27 Mar Mark 13: King of diseases and death

Mark 5:21-43

²¹ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. ²² Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet ²³ and 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.” ²⁴ And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. ²⁵ And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”

²⁹ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰ And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. ⁴³ And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

For the record, I believe God still performs miraculous healing today. There is nothing in the Bible that indicates that God has stopped. I believe that the same Jesus who had the power to miraculously heal 2000 years ago still has the power to miraculously heal today. If you believe it, say amen. If you are a cessationist, you are welcomed here. If you do not know what that word means, this is the right place for you. But over the years, many liberal scholars rejected the possibility of miracles. They said that Jesus’ miracles were nothing but a fairytale that his disciples made up. They said that miracles cannot happen because miracles are a disruption to natural laws. This is what our science textbook teaches us. But are they right?

Now, I agree that miracles are a disruption to natural laws. But I disagree that just because it is a disruption to natural laws, then it cannot happen. This is a very weak argument. Let me give you an example. How many of you believe in the law of gravity? The law of gravity says that if we throw an object into the air, it will always fall into the ground. Why? Because there is a natural force that pulls everything into the ground. If you don’t believe in the law of gravity, just wait till you are older. It doesn’t matter how in shape your body is right now, gravity wins. But there is another law that supersedes the law of gravity. No, it is not plastic surgery or liposuction. It is the law of aerodynamics. The law of gravity says that if we try to put heavy metal on the air with 200 people on it, it is not going anywhere. It remains on the ground. But for those of you who came from overseas, how did you get here? Did any of you walk and swim from Indonesia to Australia? No. You used a plane. This means that the law of aerodynamics overrules the natural law of gravity. If we can put a plane in the air that natural law says is not going to work, why can’t God do the same? Why can’t the creator of the universe who established natural law decide to supersede natural law from time to time? If an airline company can do it every day, surely the sovereign King of the universe can do it whenever he wishes. What is humanly impossible is divinely simple for Jesus.

In today’s passage, Mark zooms in on two different miracle stories. In both stories, we find people who have issues that are humanly impossible to solve. They have tried every human resource, and nothing worked. They are facing a hopeless situation. They are desperate. And they turn to Jesus. Both stories are about finding hope when there is no hope. Let me sum up this sermon in two sentences. When all human hopes are exhausted, nothing is hopeless for Jesus. There is always hope when one turns to Jesus. In this passage, we will see that just as Jesus has authority over storms and demons, Jesus has authority over diseases and death.

I separated this sermon into four parts: Desperation; Disruption; Intervention; Resurrection.

Desperation

Mark 5:21-28 – ²¹ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. ²² Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet ²³ and 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.” ²⁴ And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. ²⁵ And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”

In this passage, there are two people who are desperate. The first person is Jairus. So, after Jesus cast out many demons from a man in Gerasenes, Jesus returns to the other side of the sea. And as usual, a great crowd quickly gathers around Jesus. Then suddenly Jairus shows up and falls at the feet of Jesus. And this is shocking to the watching crowd. Because Jairus is not an ordinary person. Jairus is one of the rulers of the synagogue. A synagogue is a place where Jews gather to worship. In today’s term, Jairus is the CEO of a church. He is not a teacher of the law, but he is in charge of everything that happens in a synagogue. So Jairus is a man with high status and position among the religious leaders. He is rich and acknowledged by the Jewish community. He is at the top of the social ladder. And we know that the relationship between Jesus and the religious leaders is not good. The religious leaders hated Jesus and plotted to kill Jesus. For Jairus to come to Jesus and falls at Jesus’s feet is shocking. It is very costly to him.

So why did he do it? Because he is a desperate father. He tells Jesus that his daughter is at the point of death. So, his daughter is not only sick, but she is in ICU, and she is barely hanging. She is at the end of her life. Parents, you understand this. When your child is very sick and barely hanging, you will do anything to save your child. I remember when my parents first told me that I had leukemia. At the time, I had no idea what leukemia was. I only knew that Song Hye Kyo died from it in endless love. And when my dad told me about it, he can’t stop crying. Because he knew something that I did not know at the time. There is no cure for leukemia. Chemotherapy does not guarantee healing from leukemia. My dad was desperate. And here, Jairus is desperate. His daughter is at the point of death. So, he does what no other religious leaders would do. He seeks Jesus and asks him to come with him and lay his hand on her so that she may get well. And to everyone’s surprise, Jesus agrees. Jesus cares about Jairus and his needs. So, Jairus is the first desperate person.

