40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” ~ Luke 8:40-48
As mentioned in the last few blogs, in the second half of Luke 8, there are recorded four miracles which demonstrate the power of the Lord Jesus over nature, demons, sickness and death. Today, we continue with the third of these four, the power of the Lord Jesus over sickness in Luke 8:40-48.
The rebellion of man against God has woven into the fabric of our universe the deadly force of death, introducing sickness, sorrow, suffering and death. And, since God made us for relationships and has given us the capacity to love, our potential is greatly marred until we come back into a personal relationship with Him. We lack peace with ourselves, others and, most importantly, with God.
When the Lord Jesus returned to Capernaum, according to v.40, there was a large crowd waiting for Him. They had been waiting for a while. In the crowd were people who hurt, who suffered, who were in pain and who had sorrow. Some of them were quite anxious, such as Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, who had a twelve-year-old daughter who was dying.
In v.41-42 we read, "Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying." Jairus was one of the most respected men in the area. He was a leader in the community and in the synagogue. But, his twelve year old daughter was sick, so sick she could die.
Reminiscent of the demon-possessed man, Jairus "came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house." It was pretty startling for an official of the synagogue to beg at the feet of the Lord Jesus. He was a man of great respect. He was tantamount to an elder in the church in the community, spiritual, devoted to the Lord, at least to the religion of Judaism, devoted to the people, a leader of the people, trusted in terms of wisdom, knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures.
The leaders of the local synagogues were connected to the Scribes and Pharisees, those who were doing everything they could to destroy the Lord Jesus and His ministry. This is why it is so surprising that Jairus bowed at the feet of the Lord Jesus. But, this was Jairus' beloved daughter, and he would do anything to help her, anything.
Desperate people do desperate things. This is the very same synagogue that the Lord Jesus had an encounter with a demon-possessed man. The Lord Jesus was sitting in the synagogue and all of a sudden the demon-possessed man screams, the demon takes over his voice and the man screams, "What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy Us?" And then the demon says, "You holy One of God." The demon gave an accurate testimony. Jairus had witnessed the power of the Lord Jesus over demons that day.
At the end of v.42 we read, "As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.” He was trying to get to Jairus' house and the crushing crowd with all the needy, desperate people pushed in on Him. Jairus was hoping the Lord Jesus was going to get there before his daughter died. His panic was elevated because they couldn't get through the crowd.
Then to make matters worse, according to v.43, "a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her."
According to v.44, this woman reached out, grabbed His cloak and "immediately her bleeding stopped." This woman had lived through twelve years of suffering. We don't know what caused her issue but it made her ceremonially unclean. She couldn't go to the temple or to the synagogue. She couldn't be with her husband. She couldn't touch her family, she couldn't touch her children. She was shunned because she could transmit her ritual uncleanness to others. So, this was a huge gamble on her part to go out into this crowd. But, she was desperate.
She knew what the required boundaries were for her, but she ran the risk and she reached out to touch the edge of the garment of the Lord Jesus. At that moment the Lord Jesus stopped, seeking who had touched Him. He healed people without faith all the time. But, to this point, He never saved anybody without faith. And this woman is on her way to salvation.
Her physical problem was solved. But, she needed to be restored socially and spiritually. This called for a public restoration and the testimony that she had been healed. And, when healed spiritually, she would be able to go to the synagogue and the Temple. Only the Lord Jesus could grant such a need and only He could affirm that she had come into a personal relationship with Him.
According to v.45, the disciples were critical about the Lord Jesus' question of "who touched me?" They thought, "How could anyone be singled out in such a big crowd?"
In v.46 we read, "Somebody did touch Me for I was aware that power had gone out of Me." The Lord Jesus called this lady to reveal herself. It isn't that He needed the information. He just wasn't done with her yet. He knew her and He knew her life story and He knew her need.
The power of God is not impersonal. It is personal and when His power flows to us, He feels it. When His life pours into us, we feel that power, that infusion of spiritual power into our lives as we see it evidenced in our lives. The Lord Jesus, actually, personally felt the outflow of His power, His re-creative power to change the woman. God is not detached from this world and our lives. When He touches our lives and His power flows, He feels the flow. No one receives the power of God into His or her life without personal involvement from God.
In v.47 we read, "Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed."
This needy woman came trembling under the weight of realizing she was in the presence of God. She falls down before Him. She declares in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, in order to be healed. And how He had responded, she had been immediately healed.
Now that the social part had been taken care of, the Lord Jesus says to her, in v.48, "Daughter." This is the only time in the whole New Testament He ever addressed anyone with that endearing word.
The Lord Jesus continued, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace." She was not only healed in her body, she was not only healed socially, now she was healed also in her spirit. She was at peace with God. And, the Lord Jesus says, "Go live your life, being defined by the God of peace."
