MATURING FAITH IN JESUS
Luke 8:40-58
EXPECT JESUS TO COME WHEN YOU CALL
V:40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus\’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The text presents two
people who had serious problems that they brought to Jesus. They heard about
Jesus and may have witnessed others being healed by Jesus.
Faith comes by a report. The report is the divine message of God. The report must be
believed by the hearer. Many hear the report but do not believe and there is no faith.
Faith does not necessarily come by seeing if the seeing does not result in the belief
that it is a message from God or the Work of God, Many witnessed the miracles but
did not believe it was the work of God.
The word faith means to trust someone other than yourself meaning Jesus.
Trust means forsaking all others in favor of Jesus\’ will for our lives.
Trust means relying totally on Jesus, and not on ourselves
Trust requires the believer to wait patiently for the timing of Jesus.
Trust requires us to take our prayers and requests to Jesus first with the
confidence that what we ask will be done according to His will
A large crowd was waiting for Jesus to arrive by boat on the Sea of Galilee
The crowd was so large that they choked the walking of Jesus. Jairus had to
wait for Jesus to navigate the crowd.
Jairus the ruler of a synagogue may have known Jesus to be the Messiah but kept
silent until his daughter lay dying. He may have heard the report of Jesus reading
the scripture in the Synagogue in Nazareth and the people’s attempt to throw him
down a cliff ( Luke 4:28). When people have need they forget about their fears
and the opinions of others and come by faith to Jesus. Sometimes Jesus allows
situations in our lives to drive us to Him.
YOUR PUBLIC WORSHIP GETS THE ATTENTION OF JESUS
Notice Jairus, the synagogue ruler in full view of the people fell on his knees
and pleaded with Jesus for mercy. This may have encouraged others to
worship Jesus. When leaders show courage and respect they influence others
to do the same.
V:42 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
This was a woman desperate to be healed and a woman of deep faith.
She violated the law to get to Jesus. According to Leviticus 15:19, anyone she
touched would be uncleaned. To get to Jesus in the crowd she would have
touched many people making them all unclean. Jesus did not expose her illness
or her breaking the law, He focused with compassion on her faith. Her faith in Jesus
made her clean and everyone she touched clean.
It was her faith in the touch of Jesus’s Garment that caused the miracle to take
place. She may have thought she could sink into the crowd and remain hidden.
V:45 \”Who touched me?\” Jesus asked.
We are taught here that our testimony of the grace of God is important to all
those around us. Anyone we touch may be influenced by the work of
Jesus in our lives
V:45 b When they all denied it, Peter said, \”Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.\”
46 But Jesus said, \”Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.\”
To the disciples, most likely Peter, this was a silly question. People were all around
bumping into each other. Jesus. Unlike us, Jesus was aware of everyone in the crowd and every thought and action they had.
The woman’s touch was a tough of desperation. It was a touch of hope, It was
a touch of faith. Every piece of fabric on Jesus was completely intertwined with
His heart, mind, and soul. The woman\’s touch of the garment was a straight line
to the heart of Jesus. Power flowed from His heart to the flowing blood of the woman,
stopping the flow out of her body. It all occurred at once upon her touch of faith.
The woman who was healed had no plan to reveal the work of God in her life
Jesus called her out because He knew no one would admit to touching Him.
Jesus emphasized the importance of our testimony.
V:47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, \”Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.\”
Had Jesus not called her out, the woman would have gone away without giving
Jesus the public praise and worship He deserved. Again Jesus shows us the
proper way to approach Him. We should come trembling and fall at His feet
with our confession and then praise and worship. We should make some noise
proclaiming the goodness of the Lord in our lives.
We should not miss the point that it is our faith in Jesus that makes us well.
The word says the faith of a mustard seed can move mountains. The mountain
for the woman was 12 years of bleeding with no end in sight. It was only
when she recognized who the real doctor was that she came to Jesus. It was 12
years of learning that she could not trust a man for her help. 12 is the number in
The biblical time when adulthood began. The woman became an adult leaning on
Jesus.
DON’T LET CIRCUMSTANCES CONTROL YOUR FAITH
V:49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. \”Your daughter is dead,\” he said. \”Don\’t bother the teacher anymore.\”
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, \”Don\’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.\”
Jaruis came to Jesus first but had to wait as Jesus dealt with the woman
and her healing. The woman may have been encouraged by the Jairus
humbleness before the Lord. Jairus may have been encouraged by the
women\’s healing and testimony,
It is no coincidence that Jairus daughter was well for 12 years and then her
sickness brought him to Jesus and the woman was sick for 12 years before coming to Jesus. They both had a sickness that brought them to Jesus by faith.
While Jesus was dealing with a woman with the issue of blood, Jairus received word his daughter had died. His messenger gave up hope of a recovery and decided he didn’t need Jesus. The Lord always has the last word.
Death is no closed door for Jesus, He created life and can restore life at
His will.
Jairuswas told by Jesus to believe the impossible. What is impossible for man is
possible for God. No delay can keep Jesus from fulfilling His purpose.
God’s delay is designed to teach us to be patient. His ways are not our ways and
His thoughts are not our thoughts. I can imagine Jairus\’ hope growing as he
made his way with Jesus to his daughter.
Jesus could have healed Jairus’ daughter from where He was, but He was invited to
his house. Not only did Jairus need to believe, but his household needed to believe.
DON’T HANG WITH UNBELIEVERS
V:51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the child\’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. \”Stop wailing,\” Jesus said. \”She is not dead but asleep.\”
It was customary when a loved one died, that paid mourners came to mourn with
the family. They had seen the child lying dead and were doing their job.
Jesus shut the mourners up and announced that the child was not dead but sleeping.
Death is just a state of rest until Jesus calls us to life again. Jesus gave us a preview
of His death and resurrection and our resurrection into immortality at His second
coming.
MATURING IN JESUS
V:53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, \”My child, get up!\” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Unbelievers laugh at the impossible not knowing that nothing is impossible for
Jesus. Life rests in the hands of Jesus and is never lost to the world. The daughter’s
spirit had left her temporarily but was returned by Jesus. At 12 years old the daughter
died to the world. At 12 years old the daughter came alive in Jesus. Can you imagine
the growing faith of Jairus and his wife and the growing faith of Peter, James and
John as the girl came to life by the touch of Jesus.
The woman with the issue of blood reached out in faith and touched the garment of
Jesus was healed. Her sickness was 12 years old. At 12 years and some seconds,
the woman with the issue of blood became an issue of healing in Jesus. She died to
the world and became alive in Jesus. It was Jesus who proclaimed her faith had
made her well,
The hand of faith moves upward both ways. Left from us to Jesus and right
from Jesus to us. The power of faith joins us together with Jesus in one body.
Jesus arranges the circumstances in our lives so we mature in Him.
WHAT IS YOU TESTIMONY?
HAVE YOU PROCLAIMED IT TO THE WORLD?
