The All-Sufficient Christ

The All-Sufficient Christ

by Rev. James May

Mark 5:21-43

One of the most troubling things that we hear every day is sound of sirens from police cars, fire engines and ambulances as they speed down the highway. We know that somewhere, someone is in trouble. I find myself often whispering a prayer as I see them go by, asking the Lord to help those who are waiting for their arrival.

What is even more troubling and frightening is when those sirens are drawing ever closer to where you are because it is your home, or your family member, or perhaps you, yourself, who needs their help.

If you have ever had a fire in your home, like we did some years ago, there is no more welcome sight than the fire engine, with lights flashing and siren blaring, as it screams down the street, comes to a halt and the firemen go into action. If you have ever been in an accident on the highway or had a family member have a medical emergency, the sight of a policeman, or an ambulance coming down the road to your aid, is a most welcome sight. Thank God for the men and women who are trained to handle those kinds of emergencies and who often will put their own lives on the line to help people like you and I in those times of distress.

In our message for today I want you to imagine with me that you are in the place of one of the characters in this story found in the Word of God. Let us begin by reading in the Book of Mark.

Mark 5:21-24, "And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him."

Only a few hours had passed since Jesus had done a mighty miracle in the land of the Gadarenes. There he had delivered two men from demons. (Matthew says 2, but Mark says one, because he only mentions the worst of them) The demons had left the men and entered into a herd of pigs causing the pigs to run off a cliff and drown in the sea.

After that miracle, the people of Gadara requested that Jesus leave. They didn’t want any part of his ministry because it was too damaging to their economy and too revealing of the sinful lifestyles that they lived.

Jesus is a perfect gentleman. He is God, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, and yet, He is also gentle, kind and very careful not to offend the free-will moral agency of men. He will not be where His is not wanted or invited. He will not do what he is asked not to do. He will not force His will upon those who want nothing to do with Him. And so, he left Gadara, entered into a boat, and sailed to other side of the sea where we see him in this story.

Of course, the fame of what he had done preceded his arrival, not only of the deliverance of the demoniacs, but of the teaching that he had already done and the multitude of miracles that he had already performed. There is no doubt that every where Jesus went, people were healed, set free from bondages and given a new lease on life.

Never a man had spoken with such power and authority as Christ! Elijah, Moses, Elisha and all of the prophets of old had spoken with power and authority under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, but all of them added together were only a drop in the bucket compared to the power of the Word spoken from the lips of Jesus. He is very God, in the form of man, and every word from his lips carried creative power, and power of authority and judgment. No demon from hell could withstand His Word. Sickness, disease and even death were under his control.

It is no wonder that Jesus was thronged everywhere He went. I can imagine that I would have been in that crowd too, if I had lived in that day. In fact, in a manner of speaking, we are all in that crowd right now. We are all here to hear His Word. We are all here because He spoke a miracle into our lives. We are all here because we recognize that no other man speaks like Jesus.