Pastor Jeff Lange
July 2 Sermon
In last week’s gospel, Jesus’ question to his disciples was “Where is your faith?” Even though they had been with them for sometime their faith wasn’t very strong. They didn’t really trust Jesus to get them through the storm.
I think that’s reassuring. Faith didn’t come easily for those first disciples either. Growth in faith is a long process,
At the same time, even a little faith – faith the size of a mustard seed – can accomplish mighty works.
Mark reported events from Jesus’ life so that one comments on the other. Last week Jesus told them to have more faith. The very next passage gives two examples of faith – and how that trust is rewarded.
With whom do you identify in today’s gospel?
There is a woman whose life has been dominated by a terrible
illness. There is a distraught
father. A little girl
whose life may be cut short. Then the baffled disciples – the crowd who doesn’t know what to
think. Where are you?
As is typical in the gospel, the good examples of faith are both a man and woman – and they couldn’t be more different.
Jarius is a leader in the local synagogue – a man of prominence and competence.. He was part of the upper level of local society – respected. Faithful to the traditional religion, but now his daughter is near death and he’s desperate. So he reaches out to this new and unorthodox teacher and healer
The woman is not even named. Her illness made her ritually unclean, so she probably couldn’t attend synagogue service. She is an outsider. She suffered from a physical malady, but also from social isolation.
The woman had been suffering for 12 years and endured much from many physicians – but her condition got no better. In other words, she had experienced many disappointments. Twelve years is a long time to endure. Most of us aren’t that patient – we expect more immediate results.
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Waiting patiently for anything is a challenge for me. Whether it’s standing on line in the supermarket, or sitting stuck in traffic on 410, I don’t much like
waiting. But if illness were to come and persist, how is it that I could wait for God. Or what happens when justice fails and evil seems to be triumphing? Or when I’m simply overwhelmed by some problem - some set back?
Out
of the depths have I called you, O LORD;
LORD
hear my voice;
let your ears consider well
the voice of my
supplication. Psalm 130:1
When I’m spent - when it seems there’s nothing more I can do to solve that problem, I can practice the gift of patience as I wait for God to come in His time, not my own. And in that waiting hope can be born.
I
wait for the LORD; my
soul waits for him;
in his word/ is my hope. Ps. 130:4
I simply hope in the Lord and His wisdom - his power. I can surrender my ego and my agenda - and look for His way. In waiting I give myself up to something – someone far beyond my ability to comprehend. In waiting on the Lord, I give myself to Him, finally praying, Not my will, but Thy will be done.
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You’d think that after all that time the woman would have given up hope – and fallen into despair. Maybe she did have days when it seemed there was no hope – but when she heard about Jesus she thought “If I could but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Her example suggests that we should never give up hoping in the Lord. We cannot understand His ways. His answers to our prayers are often different from what we expect. And his ways are not our ways - his time table is not like ours.
So he encourages us to be persistent in prayer, so that we might learn where he would lead us.
Persistent and bold. The woman is direct. She believed Jesus can heal – and without a word, simply touches the hem of his robe.
Jesus felt the power go forth from him and said “Who touched me?” The disciples point to the crowd, “uh… Like everybody”. But Jesus was looking for a particular person.
Finally the woman, trembling, kneels and admits she did.
“Daughter, your
faith has made you well – literally your faith has saved you - go in peace…” Mark 5:34
Your faith – not my touch – not my prayer – but your faith.
What kind of faith is this?
A trust in the power of God through Jesus Christ.
A trust that God wants the best for me and would make me whole.
But more than that, a faith that persists despite many disappointments – a faith that does not give up in spite of set backs. A faith just that keeps believing and trusting.
And that faith, Jesus says, releases the power of God – that faith saves.
The LORD is good
to those who wait for him,
to
the soul that seeks him.
It is good that
one should wait quietly
for
the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:25,26
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The other example is a man who is a leader in the local synagogue – and thus presumably a man who has long believed in God. His request is simply:
"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." Mark 5:23
Jesus immediately agrees and starts off to his house.
But then he has the encounter with that woman. You can imagine Jarius fretting - What is Jesus waiting for? Shouldn’t he act as quickly as possible? – “Lord, what difference does it make who touched you.”
Sometimes it seems the Lord does not answer when we want him to. Why is he slow to respond?
Though he may seem to tarry, he is never too late.
In this case it seems Jesus is too late. Some came from Jarius’ house and reported that his daughter had died. But Jesus looked at the disappointed Jarius and said:
“Do not fear but only believe.” Mark 5:36
When they get to the house, Jesus said; “The child is not
dead, but sleeping.”
And the friends and neighbors who had gathered there simply do not believe him.
Did Jarius continue to believe?
“Do not fear but
only believe.”
He went with Jesus into his daughter’s room and Jesus simply said: “Little girl get up.”
No lengthy prayers – no dramatic gestures – just a word from Jesus.
The key is to trust Him – to rely on Him – to have faith in Him as the one who saves.
Jarius’ years of faithfulness at the synagogue were rewarded in a way he never could have anticipated.
“Do not fear but only believe.”
“Never give up”
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When nothing on which we can lean remains
When stronghold crumble to dust,
When nothing is sure but that God still reigns,
Then that’s the time we should trust.
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Where is your faith?
In response to the question, we’ve seen two examples of faith - saving faith.
Jarius, the synagogue leader had grown up in the faith - and was faithful in worship and prayer and study.
One day tragedy struck and he was desperate. Jesus’ advice to him: “Do not fear but
only believe.”
Don’t give up in spite of tragedy. Don’t give up when the
Lord delays and you’re disappointed.
Don’t give up hope even when others have. “Do not fear but only
believe.”
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The un-named woman exhibits persistence and patience - a
faith that waits on the Lord. Her advice
to us is “Keep the faith and never give
up hope.”
In faith keep praying - for eventually the Lord will make a way out of no way.
Keep praying, so that you may give up your agenda and seek his way - Not my will but thy will be done.
Don’t give up hope.
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Faith involves trusting the Lord - expecting His assistance -- and then listening for His guidance --
-- and finally following his word.
It necessitates an openness to receiving something new - something surprising from the Lord.
Of course we really want Him to bless our answer to the problem - to give us the power to make our way work.
But often that’s not the way the Lord works.
He has a different
way -- a better way to deal
with that tough situation.
So in prayer, after we’ve turned that problem over to the Lord, we must seek his way -- discern his will.
And be open to being surprised by the Lord -- ready to be a part of the new thing He was doing.