[Morning Sermon] A Tale of Two Daughters (Luke 8:40-56)

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:33

So I've been at camp all week with my family, which was great. But yes, yes. Which is definitely not a place where you wanted me trying to run a write a sermon. So I'm very grateful to Al Williams, one of our ruling elders, who is going to preach this morning, and I'll invite him up now. We will be in Luke chapter 8, verses 40 through 56. Al, the pulpit is yours.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

My name is uh Al. I'm one of the elders here, Hickory Grove. Uh we warned you, though, I did not go to reform school, and that's what they call Presbyterian seminaries. Uh, but I do have the love of the Bible, especially the stories that demonstrate Scott's love and care for his people. So today's episode of a letter to Theophilus is called A Tale of Two Daughters because, well, it involves two daughters, one actual, one is virtual. One has a high social status, the other about the lowest possible. Their common denominator, and our common denominator, is of course Jesus. Please know that nothing in the Bible is random or unintentional, neither an action nor description of those actions. And our tale of two daughters is a clear indication of the sovereignty of God in human affairs and how he can bring down the high and elevate the low. I'll be reading from the And there was a woman who 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 touch 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. While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not fear, only believe, and she will be well. 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. 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. But her parents were amazed. And her parents were amazed. But he charged them to tell no one what happened. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our Lord shall stand forever. Holy Father, we praise you for your mighty works, for your care for your children, even for letting the rain fall on the just and the unjust. As we go through this amazing episode during the ministry of Jesus, help us understand better. Send your spirit on us so that your word does not come back void. In the name of Jesus, great position. I'm in. Please be seated, unless you really want to stand. It's okay too, not fuss about that. So the more I read from Luke, the more I realize that he's a master storyteller. The details in this story are very rich. With the economy of words, he lets tension build. And because he gives a person's name, it's safe to assume that this was verifiable to readers in the first century. So if you don't believe what I wrote, go ask Jairus. Or maybe his daughter, like Luke did with Mary Magdalene and choose his wife, Joanna and Susanna. So Luke begins today's section of his letter with, now when Jesus returned, so where had he gone and where is he returning to? So last week we found out that Jesus and the disciples had gone to the garrisons, a Samaritan area on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had cast out a legion of demons from a wild, self-destructive, naked man running around the tombs. After the demons and the hogs went for a swim, the man was sitting clothed and calm, and he had a new job as an evangelist. The locals were super afraid of this nondescript Jew who had this power. So they told Jesus to get back to where he once belonged. The Samaritans were in good company, actually, because the week prior we learned the disciples were exceedingly afraid when Jesus had calmed the storm on the lake. Everyone was wondering, what manner of man is this? Native Tennesseans would say, that ain't right. So Jesus returned by boat back to Galilee. He didn't sneak in at night because the rest of the verse records that the crowd welcomed him, for they're all waiting for him. Unlike the folks from the garrisons, these guys knew about Jesus and what he could do, and they didn't have any hogs either. Jesus was hugely popular with the common folk. He was not like any other religious leader. Why is that? Well, Luke, so far, we have learned that Jesus cured people miraculously of leopards, leprosy, and other illnesses. He cast out demons and unclean spirits. He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, a very amazing sermon. He healed the centurion servant from afar, didn't even go in the house. He raised a widow's son while he's being carried to his grave, a cave or whatever it was. And he ate at the Pharisee's house and gave this guy grief with both barrels. Everyone liked what Jesus could do for him. The Son of Man was truly a man of the people. Okay, so he really wasn't popular with the Pharisees, though. He didn't buy into their hypocrisy. He called out their man-made rules. He hated performative religion. So during his walk with the crowd around him, certainly not a fast walk, if you ever walk with a crowd around you, it doesn't go that quickly. There came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. So, what's going to happen here? That's not good. A ruler of the synagogue was a big deal. He's coming out to Jesus. Now, he probably had heard about the episode of the Pharisees' house. He probably heard about Jesus claiming the power to forgive sins. He might have even heard about Nicodemus' secret visit to Jesus and the strange response that Jesus gave. What