Luke 8:40-56 "When You Need A Miracle"

Today we have a story about two very different believers. Front row and back row. An insider and an outsider. A man and a woman. Rich and poor. Both of them are desperate. Both of them go to Jesus and show us some things about faith.

Luke chapter 8. Jesus had sailed to the other side of the lake to get away from the crowd, healed the demoniac who called himself Legion—now He’s coming back and the crowd had grown even bigger… verse 40:

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. Luke 8:40-42

The synagogues were the local gathering places for the people of God—in almost every way they are where our concept of “church” comes from. They got together weekly to read Scripture, teach what it’s talking about, pray together, sing together, encourage each other in their faith, and have fellowship with other believers in the community—all in a local context. Jesus always went to a local synagogue to join in worship. The church continued meeting in these synagogues in many places for more than 150 years after the resurrection. They would go on Saturday to share the Gospel with Jews who didn’t believe in Jesus yet, and they would go on Sunday to gather specifically with other Christians to celebrate Communion, and read the Gospels and letters of the apostles. 

But while Jesus was doing His earthly ministry, almost all of His followers were Jews. We sometimes forget Jesus was too. He was Israel, the people of God, reduced to one man.

We also get so used to the religious leaders being His enemy that we lose the perspective that almost every person who believed in Him and followed Him were Old Testament following, synagogue going, Psalm-singing Hebrews.

So this story begins with a leader from the local synagogue pushing his way to the front of the crowd, falling on his hands and knees in front of Jesus and begging Him to come to his house because his twelve-year-old baby girl was dying.

This is a prominent member of the community. Everyone knows who he is. He’s risking everything on the hope that Jesus could do something to save his daughter.

What would you think if your pastor went to some fringe traveling faith healer in a desperate attempt to save his kid? You’d probably wonder about his faith. Maybe time for a sabbatical? 

Jesus feels for the guy and agrees to go see his little girl. Verse 42:

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Luke 8:42-48

Jesus is trying to go with Jairus to his house but the crowds are crushing Him. Jairus is in a hurry but the going is so slow. Had to be so frustrating. All he’s thinking is, “We have to hurry, my baby girl’s dying—we have to get there before it’s too late!” But it’s like one of those dreams where you try to run but you can’t move. Everyone crowding in trying to get a glimpse of this Jesus guy.

And then Jesus just stops. Jairus had to be like, “what the…”

Jesus says, “Who touched me?”

Peter’s like, “Really? That’s your question? We’re being smashed like a bunch of grapes! Everyone is touching you. We need to keep moving. We’re going to get trampled.” 

But Jesus is like, “No, someone touched me and I felt power go out from me.” 

How strange is that? A very rare glimpse into what it was like to be Jesus. If it wasn’t for this story, we would have never known Jesus felt divine power go out of Him when He did miracles. 

He’s looking all around the crowd. He says it again. “Who touched me?” It’s not that He didn’t know. 

How do you think Jairus is feeling right about now? “We gotta go!”

Meanwhile, there was a woman who had also heard about Jesus. She wasn’t supposed to be there. Twelve years ago something went wrong with her menstrual cycle and she never stopped bleeding. As awful as that sounds, it was worse for her. When a Hebrew woman was on her period, she was considered unclean. She had to go live outside the city in a tent with the other women who were having their time of the month. 

I know some of you are thinking, “That sounds like a pretty good idea—why’d we get rid of that rule?” Stop it! You’re not funny. We’re not going to reinstate the red tent! Although, at our house, we do call that particular time “living outside the city.” 

Well, hers started twelve years ago and never stopped. She hadn’t been able to return to her family for twelve years. She probably hadn’t gone to worship, Passover, or had a meal with friends for twelve years. She was an outcast. Wasn’t supposed to be around other people—wasn’t supposed to be there in the crowd that day either. But she thought Jesus would be able to help her.

No one else had been able to. Remember, Luke (the guy writing this) is a physician. It probably didn’t give him any joy to include the detail that doctors had taken this poor woman for everything she had—took all her money and didn’t do anything to help her at all—in fact, Mark says they made her worse.

So, she thought she might sneak up, stay in the back where no one would notice, keep her head down and steal a miracle. Not make a fuss. Just anonymously touch the tassel of His robe.

Another detail we usually don’t think about—a rare physical description of Jesus. Jesus fulfilled every aspect of the Old Testament law. That means He would have worn a Shimla, a large square cloth worn as an outer robe with four blue tassels on the corners, like it requires in Deuteronomy 22. Sometimes paintings of Jesus have a blue sash—this is where that comes from. 

The woman had reached out and touched one of the tassels for a moment. In an instant she was healed. Made clean. The bleeding stopped. Mark tells us that just like Jesus had felt the power go out from Him, she had felt her body restored.

Jairus is staring at his watch, or sundial, or sighing deeply, tapping his foot…

The woman had snuck into the crowd and touched Jesus secretly. She got her miracle but Jesus didn’t want her to think she had done anything wrong. He didn’t want her  to leave feeling shame. He wanted her to know that He healed her on purpose—so He waited for her to step forward.

When she realized she wasn’t going to be able to hide in the back, she came forward and fell at Jesus’ feet just like Jairus had done. Instead of begging, she was trembling. She told everyone what she did and that she had been instantly healed. It wasn’t the kind of miracle that anyone could see but it still had to be an amazing, powerful moment.

For everyone except Jairus.

Jesus looked at the woman and said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Luke 8:48

He calls her “daughter.” Very tender. Very sweet. He is restoring her as a daughter of Israel. Letting everyone know she was no longer an outcast. 

I’m sure Jairus particularly noticed what He called her. Verse 49:

 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” Luke 8:49-50

They thought Jesus dilly-dallied around and now it’s too late. He just had to stop and have a moment with the woman who touched Him. Couldn’t it have waited? She had suffered for twelve years, what was another hour going to matter?

