B, Post Pentecost 6 Proper 8 - Mark 5:21-43 "In Touch"

In Luther’s explanation to the third petition we hear, “God's will is done when he hinders and defeats every evil scheme and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful self, which would prevent us from keeping his name holy and would oppose the coming of his kingdom.”

In the gospel reading today, two females, have the evil of the devil, the world, and their selves hindered and defeated by Jesus in a very public and personal way.

A twelve-year-old girl on her deathbed.  The daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler, seeks out Jesus, falls at his feet and implored him to help.  Jesus agrees and walks with Jairus to his home with a crowd pressing around.

As he walks to the twelve-year-old, a woman with a twelve-year menstrual bleed reaches out and touches Jesus.  The touch is so powerful she feels the healing within.  Jesus senses it too.  Not so much the touch but the power that’s exchanged in the touch.  Why does he feel it?  What is it that he feels?

Jesus feels and knows God’s will is being done within the woman, something the disciples ridicule Jesus over, as there are people pushing in on them from all directions.  Jesus has no reason to doubt the power of God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  He completely trusts in the power of God having received the Holy Spirit in his baptism by John in the Jordan.

Jesus also knows the faith of the person who touched him, having felt power leave him.  Perfectly in touch with those around him and with our Father, who sent him, and the Spirit who led him, Jesus is the perfect conduit through which power flows.  There is no resistance to this transmission of power, no power is sinfully kept for himself, the full power that God desires, flows to the woman through Jesus.

There is no financial cost to the woman either.  All other physicians, bled her financially dry but didn’t stop the bleed, causing her more pain than she was already suffering.  But the cost for the woman was face and faith, the death of pride and faithlessness.

Jesus gives the woman opportunity to reveal herself.  Something that is hard to do.  Something had happened between her and Jesus, that only they know.  Now, the woman in fear, reveals all to Jesus and those standing around. 

This was a cause of shame to the woman.  We all know of things we have done or conditions we bear that on revelation would cause us shame, public humiliation, and embarrassment.  However, this is a spiritual shame that the devil and the law had over the woman for twelve years.  Levitical Laws put in place by God through Moses meant she could not come into the temple.  We don’t know if others knew or not, but in her confession now all knew she was unclean for twelve years.

Yet her faith in Jesus was great, it was her eleventh hour, in the eleventh year.  A last-ditch attempt to be in touch with God.  Why did her touch work?   

In the second half of the third petition Luther says, “And God‘s will is done when he strengthens our faith and keeps us firm in his Word as long as we live.  This is his gracious and good will.”

The woman had heard the promise of his word.  Perhaps she heard or saw something prior to the events that led Jesus to walk with Jairus to his house.  Perhaps she only knew of Jesus in this event.  Nevertheless, God’s will is done in her, as he strengthens her faith, and firmly leads her to the Word made flesh.

The will of God worked within the woman to keep God’s name holy and opened up the way for her to receive the work of God’s will from heaven.  Jesus says to the woman, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”  (Mark 5:34 ESV)

This woman, once unable to keep God’s name holy is named by God the Son, as a daughter of heaven.  She has been brought back in touch with God by faith.  A power separate to her, working within her, that the world of doctors of medicine and law couldn’t fix, a power that evil does want her to have!

In this time the little girl dies.  Someone comes and tells Jarius to no longer bother “the teacher” any longer.  In the rawness and reality of physical death, Jesus tells Jairus to “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:36b ESV)  He receives similar ridicule as to that of the disciples after the woman touched him, when he tells the mourners the girl is not dead. 

Yet again God’s will is done as Jesus takes the girl by the hand and hinders and defeats, the faithlessness of the mourners, the power of death, and the purpose of the devil to separate people from God’s holiness and will.  He reaches out through death and touches the girl, saying, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” (Mark 5:41 ESV)

Here again the perfect power of God flows through Jesus for the will of God to occur.  God’s will is done in heaven.

God’s will is done, Jesus puts people back in touch with God and his holiness.  The twelve-year-old girl raised to life and the woman with a bleed, ware healed and reconnected with God.  But Jesus was not finished, he now bore the burden of the bleed, and the deadly illness of the girl. 

God’s will in heaven needed to be finished at the cross.  The victory of the twelve-year-old girl and woman was completed at the cross, so through the witness of the cross to the world, all people would benefit from God’s will in heaven and on earth.

The will of God is concisely explained by Paul,   “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV)

God’s will is to put you in touch with your poverty, so that you can experience his richness and share that on earth.  When you share the richness of God, you participate in the will of God on earth, having received God’s will from heaven in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

From his grace and poverty, like the woman and the female child, God seeks to put us back in touch with the wealth of God. 

As Jesus cried out for mercy on earth but was handed over to death, we too may have to endure suffering rather than healing like the two females.  What God intends for you is that you take hold of the power of his will in Jesus’ death.  The power of God’s will in the resurrection.  The power of God’s will, worked as faith within you by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is in touch with you.  He feels everything you feel about him, even when you feel nothing and think he is not feeling anything.  The Holy Spirit constantly reaches out and touches you through his word to bring you to God’s holiness, to hinder and defeat what’s within, when it’s against him and his will.

Today many would ridicule us if we said they were dead.  But without the will of God working within a person that’s exactly what a person is, living but dead!  It’s God’s will on earth, to allow him to activate you and me to be the conduits of God’s grace, to forgive as we have been forgiven.  To tell of our forgiveness and what God has forgiven!  To not hold back the richness of God for those who live in the poverty and darkness of death.

Like watchmen in Psalm one hundred and thirty, our being waits for the rising of the Son on the last day, just as Jesus yearned for our resurrection that would come after his death.  This is why Jesus said in the garden before his arrest, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”  (Luke 22:42 ESV)  Jesus is your watchman!

Jesus hoped in the Lord, because with him there is steadfast love, and plentiful redemption.  Jesus was redeemed and raised from death.  Through him, it’s God’s will to save you from all your iniquities, to follow his way, the way of the cross. 

God’s kingdom has come.  God’s kingdom is coming.  and God’s Kingdom will come!  Let his will be done in you, on earth, so the power and the glory are God’s alone.  Amen.