Jump Start # 437

Mark 5:25-26  “A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 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”

  Mark five contains a miracle within a miracle. Jesus was on the way to the home of a synagogue official. His twelve year old daughter was dying. A large crowd had gathered in the streets. As Jesus is making His way through, this unknown woman with the issue of blood touches Jesus. She is cured. The little girl dies. Jesus goes and raises her from the dead. Great section that shows the power of Jesus.

  Our thoughts from our verse shows the pitiful and hopeless situation that this woman was in. Mark describes several things: (1) she’s had this condition for a long time—12 years; (2) she had seen many doctors; (3) she was broke because of the medical bills; (4) she was not any better, in fact, she was getting worse. She was out of options. Jesus was her last hope.

  The condition of this woman describes many of us or our friends. The dreaded “C” word, cancer. Chemo, radiation, other treatments. Many visits to the doctors. Medical bills piling up. The person doesn’t feel well. The experts sadly say, the cancer is taking over. I have seen this more than once. I watched my mother go through this. The saddest words are, “had grown worse.”

  It’s hard to know what to say. What you want and what you hope for and reality are going the opposite directions. We know that God can do all things and pray must be as regular as medicine, but doctrinally God does not perform miracles these days. He works providentially but not supernaturally. There comes a time when a person realizes that they are not getting better and they will not ever get better. I have cried the tears that come with such bad news. Some get angry. Some feel cheated. Some give up.

  Hebrews 9:27 tells us that we all have an appointment with death. We’d like that appointment to be delayed and not filled until we have done all that we want to do and the kids are raised and on their own and we are old and tired and ready to go. That’s our thinking. That appointment comes to some when they are young, and yes, that’s not fair. It comes to others when they are the parents of small children. It comes to some suddenly and without notice. It comes to others after a long, long journey of sickness and pain. The appointment comes.

  Two thoughts for us: first, all of us need to be walking with Jesus. We need that. We need Jesus. We need forgiveness. We need the hope that this world, this life, and these times cannot give to us. Death is not the worse thing that can happen to us. The end of life is viewed differently when one has Christ and when one doesn’t. The disciples of Jesus realize that all the things that have burdened us here will not carry over to Heaven. There will be no cancer in Heaven. There will be no doctor appointments to be kept, tests to be taken, pills to be swallowed, shots to be given. You won’t feel bad in Heaven—ever! You won’t age in Heaven –ever! You won’t lose your sight, hearing or teeth after a thousand years in Heaven. We will be different and Heaven will be different. For the disciple of Jesus, death is just a door. It is the opposite of birth. With birth, we were alive in our mother’s womb. Birth took us from there to here. Death takes us from here to there. It’s a doorway. The more of Heaven in you the less of earth that appeals to you. A person gets to the point where they want to pass through that door and be with the Lord on the other side.

  Second, it’s hard to know what to say to someone who is not going to recover. I’ve been there too many times to count. I’ve seen many, many people take their last breath. It’s a solemn and tearful experience, especially when that person is family. I say prayers with the family. I ask God for a quick and easy exit for them. I let the people know that I love them. It’s hard when the person doesn’t know Jesus. They have lived a full life but never journeyed with the Lord. What then? Don’t judge. Let God do that in His time and in His way. Help the family. They have questions, doubts and fears. Don’t say things that are not true. Don’t give false hope. For the unrighteous, their suffering may only really begin AFTER death. Don’t say, “At least their suffering has ended.” It may not. Only God knows for sure. I tell them that God loves them and loved their family member.

  I have found that many will want to know where are they, what happens after death. A reading of Luke 16 and the rich man and Lazarus will show what takes place. There are other passages. The end of life turns many people to thinking about the Lord. There are many weird and unbiblical ideas people have. They are trying to hold on to something and find a reason and often that’s hard to do.

  I wonder how many others in that village were getting worse. This woman found Jesus. Others didn’t. But even this woman who was healed eventually died. We all have that appointment, don’t we? We can do something while we have health and options, can’t we? We can be instruments for God to help others when they are struggling with these issues. 

Roger