Desperation Meets Jesus

Jesus being summoned to heal a sick person by someone important.

But then if we look back to chapter 7, we see that these are two different stories with just a few similarities.

Back in chapter 7, we heard about how Jesus healed a centurion's servant from a distance as he was on the way to the centurion's house.

You may remember the striking moment of that story where the centurion sends messengers to Jesus saying,

Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but say the word and my servant will be healed.

But this account here in Luke chapter 8 is different.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

Jesus has just arrived back from the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and a man named Jairus is waiting there for him.

Now, who is Jairus?

Luke tells us that he was a synagogue ruler or leader.

So the centurion from chapter 7 was a soldier and likely a Gentile, a non-Jew.

But Jairus is one of the religious leaders of the local synagogue and almost certainly a Jew.

Back in Luke 7, it was the centurion's servant who was sick and about to die.

But here in Luke chapter 8, we discover that it's Jairus' own daughter who was sick.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

Luke tells us that she was a girl about 12 years old.

Jairus' only daughter.

And how serious is this?

Well, Luke just says she was dying.

No cause for death is mentioned, whether sickness or injury, just that death seems imminent.

She was dying.

With the centurion in chapter 7, we remember how he sent messengers to Jesus to come and heal his servants.

But here we see that Jairus, the girl's father, has come himself to Jesus.

Can you imagine the desperation of Jairus and his wife in these moments?

Jairus' precious daughter lay dying in the bed.

Probably doctors had already been sought out.

And probably the prognosis had already been given.

And so what was left?

Can you imagine Jairus leaving the house where his own daughter is dying in search of Jesus?

The one that he has heard can heal.

Can you imagine Jairus waiting anxiously for Jesus and his disciples to get to the shore and get out of the boat?

Look at how Jairus approached Jesus.

It says he came and fell at Jesus' feet.

Pleading with him to come to his house.

And Jesus agrees to go.

But unlike with the previous miracle with the centurion,

getting to Jairus' house proves to be a challenge.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

That word crushed is very strong.

It's a word that was used to describe the act of applying pressure around the neck in order to kill someone.

And of course it's used figuratively here to describe just how tightly the crowd pressed and squeezed in around Jesus.

Can you imagine Jesus trying to get through these narrow streets

with all these people tightly packed in there,

clamoring around him?

Maybe you remember a time when you were at a large gathering,

whether a sporting event or a conference or a concert.

And there's people everywhere.

And what do we do in those situations?

Well, if you're like me, you try to just kind of slither through the crowd

and take those measured steps so as to not collide with anybody.

But the problem here for Jesus is that he is the one that everybody is trying to get to.

And so there's no slithering through the crowd for Jesus.

They're all there to get to him.

To see him.

Coming straight for him.

And I wonder what was going on in Jairus' mind in this moment.

Is Jesus going to make it in time?

All of a sudden, this slow procession grinds to a complete stop

as Jesus calls out,

Who touched me?

An ironic question, isn't it?

And Peter states the obvious.

Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.

Lots of people have touched you in the last few minutes.

We can hardly move without brushing up against someone on every side.

But Jesus persists.

Someone touched me.

I know that power has gone out from me.

Unbeknownst to everyone around Jesus,

Luke tells us that there was this woman in the crowd

who had snuck in close and touched the edge of Jesus' cloak.

Nobody else noticed it.

But all of a sudden, Jesus became aware

that power had gone out from him.

Who was this woman?

Well, Luke tells us in verse 43

that she had been subject to bleeding for 12 years.

But no one could heal her.

So in the midst of this very public moment of desperation for Jairus

and Jairus' daughter and his family,

there is this whole other story of desperation

going on with this woman.

And as I first read through this earlier in the week,

I was struck again by how long this woman had suffered with this bleeding.

12 years.

12 years.

Commentators and scholars suggest

that this was most likely some form of uterine hemorrhaging.

Likely a menstrual disorder.

And the cause of this, it's not stated here.

What is stated is that the doctors were baffled by this.

No one could heal her, says Luke.

In Mark's gospel are a few extra details.

Mark 5, 26.

She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors

and had spent all she had.

Yet instead of getting better,

she grew worse.

And so this was rare.

This was abnormal.

Something was really off in this woman's body.

Whether caused by issues with particular organs or hormones,

they didn't know what to do with her.

They'd never seen this.

Probably she'd already tried all kinds of treatments,

but nothing was working.

Obviously this couldn't have been a constant heavy flow of blood

for 12 years or she would have died.

