Power Over Sickness and Death
Notes
Transcript
Jesus has the power over sickness and death
Jesus has the power over sickness and death
Scripture
Mark 5:21-43
Session summary
In this session, we continue our study through Jesus’ miracles.
As Jesus healed a sick woman and raised Jairus’ daughter, we see the power of God displayed—a power that overcomes sickness, shame, and even death.
As Christians, we minister to those who suffer from sickness and shame, with faith that God is mighty to save and to heal.
Jesus’ power overcomes the shame of impurity and curse of death.
INTRO
The Bible describes God as omnipotent.
Derived from two Latin words, omnipotent means all powerful.
Nothing can compare with His overwhelming and matchless power.
Jeremiah, otherwise known as the weeping prophet, wrote about God’s power as he gazed into the heavens:
“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer. 32:17)!
Through His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, we see the omnipotence of God—in creating the world, parting the Red Sea, sending manna from heaven, raising the dead, and even walking on water.
Tragically, many of us have become so familiar with God that we’ve lost the sense of “wow” when we encounter Jesus in the Gospels.
We read the stories of Jesus performing miracle after miracle, and yet we often remain unmoved, unimpressed.
We are too accustomed to the power of God in these stories.
What we need is an awakening to the overwhelming sense of the power of God.
We need to experience awe and wonder when we encounter the reality of who God is.
We need renewed understanding that no problem is too big for Him.
What happens to our relationship with God when we are no longer in awe of Him or His power?
Why is awe and wonder important for our relationship with God?
The purest diamonds are known by their clarity.
The clearer the stone and the bigger the size (measured in carats), the more expensive the diamond.
Still, the reality is that most diamonds form with imperfections. These imperfections in diamonds are called inclusions.
Diamonds are ranked based on these inclusions.
A diamond with no flaws visible when magnified is considered flawless, while a diamond with inclusions that can be seen easily without magnification are much lower on the scale and described as having obvious inclusions.
Nicks and dings on the surface of the diamond can be polished away, and won’t affect the diamond’s value as much as a crack just under the top part of the stone.
Name one other interesting fact about diamonds. What new information did you learn about diamonds today?
Just as diamonds have imperfections, so do we.
Some of our flaws are more visible than others.
Some are only seen with a closer look at our hearts.
Either way, Jesus didn’t just come to “polish” our flaws, He came to forgive us for them and free us from them.
His power overcomes the shame of our mistakes.
His purity washes out any impurities in us and fills us with His righteousness.
HIS STORY
As we continue our study of Jesus’ miracles, we now turn to two miracles that happened around the same time.
The way Jesus healed these two people teaches us some specifics about Jesus the miracle-worker—that He has power that overcomes sickness, shame, and even death.
JESUS ENCOUNTERED A SICK WOMAN ON THE WAY TO JAIRUS’ HOUSE
Today’s passage contains a story within a story.
It begins with Jesus on His way to help a man whose daughter was at the point of death, but then someone else showed up.
Take a look:
21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.(Mark 5:21-29)
Take a moment to list several signs in the story that the characters are desperate.
What other actions do you associate with desperation?
Let’s start with the first person in need—the man who is desperate for Jesus to heal his daughter.
Perhaps you’ve felt that sense of desperation, or know someone who has, after receiving news from the doctor that turned your world upside down.
Maybe you heard the words “she only has a few days left, a week at the most,” or “you’ll deal with this issue for the rest of your life.”
Your situation seemed desperate, and you felt like your whole world was crashing down.
Jairus was desperate because he knew that, without the power of God, he would lose his daughter.
The woman who touched Jesus was desperate as well.
For twelve years, she had suffered from an illness that afflicted her in more ways than one.
She’d suffered physically from the illness, financially (after seeing countless doctors), and socially (because of the shameful nature of her disease).
Like Jairus, she knew that her situation was hopeless without Jesus.
Jairus and the woman knew where to turn.
They fixed their hope on Jesus.
Perhaps that should be the first truth we recognize when we feel desperate: We should fix our eyes on Jesus.
Neither of these characters believed that their hope was in themselves.
They would not have embraced the teaching that healing only comes to those who have enough faith.
They didn’t have faith in their faith, but faith in the Savior.
Both individuals focused their faith in the right place.
JESUS HEALED THE SICK WOMAN
The woman in this story had more than just illness to deal with.
