Church of the Nazarene – East Rock
For One Part 3 East Rock
Jesus sees the one seeking Him…
Welcome to our teaching series called “For One”.
Throughout this teaching series we are seeking to know and understand the power of Jesus’ one at a time pursuit of people. We believe that Jesus came to save the whole word, and that through his life, death, and resurrection, he has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to us.
Jesus is for everyone.
During his earthly ministry, many times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption mission, one person at a time.
Jesus is for one.
So, what would it look like for you and I to adopt that same model for our lives? So many times, our focus is on our country or our community, and that’s not a bad thing. But what would it look like for us to be for one, like Jesus was?
That’s what Jesus did, and it transformed the lives of many people in the gospels.
Today as we continue in part 3 our teaching series, we are going to look at two people that really stood out from the crowd.
Luke 8:40-42
Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
The first one to stand out from the crowd is a man named Jairus.
He’s a local synagogue leader. He was likely in charge of ordering worship and the business of the church. He would have been a man of reputation, of status, and means.
But Jairus doesn’t stand out because of any of those things- He stands out because he has fallen at the feet of Jesus. For a man of his status, this was a humbling scene, but he didn’t care- His daughter was dying, and he had faith that Jesus could do something about it.
As the crowd moves, they press in on Jesus. So close they bump and stumble together. Then, someone else emerges from the crowd.
Luke 8:43
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
She shouldn’t have been there. She shouldn’t have been in the crowd, in contact with other people.
An issue of bleeding made you unclean according to the law of Moses.
Anything you touched would bear the same stigma and penalty as you did. Anyone who touched you, brought this on themselves.
This woman had been cut off from virtually all contact and community because of her health condition.
She had tried everything to be made well. Marks gospel records she spent all she had on doctors and treatments, but nothing worked. It seemed that nothing and no one could help her.
But she had heard about this Jesus. He could heal the blind, make the leaper clean. Surely, he could help her. If she could only touch the corner of his garment- that would be enough. That would do it, she had faith. And that’s what made her stand out from the crowd.
Luke 8:44-48
She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
She was the one. The one seeking Jesus in faith. She believed that a personal encounter with him could bring healing, if she could only touch him.
All those other people crowded around Jesus. They wanted to be near, maybe hear a teaching, see a miracle. They even bumped into Jesus, they touched him, he felt it. He probably even smelled them they were so close. Nothing happened to them
Something was different about her touch. She was seeking.
It was a reach out in faith to Jesus as the one who could save her. It was personal. And it changed everything.
This beautiful scene of peaceful commissioning is seemingly cut short.
Luke 8:49-53
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
The people bringing this news think that all hope his gone. No need to bother Jesus anymore, she’s gone. They didn’t have faith that he could do anything else.
People in the first century knew how to properly identify when someone was deceased.
Jesus dismisses the crowd, only Pete, Jim, and John and the parents are allowed to see what’s about to happen.
The crowd laughs at Jesus assessment that the girl was only sleeping. They knew she was dead. They weren’t stupid. Jesus knew that too. He was speaking to what he was about to do. He was inviting them to have faith.
Luke 8:54-56
But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
And with that, the story of two people standing out in the crowd comes to a close.
What made their story different? Of all the people who bumped into JEsus that day, of all the people walking along in the crowd- why did these two stand out? It was their faith.
Lots of people in the crowd believed that Jesus was a miracle worker, a teacher, a really nice guy. But these two stood out from that crowd because they believed Jesus was for THEM.
They had faith that a personal encounter, a personal relationship would change their lives. And friends, they were right.
Their faith drove them to throw themselves on Christ, one who could help, and he saw them. The ones reaching out, coming toward him in faith. And friends, he still sees those people in the crowd today. The one seeking. The one searching.
Will you reach out to him today in faith?
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