Luke 8:41-45

Luke 8:41 (KJB)
And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:

Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue in Capernaum. Even though he held the highest position in that Synagogue, he did not think it was beneath him to kneel at the feet of Jesus and to worship Him. Jairus no doubt had heard of the way Jesus had healed many from his hometown the last time He was there and now since his daughter had become very sick or even had died by the time he got to see Jesus, he wanted to see if Jesus would heal his daughter.

Luke 8:42 (KJB)
For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

Mark and Luke both teach that as he went to find Jesus that his daughter was just on the verge of death but Matthew details the fact that she had already died. (Mat 9:18 KJV) While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. Jairus had much faith that Jesus could raise her from the dead and give her life again. He asked Jesus if He would come to his home and just lay His hands upon her and she would live. Jairus had requested Jesus to come to his house and just lay His hands upon her and she would be healed or live again.

Jesus acted immediately upon the man’s faith and arose from teaching and proceeded to go to the man’s home. His disciples also came with Him to the home. Not only did His disciples accompany Him but there was also a great crowd that came. The word “thronged” in the Greek carried with it the meaning of “a multitude being pressed together.” In other words, the crowds were so thick that they were literally pressing themselves together with Jesus.

Luke 8:43 (KJB)
And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

Since this woman had a problem with hemorrhaging, she would have been considered unclean under the law. (Lev 15:25 KJV) And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. She had suffered with this problem for twelve years which would have rendered her unclean for that entire time. It is not sure as to what the “issue of blood “ was but it would have rendered her unclean all the time she had it.

In ancient times there were many superstitions involved with healing practices. They were all useless and most of the time they were just fanfare to make it look like something was happening and once they got the person’s money, that was as far as they would go. This is why this woman probably had gone to a number of physicians because each one would have some kind of ritual. So since there was no healing, the logical situation was that she was getting worse because she had a debilitating disease. In fact, George Washington was killed by his doctors because they kept bleeding him until his body was unable to produce any more blood and he died. This woman kept trying and you have to admire her persistence because she could have just left the place where she was living and gave up, but she didn’t.

This scenario reminds me of people who go from one religion to another in search of inner peace and they find none because all they visit are false religions. Then there are those who go from church to church in hopes to find salvation but all they find is ceremony and ritual. It is not until they come to the Lord Jesus Christ and become saved by Him will they find what they are looking for. Back in the 1960’s one of the biggest terms was “I need to find myself.” The problem is that when you found yourself you were still lost and you would not like what you found. It is only when you are found by Christ that life has meaning.

Luke 8:44 (KJB)
Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

Once she touched the hem of His garment, immediately the flow or issue of her blood stopped. The word “issue” which can also be understood as flow in this verse states that not only was the symptoms of her disease healed but also the source of what caused the bleeding was now healed. Jesus does not just take a sinner and cover their sins in salvation, He removes them and that removal causes one to feel clean. This woman experienced that in her body. Once the source of the disease was dealt with, she felt in her body that great feeling of being truly healed. (Mark 5:34 KJV) And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. The word “plague” in the Greek used here in Mark 5:34 carries with it the meaning of “being scourged with a scourge.” Her disease was so debilitating that every time it happened, it was a weakening of her body as if she was scourged with a Roman scourge. That was how powerful her disease was and after Jesus healed her, she felt real healing and a strength returning to her body.

Luke 8:45 (KJB)
And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

Jesus knew immediately that someone had touched His garment and that resulted in power going out of Him. The woman had much faith that Jesus could heal her and that faith caused some type of power transfer from Jesus to the woman for the purpose of healing her issue of blood. In that great crowd of people, many were touching Jesus because they were literally pressing against Him.

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