1. Lesson One of the Book of Daniel, Introduction to the Book of Daniel

The Book of Luke, Miracles of Christ – Lesson 109

Luke 8:40-56,  And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: ⁴²For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. ⁴³And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, ⁴⁴Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. ⁴⁵And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? ⁴⁶And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. ⁴⁷And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. ⁴⁸And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. ⁴⁹While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. ⁵⁰But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. ⁵¹And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. ⁵²And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. ⁵³And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. ⁵⁵And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. ⁵⁶And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.

We enter this account of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ knowing that he and his disciples had previously crossed the Sea of Galilee.

And in the midst of this crossing, there was the great storm, which our Lord quieted with his commanding word.

So we learned in that passage that even the winds and the waves obey His will. 

We know as believers, and as the song Peace Be Still says, that no water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies for they all obey his will.

We know that when they landed on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they were met by the man inhabited by demons, the demons who soon had to find another place of occupancy.

Because Jesus was not welcomed by the Gaderenes he and his disciples returned to the home side of the lake. 

When the Lord Jesus and His disciples landed once again at Capernaum as Matthew 9:1 tells us, they were met by a large crowd which had gathered to wait and to greet Him.

We do not know what reports the people of Capernaum had gotten about the miracle that had taken place on the sea or if they had heard anything about the deliverance of the demoniac. 

Remember that Mark in his Gospel reported that other little boats had accompanied the boat of Jesus as it left Capernaum to cross the Sea of Galilee.

Perhaps these boats had witnessed the quieting of the storm, had gone back to port, and had reported how Jesus had rebuked the  storm to cease.

But there was obvious expectation from the crowd because we are told that the people gladly received him for they were all waiting for him.

The Gospel of Matthew reveals to us that He continued his teaching by the seashore and it was during His teaching that Jairus arrived and begged Him to come to his house, so that his dying daughter could be healed.

Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue and his daughter was dying and therefore in his mind, haste was required lest she die before Jesus could arrive to heal her.  

Jairus, in this crisis, did not try to keep the dignity of his office but fell at Jesus feet beseeching him to come and to place His healing hands on a 12 year old girl, his only daughter.

But things were not in his favor for a rapid return to his house for there were several hindrances in the way of such a swift response to his urgent need.

First, there was a large thronging crowd, who pressed upon Jesus, making His travel very slow.

Second, there was a woman who slipped in behind the Lord Jesus, and secretly touched His garment resulting in the instantaneous healing of a 12-year illness.   

She had had this illness as long as Jarius had had his daughter.

The healing was instant, but what followed most likely distressed Jarius for it consumed precious time.

Jesus, knowing that power had left Him, the word virtue is used in Luke, stopped, not willing to go on until the person who touched Him was known.

All of this took time, time which seemed to endanger the daughter of Jairus.

We are not told of Jairus’ response, but Luke informs us that the disciples (Peter, as usual is named) were perturbed by Jesus’ actions.

Does not that anxiety on the part of Peter come through in the verse?

Luke 8:45, ⁴⁵And Jesus said, Who touched me?  When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

It almost sounds as if this was said in ridicule. 

So there are two intertwined miracles described by Luke in this passage, one not more important than the other.

In reality, the miracle of the healing of Jairus’ daughter is interrupted by the healing of the woman with a flow of blood.

I can imagine how Jairus felt by being delayed by this interruption to progress but this story is an example of how God is never in a hurry but he is always on time.

One thing we should never formulate in our minds is God’s schedule for events. 

We should never have a preconceived idea as to how and when God will act.

God does not look at our appointment book for his day. 

We are not God’s secretary who establishes his daily schedule. 

He has his own appointment secretary and He does not look to us for guidance

But this intermediate miracle appears to be a fly in the ointment that may cost the life of Jairus’ daughter.

Don’t you suppose that the question arose in the disciples minds’ as to why Jesus would take the time to identify the person who touched Him?

In the minds of the disciples this was impossible to know, and when it threatened to cost the life of the girl who was deathly ill it appeared to be ridiculous.

But this whole account fits into the wonderfully satisfying verse in Romans 8:28 that tells us to depend on the Lord’s timing as perfect timing.

