B, Pentecost 5 Proper 8 – Mark 5:21-43 Steadfast Touch

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At the Capernaum Synagogue Jesus heals a person from an unclean spirit. He heals Simon's mother in law. A leper is cleansed and a paralytic is healed after being let down through the roof on a mat. On the Sabbath a withered hand is restores back to health. On Lake Galilee Jesus calms a storm and on arriving in the country of the Gerasenes, he sends a legion of demons into a heard of pigs.

In his interaction with both clean and unclean, amongst the Galilean Jews and the Gentiles of the Decapolis, the word about Jesus is definitely out. Now back across the lake on Galilean soil at Capernaum, Jairus, seeks out Jesus. He is the local leader of the synagogue, where Jesus had exposed and delivered the man from an unclean spirit. Jairus knows what Jesus can do, and now that death is knocking on the door of his twelve year old daughter, Jairus' desperation brings him to Jesus.

But not only is Jairus there. Jesus and the disciples are swamped by the waves of people swelling around ready to witness the wonder of what Jesus can do. But what is it he is doing? He is healing the sick, casting out demons, straightening broken bodies back to health, and making the unclean ritually clean. Yes! He is doing this, but he's also doing a whole lot more.

As they push their way through the mob to Jairus' house, a woman takes her opportunity hidden amongst the mob. She like Jairus, knows of Jesus, she's heard how he heals, and now she believes that reaching out for just one touch of him will heal her while hidden in the crowd; will heal her hidden illness that makes her hide in shame.

You see everything this woman touches becomes ritually unclean. Little does the crowd know of her ailment, she is not physically maimed, she has no visual disorder that keeps her at a distance. But she knows the law has separated her from others and from God's holy presence by her twelve year old illness! And yet here she is amongst the crowd rubbing shoulders with them. If only they knew she had been secretly bleeding in her uterus, they would have cast her out like a leper for making all she touched unclean with her uncleanness. (For laws on bodily discharges and ritual uncleanness see Leviticus 15.)

Yet in her suffering, in her desperation, in her spiritual and mental anguish, in her shame, and in her guilt, she presses towards the centre of the crowd and when the time was right, with an outstretched hand, all the suffering and bleeding, all the hiddenness of twelve years of shame reaches out in hope to be healed.

And with that touch she instantly knew something had happened. It had worked! Jesus had done what no other could do. In secret she was healed; her sickness was gone for good! But where had it gone, what had happened, who could tell her what had occurred? She could not draw attention to herself, lest others realise she had also defiled them while pressing through the throng. Her touching of others was as good as a touch of death for them, a sentence of hopelessness for them, which she knew all too well.

But Jesus stops! Calm in the storm once again, so it seems! He asks, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" (Mark 5:30b-31 ESV) However, what she had kept hidden from everyone else was not hidden from the Son of God. At the moment she touched him, she knew she had been healed and so too did Jesus. He felt power drain from him; this was the power that healed her after twelve years of menstrual bleeding.

However, the physical healing was only part of the problem. When Jesus queries the crowd as to who it was who touched him, twelve years of shame, and suffering, and guilt and hiddenness was suddenly brought out into the open and she came in fear and trembling face to face with her Saviour.

Do you realise how momentous this event is? Twelve years of shame, not being able to save face because she bled, and now she stands face to face with he who had every right to humiliate her and cast her out but who rather gives her honour and blessing so she might be held steadfast in the sight of God, and be remembered by us today as one who was made rich even though she was so poor in spirit, socially and spiritually.

You see it doesn't matter that we are talking about a topic that even today is still a cause of embarrassment. Every woman would be mortified to have her private hygiene spoken of in public, yet here we speak of one who was healed after a twelve year period. But this is not what we remember her for. This is not what she exemplifies, for women or for men, or for all who bear all sorts of shame today. Rather she is one in whom we can all see what becomes of shame when reaching out and touching Jesus, seeking his touch.

All the guilt, all the shame, all that stuff we lump around with us every day of our lives. The things we keep hidden deep down in the darkness of our hiddenness. All the things that cause you and me so much pain, suffering and embarrassment, guilt and shame! Stuff we seek to bury, stuff the sinful self holds in secret so well, but which the devil uses to keep us hidden, uses to harangue us, and continues to cause us to despair and lose face.

But no! This is not how we remember this lady. Rather she is the one who touched in faith, the corner of Jesus cloak and was healed of the hell she endured for twelve years.

