Gospel of Mark | The King Over Disease and Death

Two people. Two impossible situations. One King who has authority over both.

In this message from Mark 5:21-43, Pastor Jason Smith continues the Gospel of Mark series by walking through the healing of a woman who had suffered for twelve years and the raising of Jairus's twelve-year-old daughter. Both stories point to the same truth: the wind knows him, the demons know him, disease knows him, and even death knows who he is.

If you're facing something that feels beyond help today, this message is for you.

Scripture: Mark 5:21-43

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Transcript

Welcome And Lord’s Supper Setup

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Well, good morning, church family. Turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 5. Mark chapter 5. If you're a guest with us this morning, we're really grateful that you are here. This is a temporary location while our sanctuary is having uh some updates done. Uh all of that is going according to plan, as far as I know. And we should be back in there in August. Um we are grateful that you are here. If you are a guest, let me introduce myself. My name is Jason Smith. I have the awesome privilege of being the pastor here. Church family, we have the privilege of taking the Lord's Supper together this morning. And so, if on your way in you did not get elements, if you would lift up your hand, if you want to participate with us, lift up your hand, keep it there. Some deacons are popping around to make sure that you get this. Um, and so this is for every born-again believer. This is for Christians as we contemplate the beauty and the importance of the gospel. So, believer, right now, begin preparing your heart. The scripture tells us do not take the gos the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. And to do so would be to take lightly of our sins. So begin preparing your heart. Give the Spirit permission to speak to you so that we can take it together at the end of service. Hold your spot in Mark chapter 5. I'm going to start reading in verse 21 in a moment.

A Broken World Needs A King

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So a couple weeks ago, on June 24th, two devastating earthquakes hit back to back in Venezuela. Uh at least 3,800 deaths, almost 1,700 injuries, and more than 17, sorry, 17,000 injuries, and over 17,000 have been displaced, made homeless afterwards. You see, something is terribly wrong with this world. The war in Ukraine continues with an estimated 1.4 million deaths, more than 9 million Ukrainians displaced. The United States and Europe has given more than 400 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine. This is not the world that God created. Due to ongoing civil war in Sudan, nearly 19.5 million people will wake up this morning and face a hunger crisis. Something is terribly wrong. But we don't have to look at global events. Right here in our community, in our church, a fearful soul awaits the radiologist's report. A young mother miscarries her unborn child. A family is torn apart. Something is terribly wrong. Now the Bible explained all of this long before there was a twenty-four-hour news cycle. Because Genesis 3 happened, and sin entered the world, and death followed. Creation itself is under the curse, as Paul says in Romans 8, creation groans. And then we enter Mark chapters four and five. And it's almost as though Jesus has picked up our newspaper and starts walking towards every headline, a violent storm, demons, disease, death. And one by one he confronts them, and one by one they yield to his authority. You see, the king has entered his creation, and he is reclaiming every inch. Every miracle is a glimpse of the world that he has come to restore. Two weeks ago, Jesus stood in a storm, and creation obeyed his word. Last week he entered into Gentile territory, and an army of demons obeyed. And today, disease and even death will obey him. Listen, as I read, beginning in verse 21 of chapter five, hold your

Jairus Pleads For His Dying Daughter

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spot there. This is one of those sections where Mark does his sandwich technique, where he interrupts one story, uh, he interposes a middle story in the midst of another story. I'm not going to read the whole thing, so hold your spot because I'll continue to read as we go along. When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and so he stayed by the seashore. One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up and on seeing him fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is to the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her so that she will get well and live. And he went off with him. And a large crowd was following him and was pressing in on him. A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse. After hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind him and touched his cloak. For she thought, if I could just touch his garments, I will get well. Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding from him had gone forth, he turned around to the crowd and said, Who touched my garments? And his disciples said to him, You see the crowd pressing in on you, and you say, Who touched me? And he looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told the whole truth. And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, as we come to your word this morning, give us eyes to see your beauty and your power and your authority, King Jesus. Give us eyes to see that you have come to undo and to overcome all the consequences of the fall, because every one of us in this room needs that hope, needs that reminder of who you are, and that one day you will make everything right again, and that you have come to overcome it all. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Jesus has returned from the other side of the sea. And even as his boat arrives on the shore, the crowds await him. It seems that he stays along the shore for his own protection. Recall how he would often get in a boat so that he could preach and keep the masses from crowding in on him. But even in the chaos, Mark records for us that Jesus still has the attention for one man. Jairus was a synagogue official. This means that he was a very well-respected leader. But this also means that he is a part of the very religious establishment that has begun opposing Jesus. Jairus fights through the crowd. Can you picture him in your mind? A respected synagogue ruler elbowing his way through the crowd. He isn't worried about dignity anymore. He isn't thinking about his reputation. His little girl is dying. He falls before Jesus, not as a synagogue leader, but as a father. Jesus. It's my little girl. She is dying. Please. Please come at once. Come with me. If you lay hands on her, you could make her well. Jesus willingly goes. Can you imagine that walk? Every delay feels unbearable. Every person in the crowd is moving too slowly. Because every second matters. Jairus speaks quickly. She is only twelve. She is my only daughter. She is my entire world, Jesus. The crowd follows, still pushing in on Jesus. Everyone wants something from him. But Jairus only wants one thing. Please hurry. Suddenly Jesus stops. The question is absurd. The disciples can't believe that Jesus even asked it. Lord, everyone is touching you. But Jesus asked the question again. Who touched me? His eyes begin searching the crowd. Only one person knows exactly what he means. And trembling with fear, a woman steps forward out of the crowd.

