Divine Healing Chapter 2

Key:

Scripture is in BLACK FONT

Words of Jesus in RED FONT

Notes in BLUE FONT

Chapter 2 - Jesus

“And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.” (Mark 5:21)
This means that hundreds, if not thousands, of people were waiting on the shore for Jesus to come back to Capernaum.

And When Jesus Was Passed Over Again by Ship unto The Other Side

The heading refers to Christ going back to Capernaum on the west side of the sea of Galilee. In fact, even though He had been raised in Nazareth, His headquarters were now in Capernaum, located on the northwest corner of the lake, one might say. That which The Holy Spirit chose to serve as the headquarters of the Son of the God during His earthly ministry was a beautiful setting. Actually, the entire north end and western side of the Sea of Galilee were ringed with towns, so we are told by Josephus, the Jewish historian.

Much People Gathered Unto Him

This speaks of the great crowd. Luke said, “…for they were all waiting for him.” (Luke 8:40) There were many who needed healing, and who had, perhaps, come from afar. In fact, at least at the first year and a half of His ministry, anywhere that Jesus went, the crowds were thick and fast with all types of problems being addressed, healing, demons cast out, etc. In fact, the name Jesus was on the lips of every individual in Israel. Neither Israel, nor anyone else for that matter, had ever seen anything like Him. He never failed to heal, whatever the problem was, no matter how severe it was, He healed them all. He never met a case that He could not change, a sick body that He could not heal, or a demon-possessed soul to whom He could not bring deliverance. As I stated, there had never been anyone like Him, and in fact, there never will be anyone like Him again.

And He was Near unto the Sea

Jesus departed out of a ship and was on the shore. He was met by hundreds, if not thousands, of people. The Sea of Galilee was about 14 miles long and about 7 miles wide. As previously stated, it is the area that The Holy Spirit determined would be the headquarters of The Master. Today there are only a few ruins left. In fact, there is only one city on the Sea of Galilee at present, Tiberius. If it is to be remembered, Jesus placed a curse upon the towns around the Sea of Galilee, with the exception of Tiberius. In fact, there’s no record that He ever went to Tiberius, and that is because it was mostly a Gentile enclave. As well, it is said that it was built over a graveyard, which would have defiled the Jews if they walked in that particular area. As it regards the towns around Galilee, especially on the northern and western shores, the Scripture says, in the words of Christ, “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (Luke 10:13) And then He said, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” (Matthew 11:23-24)

“And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,” (Mark 5:22)

And, Behold, There Cometh One of the Rulers of the Synagogue

The words, “And, behold” exclaim a happening of great significance that was about to take place. There were several rulers in each synagogue, of which Jairus was one. Their duties were to select the readers or teachers on the Sabbath, to examine their discourses, and to see that all things were done with decency and in accordance with ancestral usage. 

Jairus By Name

The name Jairus meant “Whom Jehovah enlightens”. To be sure, he was to be enlightened more so than he could ever begin to realize.  Obviously, this was a man of some note or else The Holy Spirit would not have devoted the time and attention to the situation as He did.

And When He Saw Him, He Fell at His Feet

The heading means that Jairus had heard that Jesus had arrived, and he rushed to seek His help. His request was preceded by his falling at Jesus’ feet in the posture of worship because the need was so great, i.e., the saving of his daughter from death.

“And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.” (Mark 5:23)

And Besought Him Greatly

The heading proclaims an impassioned plea one can well understand. His little daughter was dying. In fact, she would die before Jairus would be able to have Jesus come back with him. However, as we shall see, this would prove to be no hinderance to Our Lord. 

Saying, My Little Daughter Lieth at the Point of Death

As is obvious, the heading refers to the fact that the child was about to die. Actually, in a few minutes, someone would come from the home of Jairus and tell him that his daughter, in fact, was dead. In other words, she probably died about the time that her father was imploring Christ to come and heal her. 

I Pray Thee, Come and Lay Thy Hands on Her, That She May be Healed; and She Shall Live

The heading proclaims the fact that the man had faith in Jesus. Without a doubt, he had seen The Lord heal many in the preceding days. However, what he was about to see now would far eclipse what he had previously seen. A point that should be brought out is the fact that the Gentile centurion had said to Jesus, “…speak the word only,” when referring to his servant, but the faith of Jairus does not seem to have risen to such degree (Matthew 8:5-13). Divine healing refers to the fact that The Lord performs the work. As it regards that, these great experiences of Christ that are given to us in The Word will build faith in the heart and life of the believer as nothing else. Jesus Christ is the only Divine Healer. Men do not fall into that category, no matter how consecrated they are. So, in giving these great illustrations, hopefully it will build faith in your heart, and you will, most of all, understand that the One doing the healing is The Lord Jesus Christ. It was true then, and it is true now.

