WHY DO I SUFFER?
Luke 8:40-46
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES:
The 5th grade Bible School class was reading about the tremendous crowds that followed Jesus during his earthly ministry. “Why do you think so many people wanted to be around Jesus?” the teacher asked. One boys hand shot up- “Because Jesus had money?” “No,” the teacher replied, “in fact Jesus was quite poor.” A girl then asked, “Was it because He was handsome?” “Well,” said the teacher, “Although we don’t know exactly what He looked like, the Bible tells us He was not extraordinarily handsome.” Finally, after some silence a boy raised his hand and said, “I think I know.. They wanted to be around Him because when they had questions, He always had the right answers.” Certainly one of the main reasons people were & still are attracted to Jesus Christ is because He has the right answers to life’s questions.
You know we all search for what is really important in life and we need someone with the right answers. “Why do I suffer? What happens after I die? Is there really a God out there who cares for me, who is willing to forgive me? Is this “Jesus-thing” real or is it a myth?” “Is there any real purpose to life? Those are significant questions and it’s important that we don’t look in the wrong places for our answers. Today, I want to begin a brief series by looking at three people who had significant questions or situations that Jesus answered or remedied. These people realized that the solution to their significant needs were answered in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. So, over the next several weeks we’ll look at how Jesus responds to our wonderment about death, how He answers our doubts and today how He deals with our desperation, especially with our sufferings. My prayer is that by looking at these situations that you will come to realize that He is the answer not only to these questions but to all that you would ever ask or need. Prayer
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON:
Suffering is hard, even for a man who knows the Bible and God.. Like C.S. Lewis who lost his wife, Joy, to cancer. VIDEO CLIP - “Shadowlands” 3:11 Life can be an awful mess can’t it? But are we like “rats in God’s laboratory” like C.S. Lewis says out of his grief? Why do we suffer? I believe no matter where you are in your spiritual journey; whether you are just seeking answers for the first time or whether you have been a Christian for a long time, or somewhere in between, we all need the answer to this question, or at least a plausible explanation. So, let’s begin our series by looking at a woman who suffered for over a decade and reached out to Jesus for the answer.
I. THE PERSISTENCE OF THE WOMAN:
First, let’s see the persistence of this woman. In vss:40-42 we see Jesus on his way to help a man by the name of Jarius. This man’s daughter was dying and he had asked Jesus to come help. While they were on their way a woman intervened. Vs:43 tells us that this woman had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. Most authorities believe that the "bleeding" spoken about here was a gynecological problem of continual hemorrhaging. Now, 12 years is a long time to be sick. That length of time would not only take it’s toll physically but in Jesus’ day it erected social barriers as well. According to the O.T. Law, because of her continual bleeding she’d was ceremonially unclean. That meant if she was married she was compelled to leave her husband and family. She could not go up to the Temple, or to church to worship. If she touched any object or any person, that object and that person had to be cleaned. So, this woman was totally ostracized because of her sickness. How low her spirit must have been. How hopeless her life must have seemed for 12 years.
Added to the social stigma was the financial burden she bore. This woman had been very persistent in trying to find a cure. She had apparently paid and consulted numerous doctors who were unable to help her. Mark says about this woman in Mk. 5:26 "Although she had been under the care of many doctors and had spent all her money, she had not been helped at all. Actually, she had become worse." (GW) Mark’s take on this is not only did the medical profession fail her, they took all her money to boot. It’s interesting that Luke, who wrote the passage we have printed, doesn’t say anything about that and that’s understandable because you know what Luke did for a living? He was a Doctor. Luke simply says, "..but no one could heal her." I don’t think Luke is “covering” for his fellow physicians, he probably just knew they had tried but could not find a cure. Nevertheless, she had spent all her resources. She is bankrupt in spirit, destitute in possessions and flat out desperate! That’s why she risks going into the crowd. If someone knows her or her condition she’d be forcibly expelled. But she’s willing to risk it & is able to go unnoticed because of the huge number of people. In vs:42 Luke says “the crowds almost crushed him.” The word used there can mean “suffocating.”So this woman can hide among the crowd, concealing the secret of her utmost need for healing.
