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Grace, mercy and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
And
Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately
turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?”
Prayer: Dear Lord
Jesus, breathe out upon us all your Holy Spirit, to me that I may preach well,
and to all of us that we may hear well. Amen.
In our Gospel reading
today, we read about two miracles: the first is where a man called Jairus comes
to Jesus and asks him to come and heal his daughter. When they get to the house
they find out that she is dead, but Jesus actually raises her from the dead.
But on the way there, there is a lady with a bleeding problem who goes up to
Jesus and touches the hem of his garment and is also healed.
In our reading
today, we are talking about Jesus’ power to heal, and the whole question of
physical healing is an important topic for us in the church today.
First we read about
Jairus, a rich man, a ruler of the local synagogue, coming to Jesus and 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.” And
[Jesus] went with him.
We know that each
of us is one day going to be like this little girl: at the
point of death. But this man comes to Jesus and he asks him to lay his hands on her so she may be made well and live. And it is Jesus’ good pleasure to go with this man and to grant his
request. It is Jesus’ great pleasure to go and lay hands on this girl and to
make her well and to prevent her from dying.
But let’s go now to
the middle of our passage where we read about the woman with the bleeding
problem. We read: A great crowd
followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a
discharge of blood for twelve years. Can you imagine
this woman being sick in this way for so long? At first, she must have been a
little troubled by it, but then when it still kept going, she must have been
frustrated, but then when it still kept going, she must have begun to be quite
afraid—when is this problem going to stop? But then once her fear burnt out,
she must have become quite sad and sorrowful, resigning herself to this
condition, and then once sadness and sorrow had set in, she must have
completely despaired. Is there any hope for me? Is this how my life is going to
be for the rest of my life? Maybe you have been suffering with some medical
condition for quite some time, and feel quite debilitated by it. Maybe you
think, why me? Why can’t this problem come to an end?
We also read about
this woman: She had suffered much
under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but
rather grew worse.
This lady had done
what everyone who is sick and wants to gets better would do: she goes to the
doctor. But we read that the doctor couldn’t heal her. So she went to another
one, and another one, and another one. And we read that she suffer much under many physicians. She just hit one dead end after another, and all of these different
doctors were just messing things up, and were getting her to try this and try
that, but nothing worked. And then, not only that, but we read: She had spent all that she had. She had completely run out of money. She was desperate and she had put
her trust in these doctors, but they’d completely used her up. So now she was
poor. And then we read: She was no better but
rather grew worse. Not only was she back to square one, but she was
worse than she ever was before.
You know, there are
a lot of people around like this—maybe you are one of them. In our society today,
we are blessed with many good doctors that generally we can trust. During my
life, I have met a lot of people who have spoken about how modern medicine had
made such wonderful advances. I remember one lady talking about her husband
having an operation for cataracts in the 1970s and then he had to wear thick
“coke-bottle” glasses for the rest of his life. But then 20 years later, she
had the same problem, and after her operation, she could see better than she
could ever remember.
We have so many
good things at our disposal when it comes to health care. But we also live in a
culture that doesn’t thank God very much for these things, and doesn’t really
treat these things as a gift from God. In fact, Christianity has declined
during the last century, and Christians worry about this. So what happened?: is
it that in the past, people used to pray to God for health, but now they look
to modern medicine? Is there less of a need to pray to God for good health
today?
It seems to me that
there’s plenty of sick people around. And there’s plenty of people who are
going to doctors. But also, it seems to me that because medicine is so good
today, people almost expect that they won’t ever really need to face death, or
that if they do get sick, they must be able to find some kind of cure
for it.
And so, there’s a
problem: medicine is a wonderful gift, and health is a gift. But when we’re
sick, where do we look for healing?
There’s an old
saying, which says: when people stop believing in God, it’s not that they then
believe in nothing, it’s that they will believe in anything! We all know
that there are some conditions and diseases that the medical profession still
doesn’t have all the answers for: things like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis,
asthma, allergies—all kinds of things. Not everything has an immediate cure.
And so people start panicking—and they think, “there must be something out
there somewhere.”
But we have to be careful
where we look. There’s a whole world of alternative medicine out there, and not
everything is good. Some people like a good naturopath, or a masseur, and such
like, but then there’s a lot of medicine that really crosses over to the dark
side, and we’ll talk about this a little later in the sermon. There are plenty
of people that spend all they have on physicians, or little bottles from the
chemist and the health shop, and yet instead of becoming better, they only grow
worse. This is the kind of situation in which this woman in our gospels finds
herself.
