Today’s reading is Luke 7:1-8:56.

I can’t imagine being Jairus. My oldest daughter will be 12 in six months. I can hardly imagine her lying on her death bed. If I were approaching Jesus, I would be frantic. “Please, Rabbi, come quickly! Come now! I’m begging you!” I would be yelling at the crowds. “Get out of the way! Can’t you see who I am! I’m the ruler of the synagogue! My daughter’s dying! Move! You’re holding us up! Jesus will get back to you later!”

The text is surprisingly silent about how Jairus responded when Jesus stopped and asked the seemingly insane question, “Who touched me?” I don’t know how Jairus would have reacted. I know how I would have reacted. “Rabbi, please. Does it matter? We’ll never know. You’re wasting time. My daughter…!” I would probably be tugging on His sleeve, trying to get Him to hurry.

But Jesus just stands there until this woman admitted what she had done. I can’t believe Jesus stopped to deal with this unclean women when my daughter lies at home dying. If we don’t hurry she may be dead before we get there. “Hurry!”

Then the unthinkable. A servant comes. I can see it on his face. It’s over. She’s gone. One of my greatest sources of joy has been snuffed out, just as she was beginning to blossom. She was about to enter womanhood and now she’s gone. The servant speaks anyway. I’m already crying. “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 

Would I collapse right there on the spot? I have a feeling this rule of the synagogue wouldn’t want to display such weakness. I might take the same approach. Snuff back the tears. There will be time for that in private. But the resentment for this woman who had the audacity to touch the teacher while my daughter was dying would already have been born. I wonder if I can get her kicked out of the synagogue.

However, the Teacher has said something amazing. “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” Is that possible? It is too late. He must not understand. The servant didn’t say she was mostly dead. He said she was all the way dead. All that’s left is to go through her pockets for loose change. But the Teacher starts walking to my house again.

As we approach, the mourners are in full swing. There is no doubt. She’s dead. Everyone knows it. Jesus is too late. After all, He might be a wonder at healing, but nobody raises people from the dead. The mourners we’ve hired laugh when Jesus says she’s only sleeping. I have mixed emotions. I can hardly believe any good can come from this. On the other hand, I want to believe. But it is just too late.

Jesus kicks everyone out but three of his followers and my wife and me. I can see her. She’s dead. There is no flutter of the eyelids. The chest does not raise even a little with breath. Her hands and face are already cold to touch. Nothing. Dead. Jesus is too late.

He steps close to me and pulls my little girls hand out of mine. He says, “Child arise.” I’m trying to believe, but can hardly do it. I just didn’t get Jesus here on time. We might have made it if it hadn’t been for the crowds or that blasted woman. 

But then…did she do what I thought? Did I just see a catch of breath? Her eyes are fluttering open. How can this be? She’s alive? She was not asleep. I know that. She was dead. But this Rabbi has just brought my daughter back to me. “Yes, yes, giver her something to eat. Anything He says. Anything she wants.” She can hardly eat because my wife and I are smothering her with hugs.

I learned something about Jesus today. He may not be on my time schedule, but He is never late. Next time, I’ll wait on Him patiently.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

The Bible stories are not written to merely convey history. These are our stories. Of course, they are about other people, but they are about us. For instance, in today’s reading, I learned about an unclean woman who had a discharge of blood (today it is known as menorrhagia). Though she was unclean, though the crowds pressed in, though an official was waiting, Jesus not only healed the woman, but took time to comfort her. Let me share with you the lessons I learn for me from this story.

Lesson 1: The worldly physicians will not help me.

First, let me say that the parallel here is not about physical illness. If you are sick, go see a doctor. The parallel for us is our spiritual illness. We can gain all kinds of advice from pop psychology, the guys in the locker room and the girlfriends around the water cooler. Their advice will cause us to suffer much and drain us of our resources. Only Jesus can really help us.

Lesson 2: The crowds will not distract Jesus from me.

