Role of trust and courage in Healing Salvation

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24   Psalm 30   2Corinthians  8:7-15   Mark 5:21-43

Middle Eastern culture in the Ancient Near East was honor/sham based. When Jairus, the synagogue leader, publicly falls at Jesus' feet it is a stunning act of  subservience to Jesus. Jairus does not care about honor or his status. Death had sunk its claws into his beloved child and threatens to take her away. His request is straightforward: "Come, lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live." The Greek term translated as "made well" can mean: healing, rescue, victory and salvation> The Greek word for life includes physical, biological life as well as abundant life, eternal life. Jesus rescues body, soul and spirit from every form of death and provides the fullness of life.

Jairus, we can be sure, was in a hurry. We can imagine him wanting to part the crowd like Moses parted the Red Sea. We can feel his desire to cry out, "Move away, let us pass through, we have no time to waste!" The crowds pressed in on Jesus slowing His progress. Then, suddenly Jesus stops in His tracks, looking around and asking, "Who touched my clothes?" The disciples state the obvious, "Lord, everyone is touching you!" It must have been bedlam. Jairus must have been losing his mind. And then, suddenly, she falls before Jesus to the ground.

She has no name, we only know she suffered for twelve years. The endless bleeding made her unclean and cut her off from human contact. She went to the doctors, but twelve years of searching  left her broke, but no better. She is so desperate that she breaks the rules and touches Jesus, because He was her only hope. She believed and it saved her.

"Daughter your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." Shalom peace and salvation. Of course, now Jesus is ritually unclean, but her exile is ended.
By His wounds we are healed.

Then the messengers arrive, it is too late. It is pointless to bother Jesus any more, the little girl is dead. Jesus, however, does not live in a world without hope. Jesus came to Heal and Save: "Do not fear, only believe." Doubt and fear are from The Enemy. Doubt and Fear are barriers to Kingdom health and salvation. How else can Jesus tell the man "do not be afraid, believe?" How else can He call death sleep?

Jesus is undeterred. He goes to the girl. Mark actually quotes the Aramaic words, which NT Wright says, are a typical morning expression to a sleeping child, "wake up little girl." Once again Jesus is made unclean, this time by her dead body, but that is the cost of making her alive. Once again, He takes upon Himself our condition and redeems it. By His wounds we are healed. (By our healing He is wounded.)

Healing is at the heart of Jesus' ministry. So is the message, "stop fearing and start trusting."

Here are the facts:
Each of us has open wounds which no doctor can heal.
None of us has the power within us to keep our loved ones alive.
All of us are unclean, sick and dying--each in our own way.

Jesus offers us healing salvation and abundant life right now, but faith is the open door to receive it. We are still learning what faith is. We are still learning to believe. We are in the process of becoming brave and trusting. The Lord is faithful and we are slowly being united with the Holy Three God. This is theosis, united with God and healed into salvation. However, once we have the faith to receive this healing, will we also believe enough to minister in His Name? Can we simply do what His clothing did, remain so close to Jesus that His power flows through us?

If the healing light of God can flow into us, then it can also flow out of us and heal others. Many people are not interested in Jesus or His church today. Perhaps because we are too moralistic and political? Personal morality and social justice cannot address the brokenness in each human. They need more than we are giving. Jesus stopped the bleeding and raised the dead. That is why the crowds claw at Him. If we bring healing then people can hear about how to live moral, just lives. If we are healed, perhaps, then we can teach them what to do. Otherwise, morality and social justice easily become very political and often devolve into projection and blaming others.

If we are willing to be brave and trust, the healing light of Jesus will be manifest among us.
It is our doubt and fear which keep it from happening. People need so much more from the church. We have so much more to give, we have Jesus!

Let us pray
Forgive us Lord our doubt and fear, free us to receive your healing light and saving love. Empower us to heal others in Your Name. And thank you, Lord, for trusting us with this task. Amen.