But even though she is at low ebb from every aspect, physically, socially, economically, she still had one thing. She has faith in Jesus. Apparently she had heard of His ability and believed that He could heal her. We know that because in Mark, it says, (she) "touched his cloak because she thought, ‘if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’"(GW) And so she was willing to fight through the crowd, willing to risk ostracism, because she knew that in Jesus was the answer to her horrible situation. And so she got close enough to reach out and touch Him. She must have said to herself, "I know this man is from God and if I can just touch him, I will be healed." And so Luke says, "She came up behind him..”(he never saw her) "and she touched the edge of his cloak..."
II. THE POWER AND PASSION OF JESUS
And what happens through that touch shows the great power and passion of Jesus. As soon as she touches His garment Luke writes: “..and immediately her bleeding stopped.” Immediately, unequivocally, without a trace of doubt, this woman who has been in such agony for 12 years has new life. She must have had an incredible surge of health, something happened that left no doubt she was healed.
And then Jesus asks a rather strange question. "Who touched me?" Who touched him? Are you kidding? Everybody is touching him! The crowd is hollering and jostling him about as if he was bottle on the high sea. Vs:45 says that Peter made the statement that basically asked what I would.. "Who didn’t touched you?" Why did Jesus ask that question? Didn’t He know? Certainly all of us who believe that Jesus is the Son of God would say, "Of course He knew. In fact not only did he know who touched Him, He knew why." And yet Jesus asks the question.. Why?
I think there were several reasons. (1) Jesus wanted this woman to know that she wasn’t healed by magic. This wasn’t some kind of hocus pocus or voo-doo that stopped her bleeding. It was important to Jesus that she understand that it was her faith in Him as the Son of God that healed her, not some inanimate object like His robe or anything else. Her faith in Him was the crucial element. (2) He wanted the people to understand the purpose of His miracles. Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth was not to cure physical sickness. If that was the case He would of healed everyone and He didn’t. Jesus’ primary purpose was to “seek and save the lost” bring all into a relationship with God. And just as we use many different methods to accomplish our primary purpose of helping people to discover the One who changes lives for the better forever, so too the Lord’s miracles were just a tool, a method to accomplish His primary purpose. Jn 20:30- "Jesus did many other miracles in the presence of his followers that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you may have life through his name."(NCV) So, the primary purpose of Jesus wasn’t to relieve suffering. The reason Jesus did miracles and the reason the N.T. Christians had miraculous powers was in order to confirm that what they were saying and doing was from God.
(3) Reason for the question was because Jesus wanted the crowd to know of this woman’s faith. She falls at Jesus’ feet and then Vs:47 says- “In the presence of all the people she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.”She told everybody that she believed in Jesus and recognized His power as the Son of God. Often it is the person who has just discovered who Jesus is and what he’s done for them that make the best witnesses. If you would like to know why someone became a Christian just go up and ask them: “What has Jesus Christ done for you?” You may just hear them say what this woman did. Say, "I trusted Jesus and He healed me from the worst disease - sin - I’m forgiven! I have such peace even in the midst of my suffering because I know Jesus will ultimately take care of me. My Church has encouraged me, given me a place where I can be loved and feel needed. What has Jesus done for me? Given me purpose in this life and promised me that one day I will live in a place that knows no more suffering."
And so we have this lovely scene as Jesus and this woman are face to face. He says so gently to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." It’s as if no-one else is around but He and she. For a moment as she looked into His eyes and heard Him compliment Her faith, she was the most important and significant person in the world. A woman who had spent 12 years in loneliness and despair had now been healed and felt surrounded with love by the transforming touch of Jesus.
