Desperate Faith and Tender Power - Luke 8:40-56

In Luke 8:40-56 two people collide on a crowded road and both are running out of time. Jairus is a respected synagogue leader with a dying daughter, and an unnamed woman has spent twelve years suffering, isolated, and broke from seeking medical help that never worked. What happens next is not just a miracle story, it’s a clear look at who Jesus is when pressure is high: powerful enough to command nature, sickness, and death, yet tender enough to stop for one trembling person in the middle of a crowd.

Transcript

Jesus’ Authority And Care

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Hey, last week we looked at a great stormed by an even greater God. And then the disciples in return asked a really great question. And that question was, Who then is this? In Luke chapter 8, starting in verse 22 through the rest of the chapter, the second half of Luke chapter 8, we'll be in verse 40 this morning. It really talks about Jesus' authority, his power, his control. But something very noticeable in all the cosmic and circumstantial control that Jesus has and exercises is Jesus' care for people. That's central in this story this morning. So Luke shows us that Jesus is both powerful and tender. Let's look. Luke chapter 8, verse 22 through 25. We looked at last week. The disciples face a storm they can't control, but Jesus speaks and the sea immediately becomes calm. Following verses, verses 26 through 39, a man is controlled by demons that no one can restrain, but Jesus commands, and the demons run, and then Jesus sends him back to his hometown, Gentile lands, where the gospel, the good news of Jesus hadn't been shared, so he would be the witness. But what makes this passage, this morning, so beautiful isn't just the greatness of Jesus' power, but the tenderness with which he exercises it. Jesus has infinite authority over the universe, yet intimately cares for people. That is the Jesus that a ruler named Jairus and a woman with an issue of blood meet in our passage this morning. I want to read the whole passage. Chris read for us the first few verses. I'm going to read the whole thing if you would follow along and try to think about what's happening. A lot of times we can read scripture or read any book and kind of just mindly get the words, but not really receive and understand what's going on. So would you read it kind of with me and follow along?

Reading Jairus And The Woman

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When Jesus returned, that is, back from the land he just was, where the man was released from a demon, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him, and there came a man named Jairus. Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue, and falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house. For Jairus had only one daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 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 Jesus 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. While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house, that is Jairus' house, came and said, Jairus, your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher any more. But G Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not fear, only believe, and she will be made well. And when Jesus 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, and her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what happened. Let's pray. God, you know more than anyone in this room that I am a fallible man. I ask that you help me preach your infallible word to get across what you intend for us to see you powerful, tender, desiring to save all who come sincerely seeking your mercy. Lord, would you be seen this morning in your scripture? We ask that your spirit would help illuminate the truth as we study it. In your name we pray. Everybody said, Amen. Four points. You see them in your notes, and I'm gonna kind of help you walk through them. The

