Luke 8:40-56
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Do you have time for others? Is it easy for you to lay your plans aside for others? How do you handle interruptions? They are called interruptions because they stop us from doing what we had planned to do. We have our plans when someone comes along with their plans for us and interrupt our day. Sometimes it’s an irritation but we need to realize that some interruptions are sent by God and can become opportunities for us to help and minister to others. We will miss those opportunities if we brush them aside and ignore them.
There’s a story about a woman who was standing at a bus stop. She had just cashed her income tax refund check, so she was carrying more money than usual and was understandably a little bit nervous about it. As she glanced around she noticed a shabbily dressed man standing nearby. As she watched, she saw a man walk up to him, hand him some money, and whisper something in his ear. She was so touched by that act of kindness that she decided to do the same. In a burst of generosity, she reached into her purse, took out $10, handed it to the man. She then whispered to him, “Never despair, never despair.”
The next day when she came to the bus stop, there he was again. But this time he walked up to her and handed her $110. Dumbfounded, she asked, “What’s this?” He said, “You won, lady. Never Despair paid 10 to 1.”
Every act of kindness will not pay 10 to 1. Most of the time kindness will cost you something and it may even require a sacrifice on your part.
Turn with me to the eighth chapter Luke as we look at a couple of the clearest examples of kindness in the Bible. They are found in verses 40-56. In this passage we see Jesus showing kindness to two people who are entirely different. One is a man and the other is a woman. One is rich, influential, and the ruler of a synagogue. The other is an outcast, poor, and unknown. And yet, Jesus treats both of them with great kindness.
By the time of this story, Jesus had gained a great deal of fame and popularity. The people respected him as a healer and a teacher even though the religious leaders had a different opinion. Crowds were swarming around him wherever he went. But despite the pressures of popularity, despite the crowds constantly pushing in around him, despite all the demands on his time, in his kindness Jesus stopped everything he was doing to help them and to meet their needs.
You will remember in our lesson last week that Jesus traveled with his disciples by boat to the region of the Gerasenes. When they arrived they were met by a demon possessed man. I say demon but when Jesus asked the demon for its name it gave the name Legion because there was not just one but many demons inhabiting the man. The word legion came from the military and could be from three to six thousand men. We don’t have an exact number of demons but it was a lot. Jesus granted the wish of the demons to be allowed to enter into some pigs that were nearby. When they entered the pigs, the pigs tore off down the steep bank into the sea and drowned. When the people living in the area saw what had happened they begged him to leave so he did. When the man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Jesus he said no but insisted he stay and be a witness to all that God had done for him. Jesus and the disciples then got into their boat and sailed back across the sea to Capernaum. He will have a completely different reception when he lands there. Remember, Capernaum was Jesus’ home base during the three years of his ministry. They knew Jesus and were eager to hear him.
Our passage tonight has not one story but two. It tells of not one healing but two. Sometimes it is referred to as a miracle on the way to a miracle. Jesus is asked to come and help and on the way he is stopped and helps someone else.
40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. (Luke 8:40-42a)
We don’t know where Jesus was going, but he was on his way somewhere. Perhaps he was headed to a place where he could teach the crowd which was following him. Wherever he was going, he had something to do. However, when he was approached with a need by Jairus, he put his plans aside. The sickness of the young girl was more pressing than his plans.
Erma Bombeck told about a time when she was so tired of listening. She had listened to her son tell in minute detail about a movie he had just seen, punctuated by at least 1,000 “you knows” and “okays.” Then she had received several telephone calls filled with what she felt were mindless chatter that never seemed to end. So it was with genuine relief that she was able to tell the last caller that she just had to rush off to the airport.
She got into a taxicab, and as the taxicab driver took her to the airport, he told her all about his son who had won a scholarship to college, and how he was making straight A’s. Erma had to sit there and listen to it all. She said:
But once I got to the airport and realized that I was 30 minutes early, I breathed a sigh of relief and thought, “I have 30 whole minutes when I don’t have to listen to anybody. I can just sit here and read my book and not be bothered at all.”
But no sooner had she opened her book, when an elderly female said to her, “I bet it’s cold in Chicago.” “I suppose,” Erma Bombeck replied without looking up from her book. “I haven’t been in Chicago for 3 years,” the woman said. “My son lives there.” “That’s nice,” said Erma. Then the woman continued on, “My husband’s body is on this plane. We were married for 53 years. I don’t drive, you see, and the funeral director was so nice. He drove me to the airport today.”
Erma recalled:
Her voice droned on. Here was a woman who didn’t want money or advice or counsel. All she wanted was someone to listen. And in desperation she had turned to a total stranger with her story.