But probably a persistent, weakly, moderate flow.

Perhaps somewhat unpredictable.

Probably she was somewhat anemic and weak because of it.

And then on top of all that,

there was the social and emotional side of things for this woman.

There would have been great embarrassment.

This would have been a great struggle

with wondering why she was suffering with this thing

that nobody had ever seen or heard of before.

I'm not going to go into all the details of this,

but this condition also, we know,

made her ceremonially unclean

according to the law of Moses.

That would have had big implications on her life as well.

She would have been unable to participate

in the annual festivals in Jerusalem at the temple.

And then there was probably on top of all of that,

the burdensome rules and extras of the Pharisees,

which might have mean that she was even socially ostracized

as well for her ceremonial uncleanness.

And this just seemed to go on for years,

year after year after year, 12 years.

We can only imagine, most of us,

what life has been like for her

these 12 long years.

And I think we kind of have to know

that there's got to be a backstory here

that we don't get all the details of.

At some point, she first heard about Jesus

and the things that he was doing,

how he'd been healing people.

No doubt, she began to hear the things

Jesus was teaching and saying,

and hope began to rise in her heart.

Unlike the countless doctors who had seen her,

a hope that Jesus was different,

that he could be the one to deliver her

from this suffering.

And somewhere along the line,

hope turns into confidence and faith.

Her thought, according to Mark's gospel,

was,

if I just touch his clothes,

I will be healed.

Those are words of faith.

She believes that Jesus has

the power of God to heal.

She believes it so strongly

that she doesn't even need

to have a one-on-one conversation with Jesus.

She doesn't need Jesus to lay hands on her

or even to see her or notice her.

If I just touch his clothes,

I will be healed.

Think about this.

There's nothing special about the clothes

or the cloak.

What makes this cloak different

is the one who wears it.

That's what she's thinking about.

She was right.

She reaches out.

She touches Jesus.

And she's healed.

And Jesus calls in that moment

for the one who touched him

to show themselves.

Verse 47, back in Luke.

Then the woman,

seeing that she could not go unnoticed,

came trembling and fell at Jesus' feet.

In the presence of all the people,

she told why she had touched him

and how she had been instantly healed.

Mark adds the detail

that upon touching Jesus' cloak,

immediately her bleeding stopped

and she felt in her body

that she was freed from her suffering.

Those words might even be a clue

that there could have been some pain

or cramping that went with her condition.

Now instantly gone.

No symptoms whatsoever.

She knew she was healed.

This is quite the moment here

as she speaks to Jesus

from the ground at his feet.

You can almost picture her

just trembling with fear

and yet rejoicing

as she tells what has just happened to her.

Twelve years of suffering

just ended in a moment.

Jesus says to her,

daughter, your faith has healed you.

Go in peace.

As I was reflecting on these words,

I think there's deep encouragement here

for any who have suffered

or struggled with something

for a long time.

Maybe it's a health issue

that you've been struggling with for years

or a disability.

Or maybe it's not even a health issue

but some other persistent difficulty

or trial that you've been stuck with for years.

God notices those things.

He sees.

He knows.

And this story is not a guarantee

that if you just have enough faith

and pray a certain way,

it's going to be gone in an instant.

But it's a sampling.

It's a foretaste of what Jesus will do

for all who have faith in Him

one day when He returns.

He will deliver us from every affliction.

And how wonderful,

how sweet it will be

for those who have suffered long.

Now as all of this is unfolding,

Jesus and the crowd come to a stop.

The stories being told by this woman,

I can't help but wonder

what was going on in Jairus' heart and mind.

Knowing that His daughter is close to death

and that time is of the essence.

How long will this interruption take?

What if there's more moments like this along the way?

Will Jesus get there in time?

Verse 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.

What a tough moment that must have been

for Jairus to hear those words.

Your daughter is dead.

I imagine a shot of grief and pain

just struck right through his heart.

And the words that come after or with it

are just as difficult.

Don't bother the teacher anymore.

We don't even know who said this.

Just someone from Jairus' house

who had just arrived.

But you can almost hear in those words,

these other words.

It's too late, Jairus.

There's nothing more that can be done.

Maybe he could have healed her

if he had got there in time.

But now that she's dead,

there's nothing he can do.

Come back to the house with us.

Let the teacher be on his way.

Hearing this,

Jesus said to Jairus,

don't be afraid.

Just believe.

and she will be healed.

Don't be afraid.

Just believe.

And she will be healed.

This is the great moment of testing for Jairus.

