Chapter # 5 Paragraph # 2 Study # 7
April 5, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: The woman's "faith" brought her to "Life-health".
Introduction: In our study last week we considered at length the several issues that resulted in the woman's total lack of hope in "men". In the reality of the process of bringing the woman to Mark's concept of "repentance", God had frustrated her every attempt to find a solution to her problem in human invention. She had suffered many years, she had gone to many doctors, she had exhausted all of her financial resources, and she got precisely nothing out of all of these efforts except a sense that no one could solve her problem. At this point, she is in a very dangerous place: she is in a condition of total hopelessness when it comes to solutions from the human culture and its perceptions. This is the point where one of two things happens: the hopelessness turns to rage and despair; or, the hopelessness forces a turn to God.
In this woman's case, she turned the One billed as "The Mighty One" Whom John introduced as God's answer to every "life/Life" issue. The main "question of faith" at this point is not whether Jesus is "The Mighty One" -- that reputational issue has already been established pretty much nation-wide, but especially in Galilee. The question is whether He is willing to apply His "might" to her problem, and her answer within herself is "yes". But, it is an extremely weak "yes", else she would have simply gone to Him and sought His grace. Instead, she, filled with fear and trembling, sneaks up behind Him to "do" what she is convinced will yield her sought-after solution.
This evening I want to consider this record of what everyone can recognize as "faith about the size of a mustard seed".
- I. Some Background "Theology".
- A. Jesus did not come to "heal all of our diseases"; He "healed all of the diseases of those who came to Him" to fulfill His real purpose of coming.
- 1. His real purpose for coming was to proclaim that "repentance" and "faith" would produce such an experience of "Life" that the difficulties of "life" would fade in significance.
- 2. The reasoning behind this is rooted in the fact that "forgiveness of sins" lays the foundation for the experience of "Life" and all who obtain that forgiveness find it possible to live with significant "life" difficulties in Hope.
- 3. The problem is the human response to the promise of Life through forgiveness.
- a. Will the response be one of "faith"?
- b. What will produce the human capacity to "believe"?
- c. For Mark, Jesus' "healing of all manner of diseases" does two things simultaneously: it demonstrates Jesus' identity as "The Mighty One"; and it lays the groundwork for the confidence that He is willing to address the real issues of "Life".
- 1) There is no example of Jesus "qualifying" His willingness: He is never presented as insisting that the ill make certain changes in their attitudes and behavior before He healed any of them, with one exception.
- 2) The "exception" is that there is one non-negotiable: one must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
- B. In respect to this woman in her condition of complete hopelessness in respect to men and their abilities, there are several issues.
- 1. The woman's condition: complete human hopelessness.
- a. At every historical point of "life", this is the issue of "Life".
- b. "Life", as the result of "God/man relationship", is exclusive.
- 1) On the "God" side of this issue is His identity as "The Living God".
- a) This identity is wholly inclusive of the entirety of His "Glory"; the sum total of every "attribute" in the infinity of each.
- b) This "Glory" is summed up by the descriptive title: "Life" is the Ultimate Issue of God as "The Living God".
- i. Thus, "the" Promise of God to creature is "Eternal Life".
- ii. Thus, this "Promise" directly implies the communication by God of "Life" by means of "revelation", "illumination", and "conviction" (John 17:3).
- iii. Thus, this "Communication" (as a sharing from Him to them) includes, at the very minimum, something of the essence of every aspect of His glory (Romans 9:22 being the most problematical for men, and, thus, the most helpful, and Ephesians 3:18-19 being the most motivational for men and, thus, the most necessary in respect to the questions of which actions to take).
- iv. Thus, this "Inclusion" includes the purity of His "Holiness", the extensiveness of His "Love", and the necessity of His "Revelation" of "something" of "everything" (including His wrath and power as well as His grace and patient labors).
- 2) On the "man" side of this issue is his identity as "the absolutely dependent creature".
- a) This identity is wholly inclusive of the entirety of his "glory"; the sum total of his creation reality (body, soul, and spirit) in harmony with his innate capacities ("heart" as a metaphor for "values", "mind" as the instrument of "awareness" and "beliefs", and "strength" as the capacities built into the whole person).
- b) This identity also includes the entirety of man in his creation characteristics and his innate capacities being in total dependence upon God as "creature".
- i. Thus, any "sensation" of "independence" is both delusional and deadly.
- ii. And thus, every detail of "Life" is beneath the "umbrella" of "dependence-awareness".
- 2. The woman's "coming"...
- a. Having heard (participle) concerning "The Jesus"...
- 1) This is the "root" of her decision to pursue a "different" course in the light of her gradually declining "life".
- 2) For her, "life" was disintegrating and her "methods of life" had proven to be completely inadequate.
- 3) Whatever aspect of her "hearing" concerning "The Jesus" was, it had the impact of turning her to "repentance" [the greatness of her need and the willingness of Jesus to meet it].
- a) We are not told what she already knew "about God".
- b) We are simply told that whatever it was that she heard "about Jesus" (the Mighty One) moved her (generating the faith behind action) to "move" to make contact with Him.
- b. Having come (participle) with/in the crowd behind Him...
- 1) This "coming" was rooted in her waning "strength" and "love/faith" construct as a "dying, dependent, creature" of "The Mighty One".
- 2) This "coming" was for the purpose of taking hold of His "outer garment".
- c. She lay hold (primary verb) of His garment...
- 1) For she was saying (as her "inner conversation" of "reasoning")...
- 2) "If I indeed should lay hold of His garments..."
- a) In 6:56 Mark tells us that this reasoning/determination was widespread.
- b) We are not, however, told whether this "widespread" desire to touch the fringes of His garments was the "root" of the woman's thoughts (somehow "faith" arising out of what she knew of Messiah's impact from the Old Testament prophetic picture), or the "outcome" of the success of her thoughts/actions (others copying her example).
- 3) "I shall be delivered."
- a) This is the "declaration of the faith" that drove her to "come".
- b) As "faith" it had to have had some "tradition" within the culture that supported the ideas behind it because of some roots in "revelation, illumination, and conviction".
- II. Mark's Record Of The Outcome(s) Of The Woman's "Faith".
- A. The necessary consideration of the initial outcome.
- 1. "Immediately" (focus here) the well of her blood was dried up...
- 2. And she knew in the body that she had been healed from the scourge.
- B. The reaction of Jesus...
- 1. "Immediately" (focus here) The Jesus...
- a. Having known precisely in Himself the power having gone out from Him without His deliberate control (because He was not in the habit of turning people down, He didn't have to "ride herd on His 'power' ").
- b. Having turned in the crowd...
- c. "Was saying...
- d. Who grasped of Me the garments?"
- 2. The disciples of Him were saying to Him...
- a. You are seeing the crowd "afflicting You"...
- b. And You are saying, "Who grasped of Me?"
- 3. And He was looking around to see her that had done this thing.
- C. The outcome.
- 1. The woman...
- a. Having been frightened...
- b. And trembling...
- c. Having perceived what had happened to her...
- d. Came and fell down to Him...
- e. And said to Him all the truth.
- 2. Jesus...
- a. Said to her...
- b. "Daughter...
- c. Your faith has delivered you".
