Faith and Healing: Jesus' Authority Over Life and Death

 

Summary

In our journey through the Gospel of Luke, we find ourselves at the conclusion of chapter 8, where we witness two profound miracles that reveal the comprehensive authority of Jesus over disease and death. The narrative begins with Jairus, a respected synagogue ruler, who humbles himself before Jesus, pleading for the life of his dying twelve-year-old daughter. Despite his status, Jairus recognizes his desperate need for Jesus, a need that transcends social standing and human capability.

As Jesus makes His way to Jairus' house, the story is momentarily interrupted by a woman suffering from a chronic hemorrhage for twelve years. Her condition has left her destitute, both financially and socially, as she is considered ceremonially unclean. Yet, her faith drives her to believe that merely touching the hem of Jesus' garment will heal her. Her faith is rewarded as she is instantly healed, demonstrating that faith in Jesus, not the act itself, is the conduit for divine power.

Jesus acknowledges her touch, not to reprimand, but to affirm her faith and welcome her into the family of God, calling her "daughter." This encounter underscores the personal nature of Jesus' ministry, where He sees and responds to individual faith amidst the crowd.

Meanwhile, news arrives that Jairus' daughter has died, prompting despair. However, Jesus encourages Jairus to believe, asserting that it is never too late for divine intervention. Upon arriving at the house, Jesus dismisses the mourners, declaring the girl is not dead but sleeping, a statement met with ridicule. Yet, with a simple command, "Little girl, arise," Jesus raises her from the dead, illustrating His power over life and death.

These miracles are not just historical accounts but profound revelations of Jesus' identity and mission. They remind us that in our moments of desperation, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, Jesus is our ultimate hope and healer. His power is not diminished by our circumstances, and His compassion extends to all who reach out in faith.

Key Takeaways:

- Desperation and Faith: Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood both demonstrate that desperation can lead us to a deeper faith in Jesus. Their stories remind us that recognizing our need for Jesus is the first step toward experiencing His transformative power. [07:15]

- Faith as a Conduit for Healing: The woman's healing illustrates that faith is the channel through which Jesus' power flows. It is not the strength of our faith but the object of our faith—Jesus—that brings healing and restoration. [13:04]

- Jesus' Personal Touch: Jesus' interaction with the woman shows His personal care and attention to individuals. He calls her "daughter," signifying her inclusion in God's family, highlighting that our faith in Him brings us into a personal relationship with God. [18:52]

- Divine Timing and Intervention: Jairus' story teaches us that it is never too late for Jesus to intervene. Even when situations seem beyond hope, Jesus' power transcends human limitations, offering new life and possibilities. [21:24]

- The Effectual Call of Jesus: The raising of Jairus' daughter is a foretaste of the resurrection power of Jesus. His call to the girl to arise is a reminder of the effectual call that brings spiritual life to those who are dead in sin, promising a future resurrection for all who believe. [27:55]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:29] - Reading of Luke 8:40-56
- [03:22] - Jesus' Miracles and Authority
- [05:03] - Jairus' Desperation
- [06:34] - The Multitude's Reaction
- [07:15] - Jairus' Plea for His Daughter
- [08:12] - The Woman with the Issue of Blood
- [09:52] - The Crowd's Curiosity
- [10:37] - The Woman's Faith and Healing
- [13:04] - Jesus' Power Perceived
- [15:31] - The Cost of Jesus' Power
- [17:16] - Jesus Calls Her "Daughter"
- [19:41] - News of Jairus' Daughter's Death
- [21:24] - Jesus' Assurance to Jairus
- [23:31] - Jesus Raises Jairus' Daughter

