5 June, 2016

Introduction:

Don't be afraid trust me!

Mark 5: 21-43

Friends, over the next 2 x Sundays we are going to look at a very common Christian word the word
faith. And it's a very important word. Indeed, the word faith is on the lips of Jesus many times throughout
the 4 x gospels. And even here in the book of Mark we have already seen examples of people who had
great faith, & we have also seen examples of people who had very little faith or who had no faith at all.
For example, in Mark chapter 2, we saw 4 desperate men climb onto the flat roof of a house, then they
dug a hole in the roof & then lowered their crippled friend in front of Jesus hoping that Jesus would heal
him now that is great faith, isnt it? But then in chapter 4, after Jesus easily calmed a storm on the sea of
Galilee - by just speaking - Jesus looks at his terrified disciples & says those words that must have shaken
them. Jesus said, Do you still have no faith? And here in chapter 5, we meet a woman who has been
bleeding continually for 12 years, & so in a desperate attempt to be healed she sneaks her way through
the crowd of people who are following Jesus, & she touches Jesus & she is healed. And Jesus says to her
Daughter, your faith has made you well. Friends, faith is very important, but what is faith?
Well, I think there is a lot of confusion about the faith that Jesus is talking about here. I mean, some
people seem to think that faith is a feeling that you have but you cant really explain why you have it.
You know, some people say that faith is something you don't really have any control over. Its just there.
And you either have it or you dont. But friends, the truth is that faith is a very practical, everyday thing.
And really, every single person in the world experiences faith every single day even those people that
say they dont believe in God. Let me give you an example, now, I know I have used this example many
times before, but friends, right now you all have 100% faith in something in this room. And its not me. Can
you guess what it is? Well, it's the chair you are sitting on. You see, you all have faith in the chair you have
freely chosen to sit on this morning you trust it will hold you up. Now I dont have the same faith that you
do because I am standing up - while you have freely chosen to trust your chair. In fact, you have so
much faith in your chair that you have put all your weight on it. And friends, over the last 10 years that I
have been here at Campsie, I have noticed, that many of you have chosen to have faith in the same
chair every single week! Now thats a lot of faith, isn't it? And so really, faith is a very simple, common
experience for all of us. Faith is simplytrust. And the truth is that we can trust many things in our lives: a
chair, ourselves, or even another person. And this is exactly what Jesus is always trying to help us with
trusting our whole lives - to another person him! For example: look at what Jesus says to Jairus.
While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the
synagogue. They told him, Your daughter is dead. Theres no use troubling the Teacher anymore. 36 But
Jesus overheard them & said to Jairus, Dont be afraid. Just trust me.
35

Now friends, Jesus here challenges Jairus, who is a respectable, middle class, religious leader- to trust him
- to have faith in him. Jesus says, Dont be afraid- Just trust me. In other words, even though you are
scared- have confidence in me! But friends, why should Jairus trust Jesus? I mean, is it reasonable that
Jairus should overcome his fear & just do what Jesus says he should do even though his daughter has
just died? Or is Jesus asking Jairus to simply close his eyes & take a big step of faith & just hope for the
best & see what happens? Well, some people, even in Christian churches today, seem to think that this is
what trusting Jesus is all about - just closing your eyes & hoping for the best. But friends, we dont do this
with chairs, so why would God want us to do it this with Jesus? I mean friends, the first time you came
here to church & you looked around at the chairs you might have thought to yourself Hmm, these chairs
dont look very strong to me. I wonder if theyre strong enough to hold me & not break? But then you
would have noticed that other people were already sitting down on chairs & so your confidence in the
chairs would have grown. But friends, if you came in during the first song when everyone was standing up
then you wouldnt know if the chairs were strong enough, & so in your desperation to sit down you may
have been forced to simply close your eyes, bend your knees, put your bottom on the chair & hope for
the best. You see, your desperation may have forced you to simply have faith in the chairs. And really,
this is what the unnamed woman in chapter 5 is, she is desperate. look at v 24
So Jesus went with Jairus, & a large crowd was following & pressing against Him. 25 A woman in the crowd
had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding. 26 She had endured a great deal from many doctors, & she
had spent everything she had to pay them - but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27
She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd & touched his robe, 28 because
she thought to herself, If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.
24