kind of guy is this? No way he could like Jesus. What's his game? Did he want to read Jesus the Riot Act for the episode of the Pharisee's house? Maybe invite him to his own house and try to trick him with some verbal shenanigan that they did. Tell him to leave the area. Or maybe whistle for the goons to come try to stone him like they tried before. None of these were true. Any religious feelings were out the door. He fell at Jesus' feet and implored him to come to his house because he had an only daughter, about 12 years of age, and she was dying. If your child is sick, you'll do whatever you can to find a cure. If your child is dying, you do almost anything in desperation to stop that. This was Jairus' only daughter, possibly an only child. Jairus was a man of means and influence, a man of wealth and taste. If his daughter had been sick for a while, he would have summoned the best doctors. Or the illness might have been sudden. Either way, death seemed inevitable. But then he received the word that Jesus, the teacher, the miracle worker, was passing through. You want me to round with the boys and kind of show them a thing or two? No, Jacob, I'll handle this myself. I'll go see him. Jesus was his only hope. Just think how significant it was for a ruler of the synagogue to bow down in front of hundreds of people. So not just Jesus alone, hundreds of people were surrounding Jesus. On the other hand, he might have been getting a head start. And Isaiah 45, 23 prophesies, by myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone out in righteousness, a word that shall not return. To me, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance. That ultimately includes Pharisees. Now my human nature, maybe our human nature, screams that Jairus was unworthy. The Pharisee club was looking for opportunities to club Jesus, and Jairus was one of the club directors. Why would Jesus help those who hated him? You might not remember back in chapter six, Luke quotes Jesus saying, But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. And Proverbs 21 has the prototype of this that says, If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat. If your enemy is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. So Jesus not only preached, he practiced what he preached. A few chapters ago, the Roman, a Roman centurion sent elders of the Jews to Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus came close to the house, the centurion sent friends to say, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word and let my servant be healed. Jesus said, Not even in Israel had he found such faith. And Jairus fit along with that. He did have sincere faith that Jesus would heal his daughter, but he didn't have as much faith as the centurion. So Jesus went along. The disciples went with him, according to Matthew. Thanks, Jesus. Thanks. You know, if you don't mind, we need to book it. You know, they told me she could die at any minute. Let's let's get a move on it. As they went along, the crowd continued to grow. And they pressed, and they heard about Jesus' miracles, but this is something new. Right? Hey, did you see Jairus, that ruler, the synagogue bound down to Jesus? Something big has happened. Let's go check this out. We'll go along with that as well. Of course, the more folks who joined the crowd, the slower things got. Maybe you left a few minutes late and hope traffic would be good. Whenever I do that, something always seems to happen to make me later. Green light, driver in front, looking on his iPhone. I-40 left lane, someone admiring the scenery, maybe the asphalt, not sure. The line up mile of cars trying to figure out that bank curb on I-440. I uh I got a one. But I digress. Imagine that as a life or death situation. Your husband fell off a ladder after getting shocked while fixing a floodlight. Or your wife fell off the ladder while fixing a floodlight, getting shocked, the thing that you ignored. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes seem like hours. Then the unthinkable happened for Jairus. Jesus just stopped because someone touched him. Someone in a big crowd pressing along touched him. Jesus looked around and asked in a clear voice, who was it that touched me? Luke recorded that all denied it. Not me, Jesus. Just happy to be here, going along. I want to see what's happening here. Peter, though, he could not resist an easy layup. Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you. Paraphrased might be, hey, stop with the OCD, forget the crowd. Let's go, Jesus. Let's go. We got something to do. But this touch was different, very, very different. Jesus said, Someone touched me, for I perceived that power has gone out from me. Essentially saying, Chill, Peter, this is something a little bit beyond your kin. It wasn't the touch per se, but it was the power that I felt leaving. So a few weeks ago, this is not unprecedented, a few weeks ago in Luke 6, Luke records, And he that is Jesus came down with them and stood on the level place with a great crowd of his disciples, and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured, and all the crowds sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. Remember that Jesus has two natures. He has a divine nature that never runs out of power. However, the human nature could get drained. A couple weeks ago, we read that he was asleep in a boat in a