Erma Bombeck said:
She continued to talk to me until they announced that we were boarding the plane. We walked onto the plane and I saw her sit down in another section. And as I hung up my coat I heard her say to the person next to her, “I bet it’s cold in Chicago.”
There are so many who just need somebody to just to focus on them and listen to what they have to say. And Jesus did so that day. Jesus paid attention to Jairus and changed his plans for the day.
Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue. That doesn’t mean that he taught there but that he ruled over the goings on at the synagogue. Someone needed to be in charge and Jairus was the man. He made sure there was a rabbi to teach each Sabbath. This was a prominent position in the community.
Luke tells us that Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Remember, the religious leaders had already made up their minds against Jesus. They’d already been discussing how they wanted to get rid of him. Most assume that Jairus was in line with the other religious leaders. For him now to come to Jesus for help and falling at his feet would have been a great act of humility. It would also show just how desperate Jairus was. Luke explains that his daughter, his only daughter of twelve, was dying. He already sought whatever medical help he could find and nothing worked. She was still sick and now on her deathbed. So, he came to Jesus pleading for help.
It has been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. When it comes down to life and death we reach out for whoever we think might be able to help us. People who ignore God for most of their lives will call out to God when they’re in trouble. Jairus had heard that Jesus had healed others; perhaps, if he was willing, Jesus could heal his daughter. And of course Jesus was willing and began following Jairus to his home.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. (Luke 8:42b)
You remember the story of the paralyzed man brought to Jesus by his four friends. When they arrived to house where Jesus was teaching they couldn’t get close enough to even see Jesus much less get close enough for Jesus to heal their friend. So large were the crowds that they had to climb on the roof, tear open a hole and lower the man through to Jesus. The crowd was pretty big this day as well. They all wanted to get close to Jesus. But there was one woman who managed to press her way through the crowd and get to Jesus.
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. (Luke 8:43)
Remember, Luke was a doctor. He is the first to admit that though this woman had been to see many doctors, none of them had been able to help her. Mark tells us that she’d spent everything she had going to see doctors. We don’t know how much she had but it had all been spent on medical bills. And still, nothing helped. Like Jairus, she had run out of options. There was nowhere to turn so she turned to Jesus.
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. (Luke 8:44)
Again, Mark gives us some additional details. Mark says:
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:27-28)
This really would have been a bold move by this woman. First, it would have been bold because it was a bold faith. Like the Roman centurion who didn’t need Jesus to be present in order to heal his servant but could just say the word, this woman believed that Jesus didn’t actually need to see or even notice her for her to be healed. She only needed to touch his robe and she would be made whole.
Second, it was a bold move because she was a woman. You’ve probably heard some of the rules and laws for women in predominantly Muslim countries today. In those countries women are not allowed to drive or to even to be seen in public without a male escort. Women have few rights or privileges. It wasn’t too much different at that time.
In John 4, in the story of the woman at the well, the woman was surprised that Jesus would ask her for water. She was surprised that he would even talk to her. You didn’t talk to women you didn’t know. And then, being a Samaritan made it even stranger because Jews refused to associate with Samaritans. Later, when the disciples returned, they too were surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. It just wasn’t done.
But not only was she a woman, she had an issue of blood. Because of that, everything she touched would have been considered unclean. This went back to the Old Testament law. We won’t read those passages but God gave them for good reasons. We should also note that they also applied to men if they had an open cut that was bleeding. But this woman’s condition had been ongoing for a dozen years. As a result, she had not allowed to attend synagogue on the Sabbath for twelve years. Because everything she touched became unclean it affected her every relationship. Only those who didn’t care would have had anything to do with her. She would have been cut off from family and friends and she had been dealing with this for over a decade.
So, for these reasons she sneaks up behind Jesus and touches the edge of his robe. Her goal is to go unseen. She doesn’t want to be identified or pointed out but Jesus noticed. Somehow Jesus noticed that someone had been healed. Even though he hadn’t seen her, he knew. She had touched Jesus and her issue of blood had stopped immediately. At that very second she was healed.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” (Luke 8:45-46)
The people and the disciples were confused. Why would he ask such a question? Couldn’t he see the throng of people all around him? You can’t walk through a crowd of people without bumping into someone. But it was more than that. Jesus knew not only that he had been touched; he knew that someone had been healed. He knew because of the power that had gone out from him. I think the KJV translation of this verse is interesting. It reads:
And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. (Luke 8:46, KJV)
The word means power but it means something more than our usual understanding of power. There is also a moral component to the Greek word. Therefore, one definition of the word is the “moral power and excellence of soul.” It’s not just a physical ability but an authority. Jesus had the authority, the moral authority to heal.
