Mark 5:24  And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25  And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27  When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30  And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31  And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32  And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34  And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

This passage fits into the context of the passage we looked at yesterday. The people were desperate for help at the time that Jesus came to this earth.

Galatians 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

God promised a Saviour in Genesis 3. He gave further details as to Who that seed would be throughout the Old Testament. He gave the nation of Israel the law and the tabernacle with all its vessels. He also established the priesthood and the kings. All of that was designed by God to point forward to the “fullness of time” when Jesus Christ would come to lay down His life for the sheep.
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the public ministry of the Messiah. John did his work as God planned it. He was murdered and taken out of the way. This was not because there was a rivalry between John and Jesus. It was to remove any hint of confusion from the minds of the people. The people were so easily distracted then, as we are now.
It is interesting to listen to the media talk of how Trump is approaching this coming weekend. Mr. Trump is doing things that no other president in our lifetime, and possibly ever, has done. None of that changes the fact that Mr. Trump is a lost man who lacks discernment. I listened to an interview regarding President Trump’s actions this week. That person was willing to throw out all the facts because Mr. Trump made some statements. It is quite amazing to see how our world is being prepared for the coming of the Antichrist.
In the next major event, there will be no John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Messiah. There will be no Saviour coming to present Himself to mankind. The next major event will see the New Testament saints removed from this earth and the Antichrist will be introduced and he will do lying signs and wonders to deceive the world because they loved not the truth. That will not be a good time for the world.
In our text the people were looking for Jesus because of the miracles that He did. In the immediate text, amongst the throng of people, there was a woman with an issue of blood. This woman would stand out from all the rest. All the rest were thronging Him, but this woman did more than that. She came up behind Jesus and touched His garment. This woman was desperate as was Jairus. This woman had spent all she had on physicians, but she was none the better for it. She came behind Him and touched His garment. She believed that if she could but touch His garment, she would be healed. She exercised the same faith that Jairus was told he needed to have. This faith that she exercised is a picture of the faith that is required to save a lost sinner. Those who come to Jesus Christ for salvation must come with no conditions. They must come because they are desperate. God’s gift of salvation is not an add on. It is not a possibility. It is a “for sure” gift that works every time it is received.
We are told here that the issue of blood this woman had was dried up “straightway”. There was no need to go on iron pills or to get some medication to help slow down the process. She was immediately healed. We know that Jesus was more concerned about her soul than about her issue. He was more concerned about the souls of that entire crowd. That is why He stopped and asked Who had touched Him.
The disciples rebuked Him for His question. They did not get it. They and the rest of the people needed to see Who Jesus was. They needed to see Him for Who He truly was. Jesus was not distracted by the disciples’ shallow thinking. He kept looking at the crowd. The woman came to Jesus, fearing and trembling. She knew she could not hide what had happened. She came and fell down at Jesus’ feet and told Him what she had done and what He had done.
This was a “risk” worth taking. She had trusted that Jesus could heal her, and she was not wrong. She had trusted in Him alone to heal her and she was not disappointed. She had exhausted all other avenues and none had worked.
A person needs to be broken before he will be saved. The Hindus think they can add Jesus to their mix of gods. The Catholics have Mary as superior to Jesus Christ. The J.W.’s and their ilk reject that Jesus is God. The New Evangelical crowd has a fictitious Jesus Who jives with the best of them and He doesn’t mind a drink now and then.
I heard a man this week talking about Jesus being the Jesus of the ‘second chance’. If He is the Jesus of the second chance, when was the first chance? How many second chances does He give? The Bible says that Jesus Christ is merciful and is willing to forgive the repentant sinner. Salvation comes for some in their youth and for others down the road a ways. It is not a matter of a second chance. It is a matter of true repentance and true faith in God. God wants all to be saved sooner rather than later.
After salvation, it still is not a matter of ‘second chances’. It is a matter of confessing sin and being forgiven and forsaking the sin. We are taught to forgive up to seventy times seven. That does not mean there is a tolerance or a glibness about our sin. It means that God is merciful and willing to forgive those who truly seek forgiveness.
This woman needed help and she knew it. She knew there was nowhere else to turn. She had exhausted all humanistic ideas. Now she would turn to Jesus. No ‘second chance’ involved here. This was her first time coming to Jesus. She would not be disappointed because she believed He could heal her.
Jesus looked at her and He declared: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be healed of thy plague.” She would never be troubled with this matter again. The sinner who is truly repentant toward God and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will never be lost again. Now it is important to walk in the truth and grow in the Lord. It is not complicated. It is also not cheap. It is precious and not built upon ‘second chances’. It is built upon truth. The wise person follows what the Bible says. Feelings are fickle. Truth is absolute. We can know the same peace this woman was given if we trust in the true God for our salvation and daily walk.
Pastor Bartel