PENTECOST 4, B – June 28, 2009

SCRIPTURES – Lamentations 3:22-33; 2 Cor. 8:1-9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43 

 Who is this woman who hides herself in the crowd that is surrounding and pressing in upon Jesus and then, without drawing attention to herself, reaches out to touch His robes? She is a believer, and a woman of great faith at that. Today she also serves as our teacher. She teaches us about the faith that receives blessing from Jesus and is praised by Him.

 If I were to ask you, “Raise your hand if you believe that Jesus is God and can do anything,” I bet that every one of you would raise your hand. However, if I were to ask, “Raise your hand if you believe that Jesus will right now help you with the problems you are facing,” I bet that not every hand would be raised; or, at least not raised quickly and confidently. Sure, we believe that Jesus is almighty. So what! The demons believe this, too! Can He do anything for you? Will He do anything for you?

 Very serious problems are seen in today’s Scripture readings. Jairus is helpless to assist his sick young daughter, and is confronted by her death. The believers in Macedonia suffer from extreme poverty – something that is quite foreign to us. And then, they hear about a collection the apostles are taking to help the Christians in Israel who are suffering from a famine. In their current economic situation how can they raise any money? Finally, there’s this anonymous woman who has been sick for years and who doctors have been unable to help. Let’s see: death and mourning; financial struggles; debilitating sickness. Unfamiliar problems? Throughout our lives we deal with the same things, don’t we? We’re no different from these people in the Bible.

 Do you have the same faith, however? Do you believe that Jesus is present to help you? “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well,” the woman said to herself. Do you believe that Jesus will help you? If not, why don’t you believe this? The Macedonian Christians, although very poor, “begged earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints” and “overflowed in a wealth of generosity.” Will you earnestly desire to give, over and above your Sunday offerings, to help pay for the window replacements and other projects needed for the upkeep of this church? Do you believe that we can overflow with a wealth of generosity? If not, why not?

 “But, Pastor, our economy is bad right now. But, Pastor, people are losing their jobs. But, Pastor, you don’t know what I’m dealing with. The doctors don’t even know. But… but… but…”  Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that your problems were greater than God. Where is your faith? Do you believe in a different Jesus than Jairus and this woman and the Macedonians believed in?

 We have the same Savior. Jesus has not changed. He’s also does not need to be coerced or persuaded to help you. The woman who suffered from bleeding believed this. Now, there’s no question that she had an amazing faith. There’s no other story of someone being healed just by reaching out and touching Christ’s robe. There’s also no record of His encouraging people to do this. She seemed to take things up a notch, to expect more from Jesus than anyone else did. But, she did not expect of Jesus anything that He was not willing to give.

 Her healing certainly sounds strange. Jesus perceives that power has gone out from him and so stops and says, “Who touched my garments?” It sounds like dragging your shoes on the carpet and then touching and zapping someone with the electric charge that has built up. Zap! A bolt of healing is taken from Jesus, without His knowledge or desire! That’s not the case, however. No one could ever take from the almighty Son of God what He did not want to give. We are told that the woman came up to Jesus because she had heard the reports about Him. No sickness had proven too great for Him to heal, no demon too powerful to cast out. Death itself was overcome by His word of life! She had heard this, as had the synagogue ruler Jairus. She had also heard that He had helped everyone who came to Him. His mercy and powerful love drew her to Him. She had no doubt that He could and would help her. And so, she reached out and touched His robe.

 How do we know that Jesus was willing to heal her? How can you be sure that He wants to help you? Because of His response to her. Do you think Jesus didn’t know who it was who touched Him? He’s God! He knew. Why, then, did He ask? For our sakes. He knows how hesitant we are to expect His help, how our expectations are lowered by the problems of this life. He also knows how our guilt because of our sins can fill us with shame and keep us from going to Him with the expectation of help. So, He sought her out. You see, this woman reached out in secrecy to touch Jesus because of what she had been dealing with. Her bleeding rendered her unclean according to Jewish law, and she was ashamed. Anyone who touched her would also be unclean, and perhaps she wanted to protect Jesus from her dishonor. But she needed, and we need, to learn. Jesus did not come to avoid our guilt and shame but to make it His own and, by so doing, take it away from us. She could not shame Him, any more than she could make Him sick. He could honor her, however, and that is what He wanted to do. In secrecy she was healed, but publicly He honored her by praising her faith.

 Learn from this humble believer. How great is faith, even the simplest faith! There is nothing that faith cannot overcome: sickness; poverty; fear and worry. It even over-comes death! Faith is great because the One we believe in is great. Jesus is great in power; but, more than this, He is great in mercy. Learn, then, to above all rely upon your Savior’s mercy and forgiveness. Let Him cover your guilt and shame. Let Him honor you, and honor Him in return, by seeking the honor of His mercy and forgiveness. This is the greatest healing, for it is the healing that brings us eternal life.

 This woman was content to touch only the garments of Jesus, and, even though He had said nothing about being healed by touching His robes, He honored her faith by granting His healing. Did you know that He has left behind His robes for us today, that we might be healed as we touch them? I’m not talking about the Shroud of Turin, the garment with the image of a man on it that is said to be the garment that Jesus was buried in. No, Jesus said nothing about His burial garment. The garments of Jesus that I am referring to are the preaching of His Gospel and His Sacraments of Confession and Absolution, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion. He has told us that they convey His very presence and give us the forgiveness of sins He died to gain for us. By them we are healed, all guilt and shame is removed before God. Like this woman, then, honor your Lord by touching these garments of His. Believe that you are healed of your sins and given the praise of God as you receive them. Christ’s Word and Sacraments are not divine ATM machines that automatically, because you showed up in church, dispense to you His mercy and forgiveness. “Your faith makes you well.” Receive them with a thankful faith, and then you may “go in peace.”

 There is one last, and very important, thing to learn from this woman’s faith, and that is humble trust. She was healed immediately upon touching Jesus. Of course, that usually does not happen for us when we cry out to Him for help. You don’t find a job right away. Your sickness and pain continues. Struggles persist. The future may be very uncertain. Remember that this woman had been sick for twelve years. She had sought help, but had not found it. She had suffered and become impoverished. We might wonder, “How could God have allowed this?” I don’t know if she wondered this; we’re not told. We are told that she had no doubt that Jesus could, and would, help her. Her faith led to her blessing, and ended up leading her to be a public witness to Jesus and a blessing to many.

 This is how it is with faith. In faith we entrust ourselves to Christ, never doubting His love and mercy and willingness to help us. But, we leave it to Him as to how and when to help. Our lives are His – thanks be to God! – and He will direct them that we might witness to Him.

 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3) And, in Christ He is your portion. Therefore: “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand… The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121)