Romans 8:28,  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Things working together are working together according to God’s time clock.

Jairus, remember to trust in the Lord.

Peter, remember that the Lord Jesus Christ knows best and he does not do things that are ridiculous for we will find that any seeming delay was for the benefit of all involved, including Jairus and his daughter.

Jesus Christ was always about His father’s business and always desired to bring glory to the Father.

According to Luke’s account Jairus was convinced that his daughter was dying and this fear was realized on the way to his house by the report he received as they went.

“Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master” which being interpreted “it is too late to do any good.”

Now that she is dead she cannot be healed.

But according to Matthew’s account Jairus believed that Jesus’ touch could heal her (Matthew 9:18-19).

Jesus consented, and they were on their way to his house as a woman made her way to Jesus, unnoticed by the crowd.

In faith she touched His garment, which necessitated a time-consuming delay, preventing Jesus from arriving at the house of Jairus before the death of his daughter.

The woman, whose name is never given, had suffered from a hemorrhage for 12 years.

We would say in a kindly way that this woman’s ailment was female in nature.

Those kind of problems are kept personal and it is not difficult to understand why she approached Jesus, unseen, from behind.

Jairus fell down at Jesus feet and begged for his daughter’s healing but this woman did not even ask for healing but instead she acted attempting to be healed without being known.

Under her personal circumstances her actions were quite remarkable for she faced several obstacles in the way of success.

Jesus Christ, in spite of Peter’s objection, wanted us to know of this woman’s faith and the Lord Jesus did not allow this act to go unmentioned in his word. 

How he loves to show demonstrations of faith in His word.

In all the throng there was only one who reached out in faith to Jesus to touch his garment.

One of the obstacles that stood in her way was that the law as written in the book of Leviticus clearly identifies her condition as one which made her unclean, and which therefore should have restricted her to her own home.

In her condition the law described her as unclean and anyone who touched her was also unclean.

There was also the obstacle of the large crowd, which would prevent most from even attempting at getting close to the Lord Jesus.

So because of the conditions, getting to Jesus would have been a difficult task for any in the crowd.

How descriptive this is of the obstacles that religion has raised which hinders most from getting to Jesus Christ. 

It is almost impossible to see Jesus though all of the obstacles of religion.

Only those who are drawn in faith will do what this woman did to get to Jesus Christ.  Nothing stopped her. 

How God loves to see those who come despite a multitude of obstacles in their way!

Jairus was the synagogue ruler and most likely the crowd made a way for him to come but they would do no such thing for a woman like this.

Another obstacle that we are to remember is that the woman had to work her way through this vast crowd in a weakened sickly condition.

This woman suffered from a prolonged illness, one which had gotten progressively worse and thus her condition was very poor.

Mark 5:26 tells us of her worsening condition.

And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

So it may have been a major undertaking for her to get up out of bed, let alone fight her way through a crowd.

And she had to reach Jesus by forcing her way through a packed throng and in a way that did not draw attention to herself.

Luke makes sure that we know of this woman’s desire to have remained hidden for she only reveals herself when her act is found out. 

Luke 8:47, And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

It is not hard to see why the woman would have wanted it this way.

She was a woman and she was a woman with a condition that made her unclean which she would not care to proclaim before a large crowd.

She had to reach Jesus by great effort, and yet reach him in a way unnoticed.

And the amazing thing is that she did so.

It was only the Lord Jesus who kept her from being unnoticed because it was Jesus who wished to have her faith noticed, for faith pleases God.

So upon touching the border of the Lord’s garment, the flow of blood was stanched.

We don’t hear that word stanch much but it means to stop the flow of, and the woman was instantly healed.

Her intention was to remain hidden and to be as inconspicuous as possible, and just let Jesus and the crowd pass on, leaving her alone, leaving her able to return to her home and a normal life with a healed body.

But Jesus would not have it this way even though he was on another mission of mercy.   

God can do all things, and He does all things in his good time.

So because of the touch of this woman Jesus asked an incredible question, at least incredible to the disciples?

Jesus stopped and inquired as to who touched Him.