The second person is a woman. We have no idea what her name is. But we know why she is desperate. She has had a problem with an uncontrollable menstrual flow for twelve years. Ladies, you understand this better than any man. You experience this intense pain once a month. Can you imagine having this pain and problem for twelve straight years? I mean, it is one thing to have one painful day. It is one thing to have a painful week. It is one thing to have a painful month. But to have a painful year, year after year, for twelve straight years is insane. And it puts this woman in a very desperate situation. First, she experiences a physical struggle. She is in pain for twelve years. It is an incurable condition at the time. Second, she experiences a financial struggle. She went to many different doctors for help, and none can help her. She spent all her money seeking a cure but there is none. In fact, her condition is only getting worse. Third, she experiences a spiritual struggle. According to Jewish law, a woman who is in her menstrual cycle is considered unclean for seven days. And during her cycle, she is not allowed to enter a temple or a synagogue because everything she touches become unclean. So, this woman has not participated in worship for 12 years. And fourth, she experiences a social struggle. Because everything she touches become unclean, she must self-isolate until she no longer has the issue of blood. This means that this woman has been living in isolation for 12 years. For 12 years, she has not experienced any physical touch. Imagine if you were tested positive for COVID and experienced all the symptoms for twelve straight years. And there is no cure. So, you must self-isolate all through those years. What would you feel? You would feel hopeless. You would be desperate. And this woman is desperate. She had spent all her money and now she is poor and an outcast. We don’t’ even know her name. Unlike Jairus, she is at the bottom of the social ladder.

But she heard of Jesus. She heard how Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. And she believes in Jesus. She says, “If only I can touch his garment, I will be made well.” We have no idea why she thinks this way. Maybe she thought, “If Jesus can touch a person and heal that person, maybe it also works in reverse. I can touch him, and I can be healed.” There is no theological basis for her reasoning. The point is, she is desperate. And a desperate person would do anything. When she heard about what Jesus can do, she thought that this is her last chance of getting healed. So, she came up with a plan. Her plan is called touch and run. She is going to sneak in behind Jesus, touch Jesus, and escape. Why? Because she is going to disobey the ceremonial laws by being around Jesus and the crowd. She is going to make everyone she touches become unclean, including Jesus. If people find out about it, she will experience public humiliation. She is not supposed to be in the crowd, and she knows it. But she is desperate. So, she decides to take the risk and touch Jesus without anyone knowing about it.

What can we learn from these two people? These two people are very different from one another. One is at the top of the social ladder and acknowledged by people, the other is at the bottom of the ladder and an outcast. But they are also very similar. Both of them are desperate. Both don’t know what else to do. And both turn to Jesus. Desperation leads them to do the radical and the unthinkable. Desperation leads Jairus, the CEO of a synagogue, to seek Jesus and fall at his feet. Desperation leads this woman to risk her reputation and touch Jesus from behind. And here is what we also know about these two. Their faith in Jesus is not perfect. Their faith in Jesus is driven by needs rather than love. And Jesus is not turned off by it. But rather, Jesus uses their desperation to reveal who he is to them. Here is an important lesson for us. Desperation is often a prelude to grace. There is something about pain and desperation that often leads us to Jesus. Friends, do not despise desperate situations in life. A lot of times, God puts us in a hopeless desperate situation so that we may turn to him. I have seen it play out again and again in my pastoral ministry. Most people met Jesus not at their brightest time, but at their lowest, darkest, most desperate time of their life. When everything else fails us and we finally turn to Jesus, Jesus is ready and waiting to rescue us. Desperation can destroy us, but desperation can also save us if it makes us turn to Jesus.

Disruption

Mark 5:29-34 – ²⁹ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰ And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

What happens in these verses are both amazing and bewildering. It is amazing because the moment the woman touches Jesus, immediately the flow of blood dries up. She is immediately healed of her disease. Think about it. Twelve years of shame, pain, loneliness and frustration are resolved in a single touch. It is instantaneous healing. She can feel it in her body. And best of all, it’s free. She had spent all her money seeking a cure, but nothing worked. And now in a single touch that cost her nothing, she finds the cure that she’s been looking for. It is amazing. But what happens after it is bewildering. Jesus perceives that power has come out of him, and he immediately stops. Remember that they are on their way to Jairus’ daughter. She is on the brink of death. Every minute is precious for Jairus’ daughter. They are racing against time. And Jesus suddenly stops. And he turns to the crowd and asks a very weird question, “Who touched my garments?” Jairus must have thought, “Huh!? How is this important? My daughter is about to die, and you want to know who touched your garment? Are you serious?” And at this time, the disciples are probably annoyed at Jesus as well. Mark does not tell us, but Luke tells us which of the disciples answer Jesus. Does anyone want to guess? Yep, it’s Peter. Peter replies, “Ah, teacher, you are surrounded by a great crowd. They are pressing around you. What do you mean by who touched you? They all touched you. And why is it important to know who touched you? Can’t you see that Jairus’ daughter is in ICU? We must get to her as soon as possible. We don’t have time for this dumb question.” But Jesus is the man who can’t be moved. He insists to know who touched him.

