Talitha Cumi - Luke 8:40-56 - March 26, 2023

 Luke 8:40-56 Talitha Cumi

Good morning! Please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 8:40-56, page 866 in the pew Bibles.

It seems to me that the Lord has been driving home a message over the last few weeks. I don’t know if you’re hearing it, I don’t know if it’s even for you or if it’s just for me.

It’s the lesson of the gifts given to the disciples in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. A reminder of their powerlessness, and of Jesus’ almightiness.

When the disciples were on the Sea and tossed around by the waves and water started filling their boat they thought they were going to die and that there was nothing they could do about it so they went to Jesus. In Jesus’ almightiness he calmed the storm and calmed their hearts.

It’s a great reminder that in our pride we often think that we are in control of our lives but as soon as a storm whips up, reality is revealed to us that we are indeed powerless, but the eventual stopping of every storm is a reminder of Jesus’ almightiness, whether it’s immediate or over the course of time.

Our text for this morning is another reminder of the frailty and weakness of mankind and the great power of our Savior. It is the overlapping account of the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman with the issuance of blood. Last week we looked at the woman who was healed and today we’ll look at Jairus’ little daughter.

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. 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. 

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And 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. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” 

49 While 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. 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.

Let’s pray.

I know that some of you here have been in Jairus’ shoes, I know that Karole-Ann and I have. We once watched a helicopter take off for the hospital with our baby boy, blue, and barely able to breathe. In that hour we were desperate for help, desperate to hear if Sammy was going to live. As evidenced today, praise God, he did!

But I can resonate with that feeling of desperation, of not knowing whether or not my child would live. But I can only imagine what this desperate father would have felt if help was finally on the way but got interrupted by somebody else’s problem and while delayed the word comes that it’s too late.

This was for me and for Jairus, powerlessness on display. I couldn’t help Sam and Jairus could no longer help his little girl. Sam got the help he needed in time and made it to the hospital and received the care he needed to get better but for Jairus’ daughter, the assumption was that it was too late. The assumption was that nobody had power over death. It is one of life’s two great constants: death and taxes.

I’d offer a third great constant: The almightiness of Jesus.

49 While 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.”

Only believe and she will be well. The word Jesus used is “pisteou,” to believe, to have faith, to trust, to have confidence.

This reminds of another time Jesus raised somebody from the dead, a friend named Lazarus in John 11.

Jesus was speaking to Lazarus’ sister just before raising him from the dead

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Though this was a very real situation with very real people Jesus shows that He is in fact the resurrection and the life in the life of Lazarus, in the life of this little girl, and in the life of everyone who believes in Him.

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.”

Jesus said that the little girl was only sleeping because her death was only temporary.

I shared at Anita’s service last weekend that we often think that this is the land of the living, and that when we die we go the land of the dead. The opposite is really true – this is the land of the dying, when our life here is over, we are transferred into the land of the living – either to a place of eternal joy or to a place of eternal destruction. There are only two possible destinations.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Sleep is a normal experience that we do not fear, and we should not fear death… At the resurrection, the body will be ‘awakened’ and glorified, and God’s people will share the image of Christ.”

When Jesus said that the little girl was only sleeping all those who had gathered to mourn laughed at Him. In First Century Israel you couldn’t wait a week to bury someone who had died. Mourners, sometimes hired, professional mourners, would gather immediately and the body would be anointed and prepared for burial right away, usually within one day.

I can’t imagine Jairus and his wife laughing at the words of Jesus that the little girl wasn’t dead but just sleeping, but professional mourners? Probably.

Jesus put everybody out of the room except the little girl’s parents, Peter, John, and James.

These three disciples were chosen to witness Jesus’ power over death here in this room, at the Mount of Transfiguration they would witness that He would be glorified in His own death, and in the Garden of Gethsemane they would witness His willing submission to death.

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.

In both cases, both with this little girl and with the woman with the bleeding issue, human resources were at an end, they were utterly powerless to fix their problems, and it caused everybody involved considerable suffering. But as Ray Stedman said, “He is able to meet the suffering of the heart, whatever its cause, when the world’s resources are brought to an end.”