Jesus is flat out telling him

that though she's dead,

she will be healed.

In other words,

I'm going to raise her

back to life from the dead, Jairus.

Just believe.

And she will be healed.

Imagine yourself in Jairus' shoes.

And Jesus looks you in the eye

and says to you,

trust in me

and I will raise your daughter

back to life from the dead.

Now, of course,

you'd wish for that

and you would hope for that.

But would you believe

that he could do it?

Would you be confident

that because Jesus says it,

it's going to happen?

Verse 51,

when Jesus 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.

So,

three of the disciples

get to go in with

Jairus and his wife

and the rest

stay out with the crowd.

Peter,

James,

and John

were part of that

inner circle of three

that Jesus had

who he invited

to some special things

that they got to see

and this was one of them.

Meanwhile,

all the people

were wailing

and mourning for her.

stop wailing,

Jesus said.

She's not dead

but asleep.

So,

these are the people

already in the house

who have been there

leading up to the death

and probably some

who have arrived

after the death

and they're wailing

and they're mourning

for her.

In our culture,

we tend to grieve quietly.

It's maybe expected

that the immediate family

will cry

or lose control

of their emotions

the language we use

but the rest of us

would just sort of

sit there

and keep inside

what we're feeling.

But in other cultures

including the Jewish culture,

grieving was a very raw

emotional

and public

outpouring

and it was quite common

for people

to wail loudly

and to weep loudly.

Just let it all out.

Especially in tragic

circumstances like this

where a 12-year-old girl

has just died.

And in the midst

of all of this,

Jesus says to them,

stop wailing.

She's not dead

but asleep.

This would have been

a total shock to them

especially after

some of them

had been there

long before Jesus

had arrived.

It was fact.

They were witnesses.

Probably

all of them

that were in the house

at this point

had spent considerable time

just looking at

the lifeless body

of this girl.

And who does this guy

think he is

coming in here

just now

and telling us

stop crying

because she's not dead

but asleep.

And we might wonder

about that choice

of words

on Jesus'

part.

Of course,

Jesus knew

that she was

actually

dead

but he was

making a point.

Just like with

the person

who is asleep

she will awaken.

She's going to get up.

Death is

permanent.

It's final.

But what's

happening to her

now is more

like sleep.

It's only

temporary.

She's going to

come out of this

is what Jesus

is saying

with these words.

But of course

they took this

literally

and they laughed

at him.

But Jesus

took her by the

hand and said

my child

get up.

Her spirit

returned

and at once

she stood up.

her parents

were astonished

but he ordered

them not to

tell anyone

what had

happened.

Absolutely

amazing.

A day

never to be

forgotten.

Not by

Jairus

or his wife

by Peter

James

John

by all

in the

house

with them.

Jesus

raises

this 12

year old

girl

back to

life

from the

dead

right in

front of

them.

this is the

proof that

Jesus really

is the

son of

God.

That he

is the

Messiah.

That he

is the

way and

the truth

and the

life.

It's the

proof that

he is

himself

God

and has

the power

of God.

First

that woman

with the

bleeding

who no

doctor could

help

and then

not long

after this

girl who

had passed

away.

This is

why we

need to

take Jesus

seriously.

This is

why we

need to

like Jairus

and the

woman have

real deep

faith in

Jesus.

He possesses

the power

of God.

He commands

dead bodies

and the

spirits of

the people

who were

in there

returned to

them.

who can

do this

but God?

Who can

do that?

Who can

resurrect

but God?

The maker

of life.

The creator

of life.

This is it.

This is God

himself giving

us a clear

sign to

follow so

that we

might come

to his

son Jesus

and believe

in him

and be

saved and

find the

eternal life

that Jesus

promised.

Christ.

And so

that's

really the

question that

I want to

press deepest

today.

Have you

put your

faith in

Jesus?

Have you

believed

that he is

the son of

God?

That he's

God's king

for you?

One of the

things I love

about this

miracle is how

impossible this

would be to

fake.

sometimes I

get thinking

about these

things.

You know

there maybe

was really

only one

way to

fake this

thing.

Apart from

God's power

it is truly

impossible to

raise someone

from the

dead.

So the

only way to

fake this

would be to

have someone

pretend to

die and

pretend to

come back to

life.

And when

would Jesus

have made

that arrangement?

Before or

after he

went across

to the

other side

of the

Sea of

Galilee?

And how

convincing

would a

12 year

old girl

be at

faking her

own death

and lying

there still

and getting

pale and

all those

signs that

people saw?

