Luke 8:40-56
"While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not; believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not, she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done," Luke 8:49-56.
In the previous messages from this text of Scripture, we have pointed out that there is no person alive on earth today that has the power to work miracles. Many say they can work miracles, many claim to have worked miracles, but none can produce any proof of genuine miracles being performed by any person today. We use the word "miracle" very loosely today. A miracle is something only God can do. It cannot be explained by science or by doctors. A miracle would be someone without an arm having an arm, or without a leg having a leg, or having an issue of blood no longer having an issue of blood, or someone who is dead being raised from the dead. The healing of your ingrown toe nail is not a miracle. A miracle is something only God can do. As we learned last time, God works miracles according to His will.
In our text in Luke 8:40-56, a lot has happened in a short period of time. Christ has come back across the sea of Galilee from Gadara. When He got back a multitude of people were waiting for Him. Among this multitude was a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue. Jairus fell down at the feet of Jesus on behalf of his only daughter who was sick to the point of death. Jairus begged Jesus to come to his home and heal his daughter. Every second matters. As Jesus went to Jairus's home, the crowd thronged Him. This would cause the travel time to increase. Then Jesus stops and asks who touched Him (verse 45)? We read what happens in verses 46-48. While Jesus is speaking to the lady with the issue of blood, someone is working their way through the crowd towards Jesus and Jairus. He is the bearer of bad news. Let us pick up in Luke 8:49.
"While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master," Luke 8:49. This is not what Jairus wanted to hear, but he heard it anyway. "Thy daughter is dead" would echo through his mind. It would be real easy to start blaming the crowd, the woman who was just healed, and even blame Jesus for his daughter's death. If, if, if, and pointing his finger the whole time. We cannot live in the ifs. There would be a roller coaster of emotions as Jairus is standing beside Jesus. Jairus would hear this man speak, he would hear the gasps from the crowds, he would look at Jesus, and if they were close enough to his home, he would be able to hear the people bewailing his daughter's death. Thy daughter is dead, don't bother the Master, it is too late. What went through his mind?
"But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole," Luke 8:50. Jesus gives two commands in this verse, "Fear not, believe only." It is a lot easier to read this than to put it into action. Even at the moment that we believe, we still have unbelief. Turn to Mark 9:14-27. "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief," Mark 9:24. "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; not forward, but out of the way: he found in himself some small degree of faith in the power of Christ, but it was mixed with much unbelief, through the greatness of the child's disorder; and therefore desires it might be removed from him, and he might be helped against it: he saw it was not in his own power to believe; nor had he strength of himself to oppose his unbelief; but that both faith must be given him, and power against unbelief… "help" the defect of my faith, till up that which is lacking in it, it is very deficient, Lord, increase it. Help the weakness of my faith. He found his faith very weak, he desires it might be strengthened, that he might be strong in faith, and give glory to God; and in this way belief is helped, or men helped against it: every believer, more or less, at one time or another, finds himself in this man's case; and also that it is necessary to make use of the same petition; for faith is but imperfect in this life, and often very weak and defective in its exercise." John Gill. When Jesus Christ walked this earth and did miracles, no man had any reason to boast, and when God works miracles in our day, no man has any reason to boast. Faith is a gift from God.
"And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not, she is not dead, but sleepeth," Luke 8:51-52. The multitude had followed Jesus to Jairus's house. Out of the multitude and His own disciples, He only allowed five people to follow Him into the house. There were already people inside and outside of the house mourning for the girl. "Bewailed" means to strike or beat one's body, particularly the breast, with the hands in lamentation, to lament, wail. These would be hired mourners. In the midst of all this Christ tells them to stop weeping because she is not dead. Here is where faith comes in again. Do they believe Jesus? Everything is going to be ok, but at the moment it doesn't look like it, and no one else is saying it is going to be ok.
"And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done," Luke 8:53-56. Jesus ejected those who derided Him. Christ made her whole, He raised her from the dead, and immediately she rose up. This was truly a miracle. No person is able to do this today. Her parents were amazed, and no doubt joyous. Their daughter was alive. Christ had healed her. But one thing is for sure, this girl would one day die (Hebrews 9:27). In this world, during this life, we will have tribulations, troubles, sorrows, pains, sickness's, and death; but in the world to come we will not have any of these things. Turn to II Corinthians 4:5-5:8; I Peter 1:1-9; Revelation 21:1-5.
We have been given great and precious promises from the One Who loved us from before the foundation of the world. Have you by faith trusted in Christ alone for salvation (Acts 4:12; John 6:37)? Our God is good and faithful. Don't be duped by deceivers.
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Soli Deo Gloria.