This man, Jairus, and his family were powerless to fix his little girl. He could not bring her back to life. His resources were at an end.

But this is exactly the meaning of Romans 8:28, I’m sure you’ve heard it, especially when everything is your life went sideways, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Why did the woman bleed for twelve years, spend all her money on doctors, and reach out desperately for the hem of Jesus’ garment? Why did this little girl get sick and die only to be raised by Jesus?

For you. For you and for everybody else that needed to be reminded of our powerlessness and Jesus’ almightiness. Not just powerless in the face of the difficulties of this life but powerless in the face of sin and its consequences.

The physical reality of the death and resurrection of this little girl is a picture of the spiritual reality of our own being dead because of our sin.

Ephesians 2:1-10 says,

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, (Just like the little girl) 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh m and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The Lord Jesus encouraged Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe, be confident, have faith, trust, and she will be well.”

The same is true for us, for you, “Do not fear; only believe, be confident, have faith, trust Jesus and you will be well.

Your sickness may not be cured, your earthly problems may not go away, but by trusting in Jesus our real problem, our sin and its eternal consequences is dealt with forever on the cross of Christ.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Amen.

The Hem of His Garment - Luke 8:40-48 - March 19, 2023

 Luke 8:40-48 The Hem of His Garment

Good morning! We are back in the Gospel of Luke this morning, chapter eight, verses 40-48, page 866 in the pew Bibles.

I’d like to say thank you to Nate for bringing the Word last Sunday and hopefully enriching your understanding of the works of CS Lewis. I love to look for the gospel symbolized in books and movies, it’s a lot of fun and can deepen our experiences and entertainment.

In Luke’s Gospel account in chapter eight Jesus performs two miracles that kind of overlap but we are going to examine them one at a time, first the healing of the woman with the discharge of blood and next time the raising of Jairus’ daughter.

So let’s look to the text and look to the Lord.

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. 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. 

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And 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. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Let’s pray.

So let’s remember from two weeks ago where Jesus was coming from at the beginning of our text. He was coming back across the Sea of Galilee from the country of the Geresenes where he had freed a man from a whole legion of demons but was rejected by the people there and begged to leave their country. So Jesus left them and returned to Galilee where it appears there was a crowd waiting there on the beach for Him to return.

What a contrast, on one shore an angry mob that drove Jesus away and on the other a happy throng eagerly anticipating His return. No sooner had He stepped foot on shore a man named Jairus came to Him and told Him about his dying daughter.

Now, I don’t want to focus on Jairus and his situation at all but I think it bears mentioning him just to point out the contrast between him and the woman that Jesus is about to heal.

Jairus was the ruler of the local synagogue. This fact shows that he was a well known and well respected person in the community. He was the kind of person that the people in town would want Jesus to help. Nobody would question Jesus for agreeing to help this man and go to his house to see his sick daughter, and, in fact, they all went along with Him as He went.

Verse 42 says, As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

These were clearly not New Englanders, we like our space. But this crowd was all squeezed together and pressed in to Jesus as they walked from the beach to Jairus’ house and that’s when our story takes a turn.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

Now this woman could not be more different than Jairus. Jairus being the ruler of the synagogue in town was way up on the religious ladder but this lady was at the bottom, not because of sin but because of blood.

The Levitical laws made any woman with an “issuance of blood” ceremonially unclean. You can read about that in Leviticus 15:19-22. Anything she touched, any chair she sat on, the bed she slept on, and anybody who even touched her would be ceremonially unclean.

This may not sound like a big deal to you but it was to her. 

Twelve years of suffering, not just with a physical ailment and the problems that go with that but twelve years of social separation. This poor lady had spent all she had on doctors and medicines trying to be healed and only got worse. She was sick, and poor, and alone. 

Defiled, destitute, discouraged, and desperate, and then along comes Jesus.

What’s interesting to me is the quality of this woman’s faith.

In Matthew’s account, in Matthew 9:21, he records that woman thought to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”

This woman’s faith is only half a notch above superstition. Her understanding of Jesus was that He was a powerful healer. He had healed other people in their synagogue already and was on His way to help another and, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment, I’ll be healed.”

