Luke’s gospel has several unique features. I’d like to point out a couple of these:
First, Luke is the only Gentile writer in the Bible and yet by volume, he contributed more that any other New Testament writer, more even than Paul. We’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.
Second, Luke’s gospel tells us more about the women in Jesus’ life than any other gospel. Some have observed that the genealogy of Jesus from David forward is different than that of Matthew, leading some to believe that Luke is recording the genealogy of Mary and Matthew, the genealogy of Joseph. That makes sense and accords with Luke’s interest in the women associated with Jesus. Luke tells details about Elizabeth and Mary that no other gospel tells. Anna in the temple is mentioned along side Simeon. Only Luke tells about the widow of Nain, and the sinful woman coming into Simon the Pharisee’s house. Remember how she is forgiven because she loves Jesus and expresses it to him by washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair, kissing and anointing them? We studied that last week.
Today we come to the next chapter. In chapter 8 we again learn about several women. This chapter begins and ends with examples of women in the life of Christ.
Since we can’t cover it all in the time allotted for our service, we will focus our attention on the end of the chapter as we look at a dying daughter and a woman in the way.
Let’s go to verse 40 and look at the text:
40 And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to entreat Him to come to his house; 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying.
But as He went, the multitudes were pressing against Him. 43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of His cloak; and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.
45 And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon You." 46 But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me."
47 And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason 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 came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore."
50 But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she shall be made well." 51 And when He had come to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.
52 Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep." 53 And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. 54 He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!"
55 And her spirit returned, and she rose immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.
So here we have it: A dying daughter whose father is desperately trying to get Jesus to touch her, and a determined woman who is desperately trying to get to Jesus to touch him, or at least the edge of his clothes. Jesus refers to her as daughter too. Vs 48. This day two daughters are delivered from sickness and death, all by the touch of Jesus.
Jesus has the touch that makes all the difference. Have you been in touch with Jesus lately?
Let’s spend our time this morning with this woman in the way, the daughter of Israel who is determined to touch Jesus and be healed.
Luke begins this section telling us that Jesus has returned. From where? Well, he has left the crowds for a while by getting on a boat and crossing the Sea of Galilee. He finally begins to get a little sleep on the boat when a storm hits. He’s so tired the disciples have to wake him when they think they are all going to drown. He wakes up, stills the storm and they continue their trip to the eastern shores of the Gerasenes, where he meets and casts out a legion of demons from a man. The towns people come out and run him off because when the demons left Legion, they went into a huge herd of pigs and they all ran and jumped in the lake and were drowned. Jesus can’t get away from the action even long enough to sleep. Now Jesus is back, probably in Capernam, and the crowds are waiting and thronging about him as he heads to Jairus’ house to heal his dying daughter.
Are you tired yet? You can be sure that Jesus is. Have you ever noticed that no one ever asks Jesus how he is doing? Not that people didn’t care. In fact, his mother and brothers are worried about him. They think he has gone crazy. Mark 3:21-35 tells the same event that Luke 8:19-21 tells us, only in Mark we read that Jesus mother and brothers came to take charge of him because they were saying that he has lost his senses.
Anyway, he has been gone, but then comes back and is met by this crowd as soon as he gets off the boat. Among the crowd is Jairus, who falls down and begs Jesus to come heal his daughter. Jesus goes. On the way there is a woman in the crowd with a special need. Marks gospel expands on her condition a bit more. Chapter 5:25 And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse, 27 after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowd behind Him, and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I shall get well." 29 And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
This woman was sick for 12 years. 12 years!
Twelve years of bleeding and doctors and expenses… Just think of it. That’s a long time to be sick. Have you ever been sick for a while and wondered when you would ever feel better? You may know someone who has suffered sickness for years. Imagine what this woman must have gone through!
She’s unclean, a social outcast. She’s tried everything she can and has spent all she has on doctors care and instead of getting better, she’s gotten worse! (Notice that Luke, the doctor, leaves out that part about spending all she had on doctors and only getting worse).
Lets face it. It is no fun to be sick. One of the greatest blessings in life is good health. You can’t enjoy much else without it. This woman has been through twelve years of a disease that has kept her from worship and from fellowship. She must have felt cursed by God at times. The years of disappointment and sickness must have turned her hopes into despair. But Jesus has come to town and perhaps he has just walked past her door. A flicker of hope awakens in her heart and she does something very risky. She enters the crowd and works her way toward him. As an unclean person, she is not supposed to be among the people. Mark and Luke tell us a large crowd was following Jesus and pressing around him. This word for pressing can be translated “choking,” as the weeds do to the plants in the parable of the sower.
Anyway the crowds are all around him and while many were rubbing elbows with Jesus, this woman was reaching out to Jesus. She just wanted to touch him… even his clothes. He was her only hope. She had tried all the doctors. She had spent all her money. Nothing worked. Jesus is her last hope. She believes that if she can just touch his clothes… She’s right behind him now, she reaches out and there’s his cloak. Her hand is extended, maybe through the throng, and it happens! Contact! She feels the cloth. And suddenly she also feels the relief! The healing has happened! She knows it! Now, she thinks, it’s time to leave.
Then just as suddenly, Jesus stops in his tracks. He turns around and asks a strange question, “Who touched me?”
Now you have to understand. This question seems like a crazy question to ask at a time like this. All eyes are on Jesus. He’s just been crunched in a crowd and suddenly he stops, turns and says, “Who touched me?” Now that is unusual enough, but think about the reaction of all those around him. “Touched you? Not me! I didn’t! Wasn’t me.” Everyone is denying that they touched Jesus. “Oooou. I’d never do that!” Then Peter pipes up. “Lord, what do you mean? People are crowding and pressing against you!” What kind of question is that? But Jesus just keeps on. “Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me.” Mark says, Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
The crowd has no idea as to what is going on. Even Peter is clueless. Jairus must have been frantic. But Jesus knows and the woman knows… and don’t you know that she must have been scared to death. What will he do? I wonder what thoughts must have raced through her mind. Will he be angry? Will my healing be taken away? But she knows she can’t go unnoticed so she comes forward. The Bible says she was trembling.
Trembling…
Have you ever trembled in the presence of Jesus? We all will some day. She came forward, shaking. She fell down at Jesus’ feet. This is the second woman in two chapters who fall at Jesus feet. All eyes are now on Jesus and this woman. Jesus patiently waits to hear her. She hasn’t had this much attention in her life. In the presence of all the people she tells everything, why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
Now at this point, we should ask ourselves a question. Who are you most like, one of the crowd that bumps into Jesus with no intention of his making a difference in your life or are you like this woman, desperately seeking a blessing from Jesus that just a touch will bring. Is Jesus your only hope? If you have come to that point in life, when did you reach out to touch Jesus? Has the touch of Jesus in your life not made a difference? What difference? Have you told about that to anyone lately? There is a crowd of people in this world that need to hear the difference that the touch of Jesus has made in our lives. They bump into Jesus along the way of life, but they are never changed by him because they are either not interested or not aware of the changes Jesus makes in the lives of those who touch him. All of us who have received such changes need to tell the crowds about it. We need to confess Jesus before men so that he will confess us before the Father.
This woman confessed what happened when she touched Jesus garment, and Jesus called her Daughter. He instructed her that it was her faith and not his garments that healed her. She needed not to be superstitious about Jesus’ clothing, but faithful to Jesus himself.
You can be sure she told others about what Jesus had done for her as well. She has received a gift of grace and healing. God is glorified. Jesus is identified. And the story continues…