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Luke 8:40-56

Observation Questions:
1. What actions did Jairus take when he approached Jesus, and what does this reveal about his situation and character? [07:15]
2. Describe the condition of the woman with the issue of blood and her approach to Jesus. How did her faith manifest in her actions? [10:37]
3. How did Jesus respond to the woman after she touched His garment, and what significance does His response hold? [17:16]
4. What was the reaction of the crowd when Jesus declared that Jairus' daughter was not dead but sleeping, and how did Jesus proceed? [23:31]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the desperation of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood illustrate the concept of faith leading to action? [07:15]
2. In what ways does Jesus' interaction with the woman highlight the personal nature of His ministry and His recognition of individual faith? [18:52]
3. What does Jesus' statement about Jairus' daughter being "not dead but sleeping" teach about His authority over life and death? [22:52]
4. How does the raising of Jairus' daughter serve as a foretaste of the resurrection power of Jesus, and what implications does this have for believers? [27:55]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt desperate for Jesus' intervention. How did that experience affect your faith and reliance on Him? [09:01]
2. The woman with the issue of blood believed that touching Jesus' garment would heal her. What small act of faith can you take this week to draw closer to Jesus?
3. Jesus called the woman "daughter," signifying her inclusion in God's family. How does knowing you are part of God's family impact your daily life and interactions with others? [18:52]
4. Consider a situation in your life that seems beyond hope. How can you invite Jesus into that situation, trusting in His timing and intervention? [21:24]
5. Jesus' power was not diminished by the circumstances of Jairus' daughter or the woman's condition. How can you remind yourself of Jesus' power and compassion in your current challenges?
6. The crowd ridiculed Jesus when He said the girl was sleeping. How do you handle skepticism or doubt from others when you express your faith in Jesus' power? [23:31]
7. Jesus instructed Jairus and his wife to give their daughter something to eat after raising her. What practical steps can you take to nurture and care for your spiritual life after experiencing a "resurrection" moment? [28:47]

Devotional

Day 1: Desperation Leads to Deeper Faith
In the Gospel of Luke, both Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood demonstrate that desperation can lead to a deeper faith in Jesus. Jairus, a respected synagogue ruler, humbles himself before Jesus, pleading for the life of his dying daughter. Despite his social status, he recognizes his need for Jesus, a need that transcends human capability. Similarly, the woman, suffering from a chronic hemorrhage, is driven by her faith to believe that merely touching Jesus' garment will heal her. Her faith is rewarded, illustrating that recognizing our need for Jesus is the first step toward experiencing His transformative power. [07:15]

Isaiah 57:15 (ESV): "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'"

Reflection: In what area of your life do you feel most desperate? How can you bring this desperation to Jesus today, trusting Him to transform it into deeper faith?


Day 2: Faith as the Channel for Divine Power
The woman's healing in Luke 8 illustrates that faith is the channel through which Jesus' power flows. Her condition left her destitute and socially isolated, yet her faith in Jesus, not the act of touching His garment, brings healing and restoration. This story emphasizes that it is not the strength of our faith but the object of our faith—Jesus—that matters. Her faith is a conduit for divine power, showing that when we place our trust in Jesus, His power can work in our lives in ways beyond our understanding. [13:04]

Mark 11:22-24 (ESV): "And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need to trust Jesus more fully? How can you actively place your faith in Him today, allowing His power to work through you?


Day 3: Jesus' Personal Care and Attention
Jesus' interaction with the woman suffering from the issue of blood shows His personal care and attention to individuals. He acknowledges her touch not to reprimand but to affirm her faith and welcome her into the family of God, calling her "daughter." This encounter underscores the personal nature of Jesus' ministry, where He sees and responds to individual faith amidst the crowd. It highlights that our faith in Him brings us into a personal relationship with God, where we are known and loved. [18:52]

Psalm 139:1-3 (ESV): "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways."

Reflection: How have you experienced Jesus' personal care in your life? Take a moment to thank Him for His attention to your needs and consider how you can extend that same care to someone else today.


Day 4: Divine Timing and Intervention
Jairus' story teaches us that it is never too late for Jesus to intervene. Even when situations seem beyond hope, Jesus' power transcends human limitations, offering new life and possibilities. When news arrives that Jairus' daughter has died, Jesus encourages Jairus to believe, asserting that divine intervention is still possible. This story reminds us that Jesus' timing is perfect, and His intervention can bring about miraculous change, even in the most desperate circumstances. [21:24]

Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV): "For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."