When Jesus asked, “Who touched Me?” the disciples were amazed. They pointed out the great crowds and thought it was silly to try to figure out who among those crowds had actually touched Him. Despite the crowds, however, Jesus knew exactly who it was and He wanted to take individual time with her. As I write this, a hurricane is bearing down on the Gulf Coast. Thousands of people are praying that God do something about that (as I am also). However, with that kind of thing happening I can easily think the problems I’m facing directly will never make it to God because He is so busy dealing with those other prayers. But Jesus demonstrates that He has time for me, even in the midst of the crowd.

Lesson 3: The officials will not supersede me.

Jesus was talking to Jairus, an official of the synagogue. Additionally, this official was trying to hurry Jesus along. It is very easy for me to see everyone else as so much more important than me and so much better than me that Jesus would want to spend time helping them and not help me. But Jesus stopped His busy schedule with the important official to show compassion on this unclean woman. He will do the same for me.

Lesson 4: My uncleanness will not stop Jesus from blessing me.

Why wouldn’t the woman just go up to Jesus and ask for healing. So many others had? I can only imagine it was because she had 12 years of being trained in her uncleanness. According to the Law, everyone she touched became unclean. Everything she touched became unclean. Everyone who touched anything she touched became unclean. Why would this holy Rabbi want to heal someone so unclean? But He did. I must remember that Jesus is the great physician. He didn’t come to earth to rub elbows with other doctors. He came down to heal us of our uncleanness. Which leads to the next lesson I learn.

Lesson 5: Jesus wants me healed, whole and heading for heaven.

The most surprising part of this story for me is that the woman had been healed but was still afraid of Jesus. But again, I have to put myself in her shoes. Think about this, the Pharisees had developed their intricate rituals of washing because of people like this woman. They were afraid they may have accidentally touched some unclean person or something touched by an unclean person. After 12 years of that kind of treatment, it begins to take a toll on a person. She had no idea how such a holy person as Jesus might react. Would He berate and ridicule her for making Him unclean by touching Him? We know the answer. Of course not. In fact, Jesus, as the perfect man, was the exception to the rule. Because He was sinless the ritual uncleanness others needed to fear did not impact Him. In fact, because He was so holy, He made the unclean clean by His touch rather than being defiled by it. But back to the point at hand. This woman had nothing to fear. Jesus did not want to rebuke her for seeking healing. He wanted her to know that He wanted her healed. In like manner, He wants me healed. He wants me whole. He wants me going to heaven. He wants that so bad He came down here and died for it.

Lesson 6: Jesus will bless me on his timetable.

The woman suffered with this discharge for 12 years. God could have healed her at any time within those years. For me, if something last 12 days, I fall apart. I can’t imagine dealing with this kind of pain and illness for 12 years. In the end, however, God did bless this woman. I can only imagine that the reason God did it at this moment was because that was the moment this blessing most glorified Him and most benefited the woman. After all, had she merely been healed by one of the physicians 11 years earlier, we wouldn’t know her story would we? It is tough when I am in the midst of my trouble, but I need to have faith. God will bless me on His timetable.  I also need to have faith that when I rely on Him, if He doesn’t offer me the blessing I desperately want here, He has promised me the greatest blessing in the hereafter.

Lesson 7: Jesus expects me to act on my faith.

I can’t help but think of John 1:47-48, in which Jesus demonstrated that He saw Nathanael while he was lying under the fig tree. We have to understand that Jesus did not ask, “Who touched Me?” because He needed someone to tell Him. He already knew. He saw this woman while she was at home debating whether she would even try to find Him. He saw this woman as she stood on the edge of the crowd deciding if she should try to reach Him. He saw this woman as she dodged through the crowd and screwed up her courage to actually touch Him. Jesus saw all of this but did not heal her until she actually reached out and touched His garment. I must understand that the healing doesn’t come because I believe Jesus can heal me. The healing comes when I act on that faith and obey His word. James 2:14-26 makes that abundantly clear.

Jesus is amazing. Jesus does care. He cared about that unclean woman. He cares about me. He cares about you.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

p.s. If you would like to hear these lessons or read the full outline of the sermon I preached based on this passage. Click HERE.