And even with her mixed up ideas of faith and superstition she joins the crowd pressing in on Jesus and gets her chance.

44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?”

Honestly, if we were there I think we’d probably say the same thing as Peter did in response to Jesus.

45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!”

This whole thing seems ridiculous. This whole crowd of people pressed in around Jesus as He’s walking along, all squeezed together and Jesus asks, “who touched me?” The best part is when everybody says, “It wasn’t me!” They all deny touching Him even though everybody was touching Him.

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”

And then our defiled, destitute, discouraged, and desperate lady comes forward.

47 And 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. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

The difference between her touch of the Savior and everybody else’s was her motivation. Everybody else was touching Jesus just because the crowd was all squished together but this lady, in her imperfect mix of faith and superstition, intentionally reached out for the hem of His garment.

And she was healed, she was healed completely. Not because she understood fully, but because she trusted in Jesus.

John Calvin wrote, “God deals kindly and gently with His people, accepts their faith, though imperfect and weak, and does not lay charge to their faults and imperfections with which it is connected.”

So why did Jesus ask, “Who touched me?”

It wasn’t because he didn’t know, it wasn’t because he was ignorant. I think there were two reasons Jesus asked who touched Him.

The first is that Jesus knew who touched Him and what had happened, and the woman knew that she touched Him and what had happened, but nobody else knew what had happened.

Jesus calls this lady out to tell her story. Verse 47 says, 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.

Think about that for a second. This lady had suffered for twelve years for this moment. All the pain and heartache and loneliness, for all those years led her right here to Jesus, to this moment, a moment that would not only change her life but would define the rest of her life on earth. Telling the story of how she suffered and how Jesus healed her just by touching the hem of His garment would be the song she would sing into eternity!

The second reason I think that Jesus asked who touched Him was a rebuke to the crowd.

Who was touching Jesus? According to Peter, everybody was! But not everybody experienced the blessing that this lady did.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “You can be a part of the crowd and never get any blessing from being near Jesus.” I think there’s a warning there for us as well. So don’t just settle for just being near Jesus or going to church or doing Jesus-y things, reach out for Him in faith even if it’s only for the hem of His garment.

And when he changes your life tell people the story, share your testimony, nobody can argue with a changed life.

Amen.

Pigs Aren't the Point - Luke 8:26-39 - March 4, 2023

 Luke 8:26-39 Pigs Aren’t the Point

Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 8. This morning we are going to look at verses 26-39 and that’s on page 865 in the pew Bibles.

Last week we examined in the verses previous to these Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. And now Jesus and His disciples have arrived on the far side of the Lake in the region of the Gerasenes.

Again, we’ll get a chance to see the principles that we have been examining over the last few weeks put to work. I’m not going to give any more introduction than that, let’s just jump into it.

26 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. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 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? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 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 drowned. 

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 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. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 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. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Let’s pray.

So this is a very significant event in the Gospel record so far, do you know why? I’ll tell you right off, it has nothing to do with the pigs.

In order for us to fully understand the meaning of any given text of Scripture, we have to explore its meaning to its original audience because the Bible can never mean what it never meant. If we skip over this part we will never understand the true meaning of any part of Scripture.

The first thing we need to understand is where this event takes place. Luke calls it the region of the Gerasenes, a region on the shores of the Sea of Galilee near what is called, “the Decapolis,” which means ten cities. What makes this significant is that it is not a predominantly Jewish area. The people living here were a mix of Jewish, Syrian, and Greeks. There was also a great deal of pig farming. Mark records around two thousand pigs drowned in this account. Also at least one demon possessed man, Matthew records two but Luke only pays attention to one, living among the tombs the place of the dead. 

So what is significant about those details?

First, and most simply, this was Jesus’ contact with the Gentile world. Remember that a Gentile is anyone who is not Jewish, Greeks and Syrians are not Jewish, and those Jews who chose to live among them would be looked down on by the rest of the Jewish world.

For a Jew to associate with a Gentile would make them unclean. To have contact with pigs would make them unclean. To have contact with dead bodies would make them unclean.

