“TOUCHING THE SAVIOR!”
Mark 6:53-56
INTRODUCTION:
One day Jesus came to a village and found a man there who was blind. He laid hands on him and prayed over the man. And, he was healed completely. The townspeople were so appreciative that they built a church, and they called it, THE FIRST CHURCH OF LAYING ON OF HANDS AND HEALING.
So, Jesus goes to the next village, and there he found another blind man. So, Jesus spits on the ground and makes some mud, and applies it to the man’s eyes. He then tells the man to go wash in the pool, and the man receives his sight. The townspeople are so overjoyed that they decide to start a church in Jesus’ honor. And, they called it, THE FIRST CHURCH OF HERE’S MUD IN YOUR EYE AND BE HEALED.
Jesus goes on to yet a 3rd village, and finds a 3rd blind man there. So, Jesus tells the man, “If you go and wash in this pool 7 times, you will receive you sight back.” So the man does as Jesus says. The 3rd set of townspeople was so appreciative of God’s work that they built a church in Jesus’ honor, too. They named it, THE FIRST CHURCH OF WASHING 7 TIMES AND HEALING.
One day, the Lord called all these groups together for fellowship. But, over the course of time they began to break down over doctrinal issues as to how healing takes place. One group said, “You can’t heal unless you lay hands on those who are sick.” A 2nd group said, “That’s fine, but if you forget the mud in their eye it doesn’t work.” The 3rd group said, “You guys only have part of the truth, washing 7 times is the real key.”
The contention became so great among them that they broke fellowship between them, none of them wanting to fellowship with heretics any longer.
That’s kind of the way it is now, isn’t it? So many denominations and so many churches believing they have the right answer. But, the truth is that it is Jesus who does the healing. And, no matter how he does it, he is the healer. And, that is what we see him doing in our passage, this morning.
Remember when we 1st started studying Mark? I told you that Mark shows us a Jesus in action. And, I think we are finding that to be true. Last week, Jesus’ disciples were at a pretty low point in their faith walk. In fact, their faith was faltering quite a bit after they saw Jesus feed the 5,000 with just 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. V.52 said, “for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”
As Jesus sent them out in the boat, they were struggling with their faith. But, it didn’t take long before they began struggling physically. Half way across the lake, a wind came up. As they struggled for hours making no headway, Jesus finally came walking on the water to them—giving them comfort and calming the wind.
Well, they finished their journey across the lake. And, when they docked the boat, we find, once again they were swamped with people recognizing Jesus. And, they all wanted to be healed from their physical ailments. Our weary disciples are probably muttering to themselves, “Oh, no! Not again! Are we ever going to get some rest?”
But, there master, Jesus, quickly/tirelessly gets back to work. Do you see what Jesus gets back to work doing? The last 7 words of this passage tell us the story: “and all who touched him were healed.” At least that is what our NIV translation tells us. This doesn’t happen very often, but I like the KJV much better, this time. It says, “and as many as touched him were made WHOLE.”
Now, is there a difference? I think there is. Jesus “healing” the people makes us think he was only involved in physical healing. Where as Jesus “making them whole” has a much more holistic/theological connotation to it, doesn’t it? I think Jesus was healing/preaching and people were responding and being saved physically/spiritually.
They were being made “whole” in both senses. And, that is what our passage tells us, today. That when we respond to Jesus, we will be made whole. What are some truths about responding to Jesus and being made whole?
WE MUST RECOGNIZE HIM: (V.54)
The people of the region certainly recognized Jesus, didn’t they? V.54 says, “As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.” Jesus had been preaching and teaching and healing and driving out demons all around the area. He had built up a reputation, and the crowds kept getting bigger/bigger everywhere he went.
They may not have recognized him for the right reasons. And, they may not have recognized him as God in the flesh come to save them for their sins. But, they did recognize him as the healer—the One who could make them whole. And they rushed to him.
I like the story of the middle aged woman who had a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital. While on the table she had a near death experience. Seeing God, she asked, “Is my time up?” Looking in His book, God said, “No, you have another 43 years, 2 months, and 8 days to live.”
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a facelift, liposuction and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair color. Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it. After her operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded, “I thought you said I had another 43 years?” God replied, “I didn’t recognize you.”
