The Power and Pity of Jesus, #1b

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/41-24

So here again, another time in Mark's account, chapter 5 verses 21 and following, we see both the power and the pity of our Lord made manifest. The main miracle here is a resurrection. But in the midst of that resurrection, there is a miraculous interlude that adds momentum to the expression of Jesus' power as we move toward the great act of raising the dead. It is an unforgettable account, both stories are so memorable you, if you have not heard them before, will never forget them. It is, as I said, a miracle within a miracle. It looks at the Lord Jesus Christ and sees in Him again the deity, the power that belongs only to God and the passion that is equally His characteristic.

In the prior verses, 1 to 20, we saw His power over demons. Here we see His power over disease and His power over death. In the prior passage, the storm that He stilled we saw His power over the creation itself, the wind and the water. And so in just this brief section of Mark, the full power of Christ is on display and in each case express in pity toward those who are fearful and threatened.

Now there are so many ways to approach a story like this, but let me give you a few hooks to hang your thoughts on and to hang your narrative on as it moves. And I want to do it from the vantage point of the person of Jesus. I want to look at this with a perspective that I think will help us no how we are to live in the world. We are to minister in the world. He gives us a pattern that we can follow. First of all, His accessibility...His accessibility. He is not like many religious leaders who live in ivory towers...