01.23. Hope Beyond Hope
Hope Beyond Hope
You may have seen the sign that says, "when your are at the end of your rope tie a knot and hang on." Or perhaps the one which states, "When you are at the end of your rope look up."
There was a woman, which I think epitomizes the concept of hope. When she met a eligible gentleman she stated, you look just like my fourth husband. He said, "and how many times have you been married." She said, "Three!"
Still we must admit that there is only so much hope that we can manage to muster within ourselves. There is a point in our humanity that we have to say we have no hope within us. Perhaps it is when you are told you are dying of cancer and there is no hope, or something equal to this. Proverbs says, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick…." Proverbs 13:12 a This gives rise to the title I have selected for this portion of our study of the miracles and parable, At the Master’s Side. Paul the Apostle said, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." 1 Corinthians 15:19 So we realize that we have a hope beyond the hope of only this life.
Entry Point of our text is that Jesus has just been asked to leave the country side where He cast the demons into the swine. While He was not welcome there as He returns to Capernaum He is welcomed. In our text we have two miracles of hope.
I- Jarius Request: Mark 5:21-23
Jarius, who was a leader of the synagogue at Capernaum, comes to Jesus with a desperate request. His daughter is dying and He needs Jesus to come and heal her. This points out the fact that even though Jarius was a religious man religion can not give us hope with the Savior. Jarius comes to Jesus and falls at His feet in worship. For him to approach Jesus at all showed his desperation. After all Jesus was starting to be cast aside by the religious leaders. Still the father instinct overcame the religious bias and in a desperate attempt to help his daughter he turns to Jesus. Luke in his gospel tells us, "For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying." Luke 8:42 II- Interruption on the way: Mark 5:24-34
Jesus leaves to go the house of Jarius but is interrupted on the way. A woman, who was desperate for a cure, touches the hem of His garment. She had an issue of blood that had left her weak and hopeless. All her resources had been exhausted in attempting to find a cure. Still she did not get better but worse. This woman was poor in contrast to Jarius who was probably wealthy. Seeing Jesus going with Jarius she could have withdrawn and went on her way but in her desperation she press through the crowd to just touch the hem of His garment.
She touches the hem and the hopelessness she had now turns to healing. She wants to slip away in the crowd but Jesus points turns knowing that the power to heal had gone out from Him. She falls at His feet and confesses what happened.
III- Hope Beyond Hope: Mark 5:35-37
Mark 5:35 While Jesus is still speaking to the woman some men from the house of Jarius arrived with bad news. His daughter which was only sick when he left home in search of Jesus is now dead. They in effect said leave Him alone for there is no hope. They had only hope not the hope beyond hope.
Mark 5:36 "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe." Jarius had just witnessed the healing of the woman who, by the way, had been sick the entire time of his daughters’ life of twelve years. This certainly would have given him hope for his daughter if Jesus had arrived in time. The delay had caused her to die because Jesus had not arrived in time. Jesus speaks quickly before despair sets in.
What Jesus says in effect is that there is hope beyond the hope you have as a religious man and as a human. You will notice that there was an immediate hope.
IV- World Can’t See Hope: Mark 5:38-40 a
Mark 5:38 The crowd was not allowed to follow Jesus to the house of Jarius. In fact when they arrive the paid mourners were already in full swing. They were wailing and playing flutes in mourning.
Mark 5:39 Jesus speaks to them and ask, "…Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."
Mark 5:40 a "And they laughed him to scorn." The response of those at Jarius house gives us a picture of those who have no hope in Christ not understanding the hope we have. We have hope though the eyes of faith and not though our physical eyes.
You will also notice that the unbelievers were not privileged to see the things that those who had faith witnessed. Mark 5:40 b "But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying."
V- Hope of Life: Mark 5:40-43
Jesus goes into the girl who is lying dead and with the witness of five people speaks to her the words of life. He would cry later to the son of the widow of Nain, "young man arise" and to Lazarus, "Lazarus come forth." To this girl as He takes her by the hand He says, in Aramaic, "Talitha cumi (Damsel, I say unto thee, arise)." Mark 5:41 Death did not stay in the body but life again returns to the girl. She immediately stood and walked around. There is no power but God’s that can raise the dead.
VI- Conclusions:
We need to not lose two important insights that beg to come forth out of this. First, it is the hope of the dead in sin that there is hope beyond man’s ability to save himself. As a matter of fact if we only have hope within ourselves we are deceived and really have no hope.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Second, is the fact that Jesus is the hope we have for the resurrection of our body. The body will sleep as the soul returns to God but then in the future because He is the hope beyond hope there will be a resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
What is your hope? Is your hope only now or is your hope beyond the hope of yourself and your goodness?