But here is a question for us. Why did this Jesus ask this weird question? Did he really not know who touched him? Let me tell you something about Jesus. More often than not, when Jesus asks a question, it is not because he does not know the answer. I think in this case Jesus knows exactly who touched him. But he wants the person to own it. It’s like when you have little kids in your house and the lid of the cookie jar is off. And all your kids are sitting in front of the TV looking clean, but one of them has cookie crumbs all over his face. So, you say, “Okay, who opened the cookie jar?” It’s not that you don’t know but you are giving your kid an opportunity to own it. But of course, the guilty kid says, “I don’t know. The jar opened by itself, and the cookies disappeared. It was a cookie rapture.” Jesus is inviting the woman to own what she did. Some might think, “That’s mean. Jesus could have just healed her and let her off the hook. Why would Jesus call her out?” Here is why. Jesus wants more for the woman than what the woman wants for herself. What does Jesus want for her? Let’s continue with the story.

At this time, the woman knows that she has been healed. She knows that Jesus is after her. And she is terrified. She knows the consequences of what she did. She has touched Jesus and made Jesus unclean. This is why she wanted to remain anonymous in the first place. But Jesus would not allow it. So, she comes out and confesses everything she did. And the crowd is ready to humiliate her for it. But look at how Jesus responds to her. It is very different from what everyone expected. Mark 5:34 – ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Rather than condemning her, Jesus calls her, “daughter.” This is the only time in all gospel accounts where Jesus calls a woman, “daughter.” It is a tender gentle word. Can you see what happened? Can you see why Jesus wants her to own what she did? Because what this woman wanted was simply healing. What she wanted was a miracle. But Jesus wants more. Jesus wants an encounter. Jesus not only desires the woman to be healed. Jesus desires a relationship with her. Jesus is not trying to embarrass her. Jesus is trying to elevate her.

Then Jesus continues to say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Listen. It was not her touch that made her well. Many other people touched Jesus and nothing happened. But this woman’s touch was different. Because she did not simply touch Jesus. She touched Jesus in faith. And it is her faith in Jesus that made her well. And her faith was imperfect. She simply wanted healing from Jesus. She did not want the healer. But Jesus honoured her imperfect faith and answered it with healing. It tells us an important lesson. We do not need to have everything figured out first before we come to Jesus. We can come to Jesus with our imperfect faith and Jesus will honour it. But Jesus did not stop there. Jesus is not satisfied for the woman to simply know Jesus as a healer. Jesus wants her to know that he loves her. He wants her to know that her faith in Jesus has made her a daughter. She is no longer an outcast. The woman who has no name is called daughter by the sovereign king of the universe.

And now she can go in peace. Her encounter with Jesus has given her all the peace she sought. She is healed of her disease, and now she has physical peace. She does not need to waste her money on seeking a cure, and now she has financial peace. She is free to join worship in the synagogue, and now she has spiritual peace. She can live together with her community, and now she has social peace. Everything changes for her because she touched Jesus in faith. And Jesus is offering the same peace to anyone who comes to him in faith. It does not matter how messy you are, it does not matter how weak you are, it does not matter how dirty you are, Jesus is not too busy to stop and heal you when you touch him in faith. Jesus did not come for the clean; he came for the dirty. Jesus did not come for the well; he came for the sick. Jesus did not come for those who have it all together; he came for those who need help. The question is not if Jesus is willing or not. The question is do you come to him in faith that he can heal you? Let’s move on with the story. I hope we haven’t forgotten about Jairus.

Intervention

Mark 5:35-36 – ³⁵ While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”

Imagine if you are Jairus. First, you are annoyed at Jesus for making a random stop and asking a dumb question. Then, you are extremely annoyed at this woman. I mean, this woman had been sick for 12 years. Surely, she can wait another hour, right? But your daughter is about to die. It is an emergency. Jesus is your last hope. And this woman just cut in the lane out of nowhere. But then you witness how Jesus miraculously heal this woman from her blood issue. Twelve years of a medical problem with no cure is healed in a single touch. So, now you start to have more faith. “If Jesus can heal this woman just like that, he can also heal my daughter. This is going to work. My daughter is going to live!” And just as you are having these thoughts, a messenger from your house arrives. And the expression on his face tells you everything you need to know. He says, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother Jesus anymore? It is too late already. There is nothing he can do.” These are words that no parents want to hear. Can you see the despair on Jairus’ face? The healing of the woman has cost him the life of his daughter.

