HEALING SICKNESS & RAISING THE DEAD

Introduction: I have witnessed (live and on TV) several modern day miracle- workers who appeared to heal sick people. Let me qualify this statement by saying that I believe in God working miracles today, healing the sick, etc. But all of the people I have witnessed seem to be charlatans. Ask Corkie! None of them have ever raised the dead. Only Jesus has that power.

I. Main characters

A. Jairus

1. The name may be derived from Heb. (cf. Jair; Judges 10.3).

2. Yahweh enlightens

3. (Numbers 32.41; Joshua 8.30) “His name lingered down to the time of the Christian era, when, in the same region as that which he conquered, we find a ruler of the synagogue named Jair.”

4. If the name has Aramaic roots, then it means “he [God] will awaken.”

5. Probably a witness to Jesus driving out an evil spirit in his synagogue. (Luke 4.33-37)

6. Probably wealthy, leader in the village (synagogue ruler)

B. His unnamed daughter

1. 12 years

2. Probably betrothed

C. A mourning crowd

D. Jesus and His disciples

II. The stories involving them

A. Jairus’ daughter at the point of death

1. ἀποθνῄσκω; ἒἰμὶ ἐν θανάτοις (an idiom, literally ‘to be in death’): to be in imminent danger of dying; to face death, to be likely to die.

2. Probably everything else had been tried, so he came to Jesus

3. The incident with the unnamed woman delayed Jesus, so that the girl died before He got there.

4. People from Jairus’ house reported the death

5. Jesus asked Jairus to have a greater faith vs. 50>>Luke 8.50

6. Jesus spoke to the girl and her spirit returned; touching her made Jesus unclean

7. This is the last we hear about Jairus or the daughter

B. The woman wants to be healed from her hemorrhage

1. Leviticus 15. 19-27 Imagine the social consequences

2. She wasn’t allowed in the crowd

3. She made Jesus unclean by touching Him; probably why she tried to do it secretly.

4. Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”, not for information, but to get her to publicly confess her faith

5. She was probably fearful of what Jesus and the crowd would do to her.

6. Faith was involved in this healing (also Jairus’)

7. This woman is the only one Jesus called “daughter” as recorded in the four gospels

C. The crowd could not believe Jesus

1. This child was so close to death that the mourners could not wait to get started

2. A rich family would hire many mourners. Matthew mentions flute players

3. Archeologists have found bones of people put in tombs alive.

4. This girl’s spirit was gone Psalm 146.4; Ecclesiastes 12.7

5. They laughed at Him

6. Jesus wouldn’t let them go in, so they missed a great miracle

III. Lessons

A. Jesus’ power and authority

B. Jairus and the unnamed woman became believers, as we should

C. Jesus ties healing and salvation together vs. 48, 50>>Luke 8.48, 50

D. When great change comes to us, we cannot escape notice vs. 47>>Luke 8.47

E. Jesus was willing to become unclean to help others; are we?

Conclusion: We can’t help people, personally, if we don’t get involved. And getting involved means getting dirty.