The Unclean Woman Reaches For Healing

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Now abruptly, Mark has paused our story with Jairus in order to introduce us to a woman that was in the crowd that day. We are told that she has suffered for twelve years with a hemorrhage. Twelve years. Think back yourself twelve years ago. Twelve birthdays, twelve Passovers, twelve years of waking up every morning, hoping, thinking maybe today is the day, and yet going to sleep at night disappointed. Now, according to Leviticus chapter 15, her condition meant much more than physical suffering. You see, she is ceremonially unclean. Anything she touches becomes unclean. Any one she touches becomes unclean. She couldn't go worship in the temple, she couldn't gather at the synagogue. Strictly speaking, she shouldn't even be in the crowd that day. But the king has entered creation. And instead of him keeping his distance from the unclean, he draws near to them. Now Mark gives us more details about her life. She has spent everything she has. One physician, then another, and then another. Every new treatment brings fresh hope, but every disappointment leaves her weaker, poorer. Her condition increasingly worse. Some of you know exactly what this feels like. A new specialist, a promising treatment, only to end in disappointment. Twelve years, isolated, ashamed, out of money, out of options, humanly speaking, beyond help. And she's tucked into the back of the crowd that day as Jesus arrives on the shore. A crowd full of people needing their miracle from him. But you must understand, she is not like the crowd. As our account unfolds, it is revealed that she has genuine faith. You remember what Jesus said back in Mark chapter four? Take care how you listen. Because those who have real faith as you listen, respond. You see, Mark tells us that our woman has heard about Jesus, and it is her faith that has brought her to the shore that day. In fact, we are told that she believes that if she could only touch Jesus' cloak, she would be well. Not because she believes that his clothes are magical, but because she believes in who he is. Matthew gets more specific. He tells us that if she could just touch the tassels that hang from Jesus' garments. Did you know that Numbers 15 in Deuteronomy 22 commanded that Jewish men wear tassels on the four corners of their garment as a reminder of God's covenant promises? Now those corners were also called wings. Kanaf is the Hebrew word. It's the same word for corner and wings. And Malachi chapter four, verse two tells us that the Messiah would come and he would have healing in his wings or in the corners of his garments. You see, our woman isn't believing in some voodoo magic. She is believing God's word. Not simply that Jesus can heal, but she knows that he is the one that Scripture has promised. The king who will enter creation and undo the curse. See, as the crowd hurried towards Jairus' house, she made her move. One touch. That's all she wanted. And immediately the blood stopped. Twelve years. And like that, it's gone. And she felt it throughout her whole body. And she knew. And she hoped that that would be it. That she would slip back into the crowd and run home in celebration. But at once Jesus stopped, he felt the healing power go out from him. Who touched me? It sounded absurd to the crowd, but she knew. She also knew that as a woman of unclean blood, she wasn't allowed to touch anyone. For whoever she touched became unclean. So she hides. But to her horror, the king will not move on from this moment. Every second feels like an eternity, both to her and to Jairus. Finally, she steps forward. She falls to the ground and she tells Jesus everything. The twelve years, the doctors, the shame, the secret touch. She tells him the whole truth. Jesus stoops down. He is not angry. He doesn't shame her. He calls her daughter. He delights in her faith. And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. There is only one time in the whole of Mark's gospel where he calls someone daughter. See, for twelve years everyone has called her unclean. But now Jesus calls her his very own. And friends, she is a magnificent picture of what it means to come before Jesus in your desperation and find that he can make you whole. And church, do not miss that her touch didn't make Jesus unclean. Instead, his holiness made her clean. Now, as touching as this account is, for Jairus, this is agony. Every second that Jesus spends talking to her is another second that his daughter slips away. And then it happens. Jairus looks up and he sees someone coming from his house. And before the man can even speak, he knows. He already knows. Your daughter has died. Trouble, why trouble the teacher anymore? But Jesus, overhearing what had been spoken, said to the synagogue official, Do not be afraid any longer, only believe. You see, the interruption of the woman is perceived to have cost his daughter's life. Jesus was too slow.