And it's no accident the girl to which Jesus is going to see is the same age as that of the woman's haemorrhage. Jairus' daughter was twelve. Here was a girl who should have been in the fullness of her life, on the ebb of being a child bearing woman, but rather as Jesus travels to Jairus' house she dies.

It is her blood too. The problem is it has stopped flowing, not from her body, but within her veins. Like the woman who touched Jesus, the girl's lifeblood was not doing what it was meant to be doing and now she had died, the ritual law meant this place of death was unclean too. (For laws on coming in contact with the death and ritual uncleanness see Numbers 19.)

On overhearing the news of the girl's death Jesus says to Jairus, "Do not fear, only believe." (Mark 5:36 ESV) He was calling him to continue on in faith. This is the same faith which first led him to Jesus where he implored him earnestly, 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." (Mark 5:23 ESV)

Now Jesus calls him to continue looking to him rather then turn in despair and grief in honour of death. Jesus was now earnestly imploring Jairus to trust him over death, to reach out in hope like the woman who had touched Jesus and was healed, to reach out in faith and let Jesus touch not just his daughter but all who witnessed the healing of this twelve year old girl.

Like the woman who was healed we might ask, "What happened to this girl; the cause of her lifeblood to stop flowing, was now where? There was physical healing but Jesus was doing so much more. The true miracle of these healings was not just the life restored through the transmission of the touch but rather eternal death is defeated by Jesus' almighty powerful touch.

His touch is one of empowerment. In fact when we touch there is always a transmission of power. In all their innocence children rely on touch to receive the power of assurance from those who care for them. Unfortunately though, because of sin the touch of empowerment can be turned into something inappropriate when touch is used in power over others to control or suppress. This began with the first touch of the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil and continued to be propagated when Cain gave Abel a deadly touch up in the field.

But Jesus' touch reverses all this and puts right those whom he touches and those who trust him enough to forsake all to reach out and touch him. Your suffering exists! But not because you don't have enough faith! But rather so you might exercise Christ's steadfast touch of love given at the cross. You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24 ESV)

You see the transmission of touch goes both ways. Regardless of whether Jesus does the touching or we who have been touched by his word reach out and touch him, he transmits to you and me the power of his love. But that's not all, the faith that made the woman well, the call for Jairus to continue on in faith, and God's call for you to carry on in faithfulness till death is one that allows Jesus to stand fast in you, so in exchange your guilt and shame might stand fast in the blood of Christ on the cross.

When Jesus said to the woman, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." (Mark 5:34 ESV) And when taking the girl by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." (Mark 5:41 ESV) He was taking their sin, the shame of sins committed against them, and their guilt and blame on himself and have his blood spilt on the cross in payment for sin.

Touch Jesus! Be touched by Jesus! Let him touch your life with his power of forgiveness and peace enabling you to stand fast in him. You can do it because he stood fast on the cross to bear all your sin.

May you continue to live in the steadfast love of Jesus, so he can continue to grace you with a steadfast spirit! Do not fear, only believe. With you he's done a whole lot more than just restoring your flow of blood. You are being touched by the steadfast eternal healing blood of Jesus' death and resurrection. Amen.

A, Epiphany 7 - Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:38-48 "A Tale of Two Traditions"

There are many saying of wisdom in the world. There are also just as many sayings contradicting these wise words, but are they any less wise? For example the idiom, “history tells us” or, “tradition has it” is a good reminder of worldly wisdom’s opposites.

History tells us many things have improved our lot in life, but history also tells us we’ve become a lot worse off. One will say, “History never repeats itself” while someone else will say, “History has to repeat itself” and yet both are wise sayings in different contexts.

One thing worldly wisdom does is builds an authority, common amongst a community of people. This authority common to the community is called commonsense. Within this authority of common wisdom there is a generally accepted human model which sees us divided folk into good and the not so good — good blokes and lovely ladies as opposed to gullible girls and blokes who are jokes.

Those we tend to label as jokes or gullible are those we don’t like for one reason or another. They don’t match up according to the common authority of worldly wisdom’s sense of right and wrong. Nevertheless, we seek to be seen as good people under this tradition, this authority, and this wisdom — lovely ladies and good blokes.

In total contradiction to this authority, tradition, and wisdom of being either good and not bad, Jesus began teaching a new wisdom, a new Tradition, and a new authority.

On the Sermon on the Mount, many good folk gathered — well many came and listened who appeared to be good. But Jesus addresses the hidden folly of their wisdom, their traditions, and the authority under which they sought to live.

In the last couple of weeks we have heard sections of his address on the mountain. Beginning in Matthew chapter five, Jesus lays out the foundation of this new wisdom in the beatitudes. The beatitudes begin his teaching, acting like a summary of the contents, after which he unpacks these sayings.

