READ: Luke 8:40-56: … And immediately her flow of blood stopped … Go in peace … Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping … and her spirit returned, and she arose immediately …
Jesus continues to perform incomprehensibly great miracles. Everyone who hears and sees Him ought surely to acknowledge that He is the promised Christ, the Son of God who has taken the form of a man. It is therefore grievous to see how few members of God’s people acknowledge Him. Even when He speaks, only a few truly believe Him.
In this passage of Scripture we again read of a resurrection from the dead. Just as with the dead man at Nain, Jesus now touches the dead girl and gives her this command: ‘Child, arise.’ To show all the unbelieving bystanders that she is truly alive, He asks them to give her something to eat. What a glorious miracle! But also what a denial of Jesus by the mourning people who even dare to contradict Him and ridicule Him (v.53). Yet the Lord does not want to be known as the ‘miracle worker.’ He wants them to have true faith in Him as the Savior. Therefore He forbids the parents to make the miracle known further.
On the way to the girl, another miracle had already taken place: the woman with the flow of blood is healed. She has suffered from bleeding for twelve years. As a result, she is not only unable to bear children but is also regarded as unclean and excluded from the life of the covenant community (Lev.15:19ff.; Num. 5:1-4).
She is unclean, and everyone she touches also becomes unclean. It can be compared with leprosy. In this way the Lord God wanted to keep the awareness of sin and guilt sharp among His people.
Now this woman goes to Jesus when she hears that He is nearby. She wants to seek her healing from Him. Remarkable, in a people with so many unbelievers! But how can she reveal the secret of her affliction publicly? She thinks that she need only touch His garment; that will be sufficient for her healing. She will also have thought: if I touch Him, He will not become unclean, for He is the great Healer. That is great faith!
Jesus recognizes that faith and actively heals her: ‘Your faith has saved you.’
What do we learn from Jesus’ healing of the woman?
Sing: Ps. 103:3,5