Bible Reading
Luke 8:43-48 “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve 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 it that touched me?' When all denied it, Peter said, 'Master, the crowds 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.”
[27:15]Luke 8:40-42 “Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 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 twelve years of age, and she was dying.”
[34:15]Luke 8:26-39 “Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, 'What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.' For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Legion,' for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.' And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”
[32:24]Observation questions
- What details show the difference between Jairus’s urgent need for his daughter and the woman’s long, hidden suffering?
- What has the woman tried before coming to Jesus, and what does she do when she finally reaches him? [27:40]
- How do Peter and Jesus respond differently when Jesus asks who touched him? [38:38]
- What words does Jesus use to describe the woman after she tells her story, and what do those words reveal about the kind of healing she receives? [28:37]
Interpretation questions
- Why might Luke place the woman’s twelve-year illness in the middle of Jairus’s plea for his twelve-year-old daughter? What does this interruption reveal about whose needs Jesus notices?
- The woman seeks a private healing, but Jesus calls her forward. Why might being healed physically not have been enough for her? What needed to be restored in her relationship with her community and with God? [41:16]
- Peter sees a crowd and an urgent destination; Jesus stops for one trembling woman. What does this contrast suggest about the difference between human urgency and Jesus’ care for people?
- Jesus calls the woman “daughter” after years of isolation and shame. How does that name change the meaning of her healing and her place among God’s people? [45:49]
Application questions
- Where have you been waiting a long time for relief, change, healing, direction, or reconciliation? What might it look like to bring that need to Jesus honestly rather than remaining in the shadows?
- The woman’s faith was a risky reach toward Jesus, not a display of perfect confidence. Is there a next step of trust you have been avoiding because it feels risky—asking for prayer, seeking help, making peace, or bringing a hidden struggle into the light? [37:48]
- Some hurts leave people feeling isolated, ashamed, or as though they are unlovable. When have you felt tempted to believe that your past or present struggle defines you? How does Jesus calling the woman “daughter” speak into that place? [45:53]
- Jesus does not simply heal the woman and move on; he stops so she can be seen, known, and restored. How can this group or our church become a safer place for people who are suffering quietly? [41:24]
- In what area of life are you frustrated by the slowness of change—in yourself, another person, or a difficult situation? How might God’s patient love reshape the way you pray and act in that season? [44:31]
- Jesus’ stopping may have looked like a delay to Jairus, yet Jesus was still present and at work. When have you experienced an interruption or delay that later helped you see God’s care in a new way?
