Mark 5: 24:31

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’"

In this story, Jesus is traveling to heal a girl who was sick and would eventually die, then later be brought back to life by Jesus. In transit, Jesus is surrounded by a large crowd who is pressing up against him, attempting to hear what he might say or see what he might do.

In the midst of this crowd was a woman who was suffering from a constant discharge of blood. The physicians of the day only served to drain her finances and leave her health worse off than when she started. Discovering Jesus, she wanted to get close to him. If nothing else, only to touch the fringes of his clothing. She succeeded and was healed. But when this happened, Jesus took notice. Even in the midst of a huge crowd that was obviously pressing up against him at times, he noticed the woman who had been healed.

Do you suppose she was the only one in the crowd afflicted with something? Perhaps she was the only one who was written about. But it could also be that, though there were many other people touching him, she was healed, while their experience was irrelevant.

She, presumably unlike the others, went to touch his garment in faith that she would be healed, while the others perhaps just out of hype or personal curiosity.

For me, this reminds me that simply knowing about Christ, or being in close proximity to the truth (i.e., in church every Sunday) isn’t enough to bring significant change to our lives. We have to press up against him actually believing that something will happen.

This is hard to do. But  remembering is a good step in the right direction.

With good reason David reckons God to be his comfort. Looking to the higher promises of God to carry him through trying times. Psalm 61:1-3:

Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
   when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
   that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
   a strong tower against the enemy.

God’s promises to, and covenants, with his people are rocks which are higher than we are. Greater than our own best promises to God. Like David, when we are in trouble from the world and from ourselves we can seek those and find confidence. This appears to be the classic interpretation of this passage. And it is an encouragement, to say the least.

But for me, when I read this passage, I couldn’t help be see Christ as the “Rock that is higher than I”.

When I am weak and lonely, struggling to live a life worthy of the Gospel (as fantastic a feat as that is), I can pray to God that he would lead me to a Rock that sits far above me. Christ is an immovable rock whose footing is far beyond anyone’s natural reach. But by God’s power and Christ’s sacrifice, it is a place we will (and in one sense have already) ascend.

It is sanctification. A conforming to Christ’s image which cannot happen except if we cry out to God. Incidentally, something we rarely do before our hearts grow “faint”.

Jeremiah 50:20:

“In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.”

What it is really saying is not that Israel will be free from iniquity or that Judah will be altogether sinless, but that the guilt of their iniquity and sin will be absolved and paid for by Christ.

But I really love the phrasing which is present in most translations.

Iniquity and sin shall be sought for, but none shall be found because God has pardoned the remnant. For me this serves as a reminded that God’s pardoning work through Christ is the first and most important element in our sanctification.

God’s pardon produces sanctification, never the other way around.

I just started 1 Peter yesterday in my Bible Reading Plan. Today I came across the familiar verse, 1 Peter 1:13:

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The word used here for “sober” is “napho”. It basically means stay calm, don’t panic. When I considered that, it offered some encouraging insight.

Peter began his writing talking about the various trials his readers would face and that they should take heart in them because it was testing the genuinness of their faith. Then he goes on to reaffirm that salvation is found solely in Christ.

Then he comes in with this “therefore,” be sober. Or in a sense, “don’t panic”, you can set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly, or who knows me personally probably knows that I have my hesitations and convictions about what we consider the large, organized, ‘corporate’ church. Not speaking, necessarily of people, but of the organization they create and maintain.

But I still I don’t think there is too much that’s more important that being a part of the natural and organic body of Christ.

In other words, having Christian friends and living life with them.

While I was reading in Ecclesiastes today, I came upon Solomon’s own argument for the same thing. I think he says it better than I do.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

1 Peter 3:14-16

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

“Always being prepared to make a defense”.

If you think about the nature of a “defense”, it requires objective reasoning. You would never hear a lawyer in a court argue that his client is innocent because of a good hunch he’s got. A defense would require objective evidence. The Greek word is “apologia”, which roughly defined means “a reasoned argument”.

We don’t have hope for no reason. If we have no reason for our hope, maybe we don’t really have the hope at all.

So, when Peter exhorts us to be prepared with a “defense” it can’t mean the ooey-gooey feeling inside. It must mean that we should seek to understand what we can of the scriptures to the best of our ability. Which, if you follow it to it’s logical conclusion, would mean: Get your theology straight.

A few days ago I posted on the topic of being persecuted because of our own righteousness in Christ illuminating the self-righteousness, and thus unrighteousness, of the unbeliever. Today, I came across an interesting example of a similar idea.

John 12:10-11:

“the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.”

Lazarus was sick. Something Jesus knew about. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die so that he would have the opportunity to be undeniably glorified in the miracle of Lazarus’ life. Jesus called Lazarus from death into life and so Lazarus was a walking testimony to the Christ Jesus. For this, the Pharisees made plans to kill Lazarus as well. Why? Because of his association to our Lord and the powerful testimony he carried with him. The powerful testimony he actually was!

Truthfully, we are not much different. All of us were “dead” in our transgressions and apart from any power of our own, Jesus commanded us from death into life. Now, much like Lazarus, we are a walking testimony to the risen Christ who has given an everlasting righteousness. A righteousness that shows the world what its righteousness really is: filthy rags.

It seems that the point is the same, an unbeliever can never find truly be comfortable in the presence of a true believer. The Cross of Christ is offensive and those exposed to its light will be offended.