Spiritual Healing – Preparing oneself for Heaven
Mark 5:21-43
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
[Healing Story #1] 21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. 22 One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet 23 and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
[Healing Story #2] 25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse — 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31 And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has 1made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”
[Healing Story #3] 35 While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39 And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40 They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41 Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.
This might sound a bit radical. However, it is a proper interpretation of the triad. Could Jesus’s power be limited by the faith of the individual? The knee-jerk reaction is that if Jesus is divine that His power cannot be limited. Stop for a moment and think about it. Those who deny Jesus may never experience the feeling of comfort and joy that disciples do. People who reject Jesus have to answer the question about what happens to the soul after physical death. Disciples of Jesus have the promise of salvation and eternal life. They lead a life led by the Gospels. Therefore they are following the ways of Jesus. Loving God and neighbor with all of one’s heart brings one close to Jesus. These individuals would be able to feel the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. There is comfort in knowing that one’s actions and words are pleasing to the LORD. People who reject Jesus will have a difficult time accepting the LORD’s gift of salvation.
Before I became a disciple of Jesus, the world seemed black and white. Wake up, go to work, come home, have some personal time, then repeat the cycle the next day. There had to be more to life than just that cycle. When I became a disciple of Jesus, I learned that life is more than a repetitive cycle. Jesus opened pathways for an exploration of the spiritual realm. Coming to understand the ways of the LORD through Jesus is a building block of faith. Faith is strengthened as one submits to the ways of Jesus and follows Him. This passage offers three examples of how faith is strengthened when one becomes a disciple of Jesus. For a disciple of Jesus, a spiritual growth plan must be established. A person with a deeper understanding of the ways will become a stronger disciple and will be able to touch the divine.
There is so much more to understanding the Gospel message than just “Jesus died for my sins.” I am not just referring to your learning the ways of the faith. I am referring to how your life changes. If you follow the practices of Jesus, then your life will have a purpose. You will have a purpose-driven life. Whether that life is to preach the word, teach the word, or support mission efforts, you will find a unique mission.
Sunday morning was a time for me. I was a Computer Integration Engineer. When any system or networking issues occurred, I was called. 70 hour weeks were typical. Taking a vacation meant at least 40 hours of work at home using remote TCP/IP lines. Sunday morning, I did not answer phone calls or my pager. This was my time. I would travel from York, PA, to Mechanicsburg, PA, to go to a flea market. I was an avid clock collector. I would purchase antique clocks that needed some TLC, and I would get them running. I had over 350 clocks of various types and sizes in the collection. I loved those clocks.
When I came to know Jesus Christ as my savior, and He called me into His service, the Sunday market trips came to a stop. I sold 85% of the collection to raise money to attend Seminary. I was happy about it. Why? It was because Jesus Christ cured me of my spiritual blindness. I was not working for the LORD. I was not doing anything in appreciation to the LORD. I was working for my family and me. Now, I must say I will never stop working for my family. But I can also say I have Christ with me in my decision-making for my family.
Healing in the Scripture can be physical healing, but it can also be a metaphor for spiritual healing. Spiritual blindness is one of the most common spiritual afflictions. I know this because I was spiritually blind for 37 years. I must also add an essential factor to the healing of spiritual blindness. You can never stop healing. After 25 plus years of studying the Bible and learning about the Gospel message, I know there is a huge amount of material I still need to learn!!
Too many people today stop learning once the church says they have all they need for a baptism or confirmation. What a shame! It is sad to see a person healed of their spiritual blindness only to see them become blind again. They won’t forget what they had learned to the point of the return of blindness, well usually, but if you stop learning, then spiritual blindness returns.
NEVER STOP LEARNING!! In my retirement, I have decided to tackle one of the longest writings from the ancient world. That writing is the Babylonian Talmud. Why do you ask? Because the Talmud describes the culture and political attitudes of the people in Judea and the Galilee, not to mention Hebrew people around the Roman Empire. The more you learn about Jesus’ culture, the more you will come to understand what the Gospels are saying. You can place yourself into Jesus’ time and understand why people acted the way they did. The Bible comes alive when you know how the different governments affected the life of the common person.
I urge you to think about your learning. Remember that Jesus said that we are to make disciples and educate them about the faith. That education part is a never-ending process. If you want to enter the spiritual world, which we also call Heaven, then you need to learn about it. Be prepared to enter the gates of Heaven. You will be glad that you did your studying. To learn more about Jesus and the Bible is to prepare for eternity at Jesus’ side.
