God’s Delays
TRANSLATION
(40) Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. (41) Then a ruler of the synagogue named Jairus came, fell at Jesus’ feet, and begged him to come to his house (42) because his only daughter, about twelve years old, was close to death. As Jesus went with him, the crowd pressed in on him, (43) and a woman was there who had experienced a discharge of blood for twelve years and had spent all her living on physicians who could not heal her. (44) She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately her discharge of blood stopped. (45) Jesus said, “Who touched me?” And when everyone denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowd surrounds you and is pressing in on you.” (46) But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I know that power went out from me.” (47) When the woman saw that she could not hide, she came trembling and, bowing before him, declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had immediately been 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 house of the synagogue ruler came saying, “Your daughter is dead. Do not bother the teacher any longer.” (50) But Jesus hearing it, answered, “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be healed.” (51) And when he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother. (52) Everyone was weeping and mourning for her. However, Jesus said, “Do not weep. She is not dead but asleep.” (53) And they laughed at him, certain that she had died. (54) But taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “My child, get up.” (55) And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he told them to give her something to eat. (56) Her parents were amazed, but he charged them not to tell anyone what had happened.
OBSERVATIONS
In this segment of his Gospel, Luke, a medical doctor by profession, described two remarkable healings performed by Jesus. Having been summoned by Jairus to treat his dying daughter, Jesus delayed his arrival at Jairus’ house to meet the needs of a woman who had suffered for twelve years from a discharge of blood. Repetitions included “daughter” (vss. 42, 48, & 49), “twelve years” (vss. 42 & 43), “woman” (vss. 43 & 47), “child” (vss. 51 & 54), “dying/dead” (vss. 42, 49, 52, & 53), “discharge of blood” (vss. 43 & 44), “healed” (vss. 43 & 47), and “touched” (vss. 44, 45, 46, & 47).
OUTLINE
I. Jairus begged for Jesus to come and heal his dying daughter. (40-42a)
II. Jesus delayed his arrival to minister to the woman with a discharge of blood. (42b-48)
III. Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter back to life after she had died. (49-55)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus glorified God and demonstrated his divine authority first by healing a woman’s twelve-year affliction and then by raising the twelve-year old daughter of Jairus from the dead.
APPLICATION
Luke intentionally juxtaposed the age of Jairus’ dying daughter, twelve years, with the time the woman had suffered from her discharge of blood, also twelve years. We tend to focus on the frustration Jairus must have felt when Jesus delayed his coming to attend to the needs of the woman who had touched his garment. We too easily forget that the woman had been waiting to be healed for as long as Jairus’ daughter had been alive.
When such illnesses beset us, we wonder why God has allowed such sufferings to enter our lives. The answer in both cases was clear: to bring glory to God in displaying the power of the Son. That was precisely the answer Jesus gave his disciples when he received the news that his friend, Lazarus, was ill and delayed his going to heal him: “This illness will not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn. 11:4). Whenever we suffer because of illness or “delays” in God’s answering our prayers or whatever other problems we may encounter, we need to focus on the assurance that there is nothing in our lives that cannot bring glory to him if we will only allow him to have his way with us and trust in his sovereign will for us no matter how long we have to wait for the answer.