Mark 5:27-29 - I will be made well

5:27,28

The woman came up behind Jesus.She would be seeking to avoid touching anyone, for if someone as much as touched her they would be unclean as well (Lev 15:26,27). Imagine what is was like to have lived for twelve years being someone who could so easily make others unclean for a time. She could not function as a normal member of society. She then touched Jesus garment, thinking that if she did this she would be made well. Somehow she knew that rather than making Jesus unclean, He would make her clean. Sinners usually make others sinners, but when sinners come into contact with Jesus it is we who are cleansed of our sins.

5:29

NKJV puts things rather dramatically here, saying the “fountain of her blood was dried up”, the ESV says the “flow of her blood” was dried up. On a physiological level the ESV is probably the more accurate here! Anyway, she was immediately healed. Moreover, she felt healed within herself. She knew she was now well. When Jesus heals us we are healed immediately.

Easter Day 1 - Such Love

This is a series of three meditations on the three most important days in history, on three days that changed the world, that can change your life and my life.

Easter Day 1 - Such Love

Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ was crucified by the Romans at the behest of the Jewish religious leaders. This was the greatest act of love in all history. As that famous verse in John 3:16 says:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV)

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross to die for you and for me. Jesus willingly went to the cross in order to die for you and for me. He did this knowing the absolute worst about me, knowing the absolute worst about you. Jesus did not go to the cross thinking Ian is quite a nice fellow really. No, He went there knowing the depths of my sin and my sinfulness. He went there to pay the price for my sin, He went there to do what I am utterly incapable of doing for myself, He went there so I could live, so that I could love.

Jesus went to the cross alone. He had been betrayed one disciple, denied by another, abandoned by all of them. He had been severely beaten, He had been mocked, He had been subjected to a show trial. The world had shouted “crucify him!”. And so the world did crucify Him, we crucified the one who loved us the most.

But this was not just an act of love towards us, it was an act of love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sometimes the cross is portrayed as a merciful Jesus persuading a reluctant, angry God not to send us to hell. This is not what was happening. God was acting to save us. Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all in it together.

May all of us gaze upon the cross today, may we meditate upon what the Bible tells us about the cross. May all of us do this, but especially any of us who have lost hope, who feel our life is out of control, that we are out of control, sinking ever deeper into a mire, utterly helpless. There is one who can help you.

The Lord is near to the broken-hearted

   and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, ESV)

Mark 5:21-26 - My daughter is at the point of death

5:21-23

We now get two well known healings. Jesus crossed again to the other side and was, as usual, met by a large crowd. In the previous incident Jesus was met by the demoniac running up to Him, this time he is met by a much more respectable individual running up to Him, but one in no less a desperate situation. This time it was Jairus, a synagogue ruler. So someone who was respected in the community. His daughter was very seriously ill, apparently close to death. He begged Jesus to come and lay hands on her so that she could become well. So the synagogue leader had heard about Jesus and believed that He did indeed have the power to heal.

5:24-26

Jesus went with Jairus, but while everything would end well, the journey would not be smooth as far as Jairus was concerned. As usual Jesus was followed by vast crowds. Out of this crowd was one woman, a woman who would be considered to be of little importance. She had had a discharge of blood for some twelve years. This would make her ceremonially unclean (Lev 15:25-27), and so would severely limit the part she could play in the religious life of the community, as well as the physical suffering involved. So there would be a psychological and well as a physiological aspect to her affliction. She had spent much money on physicians, but things had only got worse. It is worth noting that the physician Luke fails to mention this latter point in his account of the incident!

Isaiah 7:7-12 - Ask the Lord for a sign

7:7-9

There was no doubt all sorts of political intrigue and discussions on the military prospects, along with sabre rattling. “Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says ..” We need to recognise the limitations of human wisdom, which includes our own wisdom! “It will not take place”. At the time of writing (8 Feb 2019) there are all sorts of discussions about what will and will not take place with Brexit. Most of the talk will prove to be just that. It is the Sovereign Lord who is speaking here, the only one who really knows what is going on, and where it is all going to end. Damascus and Ephraim were just nations headed by men who were nothing. And Ephraim (Israel) would come to nothing.

