Touched by Faith (Lk. 8:40-56)

Today we are back in the Gospel of Luke and we are looking at the very familiar stories of the healing of Jairus’ 12yo daughter and the healing of the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years. 

The verses that we are covering today wrap up a series of four miracles that Luke records in chapter eight of his Gospel. Each miracle builds upon the previous one  and continues to emphasize the vital importance of responding in obedience to God’s Word. 

This chapter opened with the the Parable of the Sower (Lk. 8:4-15) which teaches us to give strict attention to what we hear from God’s Word, and the Parable of Lights (Lk. 8:16-18) which teaches us to pay attention to how  we hear God’s Word. This is about being obedient to the Word of God. 

To help his audience understand what this all meant, Luke gave several examples of what it looks like to obey God’s Word. He used Jesus’ biological family, nature/creation and even demons. Well Luke wraps up chapter eight by using disease and death as final examples of what it looks like to hear God speak.

Grab your Bibles and go with me to Luke 8:40-56.

Luke 8:40–56 NKJV

40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43 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, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Desperate (Luke 8:40-42)

What’s happening in this section of scripture mirrors an OKC Thunder road game during the playoffs. After facing off against their opponents, the team boards a plane to head home. When they arrive at Will Rogers Airport, regardless of the time of day, they are met by a large crowd of adoring fans. One by one as the players exit the plane they are enthusiastically greeted by everyone who had been waiting for their return. Thankfully, for the players, the fans are stationed behind a chain linked fence. 

Well comparatively, after delivering a man from a legion of demons and being demanded to leave the Gadarenes, Jesus and His disciples hop in the boat and sail back across the sea to the Galilean area. Well, a crowd of enthusiastic fans have formed and they are eagerly waiting to greet the evangelism team once they step out of the boat, but there’s no fence to guard Jesus from the crowd.

Let’s take another quick look at the opening verses of this story in Luke.

Luke 8:40–42 NKJV

40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.

The desperation of this situation is almost tangible. If you have ever lost a child or been in a situation where your child’s health was severely compromised then I’m sure that you can relate to this father. As a matter of fact, listening to this may cause some emotions to resurface as you think about what that time was like for you.

On the east side of the Sea of Galilee they couldn’t wait for Jesus to leave. On the west side, they couldn’t wait for Him to show up. 100’s of people gathered at the water’s edge to welcome Him home, but one man among the hundreds made a lasting impression. Jairus was a high-ranking ruler of the synagogue and a well respected member of the community. At this moment, the only title that matters to him is the title of a loving father. His twelve year old daughter, perhaps his only child, could die at any moment and as any concerned parent would do, he throws off all decorum and begins to beg Jesus to come to his house and heal his little girl. No parent wants to be in this kind of situation. Because of his ranking, I’m sure that Jairus has not had to beg for much, but he does here. Status does not avail suffering. There are some difficulties that you and I will go through in this life that no amount of money can fix. There are some situations we will find ourselves in that no phone call can change and no connections can undo. God is not pleased with how important you are in the company or what buildings your name is on. 

Faith - that’s what God is looking for, faith that abandons what’s normal in pursuit of God. Faith that throws off all pretense to apprehend God. Faith that says, whether God does what I ask or not I will trust Him.

Jesus is about to put on a faith Masterclass for Jairus.

Touchable (Luke 8:43-48)

Jesus agrees to help Jairus and as the two of them make their way to the house, they are interrupted by a woman who has been suffering with a hemorrhage for as long as Jairus’ daughter has been alive.

Luke 8:43–48 NKJV

43 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, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

For the same amount of time that Jairus’ daughter had been alive this woman had been living with a chronic bleeding condition. She had been to the doctor. She used essential oils. She drank kombucha. She changed her diet. She tired experimental drugs and therapy and home remedies and still she suffered with this horrible bleeding. She took out loans, borrowed money from friends and family, sold what little she owned and after it was all said and done she had reached a level of poverty she had not known before that time and still had to deal with the bleeding. 

Luke 6:20–21 NKJV

20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.

She was financially destitute and communally impoverished as well. She had no one to turn to - she was unclean. She’s not even supposed to be in the crowd, but she has this unrelenting conviction that

Mark 5:28 NKJV

28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

And she does. She touches Him, her bleeding stops and right away Jesus knows it.

Luke 8:45 NKJV

45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

I find it fascinating that she is the only one in the crowd who gets healed. Contrast what happens here with what we learned in Luke 6 at the Sermon on the Plain.

Luke 6:19 NKJV

19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Everyone who touched Jesus at that time was healed, but here, the only one to be healed is this bleeding woman. There was something significantly different about how she touched Jesus when compared to how the rest of the crowd touched Him that day. Think about this, lots of people touched Him by accident and by simply being close to Him physically. Some people touched Him in the same way a fan desperately reaches out to touch a celebrity, but not this woman. She touched Jesus in a unique way. She touched Him intimately and intentionally in such a way that power was released to work in her life. She touched Him out of desperation and in faith.

And let this be an encouragement to you this morning. Faith is always visible to God. There’s a whole chapter in Hebrews dedicated to the recognizable faith of men and women.

By faith...

Abel offered a better sacrifice than his brother.

Noah prepared the ark.

Abraham obeyed the call.

Sarah conceived a child.

Moses suffered with the Hebrews.

The walls of Jericho fell.

Rahab survived.

The people walked on dry land through the Red Sea.

