Category: reMARKable

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-34 (day four)

Scripture tells of Jesus doing so many miracles, that the reader might mistakenly conclude that they were effortless for him, or that he was just performing miracles right and left. We, in our human thinking, focus on the miracle itself, but this story reminds us that performing miracles was not Jesus’ primary concern.

My favorite professor at Baylor would often repeat, “It’s never about the miracle, but about the message.” This story of the bleeding woman is a perfect example of this. If it were simply about the miracle, Jesus would have perceived that power had left him and kept right on walking – unconcerned with who he had healed. The miracle would still have occurred and the women would have received what she needed. But it’s not about the miracle.

Jesus stopped, intent on finding the person who had been healed. He had something even greater to offer than physical healing – a loving, redeeming relationship with the God of the universe. He ministered to this woman who had lost everything, bringing her into the family of God by calling her “daughter.” Jesus gave her the miracle, but he also gave her the message – the good news of salvation. Miracles are beautiful, but they’re always meant to be a sign that points to the message. The message is this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.

 

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-34 (day three)

“A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse…”

Not only did this woman suffer from severe anemia, but also from violations of her bodily autonomy and privacy by men hawking various purported cures. In addition to that ignominy, the repetition of useless curative attempts had siphoned away hope, leaving her weaker and more poverty-stricken than ever before. She wasn’t just bleeding, but humiliated, shamed, exploited, poor, and neglected after her encounters with every alleged healer for over a decade. No wonder she wanted anonymity. The Lord’s mercy allowed her that dignity. Only after curing her body did Jesus inquire about her identity and restore her self-worth by addressing her as “daughter.”

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-34 (day two)

For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” v. 28

It would be easy to read this story and think the woman was so desperate she was willing to try anything. Indeed, she had trusted doctors, healers, and all sorts of remedies, but this wasn’t the act of ‘let’s try one more thing’ thinking. All of the other remedies and treatments were simply part of a timeline toward an encounter with Jesus. It does make her story more dramatic, yes, but I have known people who have the exact opposite response after a years of being sick. I have seen them resign themselves to whatever is next. It is a defense mechanism against another disappointment. This woman’s actions were so focused on Jesus, she knew that touching him would heal her. That is the faith that Jesus acknowledged. Don’t expect Jesus to be a last resort for you or someone else in a time of hurt or loss. Regardless of your circumstances and how you got there, when it is time to encounter Jesus, do it like this woman: fully commit. The time for doubt, fear, and hesitation are behind. It is now time for healing and wholeness. It is time to touch the savior.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43 (day seven)

145- Did you know that we had 145 students in grades 6-12 attend Freedom Weekend?

16- We had 16 families open their homes to host these students. We also had 16 young adults volunteer their weekend to lead these students in Bible Study.

15- We had 15 different service projects completed in the FBCSA Community.

3- We had three worship sets at FBCSA that included congregational singing, scriptural teaching, and personal reflection.

1- One God made it all possible!

This is the same God who tells us all to “Get Up” and walk! Multiple students responded to that call Saturday night! They were once dead in their trespasses, but they have been raised to walk in the newness of life! Thanks be to God!

Would you pray for them now? Pray that they have the boldness to step out and make that decision public to their friends. Pray that they will be bold enough to tell their families, especially those who are from homes where that is not the norm. Would you pray for all our students as they process this weekend and what the Lord is calling each of them to do with the information they have been given? Would you pray that the fire of these teenagers will continue to burn beyond this weekend and begin to catch all over this city?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43(day six)

Have you ever experienced something that completely changed the way you see the world? Falling in love, holding your child for the first time, or traveling to a place that shifts your perspective?

That’s what happened to Peter, James, and John in that small room. Just them, the girl’s parents, and Jesus. Everyone knew she was gone. But then, with a touch and two simple words, she breathed again and stood up.

Ever since they met Jesus, their world had been changing, but this moment was different. This wasn’t just another miracle—this was power over death itself. Life could never go back to the way it was.

Later, Peter would say to Jesus, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life” (John 6:68). I imagine he remembered the words Jesus spoke in that room. Who else could he trust but the Lord of life?

Mark would have you ask the same question.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43(day five) Taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
We have seen in previous encounters that Jesus is in fact approachable. People coming to Him and Him listening. That’s how this interaction with a desperate father begins. “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.”What we learn is that the prayers and pleas of those who seek Jesus never fall on deaf ears. He listens and He hears. There is great peace and comfort found in that truth. But Jesus goes (to her house) and He touches a dead body. Jesus is not intimidated or the least bit reserved in places that are awkward, uncomfortable, or even hopeless for us. In fact, He is confident, encouraging, and able to help (heal and bring hope). So today, welcome/bring Jesus to those most tender and vulnerable places in your heart and life that need hope, wisdom, strength, and peace. He went into their home. He touched her body. He will be there with you!!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43 (day four)

Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue, which means he had probably heard both the glowing testimonies and the snide complaints about Jesus. If he had never experienced the emergency of his daughter being sick, I wonder what he would have concluded about Jesus? Would he still have committed himself to him and believed? Would he have taken the tone of the other synagogue leaders who looked on Jesus with disdain?

Desperation causes us to say and do things we wouldn’t normally do, but it also shows us what we really believe. Knowing he might later face social consequences from interacting with Jesus, he chose in desperation to have hope that Jesus was the healer others proclaimed him to be. Through this one moment of desperate faith, he and his family experienced the power of God in a way that changed them forever.

In your moments of desperation, have faith that Jesus is as good as he says he is.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43 (day two)

“Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”

In life’s events, there is a point beyond which experience has taught you that it’s useless to press for a certain outcome. It’s too late, or too little, or too painful. It’s over, it’s gone, it’s empty. It’s beyond repair, it’s beyond recognition, it’s beyond anyone’s ability. It makes sense that you would come to the conclusion to walk away from hoping for a certain thing. Still, some longings persist. And when those longings keep running into disappointment, you can start to feel despair that no one seems to be able to answer those longings. Jesus goes right there to the deepest places in you. What you thought was ended, over, failed, dead, he can revive. The risen Savior has given new meaning to these words: “It is finished.”

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43 (day two) One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet ²³ and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” v. 22-23

Up to the point that Jesus actually heals this girl, this is a hard story to read. Imagine the anguish of leaving home with a child who in her last hours of life, knowing that the next breath could be her last. Jarius must have been at the point of desperation to leave home to seek out help. Seeking Jesus was his only comfort. Surely this miracle worker could restore her health, but her life? To hear the words that she had died must have broken him. This was another moment of desperation. Would he dare trust Jesus? What if he put his hope in him only to be disappointed. It would be like losing his daughter twice. Could he endure that? Complete trust is never easy. Jarius’ response was indeed a surrender. He surrendered to logic, to the voices of others, and to the promise of Jesus. When he asks you to believe him, surrender.