The Church of Eleven22 - Lent Devo Episode 21: Jairus’ Daughter

Episode Date: March 25, 2020

Luke 8:41-56; Mark 5:22-43

What is it being? Some of the miracles. Jesus has all the words. The Church of 1122 is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Welcome to our Lent podcast. Good morning. My name is Kim Wigle, and this Lent season we are working through some of the miracles of Jesus shared with us across the gospel accounts.

We're looking at how each of these miracles points us to the greatest of all miracles, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The miracle of Jesus we are focused on today is found in Luke 8, 41 through 56, and also in Mark 5, 22 through 43. Luke 8, 41 through 56, 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, for he had an only daughter, about 12 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 12 years, and though she had spent, all her living on physicians. She could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, who was that that

touched me? When all denied it, Peter said, Master, the crowd 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 came and said, Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, do not fear, only believe, and she will be well. 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, 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 hand, he called, saying, Child arise, and her spirit returned, and she got up at once, and he directed that something be given her to eat, and her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. Mark 5, 22 through 43. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly saying, my little daughter is at the point of death.

Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live. And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him, and there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for 12 years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment, for she said, if I touch even his garments, I will be made well. And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus,

perceiving in himself, that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, Who touched my garments? And his disciples said to him, you see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, who touched me? And he looked around to see who had done it, But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your disease. While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house, some who said, your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?

But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear, only believe. And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John, the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered and he said to them, why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but sleeping. And they laughed at him, but he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, to Lithakumi, which means little girl, I say to you, arise. Immediately the girl got up and began walking, for she was 12 years of age, and they were immediately overcome with amazement, and he strictly charged them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.

Here we see a father who, although a respected leader of his synagogue, is first and foremost a dad whose only daughter is in critical condition. He falls at the feet of Jesus, begging him to save her. As they make their way to the house, the crowd presses in on Jesus. And a woman who has had an incurable bleeding issue for over a decade touches the edge of his cloak and is immediately healed. Jesus feels those healing powers leave him and asks who it was that touched the garment. And the woman is frightened, but steps forward and tells the truth nonetheless. Jesus immediately reassures her, it's our faith that's made her well, and to go in peace. So as Jesus was speaking to her, word does come that Jair's daughter has just died.

And several suggests that he doesn't bother Jesus anymore with a request for healing, since it's clearly too late to savor. However, Jesus turns to Jiris and tells him, don't be afraid, but believe. Taking Peter, James, and John, they wind on into the house only to encounter people weeping and wailing, and Jesus is confused and asks why the weeping, the child is not dead but sleeping.

He has laughed at, but enters her room with her parents and disciples, takes her pale hand and issues this command. Child arise. She immediately got up, he directed that something be given to her to eat. So Jesus' actions in both of these miracles actually stand in stark contrast to first-century culture. At that time, part of a rabbi's role was actually to guard themselves from anything or anyone unclean. A teacher of the law must avoid contaminating himself lest he be declared unfit for his work at the temple. Examples of this would be touching a dead or dying body or even holding a hand over it.

There was even a specific Hebrew word for corpse uncleanness, as that was considered the highest level of impurity. Yet we see Jesus take her by the hand, disregarding religious laws in favor of replacing death with life. He was not concerned about contaminating himself, but of ridding this young girl from the sickness that had taken her life. He did this in response to her parents' faith and belief in his ability to save her. Surely her parents would never forget the day their daughter died only to be miraculously raised again. Jesus' behavior continues to be counter-corrhizant. as he risked becoming unclean by healing this desperate bleeding woman. A woman with any blood issues, according to Levitical law, was viewed as ceremonially unclean. This meant anything

she sat on or touched had to be scrubbed down and was still considered unclean until sundown. Surely she was fearful as she admitted to touching the holy teacher in a last ditch effort to be healed. However, Jesus was not concerned with how her impurity impacted him, but focused on her faith in his ability to cleanse, heal, and restore her life, reversing once and for all what had separated her from him. Just to be sure, she understood that her faith in him had closed all of the gaps between them. He referred to her as daughter. Never again would she feel unseen and forgotten as she remembered the day that Jesus saw her and saved her. These miracles remind us that because of Jesus' resurrection, all can be saved upon his command, regardless of their condition. Even though

Gyrus was a powerful ruler, he was still powerless over death. Despite her best efforts, the bleeding woman could not become clean. Only Jesus can rescue us from the death and restore our lives. We are also reminded that there is never a person beyond his reach. In other words, Jesus saves those who are beyond saving. Let's pray. Jesus, we thank you for rescuing us from death and offering us eternal life. Thank you for taking our place on the cross and paying the penalty for our sins so that we may receive the eternal life and personal relationship you offer to us. Help us to remember you're always at work in our lives as well as the lives of those we love and that sometimes circumstances may actually get worse before they get better,

but you are at work. May we always remember your sovereign, your timing is perfect, your plans are perfect, and may our heart's desire to glorify you above all else as we continue to walk in faith knowing that it is truly the only thing that can save us. Amen. Thanks for listening. Our prayer is that this podcast will help you deepen your relationship with Jesus. For more resources, go to C-O-E-22.com forward slash lent.