Now friends, this is a desperate faith, isnt it? I mean, this woman has been bleeding continually for 12
years. And although she has tried every doctor in town, shes no better - shes worse. And so in her
desperation, she trusts Jesus. Really, its almost like she says to herself, Well, Ill do it - after all, I cant get
any worse- I have nothing to lose!
And yet friends, please notice that this woman has already heard about Jesus, hasnt she? You see, she
has already heard that Jesus has incredible power to heal people & so she begins to think If I can just
touch his robe, I will be healed. And so she does. She quietly moves through the crowd that is pressing
around Jesus & she reaches out her hand & she touches his shirt &look at v29
Immediately the bleeding stopped, & she could feel in her own body that she had been healed of her
terrible condition. 30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy leaving his body. So he turned around to the
crowd & asked, Who touched my robe? 31 His disciples said, What are you talking about? With this crowd
pushing & pressing you, youre asking, Who touched me? Dozens of people have touched you!
29

Friends, the womans desperate faith is rewarded & she is healed. But Jesus is not finished with this
woman, is he? You see, Jesus stops, turns around & demands to know who touched him. And the
disciples are very confused. They say Jesus, what are you talking about?... everyone is touching
you!...But friends, the truth is that not everyone is touching Jesus - with faith! And that is what Jesus wants
to teach everyone in the crowd, & the woman & Jairus & us Jesus wants to teach everyone about faith
& what it looks like. And that is why Jesus keeps looking around & waiting for the person who touched
him - with faith - to come forward. And so she does. look at v33
33 Then

the frightened woman, came trembling & fell to her knees in front of him & told Jesus her story. 34 And
Jesus said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.

Friends, the woman is scared but she comes to Jesus & tells him (& the whole crowd) - her whole story.
And Jesus commends her, doesnt he? I mean, she may be an unnamed woman in this story but she is
still precious to God a daughter of God. And really, this is what Jesus wants everyone in that crowd to
know - this is what a child of God does - they trust Jesus - sometimes desperately, sometimes because we
have nothing to lose, sometimes secretly & with fear. But friends, it doesn't matter because God is
good, Jesus is merciful & he will respond in a way He thinks is best for us - even when our faith is
desperate. But friends, Jesus wants this type of desperate faith to grow & change & to become a faith
that is built upon experiencing the goodness of God over many years & in many different ways. For
example, look at how Jairus faith develops.
While Jesus was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of
the synagogue. They told him, Your daughter is dead. Theres no use troubling the Teacher
anymore. 36 But Jesus overheard them & said to Jairus, Dont be afraid. Just trust me.
35

Friends, Jairus first comes to Jesus, knowing that Jesus is from God, knowing that Jesus is both a teacher &
a healer who can heal his sick daughter. But now, suddenly Jairus needs something more he needs a
life giver. You see, Jairus now needs someone who not only has wisdom to teach & the power to heal
sickness, but Jairus needs someone who can do the impossible -who can raise his own dead daughter
back to life again. And so now his own trust in God will be stretched, refined & deepened.
And so once again Jesus is showing us what it looks like to be a child of God - Dont be afraid - trust me.
And Jairus does trust him, doesnt he? I mean, Jairus is a religious leader & he has come to Jesus
because has heard all the stories about Jesus, & he has just seen Jesus heal the woman. But now he must
learn to put aside his own fear & to trust God more deeply: to trust who Jesus is & to trust what Jesus says.
And so ignoring the advice of his own servants & pushing aside all the doubting crowds who laugh at
Jesus, Jairus follows Jesus with his disciples into the room that is full of death- so they can all see the
power that Jesus has to give new life. And wonderfully, Jairus dead daughter is raised from the dead & is
given new life. And everyone is beside themselves with joy.
Conclusion:
Friends, did you notice this morning- how Jesus takes every opportunity to teach his own disciples what it
means to live by faith? I mean, after the woman touches Jesus & he feels power leave his own body Jesus doesnt just ignore it & keep walking. I mean, Jesus could have done that. But no!...instead, Jesus
calmly waits until the terrified woman comes out of the crowd so that everyone can hear her whole story

of faith - in his power to heal. And then the disciples hear Jesus tell Jairus not to fear- but to have faith- in
his power over death. And then finally, Jesus takes his 3 x closest disciples: Peter, James & John- into the
room to watch him raise Jairus daughter back to life. You see friends, Jesus is always responding to faith
desperate or calm, old or new, & Jesus is always teaching his disciples how to have faith in him, how to
trust him, how to have confidence in him. And really, Jesus is also teaching Jairus & the crowds & us here
today what it means to live by faith, what it looks like to trust Jesus as teacher & healer & as the giver of
new life. So friends, where are we on our journey of faith with Jesus? in our journey of trusting Jesus? Are
we desperate like the bleeding woman? or as we like the religious man, Jairus, who knows about God,
but who must now face his own deepest fears & grow to trust God more deeply? Or are we like the
disciples - chosen by God, & with the great privilege of seeing the power of his son, Jesus even over
death & over all life. Lets pray