Now we read: She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind
him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his
garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and
she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
Don’t you think
it’s strange that she only touched his garments? She didn’t touch his flesh—his
hands or his leg or his back—only his clothes. We read in the prophet Isaiah
that when he saw Jesus seated on the throne that the hem of his robe filled the
whole temple. Also, when Jesus was on the mountain at his transfiguration, we
read that his face shone like the sun, but not just his body, but also his
clothes. Mark says: His clothes became
radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
Anyway, this is
what the woman touches—just the hem of his garment. And she says to herself, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And she was healed—inside and outside. On the outside, the flow of blood
dries up, and on the inside, she
felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. What a wonderful blessing this woman receives! What a great gift!
And yet, Jesus
won’t let her enjoy this healing by herself. We read: And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out
from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my
garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around
you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had
done it.
Now why did Jesus
stop and turn around? We read that he perceived in
himself that power had gone out from him.
Let’s come back to
what we were saying about medicine before. We know there are a lot of health
practitioners around today, not just our regular doctors. But you may or may
not be aware, that here in the Adelaide Hills, there is a long history of
occult and witchcraft being practised. And so if we find ourselves looking for
healing, we have to make sure that we’re looking for it in the right place.
Remember what Jesus says: What does it profit a
man if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Now of course, I’m not saying that all alternative medicine is occult, in
fact, far from it. But I think it’s fair to say that a lot of our idolatry in
our culture today comes from our attitudes to health.
But listen to what
it says about Jesus: He perceived that
power had gone out from him. It’s one thing to
go a doctor or health practitioner and get a prescription, or some herbal
remedies, or whatever. But there’s something that I would warn you very much
against, and that is, any type of healing practice that talks about
manipulating energy or forces or magnetism, and things like that. There are
many alternative medical practices that speak in scientific terms which are
completely unscientific and are really talking about some mystical, psychic,
occult power. Also, beware of the word “holistic” healing, which claims to deal
with your soul or spirit, and involves prayer which is not addressed to the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Especially, avoid like the plague anything that
claims to be obviously occult, like a medium. I remember when I was on vicarage
here in Mt Barker 8 years ago, I remember there was a sign outside of a house
nearby saying: “Shamanistic Healing Centre”. A shaman is a witch-doctor. I used
to pray against this place every time I passed it, and now when I’ve come back,
I notice it’s not there anymore. (I don’t know if my personal prayers had
anything to do with it!) And when we expose ourselves to these things, we
invite the devil in where he doesn’t belong and we expose ourselves to the
demonic realm.
We know that there
is something called the “placebo effect”. A placebo is a tablet that’s just
made up of sugar or something, but if someone thinks they can be healed of
their condition from it, sometimes it works. Now, when it comes to dodgy
healing practices, sometimes it works, but at what expense? At the expense of a
person’s soul? Of a person’s salvation? I once heard of a woman who went to a
psychic medium and was healed of some condition, only then to be diagnosed with
Multiple Sclerosis. And she was angry with God, and began to blaspheme.
Fortunately, a Christian person heard her blaspheming and spoke to her and she
renounced her use of the medium.
Now, when we were
baptised, we took a vow: I renounce the devil and all his works and all his
ways. And sometimes, during our lives, God then shows us something that we
have done—maybe in trying to make ourselves well—which was not from him, and
made use of some other spiritual power or an occult power. But the door of
forgiveness stands wide open for us. If only we would touch the hem of Jesus’
garments we would be made well.
Jesus clothes
himself in his word, and especially in his forgiveness of sins. This is why we
have confession every Sunday—we come to have Jesus wash the dirt off our feet
after another week. And in fact, this is one of the most important things that
pastors do—we speak the absolution, the forgiveness of sins. On Sundays we do
it publically, but also, it’s the foundation of our whole ministry, and people
can come and ask pastors to speak the forgiveness of sins for them whenever they
like, and especially if they are burdened by something particular that they did
in the past.