“And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.” (Mark 5:24)

And Jesus Went with Him

The heading proclaims a like response to the man’s faith. If Jairus had requested Christ to speak The Word as the centurion did, Jesus would have undoubtedly done so, and the child would have been healed, or even raised from the dead at that moment. Nevertheless, Jesus met him on his own level, and proceeded to go to his house. This tremendous lesson of faith, relative to comparing the centurion with Jairus, must not be lost upon the reader. God responds to faith at whatever level. However, He seldom seeks to increase faith at that moment, but rather, responds to its present level, whatever that level may be. The level of faith receives the same level of response. Actually, Jesus, at times, would say, “…According to your faith be it unto you.” (Matthew 9:29) Jesus also used the terms such as, “…O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) In addition, He said, “…O woman, great is thy faith:…” (Matthew 15:28) So, we are made to see, in these responses by Christ, that there are levels of faith that receive the same level of response. Jairus seemed to need Jesus to come personally to his house and even to physically lay hands on his daughter. Consequently, that is what Jesus would do.  

And Much People Followed Him, and Thronged Him

The heading sets the stage for the next great miracle and another lesson in faith, which is astounding, to say the least. The crowd was so intense around Christ that it almost suffocated Him. There were many people with many needs, and they knew that He, alone, had the answer. Note well, it has not changed from then till now. The only way that help can be received (I speak of help that will change the situation for the good) is from The Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of all blessings and all things that we receive from God, while The Cross of Christ is the means. In other words, it is The Cross that opened the door for Christ to be able to do all of these wonderful things. One might say that all the things that were done by The Lord before the Cross were done on credit, knowing that The Cross would ultimately pay the price, which it did. What do we mean by The Cross being the means by which The Lord does all things? First of all, when we speak of The Cross, we are not speaking of the wooden beam upon which Jesus died. We are, rather, speaking of what Jesus there accomplished. The question becomes, what did Jesus accomplish that made all of these things possible? First of all, He atoned for all sin, past, present, and future, at least for all who will believe. Paul wrote, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) He then said, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14) And then, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:16-17) At The Cross, Jesus totally defeated satan and all other fallen angels and demon spirits. (Colossians 2:10-15) The question becomes, how did He do that? Sin gives satan the legal right to do all that he does, and that he steals, kills, and destroys, but with all sin atoned, satan is defeated. Note well, satan cannot hold anyone in bondage any longer, at least if one trusts and has faith in Christ and what Christ did at The Cross. Please understand that Jesus did not go to The Cross to appease satan. He went to The Cross to appease God The Father. It was God to Whom the price was owed. It was against God that man had sinned, and therefore, The Cross was to right that wrong, pay that debt, and make things right with God the Father, which was done. So, when we say that The Cross of Christ is the means by which all of these wonderful things are given to us, that is the reason.

What Exactly Did the Sacrifice of Christ Address?

The sacrifice of Christ addressed everything that man lost in the fall, and I mean everything. Nothing was left unaddressed, unattended, or untouched. That means that all sin was atoned, all victory was won, and the door was opened for all things to be given to those who believe, and I mean all things. Hang on to your seat when, Jesus said, “It is finished”, He meant that it was a finished work in totality. Let us say it again, nothing was left undone. Jesus paid it all. That means that because of The Cross, if you will only believe, you can experience all Spiritual blessings, all physical blessings, all material blessings, all financial blessings, and all domestic blessings (Romans 6:3-14; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 23; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14; Colossians 2:10-15). The Cross of Christ has made it all possible, and that we must ever understand and never forget.

“And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,” (Mark 5:25)

A Certain Woman

This woman is said, by tradition to have been named Veronica, a native of Caesarea Philippi. There is no doubt, for any number of reasons, the Holy Spirit included this dear lady (or anyone for that matter), considering that Jesus healed thousands, if not more. More than likely, she was included because of the uniqueness of the situation. As we shall see, this woman evidences great faith in the face of difficult circumstances. To be sure, her faith was well rewarded.

Which Had an Issue of Blood Twelve Years

The heading speaks of a constant hemorrhage that she had suffered for twelve years, but she was now worse than ever as it regarded her physical condition. The woman was dying. While she was still able to mobilize to a certain extent, common sense will tell us that she could not go on much longer in this particular state. However, her world was about to change.

“And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,” (Mark 5:26)

And Had Suffered Many Things of Many Physicians

It actually means that she had suffered extreme pain at the hands of these so-called doctors but to no avail. Luke, himself a physician, added “…which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,” (Luke 8:43). For sicknesses such as this, their manner of treatment in those days was primitive, to say the least. In effect, there was really nothing they could do. As is here obvious, whatever they did, it mostly exacerbated the problem instead of relieving it.

And Had Spent All that She Had

The insinuation is that these doctors had attempted to treat her merely for the money they could receive out of it, knowing they could not help her. The implication is she had once been quite wealthy but had spent basically all of her worth in this effort to obtain relief. Medicine, in those days, was most definitely not a science. There was more superstition involved in it than anything else, with very few people actually being helped. While the doctors of that time could help in minor cases, such as a boil, rash, etc., for something that was quite serious, there was nothing they could do.

And Was Nothing Bettered, but Rather Grew Worse

This statement actually goes back to the previous phrase, lending credence to the thought that the physicians had not helped her at all, but if anything, had made the situation worse. As we have previously stated, some of them treated her only for the money, knowing they could not help her. So, I think it is obvious this dear lady was in a perilous situation, but her world was about to change. How many millions down through the centuries have been in the same situation either physically, spiritually, or however, or whatever, but they met Jesus. To be sure, they would never be the same again, with their lives given back to them. What a Mighty God we serve!