Jesus hasn’t changed a bit in 2,000 years. Today, we should have no trouble recognizing Jesus for who he is—Lord/Savior for all who want to be made whole. We have God’s word that describes Jesus in detail; we have the Church—millions/millions of Christians sharing testimonies of Christ working in their lives; we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in knowing him intimately.
There is no excuse for anyone, today, for not recognizing Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But, so many people do fail to recognize him. And in doing so, they never will be made whole. And, that is a shame.
WE MUST WANT WHAT HE OFFERS: (V.55-56)
Do you think these people wanted what Jesus had to offer? Let me read V.55-56, “They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And, wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch him…”
I’m sure you feel the intensity, don’t you? Just look at some of the verbs that Mark uses to show action: They RAN through the region; they CARRIED the sick on mats; they PLACED the sick in the marketplaces; and they BEGGED him to let them touch him.
Yes, they wanted what he was selling. He was either the world’s greatest salesman or he had the world’s greatest product for sale. I think it was both, but it was the latter one the really got them. What Jesus was selling—or really giving away—has never been matched in human history. Jesus was “making people whole.”
Here, I think, is a good place to talk about what “being made whole” is all about. Some people would say it is confessing Christ and being saved for all eternity. They would say that this is a salvation message—recognizing Jesus as our Savior and accepting his offer of eternal life. And, that is right, in part. But, I think “being made whole” has more to it than just salvation. When I say, “just salvation”, I don’t mean to say our salvation isn’t important because it most certainly is. But, there is more…
“Being made whole” includes a lifelong process of being made holy. We’ve used the word “sanctification” before—and that is what it means—living a life of becoming holy—becoming Christ like; it is living a kingdom life—in God’s presence; it is fellowshipping with Him and getting to know Him more/more each day; it is reading His Word everyday; it is worshiping Him; it is growing in our love with/for Him; it is loving all people and learning to commune with them as Church.
That is what “being made whole” is all about: becoming more/more like Jesus. That is exactly what he offers. And, he wants us to freely want it. There is a cartoon of Lucy and Charlie Brown talking. Lucy says to Charlie Brown, “I would have made a great evangelist.” Charlie Brown answers, “Is that so?” She says, “Yes, I convinced that boy in front of me in school that my religion is better than his religion.” Charlie Brown asked, “Well, how did you do that?” And Lucy answered, “I hit him over the head with my lunch box.”
Jesus simply makes the offer in love. And, there is only one way to get what it is he is offering…
WE MUST REACH OUT TO HIM: (V.56)
In V.56, I go back to the KJV, “and as many as touched him were made whole.” Every person who made the effort to touch Jesus, was made whole. It is about reaching out to Jesus in faith.
I remind you of the story that is very similar to this one that we talked about a few weeks ago. Remember in Chapter 5 when we saw the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Jesus was on his way to resurrect a 12 year old girl. And this woman in faith reached out and touched Jesus’ cloak. And, immediately, her bleeding was stopped. And Mark says in 5:29, “she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” She reached out to Jesus. And because of her faith she was made whole. Jesus said in V.34, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Reaching out to him is the one requirement that Jesus has for us to be made whole. We must reach out and touch him. Of course, it is not the physical touching. It is the faith in him as we reach out to him. In order to be made whole, we must 1st reach out and confess him as Lord/Savior. We must submit to his Lordship. We must repent of our sinfulness and put it all in his hands. That touching brings salvation—that one time reaching out in faith brings eternal life.
But, Jesus also wants a daily touching. He wants us to daily reach out to him in faith. He wants a loving relationship with us that can only come as we continually come to him. It is in that way that we become whole—we will become more Christ like. God created to be whole. He put us here as Christ like creatures. We rebelled against Him and His plan. In doing so, we lost our wholeness. But, He has redeemed us. And, He continuously calls back to Him. But, we must reach out to Him to be made whole once again.
CONCLUSION:
I pray, today, that you will respond to Jesus and be made whole. Recognize him as your Lord/Savior. Know him intimately with all your heart. Want what he has to offer—a loving relationship with the Savior of the world.
If you have never confessed him as your Lord/Savior, reach out today and confess him. Confess your sinfulness and tell him that you need him and want him. If you have confessed him and you are saved, reach out to him daily. Tell him you want a loving relationship with him for all eternity.
Jesus wants to make you whole. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Have dinner with the Savior, today. And, every other day for all eternity.