Do you know what we call it? In an emergency room, whenever there is a patient with a problem that has been going on for a while, and there is another patient that is about to die, you must treat the person who is about to die first. It is logical and right to do so. But if you treat the patient with the ongoing problem first and the other patient died because of it, it is called malpractice. And you can get sued and lost your medical license because of it. How do I know? Because I love watching Korean medical dramas. Don’t judge me. This is what Jesus did. Jesus stopped to help the woman with her issue while Jairus’ daughter was in critical condition. And now she died. All hope is lost for Jairus. Why trouble Jesus anymore? There is nothing he can do. It is too late. It is over.

BUT. I love the word but in verse 36. It tells us that nothing is over when Jesus is in the equation. Mark 5:36 – ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And in Greek, the tense for “believe” is in the present tense. In other words, Jesus says, “I know you believed me before Jairus. Don’t stop believing now. Keep on believing. Keep on trusting.” Listen. Jesus’ words might sound nice to us. But it is because we are not Jairus. When Jairus came to see Jesus, Jairus wanted healing. Jairus believed that Jesus could heal his daughter. But now, Jesus asks Jairus for so much more. Jesus not only want Jairus to believe him for healing, but Jesus also wants Jairus to believe him for resurrection. Jesus raised the bar. It is one thing to believe Jesus for healing, it is another thing to believe Jesus for resurrection.

Here is what we must understand about coming to Jesus. Whenever we go to Jesus with our needs, Jesus will demand more than we are ready to give, and Jesus will give more than we dare to hope. At this point, Jesus has healed many sick people. But Jesus has never raised someone from the dead. Nobody has ever seen or imagined that. It is beyond the realm of possibility. Heal the sick? Yes. Raise the dead? No way Jose amigo. And Jesus is giving us and Jairus two options. Jesus asks, “Are you going to live based on your circumstances? Or are you going to live by what I say? Are you going to live in fear? Or are you going to live by faith?” Fear and faith never go together. This means we have a choice to make. Either we can be afraid of all the things that are happening around us, or we can trust Jesus to see us through. Let me make it more personal to us. Are we afraid of what might happen to our children, or do we trust Jesus to take care of our children? Are we afraid of our future and we are going to invest our money in the latest investment hype, or do we trust Jesus will provide for all our needs as we put him first? Are we afraid of what people think of us when we share the gospel with them, or do we trust Jesus to vindicate us? Are we afraid of being single and lonely, or do we trust Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us? Are we afraid of getting infected by the latest variant of COVID19, or do we trust Jesus’s word to not neglect church gatherings? Trust in Jesus requires faith against all odds. When we come to Jesus, we will find that he demands more than we are ready to give, but he always gives infinitely more than we dare to hope. Look at how this story ends.

Resurrection

Mark 5:37-43 – ³⁷ And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. ⁴³ And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

So, Jesus only allows his inner circle of John, James and Peter to come with him. And when they get to Jairus’ house, many people are weeping. The Jewish custom is that they would hire professional mourners to weep at the funeral. It’s kind of weird if you think about it. So, a group of professional weepers will come to a funeral and say, “Okay guys, we are going to start crying loudly in a count of three. One, two, three. Hooooaaaaaa…” Then Jesus says to them, “Why are you making noise and weeping? She is not dead you know. She is sleeping.” And they immediately laugh. So, one second, they are crying, the next second, they are laughing. They are professional mourners after all. But Jesus’ word is very interesting. He says that the girl is not dead but sleeping. What does he mean? Is he literally saying that the girl is not dead but only sleeping? I don’t think so. In the Bible, sleep is often used to describe death. Because in Jesus’ perspective, although death is real, it is not the end. Jesus is about to resurrect her from the dead. That is why death is only sleeping from Jesus’ perspective.

