49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. ~ Luke 8:49-56
Today, we come to the fourth of four stories that Luke uses to put on display the power of the Lord Jesus over nature, demons, sickness and death.
Of all the fears in the human existence, the ultimate fear is the fear of death. Death is the most certain fact of life. People naturally have an intense dread of death and do everything they can to push it as far away as possible. The ultimate distinguishing mark of Jesus Christ, the ultimate proof that He is God, is His power over death.
Life will always present something before us that leaves us vulnerable, that which throws us off. No matter what our advantages are, we will always be tested in an area that we cannot fix by ourselves. This is good, because it is in this context that we are desperate enough to cry out to the only one who can do something about it.
We see this again right here in Luke 8:49-56. Here's the story of the raising of a twelve-year-old girl who was the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official in Capernaum. After being implored by Jairus to come to his daughter's side, the Lord Jesus was interrupted by the woman with the twelve year issue of blood. Meanwhile, the daughter died. And Jairus' anxiety, no doubt, was being elevated at every moment. As is always the case, interruptions have purpose, they are not random.
Satan is the one who introduced mankind to death, making us all subject to the bondage of all kinds of entropy. But, going all the way back to Luke 7 with the raising of the man in Nain from the dead, Luke is chronicling the power of the Lord Jesus over death.
The town of Capernaum, the town at the very northern tip of the Sea of Galilee, was the center of operations for the Lord Jesus' ministry. The town of Capernaum saw many miracles, perhaps in the hundreds. And here Luke provides for us another one of those miracles, the miracle of raising a dead girl.
In v.49 we read, "While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore." The worst had happened, the delay had proven deadly. While the Lord Jesus was giving Himself to an outcast, the lowliest person in the crowd who shouldn't have even been in the crowd because she was an untouchable, the twelve year old child of the most important person in town had died. In caring for the most rejected, the Lord Jesus had ignored the most respected.
"Don't bother the teacher anymore," were the words of the messenger. The Lord Jesus is identified as the teacher, that's the best way to identify Him. Even though we're going through miracle after miracle after miracle in Luke, He was teaching all the time.
At this point, Jairus spoke to the Lord Jesus. Luke doesn't record it but Matthew does. In Matthew 9:18, we read, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live." What faith! The messenger didn't believe. He said don't bother Him anymore, it's too late. Jairus had been there, no doubt, in the Luke 4 when the Lord Jesus had cast the demon out of the man after having an amazing conversation with him right in the middle of the synagogue service. Jairus had faith that the Lord Jesus had the power of God. His faith was unwavering and her death did not diminish his faith.
When the Lord Jesus heard Jairus, He said to him, "Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." The Lord Jesus healed many people who didn't believe. He healed many without faith. He never saved any without faith, never will. But He healed many without faith. And, sometimes He used faith as a channel through which He could operate. In this case it isn't necessarily cause and effect, He doesn't say, "If you believe she'll be made well." He simply says believe, she'll be made well, she'll be restored.
This story is a microcosm of what the Lord Jesus promises to all of us. He promises us life even though we face death. The Lord Jesus finally makes it to Jairus' house. A significant time had passed, maybe an hour, maybe two hours. I don't know however long it would taken.
When the LordJesus arrives, Mark paints the scene of chaotic disorder. In v.51, "When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother." When the Lord Jesus left the crowd, He allowed only Peter, John and to go, not the crowd. He stopped the crowd from following Him. He did this because He knew the chaos would be there, He didn't want to add more chaos.
In v.52, we read,"Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep."
According to v.53, the people there began laughing at the Lord Jesus. In doing so, it is made clear that she was dead. In v.54, we learn that He went into the room and took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" According to Matthew's account, Jairus had said, "if You would just put Your hand on her, she will live."
This little girl and the woman with the issue of blood were both untouchables. You see, the law said the Lord Jesus couldn't touch a bleeding woman or a dead body. It would make him unclean. The woman herself was declared unclean. She was untouchable. Nobody touched her. He couldn't touch the dead girl, either.
And so He did as Jairus had asked, though He could have spoken to her, He didn't have to touch her. His touch is a demonstration of His willingness to do what people asked Him to do in the way they asked Him to do it. He commanded her to live, the same way He had spoken life into existence on the sixth days of creation with the same power, the same way He commands life into every living thing. With that command the Lord Jesus shattered death, broke its hold and severed its chains.
According to v.55, "Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat." Her life came back into her body. And, when she comes back to life, she gets immediately out of bed and eats. There's no recovery period from being dead. And that's the way it is with every miracle Jesus did. It is total and complete and full.
In v.56, we read, "Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened." Her parents were astonished. Luke uses the Greek verb existēmi which means “to stand outside yourself.” They were out of their minds. We've seen this same reaction all the way along. In v.25, the disciples when the Lord Jesus stopped the storm were fearful and amazed. In v.37, The people of the Gerasenes were gripped with great fear when they saw the power of Jesus. The woman with the issue of blood in v.47 came trembling and fell down before Him. And here the parents literally are out of their minds. And He says to them, "Tell no one what happened." The same reaction is found in all of these situations in Luke 8.
Then the Lord Jesus closes out this story by saying to the parents, "tell no one what had happened." But, in Matthew 9:26 we learn the news went out into all the land. Everybody knew there was a resurrection.
We are worshipers before we are witnesses. Before we rush to give a testimony, we must have a story with Him to tell first. And, of course, this requires worship. I'm not talking about singing songs in the meeting place of the church. I'm talking about having your world ordered and defined by Him. This only happens in response to seeing Him for who He is. Perhaps, this is why we neglect being the witness.