So what is Ahaz to do? “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all”. We must stand firm in our faith at all times, whatever the pressures.

7:10-12

When Jesus was on earth people, particularly the religious leaders were forever asking for a sign, and Jesus refused to give them one. Here Ahaz is commanded to ask for a sign, but Ahaz refuses to do so, saying that he will not put the Lord to the test. This mirrors one of Jesus’ responses when faced with temptation in the wilderness. It is difficult to tell whether Ahaz’s response is a godly response, or simply being pig-headed. The latter seems to be the more likely. The last thing he wants to do is to have to trust in the Lord. This is a very human response.

Mark 5:18-20 - Tell them how much the Lord has done for you

5:18

The man wanted to follow Jesus, to be go with him. One can understand this reaction. The man had so many bad memories and associations with the place he was in. He had been despised and feared by the people there and understandably so. Why would he want to stay? On the other hand, Jesus had set him free and completely restored him. Therefore follow Jesus! The man begged Jesus to be able to follow Him. What a contrast to our imploring people to follow Jesus!

5:19,20

Jesus did not permit the man to follow him. Again, what a contrast to how we so often present Jesus. Now, Jesus was not rejecting the man, absolutely not, but He had a different task for him. Jesus is Lord and we need to obey Him. Instead the man was told to go home to his friends and tell them about what Jesus had done for him. These would presumably be friends from the time before he got demon possessed. They would probably be the most receptive. So the man obeyed! Often Jesus told people to keep quiet, this is one of the few occasions where the person obeyed. It seems that he went all around the Decapolis telling people about what Jesus had done for him, and many people marvelled at this. Remember that this region had a large Gentile influence, so this man’s mission may well have laid the groundwork for late evangelistic work after the resurrection.

Isaiah 7:3-6 - Do not lost heart

7:3,4

The Lord gave quite clear and specific instructions to the prophet Isaiah about meeting the king, Ahaz. Sometimes prophecy can be very specific, rather than generalities. The water supply would be absolutely crucial to Jerusalem, especially if there was the prospect of a siege. The message to be given to Ahaz was to be careful and quiet. The natural reaction in a time of stress is to make a big noise and possibly be reckless. We may not be kings, but we too should heed this advice. When we are under pressure our natural instincts are at their least reliable. He was also to guard against fear. Now see that God did not regard Rezin and Pekah as any serious threat. Again, we can apply the lesson to ourselves, the things we fear are often not half as dangerous as they seem. And we certainly need to guard against fear in our hearts.

7:5,6

Notice that the two nations had indeed devised evil against Judah. Again, just because something or someone had evil designs against us does not mean they will succeed. It is the Lord who determines the outcome of events. So we do not let fear reign in our hearts, instead we trust in the Lord. They even had a plan to overthrow Judah. Even so, we should not fear.

Mark 5:14-17 - In his right mind

5:14

Not surprisingly, this caused something of a stir! Those tending the pigs would be aghast, and wonder how on earth they were going to explain this one to the owners. The people of the town came out to see what had happened. Now we need to appreciate what has happened. Jesus has acted, and His actions have caused a major economic disaster!

5:15

Now we are back to the once demon possessed man. The man was now properly dressed and in his right mind. When Jesus gets involved in a person’s life one of things He does is restore our dignity. We were created by God in His image. We are the high point of His creation. Our sin has made a mess of all this. In some cases it is abundantly clear, and we can be a right mess. But Jesus has come to rescue sinners, and He restores us to the place that God always intended for us.

5:16,17

The people had a different reaction. First they were very afraid. They had been trying to control the man for years, and without success. Now he was completely restored. How could this be? Jesus must have some very strange power. Then they had lost the pigs, no doubt a considerable economic loss. They could not cope with Jesus causing such an upset, so they asked Him to leave. This is a sad reflection on us. Sometimes we would rather things stayed the way they were, even if that wasn’t a very good state of affairs, than have Jesus upsetting everything.