Superstitious Faith.

[cavell]

She said "If I may touch His clothes, I shall be whole" - Mark 5 : 28

Her faith was a superstitious faith. I find this a very interesting part of the story. She was of course a pagan and ignorant. She had an idea in her mind which I fear is still in the minds of people today: that if her finger touched his garment she would be made whole. Her idea of faith was mechanical. And I believe that Jesus called her out in front of Him in order to teach her the nature of real faith. It was not her finger, but her faith, her trust: it was not His garment, but His grace. These are the things that bring healing to our souls.

One sometimes meets people who have a very ignorant faith. Their faith is entirely in the externals of the Christian Church - perhaps the Bishops hand in confirmation, or the bread and wine which they eat and drink. Yet it is undeniable that these people have come to a real faith in Jesus. And I think Jesus would say to these people "It isn't your touch: it isn't your eating. It isn't my garments that are to be found in the Christian Church today".

It is I who heal you: I the living risen Christ. And it is your trust. It is a personal relationship, there is nothing mechanical in it at all.

If your faith is mechanical, make it personal. It will become much more real and much more strong, as it did with her.

So then, faith was born. Yes it was a trembling faith - a very little faith indeed. But it does not matter if our faith is very little, because our Saviour is very great, and a little faith brings us into touch with Him. Into touch with Him who is so mighty

This is what many need.

[cavell]

There are two other factors in this account that need to be considered:

1) Mark speaks of a large crowd pressing against Jesus (ch 5:24b -"A large crowd followed and pressed around Him" and I5:31 - "'You see the people crowding against you, His disciples answered, 'and yet you ask, 'who touched me?'")

2) This woman had suffered this debilitating malady for twelve years (v25), which tells me that she was probably in a state of serious physical weaknes, plus she was fighting her way through a huge crowd of people, all of whom wanted to be close to Jesus and were probably not about to give way to a woman.

I believe that this lady's encounter with Jesus was a divine appointment engineered, if you will, by the Holy Spirit (see Lk 5:17b). I believe that prior to this encounter, the woman had either seen Jesus in action or heard of His miracles more than once and the mustard seed of faith that had been planted in her was growing. She was about to take her place as an active member of the New Testament Church.

My O.P. was to challenge your faith. Examine yourselves "whether you be in the 'faith' or not."

[cavell]

My O.P. talked of superstitious faith. A paradox maybe. But such is our nature we have to be aware of the subtlety of religious inclination.

Moses lift up a serpent in the wilderness, when the people were dying of snake-bite. All who looked at that brazen serpent lifted up on a pole....were healed. Numbers ch 21 What lovely provision by God Almighty to save his people.

Jesus said years later "Just as Moses lift up the snake in the desert, so must the Son be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in him"

Look and live, my brother live
There is life for a look at the crucified one
There is life at this moment for thee

That brazen snake was preserved as a sacred article, until the days of Hezakiah. "He broke in pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the people had been burning incense to it"
2 Kings 18 v 4

Inherent in the nature of men there is a God inspired tendency to worship. Billy Graham used to say "There is a God shaped space in the heart of man, and only He can fill it" Amen

All who know Him, need to make him known. Otherwise we see our fellow men worshipping idols, statues, garments etc. Replicas of what God has done through his servants, rather than knowing Jesus, of whom the bible say's

"Whom to know is life eternal"

[tpony298]

Cavell, a great message. I am glad I am feeling better...I have missed your great messages. Many of them have sent me searching through the scriptures. I would like to write messages of things I learn from Bible studies here at home, but just don't have the strength or energy to do so yet...Love, Joyce