Nobody else may take notice of how you are trusting God with the situation of your life, but your willingness to rely on Him never escapes His gaze. Faith is always visible.

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus makes a sobering point:

Matthew 7:21–23 NKJV

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Often, when life feels desperate, we default to performance. We throw up prayers like a Hail Mary, volunteer our time, donate to charity, or start a new Bible study, convinced that these actions will finally grab God’s attention.

However, look closely at what Jesus highlights. Obedience to the will of God. This is developed through faith. You can serve, pray, memorize verses, and give generously, yet still miss the mark. What actually captured Jesus’ attention in the crowd that day wasn’t religious activity; it was faith. Without that core of faith, all the external effort in the world won’t bridge the gap, faith is what connects you to God.

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

This woman tried to hide herself, but her willingness to trust God for her healing called her out from the crowd. This is the same thing that happened when the four friends lowered the paralytic down through the ceiling. Luke says that 

Luke 5:20 NKJV

20 ...He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

You need a faith that’s going to cause you to stand out from the crowd. Don’t look at the crowd to decide if you should approach Jesus or not, by coming to Him, you might be the only one to receive from God. Your life might be the only life changed because you were willing to believe God when nobody else would. Come anyway.

I mentioned that Jesus is putting on a Masterclass in faith for Jairus and here it comes.

Interruptible (Luke 8:49-56)

If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic when you really needed to get somewhere, then you know how frustrating that can be. You watch the time tick away on the clock and stress builds up with every passing second. The knee-jerk response to these types of situations can be to complain about how much of an inconvenience it is. Just last year in Chicago, a guy by the name of Earl Abernathy was stuck in traffic with other motorist on a very hot day. It just so happens that this inconvenience placed Earl in just the right spot to hear the cries of a baby who had been abandoned after a carjacking. Thanks to that delay Earl was able to save the baby and return the child to his family.

Something that we often see in Scripture is Jesus’ ability to be interruptible. He’s a man of purpose and intentionality for sure, but He holds those things loosely in order to align Himself with God’s Kingdom agenda. Folks, sometimes, what appears to be an inconvenience or disruption in our schedules is actually God’s invitation for us to trust Him and to see Him do miraculous things. I believe that’s what we see going on here with Jairus.

Luke 8:49–56 NKJV

49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Can you imagine the nervousness, the desperation, the fear and panic in Jairus’ heart as he watches Jesus waste time trying to figure out who among the hundreds of people, “touched” Him while his little girl is on the edge of life and death? What Jairus doesn’t understand yet is that this interruption is not a setback but a setup intended for his good.

The Bible says this,

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

This is exactly what happens here. For twelve long years this woman suffered. I’m certain there were times where she thought God had given up on her and she felt like given up on Him. And make no mistake about this, He could’ve healed her at any time in those twelve years, but He didn’t and I think the reason He didn’t was because He was preparing for a greater harvest with the seed of that woman’s faith. The healing of the woman becomes a template of faith for the healing of Jairus’ daughter. The same can happen in our own lives. How often is someone else’s faith encouraged because they heard about how God met the needs of another person? What hope is inspired or renewed in someone who is about to give up because they see you trusting God? Faith is personal, but it’s not private. It can be contagious and it can remind others that God is still in the business of miracle working.

As Jesus is dealing with the woman who has just been healed, Jairus gets the news that his daughter is dead. “Hey Jairus, I’m sorry to tell you but she’s gone. You don’t need Jesus anymore.” But, before Jairus can utter a word, Jesus turns to him and encourages him to “keep on believing”. Jesus doesn’t allow satan to snatch away the word that has been planted in Jairus’ heart. The seed of God’s Word fell on good ground and Jesus is going to cause it to produce a 100 fold. “Trust Me,” Jesus says. In the same way that the woman was “made well” so will Jairus’ daughter be “made well.” The language there means to be “saved.” It means to be fully restored in every aspect of life. This is both physically and spiritually and some people believe, in the case of the woman, she is made well financially and communally as she is allowed to return to a normal life. 

The question that presents itself to Jairus and us is this, who will we believe?

Are you going to believe what Jesus says about your situation or will you believe what you see with your eyes and hear with your ears? Are you going to believe the undefeated Word of God or will you believe what sounds good? Are you going to follow your heart or will you follow the righteous instructions of the Lord? In every situation we are always presented with a choice to either trust God or not and when we trust Him we are left astonished, completely blown away, like Jairus and his wife after Jesus restores their daughter’s life.

Jairus believed that Jesus could heal sickness. He was convinced that Jesus had authority over disease, but not over death. This same thing happens when Lazarus dies. What Martha learned about Jesus’ power over death, Jairus learned as well. 

John 11:25 NKJV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Respond

My friends, you can discover this truth for yourself. Luke eight continually emphasizes that hearing God’s Word means that we do what it says and apply it to our lives no matter the circumstances. Whether it’s family, nature, demonic forces, disease or even death, unwavering trust in the Sovereign God over all things is all that truly matters. If you want to get God’s attention, trust Him. Faith is what really touches the heart of God. There is not a single thing that you are dealing with at the moment that the Word of God does not have authority over. However, there isn’t a single life-altering experience you can have with God that doesn’t require faith. It might take a day or it could take twelve years. Regardless, the question is always the same - Will you trust Him?

Today, let your faith move you to touch the heart of Jesus, no matter how long the wait has been.