There were the constant societal pressures.
She was considered “unclean” because of her situation.
So not only was she hoping to have her sickness healed, but also the negative label that it brought.
Watch what took place when Jesus realized she touched Him:
30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:30-34)
Because of her disease, this woman was subject to ridicule and shame.
Her rights as a citizen were affected.
Now, picture the scene. This woman, rendered unclean by her condition, was trying to get to the Messiah—the only spotless, innocent, pure Man to ever live.
According to the law, her uncleanliness should have kept her from approaching Jesus.
But there was something about this Man she had heard about:
He had power to heal.
And that’s just what He did.
This woman’s story provides a picture of our spiritual state.
Because of our sin, we are all impure and estranged from God.
Because of our sin, we usually shrink back from approaching Him.
Not so for Christians.
You and I can have confidence before God because of Jesus.
Shame no longer controls us.
Shame no longer has the last word.
Shame no longer drives us to the darkness, but is blinded by the light.
Jesus hung the cross to die a death He did not deserve so that we might become His righteousness, and be holy and blameless before Him (2 Cor. 5:21; Col. 1:22).
His purity overcame our impurity.
Through our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, our shame is removed, our guilt is absolved, and we are declared holy before God.
Yes, we still struggle with our flesh as God continues His process of making us more like His Son.
But even when we struggle, we are no longer sinners who are failing, but sons and daughters who are accepted, forgiven, and in the process of being transformed.
JESUS BROUGHT JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER BACK TO LIFE
Now we find ourselves back in Jairus’ story.
Jairus had asked Jesus to heal his dying daughter, and Jesus had agreed to come with him.
Now, Jairus had been standing in the crowd, eagerly waiting for the Great Healer to come to his house.
Can you imagine the anxiety in his heart?
Nervously looking at Jesus with one foot toward Him and other toward his beloved daughter, Jairus waited with everything hanging in the balance.
During that time, Jairus got dreadful news.
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her,“Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:35-43)
Have you ever been there—waiting on God, and the unthinkable happens?
Can you relate with this anxious father?
Perhaps it was receiving news you desperately didn’t want to hear, or perhaps it’s the loss of a loved one like Jairus.
No matter what has happened, the One in whom we trust has defeated death, and we don’t need to fear its curse.
There are several reasons why we can and should trust Jesus in these situations.
First, we trust Jesus because of His power.
Death is no match for the power of Christ—it does not get the final word.
Why else do we pray to the Lord on behalf of those who are on their deathbeds?
Because that’s what we are supposed to do?
No.
We seek the face of God because we are sure of His sovereign ability to heal.
Second, we trust Jesus because of His presence.
Jesus was with Jairus every step of the way, giving you and I an example of His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Josh. 1:5).
No matter what you are facing today, by faith, take hold of the promise that Jesus is with you.
Third, we trust Jesus because of His compassion.
Compassion never filled a man more than it filled the life of Christ.
Jesus is able to sympathize with our weakness in every way (Heb. 4:15).
He knew exactly what Jairus was feeling.
You might ask, if Jesus was so compassionate, then why did He wait to tend to the child who was near death?
Why did He stop to help this woman who had been sick for twelve years?
Couldn’t she have waited?
Jairus might have even thought to himself, “That woman’s disease will always be there.
Jesus, can’t you come back to her after you heal my daughter?”
Yet, there was a divine purpose for why Jesus waited.
He knew that Jairus had to get to a place where he was fully dependent on Him.
God often allows difficulties into our lives to bring us to the end of ourselves so that He really is all we have.
CHRIST CONNECTION
Our all-powerful God has created everything we can see, taste, touch, and smell.
He has also demonstrated His power through His Son Jesus, through miracles Jesus performed while He was on the earth.
From these miracles, we know that God’s power spans the physical realm:
The woman with the issue of blood was healed after painfully enduring her sickness for twelve years.
Jesus simply spoke, and she was healed of her disease.
In addition to the physical realm, we see that God’s power also spans the spiritual realm.
The bleeding woman’s impurity was covered by His purity.
And, in Jairus’ family, Jesus overcame the curse of death with life.
Christ has done the same for you and me.
He has taken away our shame and put our guilt on Himself, freeing us to proclaim His riches to a lost and dying world.
If this is our God, then what should your response be the next time you face a challenge in life?
God says that response should be trust.
Pray