So here comes Jesus, pulling up to shore near the tombs, near a huge herd of pigs, in a Gentile country and He is confronted by a man with an unclean spirit. A naked man. And seeing a naked man also made them unclean…

This man who was plagued by demons, who could not be bound, for a long time, it says, he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but lived among the tombs. This guy was about as bad off as you could get.

Do you remember the first gift in the storm from last week? It was the reminder of our powerlessness.

This poor man was utterly powerless. The disciples felt it in the face of the storm on the sea, this man felt it every minute of every day.

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? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.

Even demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God, what they don’t do is repent and ask for forgiveness.

30 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.

Now we don’t know how many demons were present in this account, we do know that a Roman Legion had as many as six thousand soldiers in it, and Mark records this Legion going into around two thousand pigs so I think that it is safe to say that there were a lot.

But even so, thousands of demons were forced to bow down at the feet of Jesus the Almighty. And this reminds us of the second gift the Disciples were given out on the lake, the reminder of Jesus’ almightiness, here we see it in action again.

John Calvin said, “The whole of Satan’s kingdom is subject to the authority of Christ.”

And now… The pigs… This is the part where, Alistair Begg said, the home Bible studies get totally derailed.

The legion of demons begged Jesus not to command them to depart into the abyss. This may be a reference to the bottomless pit described in Revelation 9:11 and 20:3, some scholars confidently claim that they mean Hell which, I think, is based on a poor understanding of what Hell is, but that is a discussion for another time.

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 drowned. 

The legion of demons recognizes Jesus’ power over them and their inability to operate without His permission and so they beg Him to let them enter the herd of pigs. This is where the home Bible study goes off the rails.

What does Jesus have against pigs? I had a pet pig and I loved it. I once had a German Shepherd that everybody thought was possessed. Can demons still possess animals? Was Kudjo based on a true story?

Believe it or not, the pigs have very little to do with the point of this account. 

Wise scholars like JJ vanOosterzee say this: “Why the demons desire to go into the swine is a question which we, so far as we are concerned, can answer only with a confession of the entire incompetence of our intelligence on this mysterious ground.”

John Calvin wrote, “While the reason of it is not known by us with certainty, it is proper for us to behold with reverence, and to adore with devout humility, the hidden judgment of God.”

The truth is, the question of the pigs is not even worth considering if it means that we take our eyes of the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. 

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 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. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

Here is where the formerly demon possessed man received the third gift, the gift of worship. He had been cleansed by the Lord Jesus, clothed by the Disciples and sat at His feet in reverence.

But where the newly cleansed man worshipped Jesus and wanted to stay with Him, the people of the surrounding country wanted nothing to do with Jesus and wanted Him out of there. This, sadly, still happens today.

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. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

It’s impossible to know why the people rejected Jesus there. They must have known the man, they must have known the state he was in before but it didn’t seem to matter. Were they afraid of losing more pigs? Maybe they were just content with the way things were and they didn’t want anybody stirring up any more trouble.

What’s curious to me is that Jesus granted the request of the legion of demons, He granted the request of the people who rejected Him and left the region, the only person’s request that he didn’t grant was the one who trusted in Him. 

He just asked to go with Him so that he could be with Him, can you blame Him?

Do you hear echoes of this in your own life?

I was talking with a friend this week about wanting the Lord to come back so we wouldn’t have to deal with all of the junk of this fallen world but we were reminded that every day that the Father waits to send Jesus back for His church is a kindness not a curse, it’s another day that millions of people can come to faith in Jesus and be saved.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

If Jesus had taken the man back to Galilee with Him there would be no one to declare what had happened to him, no one declaring what God had done through Jesus. He left Him there as a witness the same reason that we are left here, to be His witnesses, to declare how much God has done for us.

“In the person of one man Christ exhibited to us a proof of His grace, which is extended to all mankind. Though we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us as his slaves till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny. Naked, torn, disfigured, we wander about till He restores us to soundness of mind. It remains that, in magnifying His grace we testify our gratitude.” –Calvin Amen.