III. THE POTENTIAL FOR US:
Let’s look at a few lessons from this story. One of the most significant questions we have in life concerns our desperate situations. We too go through suffering. Oh, maybe not in the exact same way this woman did but certainly this life has given all of us a few “bloody” battles. What can we learn from this incident about suffering?
(1) Suffering is inevitable: Jesus provides ultimate healing. Sometimes when we read this story we think only of the woman’s physical suffering, and certainly having a bleeding disorder for 12 years is horrible. But she was also suffering financially in that she had spent all her money on so called cures. She was suffering socially and emotionally. She was considered an outcast, an insignificant blight on humanity. Yet this woman is also a perfect model for us, for our times of suffering. She had not given up, she had not yielded to the temptation to just sit back and cry “Why me?”
Why do we suffer? Let me answer that first by helping you see what God says is not the cause of suffering. Suffering does not come due to your sin! Now, some is a direct result of sin.. i.e. you commit a crime you may be imprisoned, you commit adultery you may lose our spouse and family. But please don’t think that just because you’ve made mistakes in your past that God has “zapped” you with some disease or calamity because of your past sins. It’s a common mistake, even Jesus closest followers thought that. Look what happens in John 9: “Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind? I.e.,“Who messed up causing this guy’s blindness?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.” (Message)
Suffering.. disease, discomfort, tragedy is the natural result of a fallen world. Before sin, in the Garden of Eden, there were no problems, only perfection. No disease, no storms, no suffering. But then sin came, man was removed from the perfect Garden and from that time on this world has become more and more contaminated by it’s effects and suffering is a part of the result. But, please listen very carefully to what I’m about to say. God does not cause suffering, however, He does allow suffering in this life for several reasons.
1. Suffering causes us to understand this life is imperfect and we need Him. One of the things disease or a freak storm or any trouble causes us to do is realize that we don’t have as much control over this life as we might sometimes think.
2. Suffering can strengthen us. Often the Bible talks about hardship as training. Athletes understand there is suffering in training - to make them stronger. “No pain, no gain.” 3. Suffering can help us be more understanding of someone else who suffers. I can’t empathize with someone who has diabetes like I can someone who has knee surgery? Why? Because I’ve had knee surgery. Suffering helps us help others who go through the same things.
You see, all these reasons can have positive effects on our temporary existence in this place we call earth. God can use suffering but He doesn’t cause it. And one day, God will ultimately heal us... It will be the way it was in the beginning, once again, in heaven.. Rev. 21:3-4: I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” (LB) Until then suffering is inevitable and Jesus alone can be trusted for ultimate healing.
(2) This life deals you dirt - Jesus wants your best. I’ve said this before but I will keep repeating it because it is so critical. Jesus doesn’t want to make your life miserable, He wants to transform your life for the better. Like this woman, He wants to make positive changes. There are a number of people that are afraid to surrender their life completely to Christ for fear their life will become boring or miserable. They think of Christianity as only a list of "don’ts". I want you to know that Jesus wants to change your life in a positive way. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest.” When he healed this woman her life was changed for the better. And Jesus Christ can give you a positive purpose in life too, transform you for the better, all by His touch. You may have heard this poem but it make this point so clearly. The Touch of the Master’s Hand by Myra Brooks Welch.
“It was battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bid, good people’, he cried, ‘Who starts the bidding for me?’ ‘One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?’ ‘Two dollars, who makes it three?’ ‘Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,’ But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man came forward and picked up the bow, then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening up all of the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet as sweet as the angel sings. The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low, Said ‘What now am I bid for this old violin?’ As he held it aloft with its’ bow. ‘One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?’‘Two thousand, Who makes it three?’
‘Three thousand once, three thousand twice, going and gone’, said he. The audience cheered, But some of them cried, ‘We just don’t understand." ‘What changed its’ worth?’ Swift came the reply. ‘The Touch of the Masters Hand.’ And many a one with life out of tune, all battered and torn with sin. Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd much like that old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone. But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand, the worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the Touch of the Masters’ Hand.”
