Luke 8:40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

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1 THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 39. Jesus: Full of Grace and Lord of Life Luke 8:40-56 Luke 8:40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. FIRST the passage is going to finish reading to us is a continuation of the events that had just transpired on the other side of the Sea of Galilee in which Jesus demonstrated his absolute authority over the demonic realm Luke 8:26-27; 28; 30-33; 35; 37 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons.. 28 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? Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 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. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 35 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 37 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.. 40Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. THIS CONTINUING series of events is packed with relevance for us today Things haven t changed in nearly 2,000 years. Jesus was sent away by some but welcomed by others. 1

2 Dr. Luke uses really graphic language to describe the size and behavior of the crowd Jesus stepped into Luke 8:42 As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. pressed = to crush; to compress with violence; to strangle Peter corroborated Luke s description Luke 8:45Peter said, Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you! AGAIN It is really important for us to see this crowd and what Jesus does in this crowd as a continuation of very specific events. In this sequence of events the Holy Spirit is painting a composite portrait of Jesus for us. In the mega storm that came down on the Sea of Galilee Jesus revealed to us His absolute authority of Jesus over the seismic forces of nature. When confronted by the man possessed by a legion of demons Jesus revealed to us His absolute authority over the demonic realm. This was not the press of fans trying to get close to a celebrity. This was the press of men and women desperate to get close enough to Jesus in the hope that that He might touch them or their loved ones and make them whole. It is in this press of countless desperate people that we meet one man and one woman. They couldn't have been more different! The woman was anonymous, suffering privately for 12 years now hopeless and broke. The man was a wealthy and very well known. But they had one thing in common: They both discovered they needed Jesus. The woman needed Jesus because she had been suffering for twelve years. The man needed Jesus because his daughter had been healthy for twelve years was now near death. That s so important for us to see because Jesus doesn't just save one kind of sinner He saves all kinds of sinners! The ground is level at the feet of Jesus. In fact Jesus said John 6:37 whoever comes to me I will never cast out In these very different lives we are going to see what it is that moves us to Jesus and most importantly how gracious, compassionate and powerful Jesus is to save when we come to Him! In this crowd was a man named Jairus. 2

3 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. The ruler of a synagogue was the elder in charge of the public services and the care of the facilities. He saw to it that people were appointed to pray, read the Scriptures, and give the sermon. He presided over the elders of the synagogue and was usually a man of reputation and wealth. 1 And falling at Jesus feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. How many of you have a daughter? If you do, you know something of the pathos of this picture. It s not hard to imagine how wrecked Jairus was! His 12 year old daughter is on her death bed. He not only made his way to Jesus but when he got there he fell at the feet of Jesus and begged Jesus to come to his house. When we dig into this man s background we discover that there was a lot more than a dad s desperation in operation here. As we saw Luke tells us that Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue. Not a synagogue but the synagogue. That would be the synagogue in Capernaum. That was the synagogue in which Jesus healed the man with the withered hand back in Luke 6. The Gospel of Mark (Peter s eyewitness account of that healing) tells us what happened after Jesus healed that man. Mark 3:6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. Jairus was in the mix of the religious rulers that rejected Jesus and plotted to destroy Jesus. For this guy to get to Jesus and fall at the feet of Jesus not only involved a dad s desperation it involved incredible humility, vulnerability and intensity. HUMILITY By the very act of coming to Jesus for His daughter Jairus admitted that he had been on the wrong side of Jesus. BOLDNESS Jairus was not just another Galilean falling at the feet of Jesus. He was a very public figure! Everyone knew who he was. People he 1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 203). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 3