huge storm on the lake. You don't do that unless you're like super tired. Remember how often the gospels would record that Jesus would go alone to pray or that he needed to rest. His human nature got very tired. So in today's lesson, Jesus felt the power leave him. And the implication is that he knew it went out for a purpose. He didn't say, hey, a lot of folks touch me, quit doing that. He said, Someone touched me. Someone touched me. So why did the power go to just one person? Most of the people there just wanted to be with Jesus. He's famous. Anybody with a debilitating physical ailment probably couldn't have gotten through the crowd anyway. Big crowd. Or everyone was just moving along to see what's going to happen with Jairus' daughter. Ooh, another miracle. It's going to be good. Or no one had the faith of the woman who touched him. So despite Peter's solid logic, Jesus wasn't moving until he found out who it was. Of course, he knew who it was, but he wanted to hear her testimony. He wanted her to share her testimony with the crowd. 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. Now it's a powerful testimony, but she wasn't lame. She'd have leprosy. But then was she healed? She had had a discharge of blood for 12 years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. Mark added that she was, in fact, getting worse. So we automatically have a huge degree of sympathy for this woman. She had been ritually unclean for 12 years. That means she'd had this problem for as long as Jairus' daughter had been alive. Anyone she came in contact with would be ritually unclean. She had to live apart from polite society, including family. This is just like barely one level above leprosy, her condition. Luke did not mention it directly, but I get the feeling she had no one to look after her. At this point, no one cared for her, or perhaps was allowed to. To make matters worse, whatever money she had or was given went to the doctors. In the 2020s, it would be highly likely to get a diagnosis followed by a fix or cure. In the zero twenties, doctors were guessing. It was just free money, free money for them. I can't imagine the degree of loneliness that this woman had to experience. At this point, she was desperate, both physically and mentally. However, Mark recorded that she had also heard the reports about Jesus, the reports of mercy and healing. She found that he was passing through. She knew she had only one shot at this, just as Jairus knew. Unlike someone with leprosy, she was able to conceal her problem and probably her face, long enough to move through the crowd unnoticed. Nobody noticed the woman that people tended to ignore anyway. So she came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. This is an amazing sentence. It tells us a lot in a very few words. She didn't approach from the front. She was used to not being noticed, and she didn't feel worthy of Jesus noticing her. She didn't grab his garment with both hands to maximize her chance of getting healed. She knew that Jesus' power wasn't proportional to the square inches or grip strength. She knew only that she had to connect with Jesus. She expected to disappear quietly. Surely he wouldn't notice. She could just say later that she was well and just figure out how to get on with her life. But she felt the healing immediately. So simultaneously, when Jesus felt the power leave, she felt the healing at the very same time. However, when Jesus turned his full attention to her, she fell down trembling. Would Jesus accuse her of stealing power without asking? Hey, you didn't come in the front door. Would Jesus say unclean? Get away from me. Instead, Jesus looked at her. He noticed her. And he said the most meaningful words possible. Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Just seconds ago, this woman was an outcast from society. Now Jesus, the rock star teacher, miracle worker passing through, with a huge crowd around him, calls her and only her his daughter. It's the only time recorded that he called a specific woman daughter. A daughter's possessive word. She's no longer an outcast. She's no longer an orphan or a functional orphan. She's adopted into the family of the Most High. She belongs to someone. Her life was changed in an instant, all because of her faith and her trust in Jesus. Not just the static faith that sits around and says, I believe, but the kinetic faith that says, Because I believe, therefore I act. And there's also a social reason why Jesus wanted her out of publicly. So instead of taking a long time to demonstrate and prove that she was healed, after 12 years of this problem, who's going to believe it's done, right? Now everyone knew who she was, and that she was healed. Shame was gone. She was free. Oh, excuse me, I got a guess I got a text message here. Actually, I don't have a text message. I just wanted to kind of demonstrate how uncomfortable that felt that I grabbed my phone and interrupted this conversation. While everyone was high-fiving about the woman, what was Jairus doing? Jairus was like, wait a minute, you stopped. Telped this woman, but you know, I'm the official, I mean, you're you're not coming to my house. Think how uncomfortable it was for Jairus. Okay, Jesus, now this little episode is over, we can keep moving. Let's go on. However, while Jesus was still speaking, presumably with the woman, someone from the