“When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” (Mark 5:27)

When She had Heard of Jesus

This phrase had elicited more discussion than probably anything else said at this time. Did it mean that she had never heard of Jesus before this particular time? That seems to be highly unlikely. Jesus was constantly on the lips of every single individual in Israel. As we have previously stated, there had never been anyone like Him. He was healing every type of sickness, never failing one time, no matter how hard the case was. So, to say that she had never heard of Jesus seems far-fetched. Quite possibly, she had made the trip to Capernaum for other reasons, and when she got there, somebody said that Jesus was soon to be there. The Greek actually says, “When she had heard of the Jesus”, meaning that He had become so popular that, even though this name was commonly used, still, He was distinguished from all others, hence “the Jesus”. Jesus, in the Hebrew, means Joshua, which He was actually called. It was quite a common name for the time and the place.

Came in the Press Behind

The heading means that the moment that Jesus disengaged from the ship and came ashore, hundreds of people surrounded Him, with many of them sick, some demon possessed, etc. So, when Veronica arrived where He was, the scene was one of almost pandemonium. People were pulling and shoving, trying to get close to Him and trying to touch Him. No doubt, she wondered, in her weakened and sick condition, how she could even get close to Him. So, she somehow made her way through the crowd, which was at the back of Our Lord.

And Touched His Garment

The heading probably referred to the touching of the hem of the shawl thrown over His shoulder. Even though there are indications that she may have been a Gentile, even with tradition saying so, this particular phrase seems to indicate that she may have been Jewish, although living in a Gentile area. Otherwise, it seems that she would have little knowledge or understanding respecting the touching of this part of His garment. Concerning this hem or fringe, the Scripture says, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband (ribbon) of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:” (Numbers 15:37-39) This commandment concerning the fringe of the garment was to make it visible to all of Israel that they were a heavenly people and that this great fact should especially present to their hearts when necessarily coming in closest touch with the earth. It was to be worn on the outer garment and on each of the four corners as a tassel of blue. Pulpit said, “The tasseled Hebrew was a marked man in other eyes and in his own. He could not pass himself off as one of the heathen. He was perpetually reminded of this special relation in which he stood to The Lord.” In other words, he wore the colors of The Lord. That color was blue, reminding him that his help came from above.

“For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” (Mark 5:28)

For She Said

The heading means that she kept saying over and over to herself, or even possibly to others nearby, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” So, as stated, this tells us that she was Jewish in as much as she understood what was meant by the shawl with the ribbon of blue that was thrown over His shoulder, which every Jewish man wore. In all of this, we must come to the conclusion that something had transpired within her heart respecting a way to be healed. No doubt, she would have loved to approach Jesus with the opportunity to tell Him of her difficulties and problems. However, as is now obvious, such was not possible. The crowd was too great with too many clamoring to get to Jesus, so The Holy Spirit dropped a word within her heart that generated faith and found a way, as faith will always find a way. She would touch the hem of His garment (Luke 8:44).

If I May Touch but His Clothes, I Shall be Whole

Jairus wanted Jesus to touch his daughter while this “certain woman” knew that, with her, this was not possible. Therefore, she would touch Him instead of Him touching her. The entire scenario tells us, as stated, that faith will find a way. Faith will not take no for an answer, and neither will faith be hindered by seemingly impossible circumstances. So, if Jesus has not touched you, that does not mean that all hope is gone. You can touch Him. If you touch Him by faith and with faith, you will receive just as much as if He had touched you. This dear woman proves that truth. This opens up the possibility for the receiving of whatever is needed to any and all. No one is excluded, except those who will not believe.

The Power of God

Sometimes the power of God is so real that The Lord touches all in the place, or at least some. But sometimes, there is no touch, but yet, according to this woman, whatever is needed can still be obtained. I believe that this is at least a part of the lesson The Holy Spirit desires that we learn. Even though He may not touch you, you can touch Him. What does it mean to touch The Lord? Well, regarding this “certain woman” who was, no doubt, inspired by The Holy Spirit, she realized that she would not be able to get Jesus to touch her, so she reasoned in her mind and spirit that she could touch Him, and the effect would be the same. It was. It was just that simple. However, because Jesus is not here physically as then, the situation presently is a tiny bit different. The difference is that it only requires a slightly higher level of faith. In effect, He is here, not just physically. When individuals are in a church service or wherever, when the Spirit and power of God are moving greatly, with many being touched and healed, it doesn’t really take nearly the faith as this of which we speak. However, at these times, some, if not many, do not receive a touch from The Lord. They are then led to believe (because of the lack of obvious evidence) that they are not able to receive what others have received. Thankfully, this passage tells us differently.

Poem:

I can see far down the mountain

Where I have wandered weary years

Often hindered on my journey

By the ghosts of doubts and fears

Broken vows and disappointments

Thickly strewn along the way

But the Spirit (The Divine Spirit) led unerring

to land I hold today

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