Wait, I have something to tell you...

Even the Fringe of His Garment

(Mark 6:53-56, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 10, 2019)

[53] When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. [54] And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him [55] and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. [56] And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

People Like Us In Great Need

The disciples were sent by the Lord in the direction of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee and they ended up in another Galilean location, Gennesaret, blown off course by a dangerous storm. The specific town is of little consequence, since Jesus was very well known now all over this region. Everywhere he went, he met people like us, who were in great need. They knew they had many ailments and that only he could help them.

Mark wrote that “the people immediately recognized him.” Of course they did. Stories like the ones that fill the opening chapters of this account cannot be hidden for long. Jesus had performed obvious miracles that no one denied. The residents who saw his face among them sprung into action. They responded in an obvious and rational way: They “ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.”

A blasé reaction would have been weird. An emissary of the Almighty with a proven record of bringing wholeness to broken people was in their midst. Having little or no response to the presence of the Lord among us should give us pause.

The Object of Our Desperate Hope

Passages like the one we see today give us a summary of what was taking place everywhere during the days of Jesus' public ministry. They show us the big picture of what it was like when God became man and dwelt in our midst with a kind intention of bringing resurrection mercy to the needy. “Wherever he came,” and it did not make a difference how populated the area was, whether in little “villages, cities,” or even in the nearly deserted “countryside,” the simple news that Jesus of Nazareth had been found was enough to cause people to pick up their friends who needed help, so that these troubled souls could be brought someplace close to the one man they all needed.

If people thought that Jesus might be passing by, “they laid the sick in the marketplace.” Why? They were hoping that he would walk with his disciples past those bottleneck spots so that they might have even the smallest casual contact with the man himself. They were hoping that they might “touch even the fringe of his garment.”

Imagine this: We live in a world that is so humdrum about the Son of God, we can't conceive of this kind of interest in Jesus. What has happened? Were people in Galilee superstitious and gullible, or are we just insensible concerning the power of God?

Made Well Forever

We can only appreciate the deeply reasonable behavior of the Galileans as it relates to the Messiah if we take seriously the final nine words of our passage speaking of the absolute minimum of contact with the edge of Jesus' simple robe, dirty with the dust of the ancient roads he traveled: “And as many as touched it were made well.”

Jesus came to people in great need. Once they became aware of His power to heal, they were continually trying to get close to Him. And you know what? He healed them. No one denied it, even his enemies.

How will we today see what Jesus is willing and able to do? If we know the Lord for who He really is, we will surely desire to “touch even the fringe of His garment.” But what does that mean for us?

Little passages like the one we are exploring today give us the big picture of the ministry of the one who went about everywhere preaching and teaching the kingdom of God. The mercy of Jehovah was obvious in the touch of Jesus. It still is through his servants in many places all over the world.

I was at Market Basket the other day and I used a new credit card. It kept on getting denied. After a while I stopped and called Candy. They wheeled my groceries away as I asked her to come down with her credit card while I continued on the walk of shame. Even as I was talking to her, she received a message that she texted to me just seconds later: “Try it again, says Bank of America.” The company had noted the repeated denials, texted Candy to confirm that we were the people using the card, and then sent her the encouraging message that came to me through my wife. “Try it again, says Bank of America.”

What message from Jesus today for you? “Denied!” Still worse: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees!” No. That word was intended for people who were trying to establish their own righteousness with God apart from His perfect grace based on Jesus alone. Did you get that message by mistake somehow? “Try it again,” says the source of eternal hope.

Have you been looking for help only with surface problems? Are you finding that the answer you keep on getting is some form of “denied?” Look again at Jesus and the teaching of the Scriptures. Sometimes when we look at something too quickly we read it wrong. Are you sure that it does not say “delayed” rather than “denied?”

Think of Joni Eareckson at 17 years old. Paralyzed. Just wanting her outward healing. The best fix came when she was able to read that message again with a friend's help. Not denied, only delayed. Now she is 69, recovering from cancer, and she is an inspiration to millions of people including the people of this church and many others who are saying to the disabled, “We're better together!”

Most amazingly, Jesus even saves Pharisees, like Paul, making them agents of healing. The essence of a Pharisee is right standing through self. The Pharisee gospel is clear enough: “Do ceremonies like I do and God will respect you.” You know what Jesus says to that? “Woe to you!” The Christian message is different. “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!” God's word for you? “Totally healed, though sometimes partly and momentarily delayed.” It's hard to read that right through tears, that's why I came to tell you about it.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 95 – Today if you hear his voice

New Testament Reading—James 1:16-18 – The giver of every good gift