2019-11-17 – Mark 5.21-43 – Kumbaya
Bible Text: Mark 5:21-43 | Preacher: Pastor Jerry Higdon | Series: Mark | 2019-11-17 – Mark 5.21-43 – Kumbaya
Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today.
We have been going through the Gospel book of Mark in the New Testament. Jesus has been demonstrating His power and authority to the disciples. He had been healing many people and last week we read how Jesus removed a legion of demons from a man that everyone thought was a lunatic. Jesus put the demons into a herd of pigs that subsequently did a “swine-dive” off a cliff to their demise. The pig herders then requested that Jesus leave, for which He complied. Jesus is shaking up the world with His power and authority. But even more so with His love for mankind as we will see in todays verses and message.
Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 5.21, pew Bibles pg. 891 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer.
The title for our message today is Kumbaya. I chose that title because as we will see Jesus Himself uses that first word Kum in our verses today. Most of us have heard and perhaps even sang the song Kumbaya at some point in our lives. At camp we sung this song with the children around the campfire. It is a beautiful song that somehow radiates in our souls as we sing it, but most people aren’t aware of the origin of the song or the meaning of the words.
Did you know that that (Kum-ba-yah) is actually a Hebrew sentence?
According to history, the song was first recorded in the early 1920s. However, it is believed to have originated with Southern Slaves in the Gullah language. Gullah is a language that was spoken by slaves that inhabited North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
If we break down the phrase Kum-ba-yah and what it means in Hebrew:
Kum: Stand up or arise
Ba: is believed to be an abbreviation for Abba, which means “father”
Yah: is short for Yahweh and is translated as LORD in scripture when referring to the God of Israel.
Kum-ba-yah, So loosely translated, the lyrics seem to mean “arise father God” or “stand up father God”. Again that first starting word Kum or koum, is used by Jesus in our scripture verses today untranslated, and again it means Stand up or arise. Let us read together now Mark 5:21 A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed
21 When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him.
Jesus had only been gone a day. The people He was previously teaching by the sea shore must have known that He was coming back so they stuck around for His return. Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue. The synagogue was the local center of worship. Jairus was a layperson elected as one of the rulers, and he would be generally responsible for supervising worship services. He would also care for the scrolls, the Old Testament Scriptures, and he would have charge of running the weekly schools. He would have the responsibility of keeping the congregation faithful to the law, and he would help in the distributing of money to the needy.
Jairus, being a synagogue ruler also meant he had close ties to the Pharisees and he probably had been pressured not to support the ministry of Jesus. But I will suggest that neither pressure nor position could stop Jairus from coming to the one who might help his sick daughter who was facing imminent death. What would you be willing to do for your child who was about to take their last breath? Jairus heard about all that Jesus had done, and the miracles He had performed in the previous days. If there was any hope for his daughter, Jairus was going to pursue it. According to this verse, immediately “he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly”. I am sure this was a shock to many of the people who witnessed it. But you can just feel his hurting heart in what happened here, and Jesus was so inclined to oblige his request.
As you will see in our next verses here in Mark, it gives us not just one, but two miracles in this one short story. What we will see next is another side-miracle that happened as Jesus was just attempting to walk to Jairus’s house. The dynamics of this next short narrative I find amazing as it reveals Christ’s amazing healing powers like no other occurrence I know of in scripture. It shows both the disparity of suffering and the amazing sensitivity of Jesus as He was both 100% man and 100% God at the same time.
25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years 26 had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 At once Jesus realized in himself that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”
So again, as Jesus was walking toward Jairus’s house to heal his daughter, this poor lady sees him and takes advantage of the situation. You can’t help but to have compassion on this lady who had been afflicted for so long. The dynamics of this situation is far more dire than what we might even imagine. In the Jewish law, a woman is considered impure for seven days from the beginning of her menstrual period (Lev. 12:2; 15:19). Anyone who even touches a woman during these times becomes unclean until evening (Lev. 15:19). Even new mothers, because of the blood, have to go through an ordeal of cleansing and hibernation before they are allowed to join the public. This lady was in constant turmoil with her situation. She was considered unclean by everyone and ostracized by the public for twelve years, so sad indeed.
This story here in Mark is so well elaborated on that you can almost see her in your mind on the ground reaching out for Jesus’s robe as He passed by. It says her efforts were immediately successful, but Jesus felt that power leave His body as she touched him. That shows how in control Jesus was about His situation and His powers. He asked for the women, but I would argue that He knew who it was but He wanted to talk to her. And even though there was crowds pressing in all around Him, He found the lady and she fell down before Him. Jesus showed her such amazing compassion, even called her Daughter. And in that instant, Jesus knew her and He showed her His amazing love. What a wonderful testimony Mark shares with us here. And just like Jesus shows compassion and love for this stranger lady, He also offers to each one of us His compassion as well.