He tells those gathered what it is to be blessed, and then he instructs them they are the light and salt of the world. They will be the bearers of this new foundation on which we’re taught to believe the church is built today.

Next Jesus prefaces the unpacking of this new wisdom by saying their old ways were not wrong, just misguided. The Tradition which was laid out by God through Moses was made to look like a joke. But the Israelites had in fact become the brunt of the joke — gullible to the ways of the world.

Many of them and their religious leaders had corrupted the ways of God so his authority, wisdom, and God’s Tradition, written in his wise words of Law ended up being used to point to them and their authority, wisdom, and traditions. And the leaders loved looking like good blokes leaving many of the followers wondering how they too could copy their pious virtues and dutiful deeds.

However, Jesus upholds the old covenant wisdom saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them”. (Matthew 5:17 ESV) The Greek word for think in this verse comes from the Greek word for law. So Jesus tells them not to law a new law, don’t write off the wisdom God has already written.

Jesus knows the way we think and the way our wisdom works. At the Sermon on the Mount he returns humanity to the holiness of God’s Law, telling them not to outlaw the holy Law given though Moses. What he needs all of us to know is our wisdom, our authority, and our traditions make us outlaws against God and his good and holy Law.

So Jesus says, “…I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. (Matthew 5:20 ESV)

We can understand this must have astonished those who listened on. Why can we identify with their astonishment and shock? Because it still comes as a shock to us who seek to be good blokes and lovely ladies in our good person — bad person perception!

You need to know — unless your goodness surpasses the practices and commonsense of all worldly wisdom, authority, and tradition you will not enter the kingdom of heaven!

Jesus continues to unpack his teachings by reminding the listeners each time what was common wisdom by saying, “You have heard that it was said… (Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη)” If we use today’s language, he said, “History tells us... traditionally you have done this… the common practice might be… or, you might have it on good authority…

Five times Jesus points out what they have heard said to be the common practice; six times if we count his continuance from adultery onto divorce. He points out the status quo but then six times says, “BUT! But I say to you… (ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν)”

Today we hear the last two of these teachings of Jesus, which herald a new wisdom, and the new Tradition, refocusing Israel with all humanity back under the true wisdom, the true authority, and the intended tradition God put in place for all people.

Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:38-39, 43-45a ESV)

Next to these new Traditions announced by Jesus our commonsense wisdom sees God’s way as nonsense. “How can one have any sort of authority by not standing up against evil? And ‘loving your enemy’ what’s this all about? This sounds like we should be submitting and serving the very type of people we’re called not to be as Christians — the evil, our enemies and the enemies of God! Surely we can’t be associated with those condemned as jokes, or those who are gullible?”

The reality though is when we allow ourselves to go the way of the world and return to the deeply rooted desires of our hearts, our wisdom, our authority and our traditions, love and compassion are lost to revenge and hatred. Regardless of history repeating itself or not, we repeat ourselves by constantly turning back to the nonsense of the heart. God and his word reveal humanity’s commonsense as mostly nonsense.

Why is this so? Because there is more to righteousness, wisdom, authority, and tradition than being good or bad! True wisdom will move us to see through the good bloke and lovely lady sentiment to a reality which asks, “How good is good enough for God? Can I ever be good enough?” and “Why do I need to be accountable to God anyway?”

True wisdom places itself in the Traditions of authority outside this world, so we might be seen as Sons of heaven. This wisdom gives us a sturdy footing on which to stand in this world, in this life, in the face of evil. This authority enables us to endure evil by standing up in something other than retaliation or revenge. We’re lifted in holiness by the Holy Spirit, who stands us in Christ, and therefore stands us in good stead with God the Father, and causes us to be the light of world and the salt of the earth.

I know I no longer have anything on good authority from the world! My experience and worldly traditions show me up as the same as those in whom I see evil and whom I believe to be the enemy. Therefore, I also know I’m trapped by the wisdom of this world, and need a Saviour to redeem me, and make me truly good before God.

Jesus concludes this section of his teaching on the mountain by stating what the status quo must be, to be truly good before God. In one line he tells us what fulfilling the Law is all about. He says, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 ESV) Jesus repeats what God told Moses at Mt Sinai when he said, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2 ESV)

Your righteousness must be perfect, not one motive out of place, not one thought out of place, not one deed out of place, nor one emotion out of place. So how do you do it? Do you think, feel, or act as if you can do it, even for just a moment?

You’re under the most burdensome wisdom if it’s all about being a good bloke. You’re tradition of trying to stand as a lovely lady only ensnares you as a gullible girl in this life.

God’s perfection is not about being good or bad; rather it’s about being holy. He needs us to be holy so his holiness won’t destroy us. But how can we live when perfection or holiness is out of our grasp?

The first part of God’s capital “T” Tradition is in fact knowing it’s out of our grasp. The second is trusting that God has reached out and grasps us? There is no more struggling to be a good bloke or a lovely lady, rather God makes us better than this, he makes us holy.

How does he do it? Jesus was not just a teacher teaching a new Law, he wasn’t another prophet calling for a return to the Law. He came with a new Tradition, a new wisdom which continues to confound the wise of this world, and came with authority so good it was holy.

Jesus is our wisdom personified! Jesus’ has authority to make you good blokes and lovely ladies, pleasing to our Father in heaven. And he does this by loving us even though we feel, we act, and think like enemies by being continually seduced by the traditions and wisdom of this world.

Jesus does this by not standing up to the evil of the world, but by being lifted up as a capital criminal on the cross. He took all our sin and evil, and in return gives us the holiness of his Sonship. He now seeks to stands up in us so we might stand up in faith focused on him as we endure all enemies and evil.

This is the new Tradition, the capital “T” Calvary cross Tradition, and it makes you God’s holy temple where the Spirit grows heavenly wisdom. And this new wisdom produces faith and hope enabling you to see God’s Traditions are life-giving eternal traditions.

In conclusion Paul tells us, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness,’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ So let no one boast in men." (1 Corinthians 3:16–21a ESV)

Let no one boast about being a good bloke or a lovely lady, but let us trust our Lord Jesus Christ who loved us, even unto death. Amen.

C, Epiphany 5 - Isaiah 6:1-6 "On Being Holy"

In our quest for happiness, happiness appears to be fleeting! The more we seek satisfaction, the greater the dissatisfaction we experience. This absurd contradiction is the reality our Western World faces as we live our lives in pursuit of pleasure. Always wanting to be happy, but never really seeing it! Surrounding one's self with entertainment, but living with continual feelings of total abandonment, marooned in isolation! Needing contentment, but constantly wanting more! Busy earning happiness but never winning that for which we've worked! Our hunt for happiness seems to lead us further and further away from what we want; only increasing our quest for happiness.

Perhaps we've got it all wrong! After all, we're becoming more depressed over our lot. The mass of stuff we accumulate around ourselves to give us a sense of worth only increases our loneliness and continues to expose the reality of the big black darkness of our inner self. The truth is: we humans get it wrong all the time! In fact, it's clear to see; we've get it terribly wrong by hunting for happiness in this life!

God would rather us pursue holiness over against happiness. Holiness is God's quest for us and it leads us away from self-obsessed happiness towards peace, joy, and hope which truly drives out the deepest darkest yearnings of the human heart.

Holiness now, over against happiness now is God's way of dealing with us, with our sin, and with the powers of darkness, that unsettle us and lead us into a hellish life. Holiness leads us out of a self-obsessed existence into the holy community of God. It takes us away from ourselves and plants us in the eternal hope of God.

Happiness however, ends in isolation from community. Even a group of individuals seeking the same happiness, have no community or unity with each other. The group is together in the one place in one time yet they feel isolated and alone despite being amongst like mined souls.

This is our world! Acting as if we were one, yet suffering in silence! Everyone carrying the same sickness, yet no one knowing what their neighbour is going through! We tell each other how happy we are, hiding the truth of our wanting and uncertainty!

The great problem with happiness is happiness is all about pleasing the self. It sends us on a quest that separates us from each other as happiness gets built on success. Unfortunately success measures itself on the failures that surround it. Therefore, killing community in a game of one-up-manship!

Holiness however, delivers one into rest from the competitive nature of happiness and gives peace and joy. Joy, unlike happiness, is ground in community where one is made a part of something much bigger and better. This bigger and better is God. This God is holy and the whole earth is full of his glory.

But what is being holy? How can we be holy? What are we to do to get this holiness; the same holiness that God possesses? God, in fact, demands holiness from us. But unless we're holy, then happiness, and especially peace and joy, will never be found.

To be holy one must be in the presence of God, who is holy! In the Old Testament God says to you, "For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy… For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44a, 45)

God tell us we must cleanse ourselves to be in his holy presence. When we are clean in God's presence we are then blameless and pure, absolutely sinless and perfect.