4 didn't know knew who he was! This was no secret meeting with Jesus like Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night. Everyone knew who he was and everyone was going to know what he did including the most powerful men in the religious life of Israel who were the arch-enemies of Jesus. By coming to Jesus Jairus was risking his position and his reputation in Israel. That is at the heart of what it means to be bold. DEFINITION: BOLD showing an ability to take risks Jairus speaks volumes to what it looks like to come to Jesus. Coming to Jesus involves risks. QUOTE: Keller Commitment (faith) is putting your weight on something to the point of vulnerability. More on faith in a moment. In Jairus we not only see humility and vulnerability we also see great intensity! There was nothing half-hearted about the way Jairus came to Jesus. He held nothing back. Luke 8:41 NKJV And he fell down at Jesus feet and begged Him to come to his house, Mark 5:22-23 KJV he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly HERE S THE PICTURE The need for Jesus moves you to humility, vulnerability and intensity. Humility, vulnerability and intensity are essential components of the thing that moved this man to Jesus FAITH. Mark s Gospel (again Peter s eyewitness account of this amazing moment) gives us insight into the faith of Jairus. Mark 5:22-23 he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live (KJV - and she shall live). Remember Jairus was not connected with Jesus in any way when he saw Jesus heal the man with a withered hand in his synagogue on the Sabbath. He was at best a skeptic and a critic of Jesus, and at worst an enemy of Jesus along with the Pharisees who were plotting to kill Jesus. In Luke 6 4

5 Jesus was totally aware of how desperate Jairus was going to be in Luke 8! Jesus had Jairus in mind when He healed the man with the withered hand! THIS IS SO HUGE When the SKEPTIC or even outright enemy of the Gospel sees Jesus meet you in your brokenness and fill your life with His power it is a seed planted for that desperate time that is yet to come in their life! In Jairus we see that REAL FAITH moves a man or a woman to humility (admit that they have been on the wrong side of Jesus), vulnerability (willing to risk all), and intensity (nothing half-hearted / all in). When I look at Jairus I see a miracle! It is the greatest miracle in God s universe for a man or woman to come understand and admit that they ve been on the wrong side of Jesus. It is the greatest miracle in God s universe for a man or woman to be willing to risk the loss of position and reputation (in N.T. language count everything as loss ) in order to come to Jesus. It is the greatest miracle in God s universe for a man or woman to say I m all in for Jesus. Listen to this declaration of I m all in for Jesus Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Jairus is such a miracle! I m so thankful for all that the Holy Spirit teaches us by way of Jairus. But then with just a phrase the Holy Spirit shines the spotlight on Jesus! 42.As Jesus went Mark s Gospel says it like this Mark 5:24 And he went with him. That simple sentence is so radical so revolutionary so counter to every manmade religious system. The man who had at best been a skeptic comes to Jesus broken, humble, and desperate and Jesus says, Lead the way! THAT is Jesus! John 1:1; 14 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 5

6 and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is the same today! He still receives ALL (even former skeptics) who come to Him in faith. In verses we meet the anonymous woman. 42. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, This woman had NO LIFE. For twelve years she was a physical wreck. Here is what the Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament says about the term Dr. Luke used Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (an idiom, literally a fountain of blood ); (a set phrase, literally flow of blood ): the loss of blood through menstrual bleeding loss of blood, menstrual flow, bleeding. 2 Ladies, try imagine that! Husbands try imagine that! Unthinkable, right? What did her iron levels look like? Super anemic! Try to imagine her fatigue. What did her hemoglobin levels look like? Then there s the emotional and spiritual fatigue of chronic illness. It wears you out emotionally, wears you out spiritually. This was life for this woman for twelve years! We have no way of understanding the despair she must have felt (I can t help but think of Petra Fenn). But that s not all! According to Leviticus 15 she was considered unclean. No one could get near her No one could touch her No one could have anything to do with her. She couldn t go to temple. She couldn t go to synagogue. She couldn t be around children. She has been untouched and untouchable alone and isolated from family, society and worship for twelve years! 2 Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 273). New York: United Bible Societies. 6