Even though Jesus was on a mission to do something totally different, He still took a few moments to acknowledge this lady and love on her. That is my Jesus, that is my Savior, and that is my role model for this Christian life. Jesus is never too busy, He is always available for you and for me. Praise the Lord.
Notice He says to her “your faith has saved you”. He says that at almost all his healings, “your faith has healed you” or “your faith has saved you”. Our faith is so important to realizing God’s blessings for us even today. According to Hebrews 11 “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. Jairus had faith, that lady had faith, and we all should have such saving faith, Amen?. Now in the next verses we have the conclusion of the synagogue leader Jairus’s daughter situation.
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher any more?”
36 When Jesus overheard what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.”
Because Jesus was delayed by the lady, He wasn’t able to make it to Jairus’s house in time, or so they thought anyway. This story is very similar to when Jesus raised his dear friend Lazarus from the grave. If you recall, Lazarus’s sisters ridiculed Jesus for coming late. They all loved Jesus, they were the closest of friends, but Martha came to Jesus crying saying it’s too late and why have you waited so long to come. The shortest verse in the bible in John 4 follows where it simply says then “Jesus wept”. Jairus too, I would bet was feeling his heart break at this announcement. Who wouldn’t feel that way learning that their child has just died. Again, there was an aggressive crowd all around them, but even still Jesus again shows compassion and sympathy for the synagogue leader, and tells him “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” What a powerful reassuring statement. I think this is a phrase we could even put above our alter here at church, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” Amen? So many things happen in life that we need to be reminded of this blessed phrase, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.
37 He did not let anyone accompany him except Peter, James, and John, James’s brother. 38 They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s father, mother, and those who were with him, and entered the place where the child was. 41 Then he took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum” (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up”). 42 Immediately the girl got up and began to walk. (She was twelve years old.) At this they were utterly astounded. 43 Then he gave them strict orders that no one should know about this and told them to give her something to eat.
Jesus turned around what could have been considered a most painful tragedy to be instead a most blessed and miraculous event. As a chaplain for the fire department, I have been called upon for deaths in the family, to comfort the people if at all possible, as they were first recognizing their situation. It isn’t a pleasant endeavor to say the least. You never know how people would respond to such a dire situation. Jesus was a stranger to these people, but He took control of the scene and for some reason they listened to Him.
Jesus told them that she wasn’t dead, but that she was only asleep. They laughed at that proclamation, and thus He put them outside. When Jesus said she was asleep, He knew that for her, this would only be only a temporary state. Jesus is God in the flesh and He controls all of creation, and they still laughed at Him, just like people will laugh at us sometimes for our beliefs. But just Jesus knew the end of this story, we also know the end of our story and History as written in scripture. We know Good News will soon follow. People might laugh at us for the things we do and the things we believe, but just like the people here were put out of the house, the scoffers of our faith will sadly also be put out of heaven.
Jesus looked at her and said “Talitha koum”. What a wonderful and simple phrase Jesus elects to use that day. “Talitha koum” It is interesting that the authors and translators of our Bible choose to leave in these Hebrew words along with the translation for us to understand. “Talitha koum” “Little girl, I say to you get up”, for which she did arise indeed. It says then she immediately began to walk. She didn’t need any therapy or rehab. She was immediately a normal child again. That is the power of Jesus displayed in its fullness. And this story ends with Jesus tending to her need for nourishment. Jesus performs a miracle and then loves in a very personal way.
That is my Jesus. Jesus is approachable, Jesus knows our problems, our afflictions, and our circumstances. Jesus cares and loves like no other. Doesn’t matter what your status or age or nationality or color or position. Jesus loves all the people of the world and He displays that love like no other.
Again Jesus said “Talitha koum” Little girl get up, or little girl arise. And just like that little girl did rise, so did Jesus later rise from the grave. And His rising changed everything.
As Jeremy read this morning, I would like to read it again together:
He has risen, He has risen indeed.
So as we started this message this morning and I gave you again the definition and title for Kumbaya
Kum: means – Stand up or arise
Ba: is believed to be an abbreviation for Abba, which means “father”
Yah: is short for Yahweh and is translated as LORD in scripture when referring to the God of Israel.
So again, loosely translated, the lyrics seem to mean “arise father God” or “stand up father God”. Why don’t we rise and sing that song together in closing.
Kumbaya Lyrics
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s laughing Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s crying Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s sleeping, Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya