone knows what is best for us. He alone can guide us through the dangers of life, the demons of life and the diseases of life so that we shall come out safely on the other side. Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust him. He knoweth the road that I take, and I shall come forth as pure gold." Victory over disease is through God's divine love and mercy. The woman touched the border of Christ's garment, that white fringe attached to the blue ribbon which bound his robe, and would have slipped into the crowd but Christ forced her to acknowledge her dependence upon him. Why? (1) to teach her and us that he is personally concerned about her healing (2) to teach her that this was not something against his will, He wanted her healed. It was his knowledge of her need, her faith and his love that brought him that way. She must see that Christ's healing power was his free gift, not to be taken in secret. He knew her desire and freely and lovingly gave her help. His love lifted her and will also lift each of us!
5. A Willingness to Praise God for His Goodness and Testify before men. Her victory must be celebrated by a public confession and not hid in secret. She had received her healing. She felt like she was healed. She believed she had been healed, but now Christ calls on her to confess what was done. Why? Her personal confession sealed the deal! Her confession is good for her. How much the woman would have lost had not Christ obliged her to confess him! She needed spiritual blessing as well as physical healing. She needed to take a stand on Christ's side for the sake of developing her character. She was brought nearer to her Lord. He calls her daughter to show a change in his relationship to her. 12 years she had been the living dead, but now she is alive by the power of God. There must be a demonstration of your gratitude. Secondly, her confession is good of others. It is important that the world knows that her deliverance came through Christ and Christ alone. The world needs to hear her story. They need to hear her give praise to God for His goodness and give testimony to men of God’s mercy and grace. God’s mercy is His forbearance in withholding punishment we deserve. God’s grace is Him giving us favor and blessings we could never earn or deserve. We will always confess what we truly possess. We overcome by our testimony and other will to!
Re 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
She did not know that Jarius', little daughter was about to die. Jairus needed to hear her testimony. When the news came, “trouble master no more, your daughter is dead." Jesus said to Jairus, "keep believing and your daughter will be well!" The woman could witness, “that’s what I did for 12 years, If Jesus did this for me, He will do it for you! Only believe! What was this woman’s secret? By the grace of God (1) Her victory came because she had a desire to be well (2) Her victory came because she had a willingness to act on her faith; she put forth an effort (3) Her victory came because she had a willingness to release her faith in Christ alone (4) Her victory came because she had a willingness to acknowledge the true source of victory and (5) Her victory came because she had a willingness to praise God for His goodness and then testify before men as His witness. Her personal confession sealed the deal! She was made whole.