Let’s go back to
our reading: The woman, knowing
what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him
and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has
made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
You see, Jesus
doesn’t want us simply to trust in his power. His power is connected to his
word. So he draws her out of the crowd, so that he can speak a word of healing
to her. Jesus speaks a word—and when he speaks, he sends the Holy Spirit and
all of his power, and when we believe this word, we are made completely well.
Now, what kind of
power does Jesus have? Well, later in the reading, he raises a girl from the
dead. He has the power over death. In Jesus’ hands is all the energy that we
need. In Ephesians we read that God worked his great
power in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right
hand. This is not just power to make someone well from
some disease, but the power to raise Christ from the dead. St Paul says that in
his ministry he works hard, struggling with all
his energy that he powerfully works within me.
But how does this
power come to us? Well, this is the power of God’s word. And this is the power
that is poured out on us when we were baptised. We read in Colossians again:
[When you were] buried with [Jesus]
in baptism…you were raised with him through faith in the powerful working of
God, who raised him from the dead.
Now, you might
think: Well, Jesus has all this power, why doesn’t he heal me of my problem or
disease or condition? Well, why do you think that Jesus heals this woman in our
reading and raises this girl from the dead? This woman and this girl are dead
now. So what’s the point of Jesus healing this woman if she was only going to
die later, and what the point of raising this girl from the dead if she was
only going to die again? Jesus wants to point us not simply to this life but to
the next life. Here in this life we are given the free forgiveness of sins, and
when we have forgiveness, we have everything—but what comes from this? When we
die, and we have received the forgiveness of our sins, then what this means is
that Jesus will completely heal and raise and purify and transform our bodies
in a much more wonderful and glorious way than they have ever been before. This
girl will be much more beautiful than her parents have ever seen her. The woman
will be completely healed, and more healthy than she has ever been before. This
is the promise that is given to us through Jesus’ words and through baptism.
So if we receive a
miraculous healing in this life, then it is for Jesus’ kingdom and for his
purposes. Often when we expose ourselves to occult healing power, we become
unable to serve Christ at all, or even to listen to him. May the Holy Spirit
spare us from that. Now, if we have to remain struggling for a little while
longer, and wrestle against our physical problems, then think: how is Jesus
going to use me through this? I know I want healing, but what else does he want
to give me? How might he strengthen my faith, and my Christian witness? Be
encouraged with St Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12: I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Jesus knows
how to use you for himself, and he has never let you down before, and he won’t
let you down in the future. All the hairs on your
head are numbered. Jesus has the power to raise you from the dead, and
when you stay with him and his words and his sacraments, he will do just that.
St Peter says: After you have
suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and
establish you.
One last thing: In
1 Corinthians 11, we read about the Lord’s Supper, and I’ve been sharing this
passage with a number of people recently. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus clothes
his body and blood in bread and wine, just like a garment. And like the woman,
if only we touch his garment we would be made well. After St Paul tells us
about Jesus words, he says this: Whoever eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty
concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then,
and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks
without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why
many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves
truly, we would not be judged.
St Paul warns us
about the Lord’s Supper, and eating it without believing that this is Christ’s
true, physical body and blood, and without believing that it is a for us and
for the forgiveness of our sins. And he even says that this unworthy eating and
drinking can have a bad consequences: Anyone
who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on
himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. When we eat the Lord’s Supper in a bad way, we receive judgment, weakness,
illness, and even death.
But if we eat and
drink the Lord’s Supper believing that this is Christ’s body given for us and
that this is his blood shed for us for the forgiveness of sins, then instead of
judgment, we receive
blessing and salvation. Instead of weakness, we receive strength. Instead of illness, we receive health and healing. Instead of death, we receive life. And all this is promised to us through Christ’s words,
maybe not in this life, but certainly in the next life. We say every time we
receive the Lord’s Supper: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life eternal.
Jesus doesn’t give
healing so that we can use it on our flesh and on our lusts and desires and
greed. He gives us healing insofar as it serves him, and so that we can serve
him. And if he withholds it, it’s so that he can increase our faith and our
trust in him for his glory and for his service and for his kingdom. Jesus will
heal us, either in this life or in the next—his power is continually going out
from him. And whether he heals us now or later, there will always be a miracle.
Your
faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.
Amen.
Dear Lord Jesus, we
place ourselves, body and soul, into your hands, and we ask that you would use
us in whatever way you please. Give us every gift of healing in body and soul
that we need for your glory. Amen.
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