Is God Too Busy for You. (Mark 5: 21-43) 

 On more than one occasion I have heard people say, “How can God be in more than one place at one time. Now as a Christian believer you may not ask such a question. But on other occasions I have heard Christian believers imply God doesn’t have time for me. Maybe they haven’t said that, in that way, but maybe you have said something that sounded really humble like. “There is no need to pray for me, you don’t need to trouble God with my insignificant problems, he has better things to do”. “He has a whole world to look after”. I have had that said on more than one occasion in my life. Let me ask you, have ever felt that way, even though you haven’t said it. That God is a great, but you don’t want to bother Him because you or your problems are basically insignificant. I would like to speak into that perspective today, because there is something that happened when Christ walked on this earth that vividly illustrates a response to that way of thinking. Now this is an interesting section of scripture, no less because it starts by telling us a story about the ruler of the local synagogue and his sick daughter.

Then in the midst of that story the narrative is suddenly interrupted by the literal intrusion of an old woman into the proceeding. An elderly woman pushes her way into the middle of the story, an old woman suffering from uncontrollable bleeding. Then the text goes back and finishes the story about the dying daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. So, it very neatly folds itself into three parts today. So, let’s begin this with the story of the ruler of the synagogue. 

Jesus has crossed the sea of Galilee again and he is back on the west side of the lake and when he got there, we are again told that a great growd has gathered. Now if you read this whole chapter in one sitting you can’t help but notice on the east side in the area of the Gadarenes, they just told him to go home, but on the west side the crowds are flocking to him. What a contrast (I will try and explain why later). So once again he finds himself surrounded by a large crowd pressing in to get his attention. We see that the ruler of the local synagogue comes, and we are told in verse 23 he pleads with Jesus saying.

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”

(Mark 5: 21-23)

And the next verse tells us. 

So, Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed round him.

(Mark 5: 24)

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Now that’s important and we will see why later in the passage, but I want to pause here for a moment. Because there is a break here in the passage where the ruler of the synagogue has come and simply asked that his dying daughter be healed. However, the continuation of that story is put on hold because we see  the crowd “throng in”.(K.J.V.) Other translations talk about him being pressed in on every side. The story continues.

 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.

(Mark 5: 25-26)

Now this lady had a problem that was a very serious problem for all sorts of reasons. Not just physically but socially. The physical problem is obvious she suffered from continual bleeding. The social problem was that according to the Mosaic law a woman who was bleeding was always ceremonially unclean and if anybody touched here, they became automatically ceremonially unclean also. I don’t want you to miss the fact that these two seemingly separate narratives, together show a massive contrast in the people Jesus is interacting with. 

In the first part of it we have a ruler of the synagogue. This is clearly a highly respected member of the community. A man who would is in charge of maintaining the rules to ensure the community remained ceremonially clean. In juxtaposition to that we have this woman who is a social outcaste and had been ceremonially unclean for at least 12 years because of her illness. Imagine having a chronic aliment that not only caused considerable physical suffering but made you a social outcaste for over 12 years. How could you not be discouraged? How could you not feel anything but hopeless? But it’s worse even than that, because the text tells us she had also suffered at the hands on doctors. To make it worse we are told she had spent all her money and was no better, in fact she had got worse. After all the failures she had experienced with her illness and all the useless remedies, things had only got worse. She understandably felt hopeless… but then.

She heard about Jesus; she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

(Mark 5: 27-28)

She had probably heard he was healing the sick.

But it seems to me her first thought was probably, “I can’t interrupt him now, he is in the middle of dealing with the ruler of the Synagogue”. 

I don’t want to interrupt him; he is too busy with important people.

He is busy, and he is surrounded by some very important people, I’m not important, he will be too busy to help me. 

However, verse 27 says she didn’t just leave it at that, she obviously thought, I believe he can heal me, I have heard what they say about him.

What if, I just touch the hem of his garment as he passes by, that will be enough?

So, with a mustard seed of faith she makes her way through the crowd,

Remember everybody she touched if they knew it became ceremonially unclean.

And she touched Jesus, and this happened…

Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned round in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’

(Mark 5: 29-30)

What does he mean, “who touched me” his disciples say?

But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

(Mark 5: 31-33)

People who know Greek tell me, saying “she told him everything” means she told him what had just happened including that she had just been healed.

And we see Jesus responds.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

(Mark 5: 34)

Interesting, did you notice he called her “daughter”, because at this the point, she became his daughter?

The he says to her your faith has made you well, now the word translated well he is more often more accurately translated as your faith has ‘restored or saved’ you.

There is much more going on here than just a physical healing.

Let’s pause to remember where we are up to here.

The ruler of the synagogue comes and says come and heal my daughter.

But then an old woman has pressed through the crowd and touched his garment and been healed.

And now, we are going to go back to the ruler of the synagogue.

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

|Mark 5: 35)

O dear, it’s too late, they thought.