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. (Luke 8:47)
When she realized that her plan for anonymity had failed, she stepped forward and acknowledged that she had touched him. Remember again what the Old Testament law said. Anything and anyone she touched would have become unclean because of her uncleanness. She had made Jesus unclean simply by touching the edge of his robe. What would he say? What would he do to her?
48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)
Jesus called her “daughter,” a term of endearment, a term of acceptance. She had been an outcast for years and Jesus welcomed her. She had been healed but he said it more to do with her faith that the edge of his robe. Her faith had made her well, just believing. And then Jesus sent her away in peace. He didn’t chastise her. He didn’t condemn her. He blessed her. But now Jesus is interrupted again.
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” (Luke 8:49)
While Jesus lingered to heal this woman, the daughter of Jairus had died. There was no point in Jesus coming now. There was nothing he could do. It was too late.
What would you have thought if you had been Jairus? Risking your job, your reputation and your standing in the community, you went to Jesus to find help for your daughter. Now, because Jesus had been interrupted by this woman your daughter was dead. Who was this woman anyway?
Compare this woman with Jairus. Jairus was an influential man in the community, she was an insignificant woman. Jairus would have been wealthy and held in high esteem, she had spent all her money and had nothing left. He was the ruler of the synagogue, she couldn’t even attend synagogue. We know his name, it’s Jairus, but her name is never given. Isn’t Jairus more important than this woman? Doesn’t he deserve Jesus’ attention more than she does? Didn’t his daughter deserve Jesus’ attention more than this woman did? Jairus daughter was on her sick. This woman had suffered with this condition for a dozen years. What would another hour matter anyway? But for Jairus’ daughter it was a matter of life and death and now she’d died. If I were Jairus, I’d be fuming. But the story isn’t over.
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50)
The truth is even without the interruption she probably would have died before Jesus got there. Perhaps Jesus stopping to talk to the woman was not just about encouraging the woman in her faith but also an example to encourage and strengthen the faith of Jairus as well. “Do you see that woman who was just healed because of her faith? There’s no reason for fear. Have faith like that woman and your daughter will be healed as well.”
Jairus had faith. That’s why he’d gone to get Jesus. He believed Jesus could heal his daughter. But, could Jesus raise her from the dead? Could Jesus bring her back to life? Jairus believed Jesus had power, but did he have that much power?
It is easy for us to believe that Jesus can do something for others, but do we believe he will do something for us? We believe Jesus can do that, but do we believe he can do this? The power of Jesus isn’t limited. Jesus wanted Jairus to believe that as well.
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. (Luke 8:51)
There were all these people who had gathered to mourn the passing of the little girl. Jairus may have been struggling to have faith, but they had no faith. So, Jesus didn’t want them present. He only allowed the parents and the inner circle of three – Peter, James, and John. This will not be the only time Jesus pulls these three aside.
52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.(Luke 8:52-53)
They are incredulous that Jesus could do anything at this point. She’s dead. What can Jesus do? So, when Jesus insists that she’s only sleeping they laugh. What does he know? He just got here.
54But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. (Luke 8:54-55)
I think that last part is funny. After raising her from the dead Jesus instructs her parents to give her something to eat. We think the same. I bet she’s hungry. She hasn’t been able to eat because she wasn’t feeling good. But everything is better now so I bet she’s hungry. Jesus understood that.
56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. (Luke 8:56)
Once more Jesus tells those on the receiving end of his miracle not to tell anyone. To the man in the Gerasenes that been freed from demon possession Jesus told to tell everyone but to these parents Jesus instructed them to tell no one. Perhaps it was because in the Gerasenes no one cared who Jesus was but here in Capernaum he had crowds of people coming to see him. Despite the crowds though, he still had time for these two people. He had time to show his concern.
Some construction workers were building a high rise across the street from a hospital. As they were working on the third floor they noticed a little girl standing in the third floor window of the hospital watching them work. One day they looked across and saw the little girl hold up a poster that said, “My name is Lisa. What are your names?” The next day the construction workers came back with some poster board and magic markers. They all wrote down their names: Bob, Bill, and Harry. Then they asked: “How old are you?”
The next day the little girl held up a sign that said, “I am 7 years old. How old are you?” This went on for several days. But one day they noticed that Lisa wasn’t at her usual place in the window. So at break time one of the workers called the hospital and asked for a third floor nurse. He asked if she could tell him anything at all about Lisa. The nurse said that Lisa had taken a turn for the worse and was now in Intensive Care. So, the workers pooled their money. They bought some flowers and a card, wrote a note on it and sent it to “Lisa in Intensive Care.”
Several days passed and then another sign appeared at the window, “Lisa passed away. Thank you for caring!”
We need to learn to be kind to one another even as God has been kind through Jesus Christ and offered him as a sacrifice for all our sins.