Real Faith Rushes To Jesus

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first point is real faith rushes rushes to Jesus as the only hope. Real faith rushes to Jesus as the only hope. We're gonna walk through the text and make a lot of comments as we do. Verse 40. I know I've read it. We're gonna read it back through. When Jesus returned, the crowds welcomed him. They were all waiting for him. Jesus is very popular at this point in his ministry. We noticed that when he told the parable of the soils and he had to get in the boat and back away from the shore because they were pressing in around him. He has become a powerful, popular powerful and has become a popular teacher and a popular miracle performer. There came a man named Jairus. Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue. So a ruler of the synagogue was the person in the local Jewish synagogue who would arrange the elements of the service. He was a well-known and well-respected man in that community as a ruler of the synagogue. People knew him. What does he do? He falls at Jesus' feet and he implored Jesus to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about 12 years of age. So as we begin here, we find that there is a crowd, and amidst the crowd, there is a synagogue ruler, well-known, well-respected man, and he is making public in front of all his need for Jesus. And his faith, though it may struggle, his faith in Jesus as the only hope to save his daughter. He's now the center of attention. He was a stately man, but a desperate man. His precious daughter was more important to him than his perceived dignity. And so he falls on his knees and he begs. Now, grown men did not do this. This is almost shameful in the society. Grown men, especially leaders in the Jewish world, would have walked with dignity, would not have rushed or ran, would not show much emotion. But this man's desperate. And so he begs. He probably heard about Jesus and thought that Jesus could be his daughter's only hope, and that was worth his reputation, that was worth his credentials, that was worth everything. So Jesus hears the man's plea and starts to go with him. And then a woman comes. As Jesus went to Jairus' house, people pressed around him. These are ancient narrow roads. They're narrow, and the text that says pressed literally means squeezed tightly. There was a woman who 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. So a couple comments here. This issue of blood was most certainly a problem with her menstrual flow. So she is in pain. She is dealing with a lot of frustrating things physically, and she's unable to have children. But even more than those problems were the societal restrictions that came along with them. Because she had this particular issue, according to Leviticus chapter 15, verse 25 through 27, she was ceremonially unclean and so unable to come into corporate worship for 12 years. She wasn't supposed to touch anybody or be around big crowds. And so she probably had not for 12 years been hugged. She probably hadn't touched anybody. Probably hadn't joined in any sort of corporate worship. She spent all her money on doctors. Dr. Luke tells us. So this is a poor woman. Physically. A poor woman, at least spiritually poor, and we can only assume poor emotionally. And we're never once given her name. One writer noted the contrast between Gyrus and the woman. I think it's worth noting. Gyrus's name is well known. He's significant. This woman's name is never known. She's insignificant. Gyrus has a daughter. She'd been sick for twelve years. She's 12 years old. This woman had been sick for 12 years. This woman was not able to enter the synagogue. What's the point? There's a point. The point is there is no one too messed up, too unclean, or too insignificant to get Jesus' attention. She immediately has it. And there is no one too good or too powerful to not need desperately Jesus' help. Jairus comes publicly, the woman comes in secret, but both come desperately. Circumstances may be absolutely different, but their needs the same. Both are desperate for a miracle. They've exhausted all the resources, and their only hope is that Jesus will help. They're two totally different people who lived two totally different lives, but in this moment they are both desperate beggars coming before Jesus. Help me. And it's through their circumstances that God has brought them to realize their need of him. It's through their circumstances that God has brought them before his son. Biblical faith is desperately seeking after Jesus as the only true hope of your life. Here's a picture of it. A dad who couldn't care less about his reputation if Jesus is willing to save. A woman who couldn't care less about the crowd's reaction if Jesus is willing to save. Like sinners seeking mercy who could not care less about anyone else's thoughts. If Jesus might be willing to save. And you know that Jesus has come to save sinners. He's come to seek and save the lost. Luke 19, 10. You know you are a sinner, and you come before him in mercy, eyes open to the beauty of his grace, that he would die for someone like you. And you turn from your sin, you turn to Jesus in faith to save. Even today, would you seek his forgiveness? He is eager and willing to save all who draw near to him, sincerely seeking his mercy. So I'm going to teach for about 30 more minutes. But if that's you, you sit here and the weight of your sin is very present in your mind and in your heart, would you pray now as I continue teaching? God, would you save me from the punishment of my sin that I deserve? Would you grant me forgiveness? I thank you that 2,000 years ago you died a sinner's death so that sinners like myself who turned to you might have life everlasting, not because of any merit that I've attained, achieved, or earned, but because you willingly took Jesus's, sorry, you willingly took God's wrath in my place, Jesus. Would you turn to him in faith today? You can spend the next 30 minutes. Pray. Second,

He Restores More Than Bodies

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Jesus doesn't only heal the problem, he restores the person. In the midst of the crowd, the woman makes her way to Jesus. Verse 44, she comes up behind him and touches the fringe of his garment. So as we've said, the woman is not able and should not be in crowds. Where is she? She's in the crowd. A large pressing crowd. People are touching her, she's fighting through. To get to Jesus, she probably has some form of cover over her uh over her face so that people can't detect who she is. And then she touches the fringe of Jesus' garment. So what the woman would have touched was most likely in Hebrew the zitzit. It was a blue cord hanging from an outer garment that Jewish men would wear. And it was the same color, blue, as the temple curtain, the temple curtain which separated unholy people from a holy God. It symbolized the very place the powerful presence of God resided. She reaches because that's what she can grab. She probably grabs a good hold of it and pulls and he feels it. She's reaching after in faith, believing that if I only can touch the Messiah, he is powerful and may heal me. I mean, you can just imagine symbolically reaching for the presence of God, trusting the power of God, wanting to be with the people of God. She grabs on the one thing she can, the one thing she can, as she's concealed in the crowds. And immediately her discharge of blood ceased. Jesus said, verse 45, Who was it that touched me? Now, I should comment that I believe Jesus knew. Jesus is the sovereign God of the universe. It's kind of like, as one commenter has said before, uh, you have cookies on the table for after dinner for your kids. And for a moment, you need to go upstairs or go to the restroom or go downstairs, and you tell the two kids you might have, and you say, Don't touch the cookies. You're gone for a moment. You come back, cookie's missing, and one of the kids has crumbs all around their lips right there. And then you ask the question, who touched the cookies? Is it because you don't know? No, you absolutely know. They're four. You know they touched the cookie, right? They got crumbs all over their mouth. They got chocolate right here. Okay. But you're giving them the opportunity to say, it was me. You're inviting them to confess, it was me. Well, before she confesses, she's terrified. We'll learn that in a second. Peter goes and talks, like Peter often does, and he says, Well, sir, the crowds are crowding around you, and you're thinking, I Jesus knows that. 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, maybe everybody backed up. And she's just like still kind of holding her hand out. 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 immediately been healed. You can imagine the woman is thinking, will he reject me too? I just touched. Holy man. Did I make him unclean? Is he angry? Will I be cast out? Will he publicly shame me? I'm not supposed to be here, and he knows that. But here comes the greatest moment in the whole story. Here is the woman unclean before a holy God with nothing but faith.