Reflection: Is there a situation in your life where you feel it's too late for change? How can you trust in Jesus' perfect timing and remain open to His intervention?


Day 5: The Effectual Call of Jesus
The raising of Jairus' daughter is a foretaste of the resurrection power of Jesus. His call to the girl to arise is a reminder of the effectual call that brings spiritual life to those who are dead in sin, promising a future resurrection for all who believe. This miracle illustrates Jesus' authority over life and death, offering hope and assurance of eternal life to those who place their faith in Him. It encourages us to trust in His power to bring new life and transformation. [27:55]

Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV): "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

Reflection: How does the promise of resurrection and new life in Jesus impact your daily life? What steps can you take today to live in the reality of His transformative power?

Quotes

"Now a woman having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, this woman is given no name, just her condition and her situation. Here's a woman who, presumably the same year that Jairus' daughter was born, she came down with a chronic case of hemorrhaging, wherein she lost her health first of all, and Luke tells us that she spent every penny that she had going to doctors trying to find a cure for this chronic hemorrhaging. And so we see a woman who's lost her health and who's lost her wealth, but not only that since she had this hemorrhaging, she would have been made ceremonially unclean and therefore would have lost her status and her reputation in the Jewish community. So everything that was important to her, her health, her money, her status in the community were gone, for a month or twelve months but for twelve years. And she was as desperate in her condition as Jairus was in his, having a daughter who was dying." [00:10:37]

"And we see what this woman did with her need. As Jairus had come and fell down before Jesus, now this woman reasoned in her heart in this manner, 'If I can just touch His garment. I don't need to have Him give me an audience. I don't need to have Him lay his hands on me. I don't need to have Him say anything to me. He's doesn't need to touch me, besides I'm unclear and it would be presumptuous of me to ask Him to touch me. But if I can just get close enough to touch one of the tassels on the edge of His garment, I'm sure that's all it will take.' Now, here's a woman who had no reason at all to trust any man that she had ever met to heal her. Again she'd spent every penny that she had with professional healers who were stymied by her condition and unable to help her at all. And yet she sees Jesus, and when she sees Jesus, she said 'I don't need to go to any more doctors. I just want to touch the hem of his garment, and I'll be healed.' And so she came from behind Him and touched the border of His garment, and instantly the flow of blood stopped, the hemorrhaging finished." [00:12:18]

"And Jesus stopped and he looked around and he said, 'Who touched Me?' This poor woman is now cowering in terror. The last thing she wants to do is to come forward and say, 'I did it.' But in the meantime, Jesus wants to know who touched him and everybody denied it. All the people crowding against Jesus say, 'I didn't do it. It's not me.' And Peter now, impetuous Peter prone to correcting Jesus when Jesus needed to be corrected, he said, 'Master, the multitudes throng and press against You, and You say, "Who touched Me?"' Do you hear the tone in Peter's voice? 'Are you out of your mind? How in the world are we going to know who touched You? There's all these people bumping and pushing against you every second, and You want to know, You're asking us who touched You.' Jesus politely ignored the outburst from Peter and simply said, 'Look, somebody touched me. I know it because I perceived power going out for Me.'" [00:14:04]

"Now this statement that Jesus makes in this particular circumstance can tell us something about Him. That when Jesus used his power to redeem people from whatever condition they were in, it cost Him something. When he calmed the storm, it cost Him something. When He healed the man of a legion of demons, He was drained from the power that left him and now as He's on his way to deal with the dying daughter of Jairus, He feels the power go out of Him again. And He understood that that exit of strength from His body did not occur willy-nilly, but it only occurred when redeeming power was being used in a saving way. He said 'Peter, somebody touched Me. I know that somebody touched Me, because I felt not the touch, but I felt the departure of My power.'" [00:15:31]

