Here we go with Part 3 of this teaching. If you remember, we ended Part 2 stating God is not in control of everything, but He is in charge.
Why is this concept of the wonderful grace of God so hard for believers to receive? It has to do with the heart. Those who insist on performing in order to receive anything from God are operating from a hardhearted position. It’s like what Jesus said to the disciples regarding the miracles of the loaves and fishes. Also, the situation with the storm.
The events surrounding the feeding of the 5,000 and then the journey in the boat to the other side show their unbelief regarding the supernatural. Jesus said they had hard hearts. Salvation is a miraculous, wonderful, supernatural, free gift. Those who have trouble simply receiving are operating from a hardhearted position.
The story of Jairus and his daughter is another story where Jesus had to send the skeptics and unbelievers away. Jesus had just gotten off the boat “from the other side”. A large crowd had gathered around Him. Jairus came up to him and implored Him to come with him to his house and lay hands on his daughter. Lets look at the scriptures. First, Mark 6:45-52.
45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. 47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.
After nine hours they were still only halfway across the Sea of Galilee, normally a two-hour trip. They were in trouble and fighting for their lives. Yet here came Jesus WALKING ON TOP of the very thing that was trying to kill them. He was totally in charge. Jesus walking on top reminds me of something I heard a very smart teacher say years ago. When asking someone how they are doing, and they say "not bad UNDER the circumstances", say to them "what are you doing UNDER the circumstances, you are created to be ABOVE the circumstances.
Did you notice it said that Jesus “intended to pass by them”. Why? Why would He simply pass by them. If you studied instead of read you will notice in verse 45 that Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida. When Jesus sends you on a journey, He will assure your complete safety and protection.
49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished,
When Jesus does miraculous, impossible things in your life, do you feel amazed or astonished? I used to. There have been times when the Lord has miraculously provided in a time of impossible need.
I used to think we should be shocked and amazed at the miraculous power of God. We should be amazed when He does what He says He will do. Actually, the opposite is true. We should not be amazed or astonished, because it’s what should happen. As I read the next verse, it confirmed to me that we should realize the miraculous in our lives to be the norm.
52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.
I learned so much from that verse. I was under the misconception that people with hard hearts were God haters or, at the least, people in rebellion to Him. However, I realized from this story that I once was hardhearted when it came to the supernatural occurrences in my life.
I realized that being shocked, amazed, or surprised at a miracle was an indication of a hard heart. WOW! Said another way, relating to the natural more than the supernatural is an indication of a hard heart.
Now lets study the story of Jairus found in Mark 5:21-43.
21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.
Now it’s curious to me that we see Jesus crossed over again. That caught my attention as I studied this story. That word “again” stopped me and I wondered why that word was part of the verse. One other thing that was apparent is that water was a part of the story as it was in the previous story in Mark 6. That bears further study for a deeper revelation of what it all means. All I can say at this time is that the water fits the scripture found in Ephesians 5:26 “so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word”.
Also, if you’ll do a word search on “water” you will find many references in the Pauline Epistles, Romans to Philemon. But do it for the entirety of the New Testament.
22 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.”
Did you notice that Jairus didn’t beg Jesus to pray to God to heal his daughter? No. He implored Jesus to come with Him and lay hands on his daughter “so that she will get well and live”. GET WELL AND LIVE. Jairus was making a prophetic declaration of truth because of the person of Truth.
24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
There was a large crowd around Jesus, but He went off with this one man. He recognized this man’s faith by hearing what this man said. Basically, Jairus said my daughter will be healed by you. No doubts. Remember, Jesus is grace. Jairus not only believed grace was the answer, but he had faith that grace was the answer, because he acted on his faith.
25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 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 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Now right here I noticed something else. Right in the middle of their walk to Jairus’ house, this woman interrupts the process. This is an unclean woman who had no business in town, let alone in the midst of the crowd. She was to stay out in the barren land so she would not cause others to be cursed by touching her.
Here’s the neat thing about this. She also understood grace. She also had a positive declaration of healing. She said “If I just touch His garments, I will get well”. Not if I go to synagogue all the time. Not if I pray three hours a day. Not if I obey the law of the land that says stay in the barren land. Not if I bring tithes to the church building. NO!!! She said If I might touch His hem. Basically, if I just touch HIM.
She put her faith in action. I see her crawling on her hands and knees through the crowd to get to Him. Surely, she had to brush up against many as she made her way through the crowd. The reason these law keepers didn’t get frantic about someone breaking the “law” was because they were too busy watching Grace go by. Let me say that again. They were too busy watching Grace go by. If they would have realized that she touched them, they would have prepared themselves to be cursed, because that’s what the law said. They didn’t have fear that they would be cursed, because they were paying attention to Grace and not the law.
Now that's a good place to end this part 3 teaching. Just study that truth. When you are focused on the Grace of God, you won't have any inclination or recognition of the legalism associated with the law of performance. Since the power of Sin is in the Law (1 Corinthians 15:56) and you are freed from the law by grace, sin is dead and has no power over you (Romans 7:8).
We will pick this up in part 4 starting with Mark 5:30 to discover what resulted from this woman's faith. I'm certain most of you studying this teaching already know, but we will endeavor to reveal some deeper truths surrounding the event. Grace and Peace.
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