There was never even a thought that anything more could be done about this, they knew he could heal, but it had never even entered their minds that he could raise the dead.

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” (So, Jesus is saying don’t lose faith, keep believing – And then). And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

(Mark 5: 36-37)

Jesus takes just three with him to see the daughter of Jairus. 

His inner circle, so to speak, Peter James and John.

Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.”

(Mark 5: 38-39)

These people are just beside themselves with grief.

Because they believe she is dead.

We then see Jesus’ response to this situation is he says, “The child is not dead but sleeping.”

So, let me ask you a question, was she dead, dead dead, 

Or was she sleeping.

Dead or sleeping? (I would love to take a vote)

Let me be categorically here, she is dead, dead dead.

But if that is so, when why did Jesus say, she was sleeping.

A very good question, and a very important question.

Because in the New Testament, the death of a believer in Christ although recognized 100% as physical death  said to be no more than soul sleep, but the eternal soul of the believer is just ‘soul sleep’.

Remember when Lazarus had died and had been entombed for 4 days, the word Jesus used then is the same as the one used today, on both occasions he said they were asleep.

Did you know what the literal translation of the Greek word cemetery means sleeping place. (from the Latin coemētērium or the Greek koimētḗrion a sleeping place). 

The people standing around don’t really get this because it says.

hey ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.

(Mark 5: 40-41)

 Then Jesus clears everyone out and takes the mum and Dad inside and takes her by the hand and he speaks in Aramaic, and because Mark’s writing this account to a Greek readership he translates it for us as, “Little girl, I say to you, arise. 

 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it and said that something should be given her to eat.

(Mark 5: 42-43)

What’s this all about? There is more going on in these situations that just physical healing. I fell we need to pause for a minute and consider why did Jesus do miracles in the first place. If you have been listening carefully over these last weeks as we have progressed through the Gospel of Mark you may have noticed I have flagged up several different reasons why Jesus worked miracles, particularly miracles of healing. One of the main reasons was they were a way of confirming who he was and authenticating his message. In fact, the Gospel of John when describing the same events doesn’t even used the word miracle it calls these events signs.  So, they were authenticating what he was saying.

The second reason he healed people was simply because when he looked upon people, he had compassion. Sometimes the text actually says that, like in Mark 1: 41.

But there is a third reason, and this one is a little more subtle, sometimes he did it to communicate spiritual truths. Physical healing sometimes was an illustration of spiritual healing, therefore an illustration of the salvation of God. So, this is a much wider spiritual truth than just physical healing. Do you remember a few minutes ago I pointed out that Jesus called the old woman, daughter? That’s because he did more than heal her physically, he spiritually adopted her. Furthermore, he said, your faith has saved you. Granted he had saved her from the effect of the disease, but these words also echo spiritual salvation. This woman was not only healed, but this woman at that moment was also made right with God, she became a child of God. Notice, in both cases it was their faith that made them well.

Jesus is on his way to heal the dying daughter of a highly respected leader of civil society, and he stopped to heal a social outcast. (Who had faith). Jesus always pauses to pay attention to those who have faith.

Summary and Observations.

Putting all of this within the context of what has gone before, Jesus in chapter 4 has calmed the storm. To demonstrate he has power over nature (1). He them casts out demons to demonstrate he has power over evil. (2). He heals the sick, to demonstrate he has power over sickness (3), both physical and spiritual, and now he finishes her by raising the dead. Which shows that, Jesus has power over death itself (4).

So, the whole context so far is meant to demonstrate that Jesus has power over nature, demons, disease, and death. That to me seems to be the point Mark is making as he strings his narrative together.  Jesus has power over nature, evil, sickness and even death. But there is contrast here. When Jesus stilled the storm, the disciples had no faith.

Remember they said to him, do you not care. (No faith) When he cast out the demons the people were afraid and literally asked him to leave, to get out of the region. (No faith again) But when he cures an incurable disease in an old woman, and even raises a young girl from the dead, the people involved had faith.  These people believed. 

The critical part of this story I believe lies in recognising the contrast between the highly respected member of society and this social outcaste. 

She was nobody, he was a somebody.

He was wealthy, she was broke.

He was important, she felt unimportant.

But what they both had in common was faith.

Let me just conclude by making this final point. I started out this morning by saying, some people say to me, God’s too busy for me.  God doesn’t have time for me, I’m not important enough to worry about asking for prayer. But friends, that may sound sweet and humble, but maybe that’s just another way of saying, God doesn’t care about me. And I want to conclude by saying, yes - he - does. Believe that, have faith and believe that you are important to God. The Lord has time and pays attention to anyone who believes in him.  In this case both the poor old woman and the wealthy influential man with the dying daughter had faith, and Jesus paid attention to them both. God’s got time for you, and all you have to do to get his attention is to believe in Him and ask him to help, and he will always respond.