Sermon for the NE OH LWML Spring Rally May 7, 2022
Healing & Restoration Through Jesus
In the Name of the Father, & of the + Son & of the Holy Spirit
Grace to you and peace from the One Who Is & Who Was & Who Is to Come!
And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to entreat Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes were pressing against Him.
And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of His cloak; and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she shall be made well.” And when He had come to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” And her spirit returned, and she rose immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.1
The woman with the hemorrhage would have had a particularly difficult life in first-century Palestine. According to the Law, she was considered ceremonially unclean, which would have affected every aspect of her life. She was allowed no fellowship with the public. She was not allowed to worship at the temple. She not only suffered physically but mentally as she endured twelve years of solitude. While we do not live under the ceremonial laws of the old covenant, we do present ourselves as unclean, defiled by sin, and therefore have broken relationships with God and one another.
She was desperate. Having spent all she had trying to find a cure, she had done all she knew how to do. St. Mark records that not only did she find no relief, but her condition actually got worse. Her situation was becoming more grave with each passing day. We can find ourselves in much the same situation. So many spend all they have to fill their lives with peace and joy, only to find themselves in debt and worse off than ever. Their endless searching leaves them empty and devoid of real comfort or satisfaction. As the woman in our text found, there is only one solution to this search.
Because healing in the spiritual realm is not to be found in people and procedures of this world. Untold lives end in tragedy because their time in this world runs out without ever having known Jesus. They are determined to solve everything on their own terms and by their own efforts, thinking this pale shadow of life is all there is. Their efforts are doomed to fail, just as everything the woman in our text failed in all her expenditures and efforts. Just as she traveled from one doctor to another, many today go from vice to vice, distraction to distraction seeking to fill a void with only one solution.
For twelve years, this woman suffered, but somewhere in her sojourn, she heard of one who offered real help. Yet there remained still another obstacle to her receiving complete healing. When Jesus arrived in Galilee, the people were waiting for Him. Jesus' fame has spread, and He is near the height of His popularity with the masses. He is lauded as a great healer and miracle worker. It sounds like He is exactly what she has been searing for. But the crowds press in so thickly around Jesus that she does not know if she can ever get to Him to seek His assistance. Jesus' reputation has preceded Him, and the masses had thronged the area. Before she can see Jesus. She must overcome this obstacle. It was as if the whole world was standing between her and Jesus.
It is now 2022, and the world is trying to stand between Jesus and us more than ever. The world has no use for Jesus. Lucifer wants to be Jesus, or pretend to be, and will put obstacles in your path to prevent you from seeking Jesus and chase anything else instead. You want to focus on yourself. The world wants you to focus on it. The devil will aid both of those efforts with extreme prejudice. That is why the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to record events like our text this morning to regain our focus on where it should be placed.
The woman's life has been fraught with suffering, but this was all about to change instantly, not because of her efforts but because of God's grace. For she had not only heard of Jesus, the miracle worker, but she had also heard of Jesus, the man sent from God. He was no ordinary teacher or physician. Did she yet understand that He is the Lord? Perhaps, perhaps not, but she soon would! She knew if she could only touch the tassels of His cloak that that small contact would be enough. She would be healed. Her encounter with Christ was all of that and more. She was seeking Jesus, but she did not realize that Christ was seeking her.
When she touched Jesus, Jesus knew. He felt “power” leave Him. You can’t put it in human words. Power, what else can we call it? But it is so much more. Jesus is the source of the power, and He is the power. The total healing and salvation Jesus brings are now hers. Mission accomplished! But there is more to the story. Jesus looked around to see who touched Him and asked His disciples. But the disciples told Jesus, “Look at this crowd pressing in on you from all sides! Everyone is touching you! How are we supposed to answer your question?" But Jesus keeps looking. St. Mark records that Jesus "looked around" to she who had touched Him. Here's an interesting thing. "Looked around" in Greek is in what is called the middle voice. We don't have that in English; it doesn't translate concisely. You have to act it out. It means Jesus said, "who touched Me" as He looked around and continued looking around with sustained great interest and focus. The woman immediately knew she had been healed after she touched Jesus. Jesus, of course, knew He had healed her and who she was. The rest of the story is for our benefit.
Jesus told her that it was her faith that had made her well. Faith changes everything. A touch of faith does not go unnoticed. Our text tells us that an uncounted multitude brushed up against Jesus that day. Most of those touches came to nothing. Some others maybe did. This event is recorded specifically so we can see the result of a touch of faith and the healing and restoration that faith in Christ can bring. David wrote, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”2 And also, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”3
Jesus can heal anything. See how our Lord raised Jairus' daughter from the dead! To Him, death is no more than sleeping. By faith, anything we ask is possible in prayer if it is God's will. And He promises to answer all prayers, in His time and in His way. When we seek healing, it may be that He grants it to us, like he did the women in our text today – actual physical healing in this life. Even if it is not His will that such physical feeling is granted, total and perfect healing is granted to all who believe in the life of the world to come. For the ultimate act of faith is to believe that our own eternal resurrection depends on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The woman Jesus healed did not keep it to herself. She made it known to all who had formerly ostracized her for her uncleanness. Now clean, she was able to reenter society, and she brought the good news of faith in Christ with her. She declared what God had done for her in the presence of that multitude and continued to do so. You are no different. That is why you are here today. By faith, Jesus has touched you and made you His. Today, let His Gospel heal and restore you so that you may continue to proclaim Christ and Him crucified to the world so that others might be touched and healed by Him, too. For that is how Jesus seeks and saves the lost, the outcast, and the hurting – through the words and actions of those He has touched already. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
May the peace which passes understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
1Luke 8:40–56 (NASB’77).
2Psalm 37:5 (ESV).
3Psalm 34:15 (ESV).