40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 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, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 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. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 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!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 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. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
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.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 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. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When Jesus returned to Galilee, He was welcomed by the crowd who had been waiting for Him. This crowd welcomed Him while the crowd in the country of the Gerasenes had sent Him away in fear (Luke 8:37). One of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus came to Jesus and pleaded with Him to come to his house because his only daughter who was twelve years old was dying.
Jesus headed to Jairus’s house but while He moved a great crowd pressed around him. In that crowd was a woman with an illness of perpetual menstrual bleeding that despite spending all her money on doctors had remained uncured. She had suffered from her illness for twelve years, the same amount of time Jairus’s daughter had been alive. Her illness also made her continually unclean so she suffered with both a physical and social problem. Her uncleanness under the law made anyone who touched her unclean for the rest of that day. She should not have been in that crowd. The woman came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothing and immediately she was healed. Instead of Jesus becoming unclean, she immediately became clean. As that happened, Jesus asked who had touched Him. Peter replied as all of us would have. How can you ask who touched you when such a crowd throngs around you? But Jesus had felt healing power go out of Him. (He also knew exactly who had touched Him but, as He typically did, He wanted to draw her out to minister to her and the crowd). Realising that she wasn’t anonymous, the woman came forward and explained to everyone why she had touched Jesus and how she had been immediately healed. Jesus called her “daughter” and said she had been healed because of her faith and she should go in peace. Jesus’ words make it clear that there was no magic in touching His clothes but that her faith in reaching out to Him had been the initiator of her healing. She stepped forward in fear but Jesus sent her away in peace.
Jairus had been watching Jesus stop and attend to the woman and was no doubt anxious about the delay in getting to his daughter. Then the worst happened when someone came from his house and gave him the news that his daughter was dead and said he needn’t trouble Jesus anymore. Jesus heard this interaction and told Jairus not to fear but to believe and his daughter would be well. Jairus had just had the privilege of watching Jesus work a miracle for a woman who had been sick as long as his daughter had been alive. Today we are able to read about these miracles and, though they were unique to confirming Jesus as Messiah, still show us Jesus’ compassion and awesome power. Reading these stories can strengthen our faith and trust in Him to do what is best to His glory. Jesus went with Jairus to his house and then allowed no one in with Him except Peter, John, and James and Jairus and his wife. A large gathering of mourners was already present which was typical culturally. Jesus addressed them and told them not to mourn because the girl was not dead, but sleeping. The mourners laughed at Him because they knew she was dead. If it had been possible that she was only sleeping the response would have been different. This serves to prove she was dead and the miracle was a great miracle indeed. Jesus took the girl by the hand and asked her to get up. Her spirit returned to her and she got up immediately. Then Jesus had them give her something to eat. She was fully restored and ready to eat. Her parents were amazed and would probably have spread the word of what had happened but Jesus asked them not to, probably because of the rising opposition to His ministry.
In both of these stories Jesus turns around the impossible. An illness that lasted twelve years and despite great expense had remained incurable and a girl so sick she had died. Jesus reverse the effects of both based on faith. Our greatest illness is not physical but spiritual—we have an impossible chasm between us and God because of our sin—and Jesus died to cure us completely. Our access to that cure is also by faith alone.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal: 1 Kings 18