Delay, Fear, And The Call To Believe

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Have you ever believed that? I mean, I know you won't say it out loud, but you've thought in your mind, Jesus, if you had only answered sooner, this wouldn't have happened. The servant asked, What can be done now? Leave the teacher alone. And Jairus's head sinks. His heart fills with the fear of a father who cannot bear the future. But Jesus commands his head up. Jairus, do not continue in fear. Instead, keep believing. You came to me with faith, keep believing. Now have you noticed what Mark just did? Because he stopped Jairus' story so that we would watch another. And initially, that story, it just seems like an interruption, but it's not. It's preparation. Jairus, you've just witnessed faith. You've just seen healing faith. That there was one in this whole crowd, there was one who was healed. Jairus, she trusted before she understood. She believed in Jesus. And now so must you. Jairus, you must keep believing to the point where you believe that Jesus is the dead.

Jesus Enters The House Of Mourning

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And he allowed no one to accompany him except Peter and James and John, the brother of James. You see, the crowd can come no further. Jesus dismisses them. Only Peter and James and John and the little girl's parents. Why do you think that is? By the time Jesus arrives at the house, it is already filled with mourners. Now that may seem strange to us, but it was it was custom. In the Jewish culture, it was common. Professional mourners would come immediately. And so when Jesus shows up, the house is filled with mourning and lamenting. The whole house echoes of death. They came to the house of the synagogue official and he saw a commotion and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, he said to them, Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but she is asleep. They began laughing at him. They laugh not because they're cruel, but because they know death. They know what death looks like. And dead people don't wake up. But this is exactly why the king has come. He hasn't merely entered a grieving home. He is behind enemy lines. Now their laughter exacerbates Jairus's fear. And so Jesus demands that they all leave the house. But putting them all out, he took along the child's father and mother and his own companions, and he entered the room where the child was.

Talitha Cum And Death Lets Go

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Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, Talitha, come. Which translates means, little girl, I say to you, get up. Now there in the room that Jesus has prepared, there is no commotion. He doesn't dance. He doesn't chant, he doesn't clap around the room, he doesn't light incense and do anything funny with smoke. No, no, no. Instead, there are only a believing few. And he kneels beside the bed where she lies, and he takes her hand. Under the law, touching the dead made you unclean. But this king is different. Death doesn't spread to him. Life spreads from him. Talitha come. Mark preserves the very Aramaic words for us. And they are astonishingly tender. They are the words that a father would wake his little daughter up in the morning. Little girl. Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old, and immediately they were completely astounded. And he gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and that he said something that should be given to her to eat. See, immediately she got up. Minutes ago, this little girl was lying lifeless, but now she's up walking. Mother can't stop crying. Jairus can't believe his own eyes. The disciples, Peter, James, and John, they stand there speechless. And then Jesus says, give her something to eat. Now that's just like Jesus, isn't it? That he cares for her in a moment like this. She's hungry. Give her something to eat. Church family, we cannot miss what Mark has just shown us. Remember back, the disciples asked, Who is this? That even the wind and the waves

The Last Enemy Is Sin

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obey him? And now for two chapters, Mark has been answering. The wind knows. The demons know. Disease knows, even death knows who he is. Because the king has entered creation, and every enemy of the fall is retreating before him. See, storms were never part of Eden. Demons and disease were never part of Eden. Death was never part of Eden. The king has come to reclaim what sin destroyed. But if you've been paying attention, you realize that there is still one enemy left. Jesus has conquered every enemy except for one. Sin itself. Which is why in a few chapters, he who spoke to the storm will remain silent before his accusers. And they will mock him. And he will take on the cross and enter death himself. Why? Because the greatest enemy isn't disease. It isn't even death. It is the sin that brought

Communion Reflection And Prayer

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it all. Church family, as we move towards the Lord's Supper, I want you to prepare the bread. That he was nailed to the cross for our sin. That he died in our place. You see, the power of death is sin. And Jesus was broken so that you and I could be set free. I'm going to give you a few moments in your heart to kneel before the cross. Confess your sins. As believers, we keep short accounts. We do not take lightly what our Savior has done for us. We acknowledge and we repent. Now I want you to prepare the cup. Because three days later, he walked out of that tomb. Never to die again. And every time we gather around this table, we proclaim his victory. We proclaim that our Savior entered into our suffering, our uncleanness, our curse entered our death, so that all who believe might become sons and daughters of the King. I'm going to give you again a few moments, but this time, believer, I want you to say thank you to your Savior. And I want you to celebrate the victory that He gives in our lives. Will you pray with me? King Jesus, there is no God like you. There is no God who enters the storms of our lives. Who is greater than every demonic force that ever comes against us, who is greater than our disease, who is greater than death itself. Jesus, we praise you. We thank you for your love and your compassion. We thank you that you took on our sin and you call us your own. We worship you and we praise you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.