Healing Wings - Wild Heart: Mark’s Portraits of a Radical Messiah

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We’re continuing our series Wild Heart: Mark’s Portrait of a Radical Messiah this morning.

Two weeks ago we looked at the miracle of Jesus walking on the water and how it revealed that the disciples had failed to learn how to apply the lessons Jesus was teaching them. They had seen so many things but for some reason they couldn’t put the puzzle together in a way that would allow them to put the lessons into practice.

Does that sound kind of familiar? How many times have we had to learn the same lesson over, and over again? You’ve all heard the line “Been there, done that and got the t-shirt” well if you’re like me in some cases you have two or three t-shirts and a couple of bobble heads for good measure.

Jesus wants us to apply what we learn from Him in our daily walk with Him.

This week we’re looking at a summary of miracles that occurred as Jesus was traveling near the Sea of Galilee. Let’s read Mark 6:53-56….

Gennesaret was a region that was very close to Jesus’ home. The area was fed by a natural spring that helped make it very pleasant and fertile. Abundant crops were grown and supplied the people of the area with food and resources. It was a beautiful place that was also known as the “King’s Garden.”

But this place of such bounty and beauty was scarred by the brokenness of sickness and hopelessness. People who were sick were considered defiled which meant that anything they touched or anyone or anything that touched them was considered unclean and had to stay separated from everyone else.

Even in the cradle of plenty people suffer from sickness, pain, and isolation. That’s the way things had always been until Jesus came to them.

I began to wonder why Mark included this particular summary in his gospel account? A while back I had read an article and by another pastor who shed an interesting light on an OT passage that I thought was interesting.

Malachi 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall–fed calves.

What this pastor said was that one of the meaning for the Hebrew word translated ‘wings” is the corner or fringe of a garment. Which means that you could read this verse as “The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in the hem of His garment.”

Fast forward now to our story today and as Jesus walks among the people they reach out to touch the hem of His garment and are healed. This passage is the fulfillment of a prophecy that again shows that Jesus is the Messiah.

The presence of Jesus brings healing within reach for everyone.

Gennesaret was close to the place where the woman with the issue of blood was healed so it’s not to surprising that the people recognized that touching the hem of Jesus’ garment would bring healing to them.

Something that caught my attention was that this passage points out that the sick were carried to Jesus by their family and friends. It was also close to where Jesus had healed the paralyzed man after his friends had carried him to Jesus.

Like the friends of the paralyzed man they did this even though it would be very difficult for them. They didn’t have ambulances or mass transit. They would have had to carry them from town to town looking for Jesus. It was hard for them and for the sick but hope compelled them to do whatever it took to get them to Jesus.

When compassion and faith come together there is power. Their friends were motivated by compassion and the sick put their faith into practice based on what they had heard. When compassion and faith came together they were healed.

When we have compassion on other people and bring them to Jesus the potential exists for God’s power to touch them. When they hear about what God has done for other people it can cause their faith to rise. They may experience a physical healing, or a spiritual awakening of their need for salvation. We can’t know exactly what may happen but we can be assured that something WILL happen.

Jesus the messiah is still the healer and it’s possible that you or someone you know needs to touch the hem of His garment today. Reach out in faith and be healed today.