7 and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. Mark s account reads it like this Mark 5:26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She was physically broken, emotionally, spiritually and socially broken, and now she was financially broke worse off then when all of this began! THAT is hopeless! DON'T MISS THIS Jesus was her last resort. Things haven t changed in 2,000 years. Again Mark s Gospel gives us an amazing detail! Mark tells us WHY she even thought of going to Jesus! Mark 5:27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. She went to Jesus because she had heard of Him. She heard that there was another doctor in town! One thing s for sure she didn't hear about Jesus from the religious leaders. She didn't hear about Jesus from her family because she was cut off from them. She heard about Jesus from the outcasts in Israel, like Levi and his friends. They told her how Jesus sat with them. She heard about Jesus from another category of unclean people in Israel lepers. She heard how Jesus could make a man full of leprosy clean. She would have thought, If Jesus reached out His hand and touched the unclean leper, maybe I can touch Him. Mark 5:28 For she said, If I touch even his garments, I will be made well. Literally she kept saying within herself if I touch the hem of his garments, I will be saved made whole. HERE S THE DEAL Tell someone about Jesus! You might not even know that they are desperate. You might have no idea that they have an area of brokenness that is very private an area of brokenness that they ve never revealed to anyone. They may have exhausted every resource and are worse off than when they started and they are utterly hopeless. 7

8 44She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. With what little strength remained in her super anemic body she made her way to Jesus through this massive crowd. NO ONE or NO THING was going to stand between her and Jesus! For her it all boiled down to this I MUST GET TO JESUS! THAT is what REAL FAITH looks like. I MUST GET TO JESUS! For some people the crowd that stands between them and Jesus is what others might think of them. REAL FAITH says, I don't care what others think about me if I give my life to Jesus I MUST GET TO JESUS. 44She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. This was a real healing, not psycho somatic. 45And Jesus said, Who was it that touched me? A few things here FIRST Mark tells us that Jesus stopped and turned around and said that! Imagine what was going on the heart and mind of Jairus. But this delay was no more outside of the control of Jesus than the mega storm that came down on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus was on His way to rescue the demon possessed man in Gadera! SECOND There was a massive crowd pressing and pushing aginst Jesus but there was one person who TOUCHED Jesus. That is such a 8

9 powerful picture. A lot of people pack into parking lots and pews of churches but not everybody TOUCHES Jesus. THIRD Jesus didn t ask the question because of an information deficit. He asked the question for the sake of this woman. She believed on the power of Jesus but she did not yet know the person of Jesus. Jesus wanted to reveal more of Himself to her. 47And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, She was trembling because she was afraid that she had defiled Jesus made Jesus unclean. But here s the deal her impurity couldn't defile Jesus instead the purity of Jesus made the woman pure. THAT is such a powerful picture of the Good News. When men and women defiled by Sin make their way to Jesus His purity makes them pure! 47And 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. This wasn t a matter of, Wow, the bleeding stopped but I'm sure worn out. She was immediately made whole! Her blood chemistry was perfect! Jesus is the Lord of life including life on the cellular level! 48And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace. Jesus didn t rebuke her. Instead He says, You're my daughter Your faith has made you whole go in peace. We could read it as go into peace. Because of Jesus she went from relentless physical illness into peace from emotional torment and loneliness into peace. She came to Jesus broken and walked away into peace. Back to Jairus I can't help but think that when Jairus heard Jesus call this woman daughter that he was thinking What about MY daughter, Jesus? Remember her? 9

10 49While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler s house came and said, Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more. 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well. 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping. 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. Note the patience and care of Jesus for these who believe in the face of those who mock. Jesus took them to the place where they would see His power. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, Child, arise. 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. JESUS Full of Grace and Lord of Life! I ll close with one last cross reference in Mark s account. Mark 5:42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), Compare Mark s detail with Luke 8:43 Luke 8:43 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, Twelve years earlier a woman s life fell apart. At that very same time this little girl came into the life of Jairus. She was the light of his life! How different life s circumstances can be and how in a moment they can change for the worst. Yet Jesus is full of grace and Lord of life in both. 10