So, Jesus removes everyone from the house and enters the room where Jairus’ daughter is. And Jesus does the unthinkable. Jesus holds the hand of the dead girl, and he says, “Talitha cumi.” And this word is such a gentle word. The word “Talitha” is translated as “Little girl.” But it is actually a word that means, “Little lamb.” It is a term of endearment. The closest modern equivalent of it is the word, “Honey.” And the word “cumi” means arise. In other words, Jesus is holding her hand and says, “Honey, it’s time to get up.” This is the word of a loving parent who wakes their daughter from her nap. And immediately, the dead girl rises from the dead and begins walking. Do you see what happened? In this story, Jesus faces the greatest enemy of mankind. This is a greater enemy than storms and demons. Jesus faces death. And he treats it like waking a little girl from a nap. The same voice that brought order from chaos brought life from death. Jesus is the king of diseases and death. And the people who witness it are overcome with amazement. They have seen nothing like it. They expected healing but they witnessed resurrection.

What can we learn from these two stories? Two quick applications. First, bring your desperation to Jesus. It does not matter what kind of desperation you have, Jesus honours the faith of those who come to him. So, if you are experiencing physical struggles, come to Jesus. If you are experiencing financial struggles, come to Jesus. If you are experiencing spiritual struggles, come to Jesus. If you are experiencing social struggles, come to Jesus. Jesus cares for the hurting. It does not matter if your faith is imperfect, Jesus will stop for you when you come to him in faith. So, I implore you to come to him with any and every request you have. Jesus is not too big for your desperation. I am not saying that Jesus is a genie in a bottle who grants whatever wishes you have. But I am saying that when you come to Jesus in faith, he will stop for you. He will give you infinitely more than you hope but he will demand far more than you think. He will demand you to trust him. And this is not easy. Because Jesus’ plan is often different from your plan. You might want to touch and run, but Jesus desires a relationship. And Jesus’ plan will often lead you to death. But not because he does not love you. But because he wants more for you. You might come to him for healing, but he might ask you to trust him for resurrection. And you might be confused because of it. But here is the good news. Jesus is writing a far better story than what you have in mind and his story ends in a glorious climax. How do we know? 12 years. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Jairus’ daughter is 12 years old, and the woman had a blood issue for 12 years. It tells us that God has been writing their story for 12 years. They had no idea about it but their story ends with Jesus being exalted and God receiving all the glory. So, whatever desperation you have, believe in Jesus. Persistence in faith and prayer. Nothing is over when Jesus is in the equation.

Second, bring your death to Jesus. Let me explain. These two stories have a strange ending. Mark 5:43 – ⁴³ And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. This is anti-climax. If I was Jesus, I would want them to tell everyone that I have the power to bring a girl back from the dead. This would be the breaking news all over Israel that validate Jesus as the Messiah. Only God has the power to raise someone from the dead. But Jesus says, “Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want anyone to know about the little girl’s resurrection.” Why? Because her resurrection is not the point. The little girl’s resurrection is only resuscitation. It is only temporary. Sooner or later, she will die again. Listen. Even if Jesus gives us the ultimate cure of COVID19 right here and now, we are still going to die. Death is coming for all of us whether we like it or not. Death is our ultimate enemy. There is no human cure to death. Nothing can fix it. So, what happens when death comes for us? This is why Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about this resurrection. Because Jesus did not come to save us from temporary death. Jesus came to save us from the ultimate death that is caused by sin. Jesus came to heal and cure the root of all diseases and death. Jesus came to take on sin itself.

And this is the gospel. The gospel tells us that we deserved eternal condemnation because of our sins. Sin makes us fearful of death. But Jesus came to rescue us from sin. And do you know how he did it? Listen. There is nothing more frightening for kids than to lose their parent’s hand in a crowd. And there is nothing more comforting for kids than to know that their parents are holding their hand in a crowd. But did you know what happen to Jesus? At the cross, Jesus lost the Father’s hand. Jesus took on the consequences of our sins. He endured the wrath of God for our sins. He lost his Father’s hand. Why? Jesus lost the Father’s hand so we may know that when we put our faith in Jesus, God will always hold our hand. At the cross, Jesus died for our sins and death is defeated once and for all, so we no longer have to fear death. For those who put their faith in Jesus, we have the confidence that death is not the end. Death is simply the beginning of eternal life with Jesus. So, bring your death to Jesus. Cast it upon the calvary. And receives the hand of God that will never ever let you go. Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

1. Have you ever experienced (or currently experiencing) a desperate moment like Jairus or the woman with a blood issue? What happened?
2. Why did Jesus call the woman with a blood issue out? What does it say about Jesus?
3. “Jesus will demand more than we are ready to give, and Jesus will give more than we dare to hope.” Discuss the different implications of this truth in your relationship with Jesus.
4. How do these two different stories encourage you in your personal story?
5. How does the gospel embolden you to trust God in your moment of desperation?
6. Apply the sermon: Bring your desperation to God in prayer. If possible, have each one pray for their own desperation and others support them in prayer.