Luke 8:40-56 — Shhhh… it’s a secret…

READ THIS: Luke 8:40-56

40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. 

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” 

49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

This passage shows us Jesus healing two people: a woman who has been struggling and hurting for 12 years, and a 12-year-old girl that has passed away from illness. These stories definitely have some differences, but they both teach us very important things about the way Jesus cares for His people.

The first thing we learn about Jesus here is that He heals others because of their faith, not their past or anything else about them. With the older woman, she is healed simply by touching Jesus’s clothes because she truly believes that even grasping them would be enough to heal her. With the child, Jesus brings her back to life because of her father’s faith. Jesus even points this out Himself, saying “just believe, and she will be healed.” In our lives, we can be confident that Jesus is working for our good and that He can and will bring healing into every place He needs to. Now, that doesn’t mean that Jesus will always bring healing any time we want it, but we can trust that He is working towards what is best for us and Him!

The second thing we learn here about Jesus is that He doesn’t heal us for attention, praise, or anything like that… He heals us because He loves us! When Jesus heals the older woman, He doesn’t make a scene or spectacle out of it. Instead, He heals her and sends her off to live in peace. When the young girl is brought back to life, Jesus sends everyone out of the room except for the girl’s family and His 3 closest disciples. Jesus teaches us here that when we serve and care for those around us, we shouldn’t be doing it for attention. Instead, we should be serving others to give God glory and to show others Jesus’s love!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. How have you seen Jesus bring healing or revival in your life? What has that looked like?

2. Why is it important that we learn to serve others without being seen by many?

TRY THIS:

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches about the way we should serve others! Try to model your care for others after this passage today:

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.