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What will he do? What does he say? Daughter. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

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The story is in other gospel accounts, but it is the only time in all accounts that Jesus uses the phrase daughter. We're not given her name, but we're given now her relationship with Jesus. Jesus refers to her in the most tender way a man can by referring to her as his daughter. She reaches to Jesus in faith, unclean. Jesus responds, My daughter. Formerly destitute, now a daughter, and the only difference, faith. Faith. The faith that she had immediately transformed her spiritual status. She is now welcomed by Jesus like a daughter. She's now able to worship him rightly. She would now have a faith community receiving her. Jesus didn't only heal her as his daughter, he gave her access to his house. Believer, those who come before Jesus in faith can call God their Father. Jesus teaches us to in prayer. Our Father, hallowed be your name. He personally knows us, and we can have a personal relationship with him by faith in his son. In fact, John writes the gospel to all who receive Jesus, to all who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who are born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. Those who receive Jesus, who believe in him, children of God. Those who have certain blood in their veins who do not receive Jesus, not children of God. Now, what often happens when someone who's sick comes in direct contact with someone who isn't sick? The person who's sick infects the person who isn't sick. Got someone sneezing, blowing their nose, sick around you, you may eventually too sneeze, blow your nose, and get sick. But that's not what happens with Jesus here. I should point that out. When she unclean touches Jesus, Jesus doesn't become unclean. She becomes clean. The unclean thing touches the clean thing, and instead of the clean thing becoming unclean, the unclean thing becomes clean. One commenter notes this is true because the ministry of Jesus is one of substitution. He took all of our sin. He took all of our sorrow. So his healing and his salvation would come to us. This is 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. So Jesus then says to the woman, You can go in peace. Peace. Immediately, Romans chapter 5, verse 1 tells us that our faith in Jesus makes us right before God so that we have peace now with him forevermore. There is no more peaceful place in life and death than to be welcomed in the Father's house as a son or a daughter. Daughter, faith, peace. What a tremendous moment. Do you have peace? I'm not talking about like a the peace of a quiet day. I'm talking about peace with God. Knowing that through a relationship with Jesus you are safe and secure forever. Despite what you will still struggle with. Peace like that only comes through faith in Jesus and the grace that he has offered through a cross. Maybe you've been praying since the first point. Oh, there is peace for eternity in Jesus.

Trusting Jesus When Life Breaks

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Number three, Jesus can be trusted in the middle of circumstances that just don't make sense. So get the scene. The story began with a crowd and a dad in the middle of it crying out for his daughter. He's pleading the case, and now this dad, Jairus, is seeing Jesus care for someone and treating her like a daughter. Verse 49, while Jesus was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. So everyone just witnessed a miracle and is amazed, but there was still a dad waiting for his miracle, and from his vantage point, hope is lost. When you think about it, every moment Jesus spent talking with a woman probably felt costly to Jairus.

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Why? But my daughter.

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While Jesus cares, as we'll find, and as we know, Jesus is not hurried. And he's not hurried because Jesus' control isn't bound by time. He is not forced to rush past the woman to help the girl. And he doesn't forget the girl while he cares for the woman he's caring for. Time is of no constraint for the controller of the universe. So what is Jesus going to do? Verse 50, but Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not fear, only believe, and she will be well. Jesus takes a moment here. I would argue, he's taking a moment here to compassionately teach Jairus, the synagogue leader, by the way, in his overwhelming sorrow. Jairus has just seen real faith. Jesus said, faith. But it's one thing to believe when someone else's life changes, and it's another thing to believe Jesus can change your circumstances. So Jesus, he calls him to believe in what are impossible circumstances, raising the dead. This is a call to real faith. Now, there was quite some disagreement, you may or may not know about this, even amongst Jewish people and Jewish leaders about whether or not there was hope in life after death. The Gospels and the book of Acts tell us the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead, denied a future. The Pharisees believed the Sadducees denied. So Jesus is now calling the synagogue leader not only to believe someone could raise the dead, but that he could. That he could, which I just want to point out is the faith of Abraham. According to Hebrews chapter 11, that's the faith of Abraham. Abraham's faith was tested, genuine, and the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 11 says, because he believed that his son, that God could raise his son from the dead. Here, Jesus is calling gyrus to biblical faith, faith in him that's now been revealed before him, faith in Jesus, faith and the power of God unto resurrection. Now, more than a theological point here and a practical call for gyrus, this part of the story should be a reminder to us just for a moment that delays in what would seem like delays in God answering our prayer isn't God's indifference toward our prayer. I mean, gyrus is like if you just would have listened before and and not stopped. Delays are not indifference. You might have pleaded with the Lord many times for a problem or for a person in your life. It may seem like sometimes there is a delay, but with Jesus, there's never indifference. The answer may not be what you want, but God will do what is good. He will do what is right every time. You can and should trust God when circumstances seem too far gone and people seem too far gone. Just like the story of the storm at sea, Jesus calls us to trust him when circumstances are out of our control. That's faith.