"And He said to her, 'Daughter.' You know, I wonder how old she was. She'd had this condition for twelve years. She wasn't a child, obviously. She may have been just as old as Jesus, and yet Jesus called her daughter. Don't miss the significance of that. We are not by nature sons and daughters of God. God is not the Father of us all. In biblical terms, God is only the Father of His Only Begotten Son and all the rest of His children, sons and daughters, are adopted. There's no other way to get into the family of God except through adoption. And the only way you can be adopted into the family of God is through God's only Son. And so this woman who's trembling, telling the story, wondering what Jesus is going to do, the first thing He does is welcomes her into God's family by calling her daughter. 'Be of good cheer. Stop trembling, stop being afraid. You're now my daughter.' He's on his way to heal Jairus' daughter, and instead He stops to heal what is now His own daughter. 'Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.'" [00:18:52]

"It wasn't her faith that was the power to heal her, as some mistakenly believe. But because of her faith, that's a consequence of her faith, because she trusted in Christ she was healed. And so Jesus said, 'Go in peace.' How many times does our Lord say this to people? Is this not His favorite litany for his people? 'Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you, not as the world givest give I unto you.' 'Come to Me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,' and that's not all He gives, He gives peace. And He says to this woman, 'Your body's fine, your soul's even better. So, go now in peace.'" [00:21:24]

"And while He was still speaking, again he's interrupted. For someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house with bad news for Jairus. 'Jairus, I'm sorry. Your daughter's dead. Jairus don't bother the master anymore. It's too late.' Remember in John's Gospel when Jesus got to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, four days after Lazarus died and the women are wringing their hands and saying, 'If only You would've been here Lord, he wouldn't have died. And now You come four days later. It's too late.' Do you know how many millions of people have assumed in their lifetime that it was too late for them to meet Jesus or to have Jesus do anything for them? 'I have been a pagan all these years, and it's too late for me.' Are you still alive? Then it's not too late." [00:21:58]

"When Jesus heard this, He said to him, 'Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.' 'You didn't hear us Jesus. It's too late. You may be able to give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and fix people with legs that won't work, but now it's too late, she's dead.' Jesus said, 'Everything is going to be made well.' And so when He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James and John and the father and the mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her, but He said, 'Do not weep, stop your crying. She's not dead but sleeping.'" [00:22:47]

"But He put them all outside, took her by the hands and called, there it is again – the divine effectual call. The means by which the world, the universe came into being was by divine imperative, divine fiat. God called the universe into being, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. Lazarus came out of that tomb because Jesus called him out of the tomb. If you are in Christ this morning, if you are a Christian, it's because God the Holy Spirit called you out of darkness into light. And He just didn't invite you, that call was not simply the outer call of preaching. It was the inner call of God the Holy Ghost, the omnipotent God who brought you alive from spiritual death, what we call in theology 'the effectual call of God.' How did Jesus calm the sea? He called the waves and the wind to stop, and they stopped." [00:26:21]

"And so now he called this inert, twelve-year-old daughter saying, 'Little girl, arise.' This is a foretaste of the last judgment, when all who are in Christ will hear the same effectual call, and the dead in Christ will rise at the sound of His voice when He says, 'My little ones, little boy, little girl get up.' And we will rise on that day. And then her spirit returned. Again Luke understood that she was not comatose, because when you're comatose your soul doesn't leave the body. If you're in soul sleep, your soul doesn't leave the body. But this little girl was dead because her soul had gone. And Jesus called it back and said, 'Come back here' and reunited her soul with her body, and she arose immediately." [00:27:38]

"And He commanded that she should be given something to eat. 'Feed this little girl, will you?' She's been so sick, she's got to be hungry, so let's get about the daily business of taking care of our kids. Will you parents please fix her something to eat? She's fine, and her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened, not yet. 'Don't tell anybody yet.' That moment will come when He will charge them and all who receive the grace of Christ to tell everybody. What an incredible day in the life of Jesus." [00:28:58]

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Transcript
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