Prior to Jesus death, the people had rules and regulations that would lock them down to systems and ideologies. Prior to Jesus the High Priest was the Holy man of God who would go into the Holy of Holies (inner sanctum) once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood to expiate his own sins and those of the people. One of the things about the High Priest that is very important to point out is that if a person had infirmities they could not contact the High Priest.
Definition of infirmity. 1a : the quality or state of being infirm. b : the condition of being feeble : frailty. 2 : disease, malady. 3 : a personal failing : foible one of the besetting infirmities of living creatures is egotism— A. J. Toynbee.
I’m telling you this to lay the foundation of this message, How Bad Do You Really Want It!
In the past and even today, people will evaluate you based on what you have, what you look like, what you own or what you did. But God says, that is not what touches me about you. I can be touched by the feeling of man’s infirmities. And guess what? That Violates Old Testament Laws that someone with infirmities can touch God. Because as I mentioned, prior to Jesus, it was the High Priest that represented us to God and therefore he had to be without infirmities so as an example the woman with the issue of blood could Not Dare Touch the High Priest. That was a violation.
But with Jesus, all that changed. We now have a High Priest in Jesus that can be touched by our tears, humility. Our needs touch God. This was a paradigm shift for the people because prior to Jesus, they were forbidden to come to God in this manner.
Jesus was on his way to see Jairus (Greek: Ἰάειρος, Iaeiros, from the Hebrew name Yair), a patron or ruler of a Galilee synagogue, had asked Jesus to heal his 12-year-old daughter. Jairus was a man of prominence. He was considered somebody. Jesus does not resist going because Jairus is somebody, the antítesis of religion says some people glorify you if you are somebody and some people will demonize you if you are somebody. But Jesus neither glorifies nor demonizes you based on your significance. Jesus says he will come to you regardless if you are somebody of status or not. He doesn’t respond on the basis of the means but on the basis of the needs. Jairus, a person that can influence, change and move things has run into a situation that he could not fix and he realized this is a job for Jesus. Whenever we run into a situation that is beyond our control, don’t throw up your hands in disgust. Call on Jesus when you have no where else to turn. And for those that don’t believe in God/Jesus my response to you is, if you have done and tried everything without success then what else do you have to lose. Just because a man can’t do something doesn’t mean God can’t. If you have a problem to big to fix, you’re just right for God!
What’s interesting about this is that in our walk with God, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey (things that happen) along the way. We are usually so focused on getting from point A to point B that we lose site of the lessons learned along the way. Don’t lose site of the process. It’s not about the event happening that’s important, it’s the lessons we learn as we wait on God. God doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it. Sometimes he delays the answer so you can learn by the process. Sometimes if he gives us the answers to quickly, we would miss the opportunity to learn from the process.
The woman with the issue of blood is one of those lessons learned along the way.
So lets go into what this message is about. How Bad Do You Really Want It! When you read Mark 5: 24-26 it’s the story about the woman with the issue of blood. The bible doesn’t go into details other than we know she had a blood issue for 12 years. The bible says she spent all she had to cure herself so most likely she was broke and maybe without a husband because a woman with an issue of blood was seen as unclean and could not be touched.
As everyone is headed towards the destination of Jairus’ house, little do they know that God has a woman standing on the sidelines who will interupt the process and her significant crisis will distract Jesus for a moment. In the bible when a person’s name is mentioned it is significant but the woman with the issue of blood, her name is not mentioned, no significance. We only know her by her problem, the woman with the issue of blood. Sometimes a problem becomes so big in our life that it swallows up our identity. Sometimes we let our problems lose site of who we are and fail to identify ourself outside of the problem.
Understand this! She has had this issue for 12 years. Sometimes when we have an issue all we talk about is the issue and lose site of who God is, and who we are because we are engulfed with the issue. God is no longer big to you, your problem is. Stop praising your problem and giving it empowerment. God almighty is bigger than any problem no matter how big it may seem at the moment. Whatever we praise will be magnified in our life.
This woman had an issue in her life for 12 years. Not a week, not a month, not even a year, but 12 long years!!! Her issue had taken everything away. No matter how strong we are, if we had to deal with an issue for 12 years, it would most likely drain us.
So let’s remember, the environment and time-frame she lived. The Law said a woman that had an issue could not have a relationship, wherever she sat had to be deemed un-clean. whoever she touched was considered un-clean. Her issue basically separated her. This woman is living in a state of isolation. Alienated from the people she loves. Sometimes when our life is at rock-bottom as this woman’s is we don’t think we have options. Sometimes all the doors of our life have to be shut before we truly see God’s open door.
Faith is born when man’s ability fails. Faith starts at the beginning of our limitations. You don’t believe God for what you can do yourself. You believe God when you have run out of options. Most of us don’t pray to get dressed in the morning or brush our teeth because it’s something a vast majority of us can do our self. We don’t usually pray or give thanks for the things we can do ourself. This woman came to rock-bottom. She didn’t have a revival to go to. Or a book to read to strengthen her or a DVD to play to build her faith.
All she had was a voice inside herself that said you either lay here and die or you get up and move! In most cases of the bible Jesus came to the person to be healed. But this woman went to Jesus. She took action. In many cases where we read of people getting healed, Jesus was usually looking at them but in this case his back was towards her. Have you ever had times when you felt that God’s back was turned on you and that’s when the enemy says “Where’s your God now”. Sometimes we feel God is blessing everyone but me. But rather than wait on Jesus to initiate the miracle, she did something radical. Many of us are afraid to be radical because we are afraid to make a scene. I’m here to tell you, we need to start being radical.
You will never get what you want from God sitting back being passive. Saying if it’s the Lord’s will. The woman would have died if she took that approach. Folks it’s not just about the Lord’s will but our will also. We all have a will that God respects. When you want or need something bad enough are you willing to do what you got to go through to get it. Be laughed at, ridiculed at work, make jokes about you.
How Bad Do You Want It! Push the envelope. Jump overboard. Be willing to raise your hands or get on your knees. Sometimes that’s what’s needed for a breakthrough. This woman knew that all she needed to do was touch the hem of Jesus garment and be made whole. Sometimes you need to be persistent just as a child when they want something and the parent says no but the child keeps asking and asking till finally the parent says “Here child, have it and leave me alone”.
The time she lived said it was Theologically and socially forbidden for a woman to touch a High Priest but she was so desperate and radical that all she said to herself is “If I only touch him”. She went against religious law. She went beyond religion and into relationship. She had to jump over her history to touch her destiny. You always have to jump over your history if your going to touch your destiny. If you listen to your history, your history will hold you back to what you used to be. But you have to be RADICAL enough to jump out of your history and step into your destiny and say If only I could touch. Jesus is healthy and fit and this woman is sick, weak and broke but she still caught up to Jesus. Sometimes no matter what the problem, you have to press forward. She didn’t ask permission, she didn’t say hello, she didn’t even touch him as an equal touching hands. This woman is on her knees never approaching from a position of standing and doesn’t even touch Jesus but touches something that’s touching him. Jesus has so much power that she was heeled from something that was touching him. (This is why Hitler and the Nazi’s searched for the spear of destiny) This is the spear used to pierce Jesus’ side because Hitler knew there was power in that spear because it touched Jesus. She got healed, not by his hand or anointing oil but by the fabric at the bottom of his garment. IMMEDIATELY Made Whole!!!
Folks are you ready to get radical. Do you want something bad enough?