Honey Wake Up Death Defeated

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Number four, Jesus tenderly defeats death. This is great. When Jesus came to the house, that's Jairus' 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. So outside of the house, most likely there are people that are crying and mourning. They're offering their respect for this little girl. There would not have been embalming in that day, and funerals were a lot louder in that day. It was respectful to tear your clothes and to scream out and to weep aloud, whereas today, of course, what seems respectful is to be quiet and hushed in a funeral. But he said, Do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping. And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. Now, writers tell us that this is not goofy laughing. This is more like bitter scorn.

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Not the place.

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Do you think we made a mistake? Now, why did Jesus say that she was sleeping? That's really important. Uh he said, do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping. Um that brings a question. Was it because she was actually in a coma and not actually dead? I don't think so. I I believe she was dead. Uh that's why we see that the person who came to Jairus says dead, and then all the group outside say dead, and then later her spirit will return to her. So I think we've got someone who is absolutely dead. So, but Jesus uses this term sleep, and we wonder why. Well, it's not without precedent. He actually said the same of Lazarus. Lazarus, sorry, Lazarus in uh John chapter 11. John chapter 11, verse 11, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, Jesus says, but I go to awaken him. The disciples said to him, Lord, if he's fallen asleep, he will recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought he meant taking rest and sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died. So it's not uncommon for Jesus to use the word sleep. It's also not uncommon for that word to be used by the apostles because they do use that phrase for believers. Believers have just fallen asleep. Now, they're not communicating some mystical sleep after death, like soul sleep, like a few different unique groups kind of talk about here. What I believe they're communicating is death for the believer is nothing but like taking a nap. That one day Jesus will speak and you will arise from bodily. First Thessalonians chapter 4, the voice of a or the cry of a command, the voice of an archangel, and the dead will rise imperishable. That's exactly what happens in this story. Verse 54. Taking her by the hand, Jesus called, saying, Child, arise, and her spirit returned, and she got up at once, and he directed that something should be given to her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what happened. The Gospel of Mark actually tells us the words Jesus used. Same story. He used this word or this phrase, Talipha coom. Talipha coom. Child, arise. He sits down, he takes her by the hand, and he says, Talifa coom.

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I was curious. What does that mean?

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A Bible scholar translating the phrase says Talitha means little girl. But in a unique way. In fact, it was a phrase used by moms when they wake up their daughter like honey. Best understood for our vernacular honey. Which doesn't mean be resurrected. It means get up. Jesus sits by the girl. He grabs her hand and he says what her parents would say any sunny morning.

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Honey, wake up. And she wakes up.

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Just like she'd fallen asleep. Jesus sits down, takes her hand, and says, Honey, it's time to get up. And she does. Why is that so important? You've heard the miracles of Jesus. You know you can raise the dead. Because what a picture that one of the greatest enemies that we have is death, and it's no enemy that can't be easily defeated by the words of a tender, powerful Savior.

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Wake up.

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One Bible teacher said, What Jesus is showing us is that when Jesus holds you in his hand, even death itself is nothing but a little nap.

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This should be a good reminder to you of Jesus' power over death itself and his promise for your resurrection.

Resurrection Hope For Grief

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I've had the blessing of preaching a number of uh or teach, you know, talking, eulogizing a number of funerals. My go-to text is 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Uh you know, widely known as the rapture passage. Um but the gospel hope that is given there is there's believers who are grieving without hope, and he says, don't grieve without hope. That's the issue Jesus is addressing, and he's really talking about the resurrection when Jesus finally and fully returns. There's a cry of command, spoken word, a trumpet blast, and believers under the ground and above the ground join him in the air. And the last phrase, verse 18 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, therefore encourage one another with these words. You will sleep unless Jesus comes back first, but it will only be like a nap. That he will have no problem waking you up from. Hear me, the one who cleansed the unclean and raised the dead went to the cross, substituting himself, bearing your uncleanliness, and conquered death once and for all. And that Jesus, because he was raised and because he now lives, if you belong to him by faith, even death cannot separate you from the hope he has for you and the promise of life eternal. He will one day speak and you will rise. So will you believe whether you're desperate like Jairus, whether you're weary like the woman, or whether you're waiting on God in circumstances that just don't make sense, will you have faith?