Oh, don’t you see? That’s what we need for true significance. Do what this woman did. Know by faith, that Jesus is the answer to any problem, understanding that you have the promise that even if the world does it’s "dirtiest" and takes your life. They’ll only have done you a favor. You’ll be better off.
(3) The cure for much of our suffering is getting our mind off our problem look for possibilities to help others. The world says, “Take care of yourself” - Jesus says, “Reach out to others.” Our world promotes self, the old “look out for #1" is our culture’s motto. But Jesus says, “Real significance and a lot of times real change is accomplished when we reach out to others who need us.” When is the last time you gave of yourself? Jesus is our example. Notice in vs:46 that He felt power go out of Him, He gave of Himself. There was always a personal cost to Jesus with every spiritual transaction. To heal this woman power left Him, to forgive our sin, He gave up all power and died. And now, often it is through our love, our care, that His love is displayed and positive change comes into our life and the life of others. I love the story that Charles Swindoll share in his book Quest For Character. It is the story of Teddy Stallard.
“Teddy Stallard was not very good at anything. He wore musty, wrinkled clothes, his hair was never combed, he always had that expressionless face and answered questions in a monotone. When Miss Thompson got him in her fifth grade class she had to fight the urge to just flat dislike this kid. She found herself getting a certain perverse pleasure out of putting X’s next to his wrong answers and F’s on his papers. She knew she should know better, she had Teddy’s records and they were not good. 1st grade: Teddy shows promise but poor home situation. 2nd grade: Teddy could do better. Mother seriously ill. 3rd grade: Teddy is a good boy. Slow learner. Mother died this year. 4th grade: Teddy is very slow, but well behaved. Father shows no interest in him. Christmas came and the boys and girls in Miss Thompson’s class brought her Christmas presents. Among them was one from Teddy Stallard. On the brown paper wrapping was written: "For Miss Thompson, from Teddy." When she opened Teddy’s present, out fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet, with half the stones missing, and a bottle of cheap perfume.
The other boys and girls began to giggle and smirk but Miss Thompson at least had enough sense to silence them by immediately putting on the bracelet and placing some of the perfume on her wrist. Holding her wrist up for the other children to smell, she said, "Doesn’t it smell lovely?" And the children taking their cue from the teacher, readily agreed with "oohs" and "ahs." At the end of the day, when school was over and the other children had left, Teddy lingered behind. He slowly came over to her desk and said softly, "Miss Thompson...Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother... and her bracelet looks real pretty on you too. I’m so glad you liked my presents." She could hardly hold it back but when Teddy left Miss Thompson burst into tears and then got on her knees and asked God to forgive her.
The next day when the children came to school, they were welcomed by a new teacher. She was a different person because of Teddy. She was now an agent of Jesus Christ and she committed herself anew to loving and helping all of the children no matter what the circumstances and she especially worked with the slow ones, like Teddy Stallard. By the end of that school year Teddy showed dramatic improvement. He had caught up with most of the students and had passed some of them.
Miss Thompson didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time. Then one day she received a note that read: “Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating from H.S. 2nd in my class. Love, Teddy Stallard.”
Four years later, came another letter. “Dear Miss Thompson, They just told me I will be graduating 1st in my class. I wanted you to be the first to know. The University wasn’t easy, but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stallard.”
And four years later: “Dear Miss Thompson, As of today, I am Theodore Sallard, M.D. I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month. I wanted to know if you would come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have left. Dad died last year. It is the only honor I have to offer you for your kindness. I hope you will accept. Love, Teddy Stallard” Miss Thompson went and sat where Teddy’s mother would of sat. She deserved to sit there; she had done something for Teddy Stallard that had transformed his life. What have you given to others?
What a significant change happened for this woman. This woman had nothing to offer but her trust in Jesus but because of that she was transformed, changed for the better. And hers is indicative of the change that can come for each of us if we’ll just put our faith, our trust in Him. If you do, you to can hear from Jesus what she did.. “..your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
