The woman with the issue of blood

Sermon notes from Sunday 15 July 2018 pm Mr Simon Snodgrass

Mark 5 verses 25 - 43

My main purpose in looking at the gospels of Jesus in Mark`s gospel was because some times we miss key things on how Jesus ministered.  The power of the gospel and how it was able to transform lives.  The gospel is still relevant, it is able to save men and women, boys and girls.  Romans 1 verse 16.

Quite a lot has happened before this narrative and a lot is happening even while Christ is dealing with this woman.  Jairus` daughter is also included in the context of this story.  Jairus had already come and pleaded with Christ to come and heal his daughter.  She was sick even unto death.  While he was on his way to Jairus` house this woman came on the scene.  How busy the Lod was on this occasion and on other occasions too.  3 thoughts on this lady - the condition she had, the position she was in and her great physician.

The condition she had - verses 25 and 26.  This woman is not named, she had an issue of blood for 12 years, just like Jairus` daughter was 12 years of age.  She suffered from an incurable disease for quite a length of time.  The Bible tells us it was an issue of blood, internal bleeding or haemorraging.  We are not told specificallly what it was but for 12 years she has sought to have this problem dealt with in a human capacity.  She had spent all she had and she was nothing better but rather worse.  Her health is declining and she had lost her wealth in the process.  Consider this woman`s passion.  She was not in a place to be healed, merely left to deal with it in her own way.  This illness was incurable and in a sense it was terminal to her.  Nothing the doctors could do for her.  It was having the opposite effect.  There are 2 points of application.  The effects of sin on this woman.  This woman`s health was as a result of sin.  Her condition was merely an outworking of her sinful condition.  Not because she was the worst sinner than anyone in the crowd that day but because of the fall of Adam this issue of blood was the result of sin.  Romans 5 verse 12.  This issue of blood was an outworking of her sinful nature.  Humanly speaking there was nothing that could be done for her.  In our sinful condition there is nothing we can do for ourselves.  The second application - there are certain things in the human aspect that cannot be cured.  She had tried everything and nothing helped her.  The Lord uses medical and technology but he is ultimately the one who can heal.  There are certain things man cannot do.  They have to be left in the hands of God.  Are we looking at human instruments to intervene?  The Lord is the one who gives life and takes life, cures illnesses.  He may use the hand of a doctor or surgeon but ultimately healing comes from him and his benevolent grace.  Jonah cried from the belly of the whale "salvation is of the Lord."  Spiritually speaking there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.  This woman`s condition was not because she was the greatest sinner.  John 9 verses 1 - 3 Jesus was passing by a man born blind from his birth.  The disciples thought it was because his parents were great sinners or he himself was some great sinner.  Jesus corrected them.  This condition is so that the outworkings of God could be manifested in him.  Sin flattens everyone of us.  There is not some hierarchy scale of sin.  We all fall under the curse of Adam.  We all must die because of that sin.  For someone else it will be a different illness.  Maybe mental.  Even if you live an earthly life sin will take you through to death.  In the end the woman had an incurable illness only Jesus could heal her.  Salvation is of the Lord.

The position she held - verse 27 "when she had heard of Jesus she came in the crowd behind."  She was at the back of the crowd.  That indicated her position in society.  By Jewish law she was ceremonially unclean.  Numbers 5 shows that and how those people should be dealt with.  If you went near such a person then you could be unceremonially defiled.  She was an outcast, alienated not only from society but also her family, people she knew and loved once.  She is at the back of the crowd.  In these chapters of Mark everywhere Jesus went there was a crowd of people gathered around him.  From all the people that had gathered to hear Jesus not one saw her need.  It was she herself that went through the crowd to touch Jesus.  No-one helped her, she did it herself.  The application is here - picture not only outworking of her sinful nature, she was also alienated.  Colossians "we are alienated from God."  Caught adrift, far from God, unable to have fellowship with God, in such a sinful nature.  Her position at this time was she was alienated from society.  So we see now her greater need of Christ.  To help us understand what was going on - chapter 2 verse 1.  We see the man sick of palsy who was carried to the house where Jesus was.  A large crowd was following Jesus but no-one brought him into the house.  Chapter 3 we see the man with a withered hand, ceremonially unclean, outcast, alienated from society.  Large crowds followed Jesus yet no-one saw his individual need of Christ.  The salvation of Christ means you must come personally.  He did not come to convert the masses.  Yes he can save many many people but God through Christ desires a personal relationship with us.  Mark 5 the demonic possessed by legions, he was out in the cave, outside of the city, alienated from his people, family, people he knew.  These are the kind of people Jesus came to save.  Verse 21 the woman with the issue of blood.  Large crowds of people of normal sinners wanted to see Jesus but didn`t see the need.  Jesus used these times to demonstrate he was God manifested in the flesh, it was the purpose for which he came - to save souls.  Chapter 4 at the calming of the storm we see Jesus was sovereign over nature.  In chapter 5 we see Jesus is soverign over the spirit world.  Now we see he is sovereign over illness.  He reigns for ever and ever.  We cannot deny who he is.  However think of all these things that have happened.  These crowds pressing in on Jesus.  The physical transformation was only to prove the spiritual transformation Christ had wrought in their lives.  The people did not get the point.  He didn`t come to preach that people might hear him.  He came to show them their need of his salvation.  If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, behold all things have become new.  Christ wanted to show people, to look them in the eye.  This physical transformation is only a manifestation of spiritual transformation.  You too need Christ just like these individuals.  Demonic man sitting in his right mind - the people asked Jesus to leave them.  Jairus` story - reaction of the crowd was to laugh him to scorn and get out of that city.  Until you see your need of Jesus you will be like the people in the crowd, might like to hear the stories of Jesus but until you come and recognise you are a sinner, bow the knee, you will never see that need.  You will continue to follow the crowd.  I do not need a Saviour.  I am fine the way I am.  Jesus spoke directly - you are the same as this woman, alienated from God, you need to be restored.  If you are restored you will have a story to tell.  That is the gospel.  Can you look back to a time when you came to faith in Christ? Do you have a story to tell?  This woman had a story to tell - do you have a story?

Her great physician.  What did Christ do specifically for her?  How was the work evidenced in her life?  Verses 27 and 28 reveal that this woman sought Jesus.  She had a  desire to be with Christ.  "If I may but touch his clothes I shall be whole."  She had heard about Christ but she also acted on it.  Verse 29 the moment she came and reached out in faith and touches the garment of Christ she was healed immediately of her plague.  For 12 years she spent all her money on trying to be healed yet she touched the garment of Christ and in a moment she was healed.  This story seems too simple to believe.  The touch of his garment was the outworking of her faith.  Verse 30 the reality is seen.  She has come, touched Christ`s garment and immediately was healed.  The disciples questioned Jesus as to why he had asked who touched me.  She has reached out in a small grain of faith.  That touch has become a reality.  We have emphasised Christ is sovereign.  We know Christ knew who had touched him.  Remember Adam in the Garden of Eden when God came walking in the cool of the day.  God asked "where art thou?"  God was giving him an opportunity to confess rather than hide.  He did the same with the woman in this story - he gave her an opportunity to profess Christ.  She was the one who had touched Christ.  That is important.  In the midst of it we have the disciples asking the question.  They are not clued in.  It was giving this woman an opportunity to confess her faith.  That is exactly what Paul said in Romans 10 verse 9.  This woman believed already, now Jesus is giving her the opportunity to confess with her mouth he is the Lord Jesus.  That small amount of faith brought her through that crowd and enabled her to touch his garment.  Now Christ gave her the opportunity to confess her faith.  Verse 33 is an important verse.  She came in fear and trembling, recognising who Christ was, recognising she had been healed.  She is testifying now of Christ.  She probably told how she spent all her money and nothing helped her, to be told that nothing could be done for her, that this was her life from then on.  Christ looked at her small act of faith, he gave her the opportunity to confess her faith.  It was God`s grace that healed her but it was God`s grace going through her, pushing her through the crowd and touching his garment.  Verse 34 Jesus accepts her for who she is.  He has wrought salvation in her heart.  Deeper truths are revealed.  Now she is a child of God.  No longer alienated in her faith.  She will have people in the faith, people who will love her, accept her, changed her outward circumstances in her community.  It is important to recognise her touch brought 2 elements of faith in Jesus.  There would have been all kinds of people bumping into Jesus.  It was her touch that was an act of faith.  Jesus responded with that small grain of faith.  He gave her an opportunity to come and confess her faith.  The Lord saved her, made her a daughter of the king.  She stands as a testimony like all the others as someone alienated then restored and then has a story to tell.  That is the gospel - alienated from God but needing communion with God.  We are saved by his grace and as a result we have an obligation to go and tell others.  Do you have a story to tell tonight?  Are you a Christian?  This woman is a daughter of the king.  Healed physically.  Transformed spiritually.  Do you know the Lord?  Have you an experience of salvation or are you still following the crowd?