ruler's house came and said, Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. Wow, I'm still not sure I can imagine how Jairus felt. His best wasn't good enough. His daughter was dying. He got Jesus to come with him, but now this outcast woman who had never been allowed in the synagogue interrupted their progress, and his daughter is dead. It's too late. Sounds like a Carol King song. But Jesus, who's in charge of all, had a different tune in mind. Luke didn't record that Jairus said anything, but we read that Jesus on hearing this answered him, Do not fear, only believe, and she will be well. The antecedent for him is unclear, but Jairus is the one with the fear, so I think it is he. He had enough faith to beg Jesus to come to his house and prevent his daughter from dying. Did he have enough faith to believe that Jesus would raise his daughter from the dead as he did the widow's son? So Jesus didn't chide him for his doubts. Instead, he encouraged him to believe and let his belief drive out his fear. So they got to the house, and the only persons Jesus allowed to enter with him were Jairus and Mrs. Jairus, plus Peter, James, and John. Also note these were the same disciples present at the Transfiguration. It's also probable that the professional mourners were there. That was a big deal. Because of Jairus' position as a ruler of the synagogue, they would have called those guys right away. Still, Jesus wanted to keep the witness group low. While everyone was weeping and mourning for her, Jesus said, Do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping. Now death is common to all cultures. They didn't need a brainwave machine or heart monitor. They surely didn't need a biologist to tell them what death means. So they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. I can't wag my finger at them very much, though. Someone says something absurd in my presence. I've been known to have kind of a derisive laugh. By the way, I've found out people don't always like that. So don't I don't advise it. It is indeed crazy, though, to think that someone has the power to raise a dead person. I've been with four persons when they passed away. I've held the hands of three. For someone, even a teacher as Jairus' people called Jesus, to command them to rise would have been beyond eerie. The Bible has examples of this type of belief. When the angel told Sarah and Abraham that she'd have a child at the age of 90, what did she do? She laughed. When Gabriel tells Zechariah, as an answer to a specific prayer, that Elizabeth, who seemed to be past childbearing age, would have a child, a baby, Zechariah asked how this could be. It's a form of, wait, I prayed for this, but now it's answered. That can't be right. So you kind of wonder about that. So Jesus could have taken this laughter as an insult, but instead, simply he took the girl's hand and called, saying, Child, arise. Mark recorded the Aramaic words that Jesus used, Talitha Kumi, which means little girl, I say to you, arise. Simple statement, no fancy words, especially if you know Aramaic, not too fancy. And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Mark says she was walking around. Now, when a child wakes up each morning, what's the first thing he or she wants to do besides turn on a screen of some sort? So for me it was to eat. I was always the first one at the table. You might have guessed that. Um this girl has been sick for at least a few days, maybe weeks, and hasn't eaten. And I got a feeling dying takes a lot out of you. And uh she is now well. So the first thing that Jesus does is to direct that something should be given her to eat. By this statement, Jesus is confirming things are back to normal. Arise, eat, get up and play, go have a good time. Now the girl probably got off, I mean, got uh got over this faster than her parents did. Luke records that they were amazed. They had faith, but they were still amazed. I should think so. Luke didn't record whether they thanked Jesus, but I suspect they did. After my daughter for an hour or two, I'd be on my knees in front of Jesus. After that, I would call everyone I knew to tell them the good news that our prayers had been answered. But that wasn't what Jesus had in mind. Instead, he charged them to tell no one what had happened. In our era, he might have said, put down your phones, no texting, no Instagram. We gotta keep a lid on this. So that had always been a baffling sentence to me. One of the commentators looked at indicated Jesus actually had to kind of keep a watch on what people knew and said about him. He needed to manage his popularity until the right time. Eventually his popularity became a factor in his crucifixion. Remember the frenzy upon his entry to Jerusalem when the Pharisees said, Look, the whole world has gone after him. Although this lesson is called the Tale of Two Daughters, it's more than that. I think it's a real live metaphor about Christians in general, how we should come to Christ. Jairus was a very high official in Jewish society, super respectable. He ignored the social convention and literally threw himself at Jesus' feet because he knew that Jesus was the only means of salvation for his daughter. He didn't say, daughter, get up and go to Jesus for healing. He interceded on her behalf. Have you thrown yourself at Jesus' feet? Do you pray earnestly for the salvation of loved ones? Are you