If we come into God's presence unclean bearing our impurity, imperfection - our sinful being or nature – and God does not deal with this uncleanliness then he himself is no longer holy. And if God becomes unholy, he is no longer God, he would cease to exist. However, God cannot do this because his nature or being is holy and so the unholiness cannot co-exist with his holiness, one must be swallowed up by the other. Therefore, if we are not holy as God is holy, if we fail to be clean before God, we die.

Isaiah knew this when he came before God. God's holiness revealed the dirtiness of his existence. As Isaiah came into the light and purity of God, his sinful humanity was exposed, and he cowered expecting to die.

Isaiah reports… I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:1-5)

At this point Isaiah must have felt like a bug in a bug zapper! He realised his fate like an insect in the millisecond between resting upon the zapper wire and receiving its fatal bolt of frying light and energy! Yep! Isaiah thought he was as good as dead!

Similarly Simon Peter a rough and ready fisherman from Galilee thought the same when Jesus revealed himself to be God the Son by granting him and others a catch of fish after having caught nothing.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8)

In these two instances these men knew they weren't holy, they knew no matter what they did they couldn't be holy as the Lord God was holy. And yet they lived! God had to do something so his holiness was not desecrated and so man's unholiness didn't bring about sudden death.

Isaiah knowing he was unclean and guilty was made blameless by an act of God. One of the seraphim came to him with a live coal from the holy altar of God and touched his lips making him clean. And then God commanded Isaiah to impress his holy word upon the people who had long forgotten about God or remaining holy in his presence.

Simon Peter didn't get his wish for Jesus to leave him. Rather, Jesus called Peter to remain with him. So Peter, James, and John left their boats and followed Jesus. So how did these men co-exist with one who was holy? They too should have been struck down by God's holiness.

These men didn't die because they were invited to witness an event. This event has changed humanity's relationship with God forever. This event led the disciples from Lake Galilee to the cross. These men were led on a new road with one who would atone for their sin.

Just as Israel was lead on an exodus from Egypt's bondage into being holy, through adherence to the Law, Peter and the disciples were led by Jesus on a road out of bondage too.

The Law is holy, it is perfect, pure, and blameless. However, as Peter, Isaiah, and anyone who seeks to work their own righteousness knows the Law exposes just how much we cannot keep the Law to be holy.

So Jesus was sent! He gave up his Godliness and lived as a human being. He was sent to live under the Law, to perfectly fulfil it, so he would be holy and blameless in God's sight. And he did it, not because he was God's Son, but because he was faithful to his Father, and so he could give his holiness to us.

From the moment of his baptism at the River Jordan by John the Baptist, he began to absorb the sinfulness of humanity. He began mopping up our constant failure to be holy, and he took our self-seeking happiness on himself too - the happiness that gives us no real happiness at all. Like a sponge he began soaking up the blood of our deadly sin, and carried it to Calvary, where God wrung it out on the cross.

Having been wrung out on the cross, we now carry the cleanness of Christ, our hearts readily absorbing the holiness of God as he pours out his blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

Bearing the cleanliness of Christ, fulfils the Law, and allows us to stand blameless before God in peace and with joy. This is holiness! This holiness we receive in Jesus' sinless death and resurrection is the gospel of our salvation. You are holy because Christ is holy, and he gives his holiness to those who trust in him.

Searching for happiness now is folly! You will not find it until your sinful nature is dealt with; and death and the devil are defeated in you.

Looking for happiness drives us into isolation and despair which is down right dangerous. Luther warns, "Those who are troubled with melancholy ought to be very careful not to be alone, for God created the fellowship of the church and commanded brotherliness, as the Scriptures testify, ''Woe to him who is alone when he falls.' etc. [Ecclesiastes 4:10]"

Searching for happiness ultimately leads a person into depression; and depressed thoughts are the devils bathtub. He feels right at home bathing in our suffering, and loves to wallow there. However, daily bathing in God's holiness pulls the plug on the devil and the depression our hunt for happiness always seems to deliver.

God's quest for you to live in his holiness is "remaining in" and constantly "returning to" your baptism, trusting the power of the water with the Word of God to regenerate and renew you through the cleansing power of Jesus' death and the hope his resurrection gives to you.

Therefore, believe and wait on the Lord for your resurrection into his holy perfection, purity, and peace. Once there we will receive something much greater than happiness; we will be consumed by joy and rejoicing in the glory of the Lord.

Our heavenly Father says, be holy, for I am holy! Being holy has never been easier than trusting in Jesus Christ who constantly delivers you from sin and death into eternal life and salvation. Amen.