A life of light and a life of darkness

Mark 5:21-43

I want to speak about DARKNESS and LIGHT in the lives of two people and how Jesus met their needs in both cases.

1. One was the LIGHT in her father’s life, she was his beautiful princess, the joy of his life, in her sickness Jairus on her behalf came to Jesus for Him to heal her, to restore her not only life, but to restore Jairus his LIGHT again.

I want to speak about DARKNESS and LIGHT in the lives of two people and how Jesus met their needs in both cases.

2. The other spent her life in DARKNESS and sorry, no one came on her behalf, because sadly her sickness casted her outside, with no family or friends, she was unclean, untouchable, YET all she needed to do was to TOUCH the helm of Jesus.

Jesus TOUCHED both, and both where healed, both entered

into life and LIGHT again. Both made contact with Jesus. One alone, and one in the midst of

a crowd.

1. JAIRUS DAUGHTER IS HEALED; SHE WAS A LIGHT FOR 12 YEARS, IN HER FATHER’S LIFE.

21 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. Back on the western shore of blue Galilee, the Lord Jesus was soon in the center of “a great multitude” there are many in need of Jesus’ touch in their lives. An upset father came running up to Him. It was Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue. His little daughter was dying.

22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet. Jairus, “one of the rulers of the synagogue,” was a lay leader charged with supervising services at the synagogue. Aware of Jesus’ miraculous powers, Jairus approached Jesus with perhaps the greatest need he had ever faced. He knew that Jesus could meet his need.

23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughterlies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. By this time, messengers had arrived with the news that Jairus’ daughter had died. There was no need to bring the Teacher. The Lord graciously reassured Jairus, and then took Peter, James, and John to the house. They were met by the unrestrained weeping characteristic of eastern homes in times of sorrow, some of it done by hired mourners. Several professional mourners were required even at the funeral of the poorest person; more mourners would assemble at the death of a member of a prominent family like this one.

40 And they 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.

When Jesus assured them that the child was not dead but sleeping, their tears turned to scorn. Unconcerned He took the immediate family to the motionless child, and taking her by the hand, said in Aramaic, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” It was her native tongue and I think it could be translated “Little lamb, wake up!” That’s what He said to her and that is a sweet, lovely thing. Immediately the twelve-year-old girl got up and walked.

2. A WOMAN IS HEALED; SHE HAD BEEN IN DARKNESS FOR 12 YEARS, OUTSIDE OF ANY HOME.

25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, She had been in this condition for twelve years. Did you notice that the young girl was twelve years old? Twelve years of suffering coming to an end and twelve years light entering into darkness, the darkness of death. The father who had come, when he saw our Lord talking to this woman and dealing with her, I am sure thought, Oh, why does not He hurry. Does not He know that my little girl is so

sick at home that she will die unless He moves?

This woman’s sickness was reckoned as if she had a menstrual period all month long; it made her continually unclean under the law (Leviticus 15:25–28)—a social and religious problem on top of the physical one. The ailment probably started after puberty; given an average ancient life expectancy of about forty years and the “twelve years” that she

had been ill, she may have spent half or all her adult life with this trouble.

If this woman touched anyone or anyone’s clothes, she rendered that person ceremonially unclean for the rest of the day (cf. Leviticus 15:26–27). Some uncleanness was unavoidable, but it was inconvenient to fulfill the required bath, and men avoided uncleanness when they could. Because she rendered unclean anyone she touched, she should not have even been in this heavy crowd. Thus she could not touch or be touched, was probably now divorced or had never married, and was unimportant to Jewish society.

26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. This woman had suffered with chronic bleeding for twelve years. The many physicians she went to had apparently used some drastic forms of treatment, drained her finances, and left her worse rather than better. When hope of recovery was all but gone, someone told her about Jesus.

She lost no time in finding Him. Easing her way through the crowd, she touched the border of His garment. Immediately the bleeding stopped and she felt completely well. In telling this incident, it is interesting that Luke, who was a physician, said she could not be healed. Mark says that she had suffered many things of the physicians, and she had spent all that she had.

29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”The word “immediately” is used twice in this context. Both the woman and Jesus at the same time knew what had happened. The woman had no idea that Jesus had consciously healed her. While she sought to disappear into the crowd, Jesus turned and asked, “Who touched My clothes?”

He wanted to correct any mistaken notion she may have had about her healing. It was not any magical quality of His clothing, but His divine will that had made her well. No one else was aware that the healing had happened.31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, Who touched Me?'” “Who touched My clothes?”

His disciples thought the question was silly. Many people were jostling Him continually. Why ask “Who touched

Me?” But there is a difference between the touch of physical nearness, and the touch of desperate faith. It is possible to

be ever so near Him without trusting Him, but impossible to touch Him by

faith without His knowing it and without being healed.

CONCLUSION:

No situation is so desperate that Jesus cannot work. Disease, delays, and even death are under His control. Jesus goes with you to the place of disappointment and sorrow and meets your needs. No matter how depressing your situation may appear, “Do not be afraid; only believe” verse 36.