worried what people will think if they find out that you're a Christian and rely on Jesus alone for salvation? Then there's the woman. She had tried everything known to get healed. She wore out herself and her bank account. Nothing could remove the taint of her condition. Jesus was her only hope. We all have the taint of sin. Since the fall, as recorded in Genesis 3, sin is part of our nature. We can go to all the doctors and the psychologists in the world. They are more than glad to take our money, but none can cure us of sin. Our sin nature, again, is what separates us from God. Have you been thinking you get rid of your sins by coming to church today, by doing good deeds, by tithing regularly, by visiting everyone in the hospital, by any human action at all? When you're at the end of your rope, at the end of yourself, the only way to get rid of your sin is to do what the woman did. Heed the call of Jesus. Not everyone is his child, but he calls his own, and his own will seek him. Believe on him and trust him completely. Receive the free adoption into the family of God. Receive life that only Jesus can give. Blood is what separated the woman from her family and community, yet blood is what unites us in Christ. In Colossians 1, Paul wrote this about Jesus. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. His cleansing power is there for you. It's not something new. It's actually recorded in Isaiah 1, where the Lord says, Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they're red like crimson, they shall become like wool. We, like Jairus' daughter, are bound to die. Our loved ones are bound to die. We live once, and then we face eternity. Only Christ has the power to tell us, child, arise. Let us pray. Our gracious Heavenly Father, grant us the faith and demeanor of Jairus, who came down from his lofty position and humbled himself before our Holy Lord in front of hundreds of witnesses. Grant us the faith of the outcast woman who wanted to touch only the fringe of Jesus' garment, knowing that his power was available for her. Remind us continually of the price that Jesus paid, the blood he shed, so that we can be part of your family, your declared children. For it's in the holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Thank you, Al. You know, one of the things that strikes me in this story is that the first thing Jesus did after he raised this young girl to life is he provided something for her to eat. In this table, we have that very same reality. God raises us to new life in Christ, and then he provides for us something to eat. Our ruling elders are going to come forward now and prepare that meal for us, and they can only do that because Jesus has prepared the meal for us himself. It's just a testimony to the fact that God created us, body and soul, and our salvation comprehends both those aspects of our human reality. God cares for our bodies the way he cares for our souls, and he cares for our souls the way he cares for our bodies. And he gives us these real tangible elements, these little tokens of bodily nourishment to remind us of the depths of spiritual nourishment that we have in Christ. So if your faith is in Jesus, then I invite you to come forward. Jesus invites you to come forward to this meal and to partake of the new life you have in him, to be reminded that Jesus is the one who, by the power of his Holy Spirit, raised you from death to life. And now he's saying, Hey, elders, give them something to eat. So come eat, be strengthened, be encouraged, be nourished. But if that's not your story, right? If you've not yet put your faith in Christ, if you've not been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, if you've not yet joined yourself to the body of Christ through membership in an evangelical church, then Scripture would say, hold on for a second before you come to this table. Get right with Jesus first. Come to his body first before you partake of his body and with his body. And if that sounds confusing, if that sounds like not enough information, it's because it's not. It's because we need to have a conversation. Because we would love for you to come to this table just on Jesus' time and on Jesus' terms. Again, if you have questions about that, please come see any one of us. We would love to talk to you about it. Because we would love to see you at this table next week. But for now, I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna ask the Lord to bless this family meal. And after that, we'll come forward, we'll receive the elements, and after everybody's been served, we'll partake together. Father, thank you for this meal. Thank you for the broken body and the spilled blood of Jesus. Thank you for the salvation that was accomplished on the cross, and thank you for these elements that remind us of what Jesus did for us. And more than that, actually grant us a share in Him. So, Lord, as we come to this table, I pray it would not just be an exercise in rote Christianity. I pray that you would help us not to go through the motions like we do every week, but to come forward with real expectation, with real desire to know the unity that we have with Christ and one another. And I pray, Lord, that you would meet us at this table, that you would fill us in every way we need to be filled, so that we would be strengthened and encouraged for the week ahead. Pray in Jesus' name. Amen.