Touched By Jesus - Luke 8:41-55
(Jairus' Daughter and Sick Woman)
by David Woods
Recently the movie based on the popular novel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was released. Over the years, many Christians have been thrilled by C.S. Lewis' spiritual allegory.
One of my favorite quotes from his book is when the children were learning about Aslan:
"Is -- is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion -- the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he -- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." (Thanks to The Master's Artist for this quote)
Our scripture text begins with a synagogue ruler who approaches Jesus, begging for help. Luke groups this story with a couple other miracles, but in Matthew and especially Mark's Gospels, this event comes soon after a considerable bit of debate with the Jewish religious leaders.
Note: I recently preached on Mark's parallel passage to this scripture. In my study I came across this beautiful treatment of Jairus' motives for seeking Jesus, despite his possible dislike of Jesus and the opinions of his peers.
Only a father can understand the love for a twelve-year-old daughter. She is just short of becoming a woman, but still young enough to be his baby. From life experience, I know that there is nothing a father will not do for his beloved daughter. Just the word "daddy" assures that every request is granted and a tear melts the heart of a tough university president or corporation executive as if it were a snowman in a heat wave. Never before or never again will the relationship between father and daughter be quite the same. At the age of twelve, a daughter views her father as her special beau. Let the shadow of death fall over the beauty of that relationship and a father's love becomes focused like a laser beam upon survival. There is no treatment too costly, no travel too distant, no plea too humiliating. (McKenna, David L., Mastering the New Testament: Mark, Word Publishing, Dallas: 1982, p. 118)
Consider - Jairus was a synagogue ruler. Many of his peers were violently opposed to Jesus. Others may have been ambivalent toward Jesus.
Jairus may not have been opposed to Jesus necessarily, yet I think going to Jesus for help, and especially groveling at Jesus' feet probably wasn't the best for Jairus' reputation or religious career.
Sometimes people will request prayer for a loved one's salvation, expressing that they desire God to do anything and everything in order to cause that person to realize his/her need of salvation and turn his/her life over to Christ.
However, I don't seem to hear this desire expressed as much today.
Discussion: Are we willing for God to do anything and everything it takes in order to bring our loved one to their knees in repentance? Do our resolve hold even if it means bankruptcy/poverty, physical disfigurement, loss of life of someone dear to that person, great physical pain, etc?
Discussion: Is such a prayer necessary in order for our loved one to be saved?
Discussion: Is there a problem if we are not willing to pray such a prayer? If so, what? (What does this suggest about our faith?)
While Jesus was on His way to Jairus' home, a woman who had suffered for twelve years from a blood disease secretively came up and grabbed the hem of Jesus' robe. This woman had been to many doctors. She had spent all her money seeking the help of these physicians, yet all of them had been unsuccessful.
Mark 5:26 describes her condition this way: She was a woman "… who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse." (ESV, emphasis mine)
Discussion: Picture yourself as a person who had an incurable disease. You've spent all your money on possible cures. You've suffered much as a result of these treatments. But you've only grown worse. Describe this woman's emotional state, her thinking, her attitude.
Discussion: I'm not sure if there is another situation in the Gospels where someone sought Jesus' help without speaking to Him and asking for help. Why do you think this woman sought healing from Jesus secrecy?
When this woman touched Jesus' robe in faith, Jesus immediately knew that healing power had left Him. Jesus immediately stopped and asked who had touched Him.
The disciples thought it was ridiculous that Jesus ask who touched Him. They were in the midst of a throbbing, pulsating crowd. But Jesus waited until the woman came to him and admitted what she had done.
Discussion: Surely Jesus as omniscient God knew this woman's situation and why she had secretly touched His robe. Why do you think Jesus wanted this woman to make her faith and healing public?
Discussion: Sometimes it is much easier for us to ask God for great requests in private. It is even easier for us at times to keep private what we believe to be His answers to our prayers. What are the benefits of making our prayers and answers to prayer public?
Discussion: Peter thought it amazing that Jesus would ask who had touched Him in the midst of this jostling crowd. Why do you think Peter and the other disciples were oblivious to this divine encounter?
(I would suggest their minds were occupied on getting to the ruler's house, keeping from knocked down by others, protecting Jesus from any who might want to harm Him, and possibly listening to Jesus teaching as He walked along the road.)
Discussion: Should we fault Peter for not recognizing this divine encounter for what it is?
(Probably not.)
While I would not assign too much blame for Peter being oblivious to this divine encounter, I think we can learn a lesson from his lack of perception. I believe God arranges divine appointments regularly. But I'm afraid we can be as oblivious to Peter as to what God is doing.
Discussion: How can we develop a better perception to look beyond the physical (the jostling crowds) to the spiritual (a desperate woman reaching out to touch Jesus' robe)?
While they were stopped as Jesus confirmed the woman's faith and healing, messengers from Jairus' home came with bad news. His little girl had died. There was no need to trouble the Master further.
Jesus told Jairus not to fear. Simply believe. They continued on and found the house full of people wailing and crying loudly. When Jesus told them that the girl was not dead, only sleeping, they laughed at him.
Discussion: Why do you think these people thought Jesus' statement was laughable? Can we blame them for not believing she was still alive? Why or why not?
Discussion: Why do we sometimes give up praying for a certain request after much time has passed by with no discernible change in circumstances?
Discussion: Should we continue praying for years and years? Is it fanatical to continue praying?
Discussion: Does urging people to continue praying this way an abuse of prayer? Should we believe that the request is not according to God's will?
Discussion: What would have happened if Jairus would have simply thanked Jesus for coming and then dismiss Him? Would the girl have been healed?
Discussion: Why can and should we continue praying when God's answer is not in sight?
As I was studying for this lesson, two words came to my mind - "Dangerous Faith." What happens when we have a "dangerous faith" in God?
The lesson I see from the desperate father is that with dangerous faith we can have our prayers answered by God. The secretive woman teaches us that with dangerous faith we can bring God glory.
The oblivious disciples teach us that with dangerous faith we can witness God's power. The revived girl teaches us that with dangerous faith we can know God does care and answer prayer.
Big Idea: Jesus calls us to trust Him with careless abandon.
In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe the children are a bit afraid of meeting a lion. It doesn't sound very safe to them. In the same way, trusting God with careless abandon doesn't sound very safe to us. In fact, it seems quite dangerous.
But our assurance is that like Aslan was not safe, but good, trusting God may not be safe, but we know our God is incredibly good. He can be trusted.
Jesus is calling you to trust Him with careless abandon. Will you trust Him?