Mark 6:56 And wherever he went — into villages, towns or countryside — they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his clock, and all who touched it were healed.
In Germany almost every city and town has a marketplace in the center of the municipality. This is where the farmer’s markets get set up and seasonal fairs and activities happen. Many countries in Europe also have this structure as part of their city structure.
These marketplaces were the hub of activity for centuries. The houses with barns attached surrounded this open area. The farmers would go out into the surrounding land and farm. They would raise their cattle and bring the produce back into the marketplace for barter and sale.
And this physical layout of towns has existed for thousands of years. Archeological sites have found these central areas around the world. People are meant to connect and live together in cooperative groups, supporting and caring for each other.
In Jesus day it was no different. Jesus’ healing ability has become known around the region. Everywhere He goes, the sick are bought to Him in hopes of being healed. And as people are healed, it seems that their faith in Him rises.
Mark has been recalling the response to Jesus’ presence. Everywhere Jesus goes people gather in hopes of hearing what He teaches and in receiving healing for those who need healing. He even meets the physical need for food!
In our text people have seen Jesus land in their area by boat and have run to gather all the sick from that area. They have hope that Jesus can make the difference in these people’s lives.
What I find interesting is that the people express their faith through reaching out their hands and touching Jesus garment. And our text tells us that those who did this simple act of faith were healed. Somehow their faith in Jesus had grown to the point where they knew He could and would heal them.
Most of us get uncomfortable with this kind of account. It seems to ‘magical’ for our western ears. We are people of science after all. We like naturalist explanations for things. We want to put history in a test tube and replicate the results.
But history isn’t something that can be tested like a science project. We can’t even convict Hillary of a crime for running the top secret material through her unauthorized basement server. But that is another story.
We are a people of proof. But so were these people. They had seen and heard about the healings. They probably knew people who had been healed and they saw the actual results, the cured bodies and minds. They knew what real was, and how to spot a fake. And Jesus was the real deal.
The Arnold Journey 