The Divine Delay

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 18 MAY 2025 – MR BRYAN CRUISE

MARK 5 VERSES 25 TO 34

THE DIVINE DELAY

The story in Mark 5 takes place at a very interesting scenario. Jesus is on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter who was sick unto the point of death. While he is following Jairus he is interrupted by this woman who has had an issue of blood for 12 years. He is held back, he had to stop and heal her disease. He was delayed in going to one miracle in order to perform another miracle. 2 individuals – Jairus and this woman with the issue of blood. One man and one woman. One rich and the other poor. One respected and one rejected. One was a leader of the synagogue and the other excommunicated from the synagogue. Jairus’ delight was his daughter of 12 years of age and the woman endured despair for 12 years.

“And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,” (verse 25) This woman had a bleeding problem and she had it since Jesus himself was 20 years of age. This stigma of haemorrage problem was second only to leprosy. Luke uses the word “affliction” meaning to whiplash or scourge. He used the same word again when Jesus was scourged or whipped in Pilate's hall. This bleeding problem was scourging her body. As a result of her disease this woman could not live in her own home. She was ostracized in society. She was excommunicated from her friends. She could not attend the temple of God. She was shut out of the womens’ court. In Luke 21 we read the story of the widow who put in the mite in the poor box. That incident occurred in the womens’ court. She wasn’t allowed in there. As an Israelite she was cut off from the people of God, cut off from the people who were meant to gather and worship, to do life together.  She was cut off.

“And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,” (verse 26). She had spent so much time and money paying physicians, trying to be healed. In Luke’s account he does not mention her spending money on physicians but Mark doesn’t leave it out. She grew worse with all the money spent. Eventually she is at rock bottom. She realises the Lord is her only means to the remedy of her issue.

“When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” (verse 27) Somebody had to tell this woman about Jesus. Maybe she overheard about him in a crowd, perhaps she enquired about him, maybe someone told her directly. Whatever they said they got it right. They had to tell the woman that he was a miracle worker, that he healed people before and perhaps he could heal her. Before you can believe right you have to be taught right about the Lord. To be taught right you have to hear right. What do you listen to during the week? We should be showing discernment in who we are listening to. If that person errors from scripture truth we must be diligent it out pursuit of knowing God for ourselves. She heard right and was taught right. It pursued her to action. Whatever you are taught from the word of scripture you are not only taught for the sake of being taught. You are not to be here just because you need to be. The fact that you are here today, that the message you hear should pursue you to action. She moved and then she went to find Jesus. James 2 verse 26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Faith moved her forward. Sometimes in prayer meetings and church services when we pray for an outpouring of God, sometimes we forget to pray for a outpouring of the church. We pray and speak sometimes almost as if heaven has held out on us. As if we expect Calvary again, the resurrection sequel. We expect Pentecost again. You and I pray sometimes for God to move in our area, in our church, in our family without realising you are a move of God in your family, church, community and area. When you pray for God to move in such places you are a movement of God in such places. This woman heard right. She believed right and it made her move in such a way. The local church prays for a move of God not knowing we are it. The Lord Jesus will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Hell is not advancing. Yes sin is abounding all the more. A gate is a stationery defence. Gates do not move. When it says that it is the church that is advancing, she is pushing against the stationary defence of hell. Hell is not advancing the church is. Christ is building his church. The church is advancing. This woman moved to find the Lord Jesus Christ.

“ For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” (verse 28). Luke 8 verse 44 tells us she came behind him and touched the border of his garment and immediately the issue of blood stopped. The word “touched” means to fasten onto or cling to. She clutched the hem. It is the same word in John 20 verse 17 referring to Mary Magdalene when she clasped hold of him in the garden. While it is possible she grasped the garment of the Lord Jesus all she needed was a simply grasp of the edge of his garment. That would have been enough. She touched the border of his clothes – a mustard seed size of faith. It only required a mustard seed size faith and that would have been enough. Luke 17 verse 6 “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Notice it does not say be cast into the sea but rather planted. Such a faith can do things like this. She came and touched the border of the Lord’s garment. There are so many things we could have said about her touch. Some would say that she touched the finished work of Christ. That it was a seamless piece of garment from the top to the bottom. Later we read in John 19 verse 23 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.” The soldiers were casting lots for that same garment. We read that it was without seam. 4 Roman soldiers casting lots for the garment of the Lord Jesus. Every soldier sought to leave with a piece of Calvary. They wanted the Lord’s garment. Would you not leave with a piece of Calvary today?

Here we have this garment that represents Jesus’ character and actions. One complete work, one uninterrupted piece of perfection. Jesus was perfect in everything he said, thought or done. “And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.” (verse 29) Incredible – not a penny to pay. The great physician didn’t give a hint of anything he expected of her. The gift was as free as air. This woman was held in the midst of all the crowd. It didn’t cost her a thing. Isn’t it aamazing that salvation is a free gift. We can do nothing to earn our salvation. The Lord did it all. Nothing required of you and I. This woman realised it required nothing only faith.

“And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?” (verse 30) Only Mark gives this account that Jesus turned around in the crowd. This woman’s faith got the attention of the Lord Jesus. He already knew the answer to this question. He looked about to see her. He knew exactly who touched him. The Lord is good at that – asking questions to probe a response. He asked questions simply to probe the mind of who is really listening. For them to come forward. The woman stepped forward. Before she does that the disciples asked a question. “And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” (verse 31) The disciples asked a question first. The interesting thing is there are so many in this street that day. Everyone is touching the Lord yet this is the only woman affected in our story. Everyone is touching him at some point but she is the only one who actually touched him.  There are many people in the world who are just like this woman. She went and touched the living word of God by faith and her life was changed. Others touched him and no-one else is touched as a result. Many read the word of God and their lives are not impacted – why – because they don’t touch it by faith. The other people did not touch in faith and therefore were not changed. This woman was different. The word “pressed” used here is the Greek word compressed or jammed. In Luke 8 verse 19 Jesus' own family were not able to get near him because of the crowd. This woman was the only one affected. She touched him in faith. How difficult that would have been for this woman. She has had bleeding problems for 12 years. She is now anaemic, low in iron. She was weak and this was a massive crowd. No-one can get near the Lord. This weak woman in this uncooperative crowd has to battle her way to get near to Jesus and she did. Maybe if Jairus had come before this crowd the crowd would have parted because he is a man of respect. Not for her.

 

Then the Lord continuing on in verse 32 looked around about to see this woman. The Greek word “looking” is the same as our word perimeter or periscope. The Lord in turning around scans the crowd, looking at the perimeter of the crowd, waiting for this woman to come before him and that is what she did. “But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.” There was a reason she had to do this. The reasons she had to come forward were simple. Firstly for her own sake. Jesus wanted to be not just her healer but her Saviour. If she had simply walked away with healing in her body she would have never known the Lord as her Saviour.  But she does. “ And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (verse 34) It also happened for Jairus’ sake. Perhaps he wanted Jesus to hurry to heal his daughter but he needed to see this miracle to give him confidence too. In verse 35 we read that Jairus had just witnessed this miracle of healing and it fuelled his confidence in God. He knew Jesus could heal his daughter because he seen a miracle with his own eyes first of all.  She also had to come forward because of society’s sake. Jesus did it for everyone to know he can heal people. An official declaration from the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone would know she had been healed that day.

This woman came forward and told the Lord everything that had happened. She told him all the truth. Everyone heard this woman that day. This woman came forward and touched his garment in faith. It was all she needed to do. Everyone heard her tell that story. Everyone saw that she was healed. That was all it needed to believe in him. To touch his clothes and you would be healed. Everyone heard and saw it. It happened as a result. Mark 6 verse 56 “And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.” Everyone heard and saw the testimony of this woman’s miracle and her testimony spread far and wide so much that in neighbouring villages and countryside when Jesus walked down the street all the people knew that all they had to do was touch his garment and Jesus healed them. If we shared our testimonies, of God’s work in our lives, if we shared the gospel with people more openly I wonder what the result would be? If we told it more often what would happen? Sometimes all we need is for people to share their actual faith. It is more likely people would be willing to step out in faith. “Courage is contagious, when a brave man takes a stand the spines of others are stiffened.” Billy Graham. This woman took a stand that day.  The bible says she was in fear and trembling when she stood before the Lord. No doubt we will do it in the same way but still do it. Don’t know what effect it will have on a person when we share our story about the Lord. In verse 34 the Lord calls her “daughter” He demonstrated how important she was to him. It was the only time he calls a woman this. To show she was in the family of God, “Thy faith have made thee whole”. He was emphasising her faith had made her well. As a result of her stepping out in faith in chapter 6 verse 36 we hear of others who are healed also. If we stepped out in faith, I wonder how many others would be impacted as well?

The story is told by a pastor in America who was praying for God to show him someone he could tell about Jesus. As he passed by a corporate office unit he saw a janitor cleaning. He decided that this janitor would be the person he would talk to. As he told the gospel to the janitor it was obvious the janitor did not care one bit about the gospel message. He had no response whatever. He knew that he was to share the message with him. The pastor went home deflated. Years later he was speaking at a conference when a man came up to him. He asked him if he remembered sharing the gospel message with a janitor in a corporate building years before. He told him he was not the janitor but rather he had been in the next room under his desk fixing his computer. He heard the pastor sharing his message with the janitor. That night he went home under conviction of sin and gave his life to Christ all because of overhearing that gospel message in the next room. You and I don’t know the impact we will have when we open our mouth for the Lord but let’s make sure we use our opportunities to share the gospel  message.