And was

Jairus'

wife in on

it too?

It says

they all

laughed at

Jesus because

they knew

she was

dead.

It was so

obvious.

It wasn't

a trick.

There were

witnesses that

she was alive

when Jairus

left.

And there

were witnesses

that she was

truly dead

before Jairus

returned with

Jesus.

And there

were witnesses

that she

got up.

They couldn't

deny it.

She was

alive again

walking around.

And then

there's this

really surprising

detail.

You know

if this was

somehow some

elaborate magic

trick that

would of

course mean

that Jesus

was a liar

and a

deceiver.

It would

mean that

the purpose

of all the

tricks would

be to

maintain this

illusion that

he has

God-like

powers and

the goal

would be to

fool as

many people

as possible

and perform

these miracles,

these tricks

in front of

everyone.

And yet here

Jesus does

the opposite.

He doesn't

grab the body

of the girl

and go out

and parade

around and

say hey

everybody look

check that

she's dead.

She really

is dead.

Right?

And then

raise her back

to life.

He doesn't

stand in

front of

the door

of the

house and

sell tickets

for people

to come

in and

first verify

that she's

dead only

to have her

come walk

out later

alive.

Instead he

goes into

the house,

he shuts

out nine

of his

disciples and

the massive

crowd that

was with

him.

He raises

her from

the dead

and then

orders her

parents not

to tell

anyone

what had

happened.

For a

person whose

goal is just

fame or

attention or

profit,

that doesn't

fit.

It's like

Jesus doesn't

want this

family to

become a

public spectacle

or to have

to put up

with countless

people invading

their space.

So just

don't tell

anyone what

I just did.

Keep it to

yourselves.

Jesus knows

what it's like

to be swarmed

by people and

smothered by

people and

the last thing

this family needs

right now with

what they've been

through is that.

No.

The person who

is putting on

a show and

is in it for

the prophet is

always asking

for the

referral.

Right?

How many times

have we heard

it?

Could you

please like

and subscribe

to my

channel?

Spread the

word.

Jairus,

you're a

prominent man.

You're the

synagogue leader.

Would you

tell everyone

what I just

did for your

daughter?

No.

Jesus does

the opposite.

As much as

you might feel

like telling

others what

just happened,

don't tell

anyone.

Keep it to

yourself.

Don't say a

word about

this at

synagogue.

There's only

one explanation

that really

fits.

However

spectacular or

improbable it

may seem and

it's that this

little girl

really did

die.

And that

before that

Jairus really

did come to

Jesus, a

desperate man,

and that he,

Jesus really

did raise her

back to life

from the

dead.

Because he

really is the

almighty son

of God.

And so again,

back to the

question, have

you put your

faith in

Jesus?

Have you

believed in

him?

That's what

this is all

about.

It's about

who Jesus

is.

God wants

us to see

it.

He wants

us to know

it.

He wants

us to believe

it.

God wants

us to find

his love

and his

grace and

to be

restored to

him.

And it

comes through

believing in

Jesus, the

one that he

sent.

I know I've

shared these

words so many

times with you

guys, you're

probably sick

of me saying

them, but

permit me one

more time to

share what's

becoming my

favorite words

of Jesus.

John 6

John 6:40

verse 40,

Jesus said

this, he

said, for

my father's

will is that

everyone who

looks to the

son and

believes in

him shall

have eternal

life.

And I

will raise

them up at

the last

day.

That's what

God wants to

do for you.

He doesn't

want death

to have you.

He made you

for life.

He made you

for a

relationship with

him.

But that good

outcome can only

come for us if

we look to his

son and believe

in him.

It's an amazing

promise.

Jesus has

promised to

raise all who

believe in

him back to

life on the

last day.

And what he

did for this

12-year-old

girl is the

proof that he

can deliver.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

press your

words deep

into our

heart.

Convict us.

Invite us in

deeper than

we've been

before.

To know you

and to see

you for who

you are and

to understand

and know and

see your son

for who he

is.

We long

to have what

you have

promised.

This life.

We're in

awe that you

could just do

this.

Just take her

by the hand

and raise her

from the dead.

Such a

wonderful and

amazing thing

and it just

points to that

great hope we

have in you.

Life forever

with you in

your kingdom

someday.

We believe

that, Lord.

We ask that

you would just

fill us with

hope and joy

even in the

midst of all

the hard

things going

on in our

world today.

Make us

ambassadors of

your hope and

your good news.

We pray.

In your

son's name.

Amen.