Someone from Jairus’ house, probably a family member, comes running up and says, “It’s too late. Stop bothering Mr Miracle and come back home. Your baby girl is dead. And you weren’t even there when she died because you were out on a fool’s errand.” At least that’s how I hear it. I’m sure that’s how Jairus took it.

But Jesus looks at him and says, “Don’t listen to them. It’s going to be alright. Don’t give in to your fear—you came to me full of faith, continue to believe in me and she’s going to be okay.”

Easier said than done, right? Jairus had some hope, some faith—but his world is crashing in on him now. Death seems pretty final.

What Jesus says to Jairus is the basic point of every Christian funeral sermon. It’s appropriate to be sad—but we don’t grieve like unbelievers. We don’t have to be afraid, we just need to continue believing and trusting in Jesus—they’re going to be alright. This is what our faith is for.

Verse 51:

And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. Luke 8:51-53

It sounds really strange to us but wealthy people would hire professional mourners. That’s what’s going on here—a small crew had the job of leading the family and friends in weeping and sad music. Remember when Jesus said, “We played a dirge and you did not weep?” This is the kind of thing He was referring to.

He asked most of His disciples to stay outside but He takes Peter, James, and John with Him. This is the small inner circle He would sometimes choose to be witnesses of certain amazing events. The Bible says truth is to be verified by two or three witnesses. He went with Jairus and his wife into the room where the girl’s body was.

Jesus told the band of mourners to stop. He said she’s not dead but sleeping. 

You know that “puff through your nose” eye-roll thing people do when they think someone is full of it? A scoff. They shook their head and mocked Him. They knew she was dead, what’s this guy with the blue sash talking about? Jesus told them to knock it off, she’s not dead, she’s really just sleeping.

This is where we get the phrase “Rest in peace.” Do you know what the word “cemetery” means? It comes from a Greek word that means “sleeping place.” When we die, we go to be with Jesus in heaven, we rest in Him waiting for the resurrection of our bodies. What happens next is a little glimpse of that day. Verse 54:

But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

He took her by the hand. It’s a very tender, sweet moment. He speaks to the dead girl and says, “Child, arise.” Mark tells us exactly what He said in Aramaic, “Talitha cumi” which means “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

Her spirit returned to her body. This is the resurrection. This is what will happen to all of us who believe and trust in Jesus. He will speak, and we will rise.

Jesus took her hand, told her to get up, and she immediately got up on her feet. From dead to dancing in an instant. The little group of witnesses were amazed—minds were blown.

I imagine tears of joy. Hugs and kisses. Jesus smiling as He says, “Why don’t you get her something to eat.”

Probably because she was hungry after being sick so long. Also, so they wouldn’t start to wonder if she was a ghost. Jesus was going to do the same thing after His resurrection.

He told them not to tell anyone what He had done. Sometimes Jesus told people to tell everyone, sometimes He said not to tell anyone. He might have been trying to protect Jairus and his family—keep the little girl from becoming a freak-show attraction. After Lazarus was raised from the dead, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him as well as Jesus. 

What Did We Learn About People? The people in this story are a lot like us. Whether we’re respected members of society or outcasts—most of us are a little of both sometimes. We’re going to have problems that we won’t be able to fix. Death and sickness and pain are coming for us all. It won’t happen at a convenient time. It’ll shake us up. We’ll want the problem to be resolved as soon as possible. Like Jairus, we love our kids and will do anything for them. Like the woman, sometimes the pain lasts a long time and seems like it’s never going away. We are tempted to lose hope. Despair.

Remember this story. People who were at the end of their rope came to Jesus. They had faith in Jesus.

The synagogue leader already had faith in “God.” He needed to specifically put his trust in the Son of God. That’s what Christian faith is. It’s not just believing in God. It’s not just believing you’re “spiritual”—whatever that means. It’s not just believing that Jesus Christ the divine Son of God is God—remember Legion from last week? He believed all of those things. Christian faith is that through Jesus, God will do for you what you can’t do for yourself. Saving faith means you believe that Jesus, and Jesus alone, can and will save you.

The woman had probably prayed a thousand times in her isolation outside the community. She needed to overcome her fear and join with the people who were following Jesus. She needed to respond in faith to what she had heard about Him and reach out to Him. She needed to step forward and admit that she needed Him in front of all those others. There’s no secret Christians.

What Did We Learn About God? We also learn that God isn’t in a hurry. He does things in His own time. That He doesn’t discriminate between men and women or children—between rich or poor—between leaders of the community and social outcasts. Everyone who comes to Him in faith will be restored in His perfect timing.

What Does It Mean For Us? We learn that death, our greatest fear, is called “sleep” by Jesus. Which means you have a reminder of the promise of your own resurrection every time you go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

We learn that “your faith saves you” like Jesus said to the woman. You have been saved by grace through faith.

We learn that no matter what terrible things you might face in life, they’re all just temporary afflictions, your life is going somewhere better. Hold on. Keep your faith.

Faith is essential. Only by faith will you grasp the mystery that salvation in all of its ramifications comes through Jesus—God made flesh. Only by faith will you be able to “go in peace” through your pain and sorrows and disappointments. It’s the same thing Jesus said to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe, and she will be saved.” Hear that applied to you (no matter what you are facing) “Do not fear, only believe, and you will be saved.”

Today we will celebrate Holy Communion. Another mystery. Another way by faith that your body, as well as your soul, is touched with Christ’s resurrection power. This is true for all of us, whether we’re the one standing up here in the front, or the person sitting in the back row hoping no one will see us. Jesus sees you. He knows when you reach out to Him by faith or not. AMEN