Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1382
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, November 4, 1877
“She said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.” Mark 5:28.
THE miracle of the healing of this woman occurred while our Savior was on the road to the house of Jairus to raise his daughter and I have not much doubt that although, in itself, it was a very remarkable miracle, it was not meant to stand quite alone, but had a relation to the Lord’s dealings with Jairus. If I read the narrative rightly, the ruler of the synagogue was about to have his faith severely tried. He had come to the Savior saying that his daughter was lying at the point of death. He beseeched Jesus to come and heal her, but before He had reached the house, other messengers came to say, “Your daughter is dead; why do you trouble the Master any further?”
Now, in order that the faith of Jairus might be prepared for that shock, our Lord had afforded him the sight of a special miracle worked upon this woman. Our Lord had said to him, “Fear not; only believe, and she shall be made whole,” and as old Bishop Hall says, “to make this good, by the touch of the hem of His garment He revived a woman from the verge of death.” It is amazing that the case of his little daughter of 12 years of age was here placed within the region of hope by our Lord’s healing a woman who had been exactly the same time subject to a grievous and incurable malady. A woman who led a living death is healed that Jairus may believe that his dead daughter may be raised to life!
Brethren, we never know, when God blesses us, how much blessing He is incidentally bestowing upon others. It may be that even our conversion had a far-reaching but very distinct connection with the conversion of others. Grace smiles upon its personal subject, but its object reaches beyond the private benefit of the individual. The Lord is strengthening the faith of another of His children, or it may be He is actually working faith in a convicted soul when He is accepting and honoring our faith and saving us!
We speak of killing two birds with one stone, but our Savior knows how to bless two souls, no, 2,000 souls, with one single touch of His hand! I will not, however, detain you in the throng of thoughts with which I might preface my discourse upon this interesting narrative, for I long to bring you near to the glorious Person of the great Healer of men! Our Lord worked this miracle while moving on to work another—like the sun, He shines while He pursues His course and every beam is full of Grace. Not only what He does with full purpose is glorious, but He is so full of power and Grace that even what He does incidentally by the way is marvelous!
The main course and design of His life must ever engross our most earnest thoughts, but even the minor episodes of His life are rich beyond expression. Nor is there ever a point of detail which is without instruction. We cannot exhaust the subject, but must be satisfied to leave out many interesting matters and come at once to the heart of the story. First, I invite you to look at this woman as a patient. Secondly to observe the great difficulties with which her faith was surrounded. Thirdly, we will come to the vanishing point and see how all her difficulties fled like the mists of the morning when she thought of Christ. And, lastly, we will dwell upon her grand success.
It may be the Lord will help us to attain some greater blessing by enabling us to follow her example. Come, Holy Spirit, and aid our faith that it may bring us into closer and yet closer contact with our Divine Lord!
I. First, then, look at THE PATIENT. She was a woman who had suffered from a very grievous malady which had drained away her life. Her constitution had been sapped and undermined—her very existence had become one of constant suffering and weakness—yet what courage and spirit she displayed! She was ready to go through fire and through water to obtain health! She must have had a wonderful amount of vitality in her, for where others would have been lying upon the bed of sickness and long ago despairing, she still, for 12 years continued to seek after a cure from one physician after another. Nothing dampened or daunted her—she would not give up so long as breath remained!
When at last she had found the true Physician, she plunged into the thick of the crowd to touch Him by some means or other. She asked nobody to intercede for her, but with a dauntless courage worthy to be associated with her deep humility, she forced her way through the crowd to reach the healing Christ. She displayed intense energy and unconquerable spirit in pursuit of health. O that men were a tenth as much alive to the salvation of their souls! Note, also, her resolute determination. She would die hard, if die she must. She would not resign herself to the inevitable till she had used every effort to preserve life and to regain health.