05-28-2023 – “Jesus Responds to Saving Faith”

Bible Text: Luke 8:40-56 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
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May 28, 2023
“Jesus Responds to Saving Faith”
Luke 8:40-56

        Please turn to Luke 8:40-56, and follow along as I read through it.

See Luke 8:40…  Unlike the inhabitants of Gerasa, on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the people of Capernaum on the north western shore had been waitng for Jesus to return.

Mark 5:21 tells us there was a large crowd of people, no doubt, there were many who were hoping to be healed of their diseases, illnesses and infirmities.  Jesus was popular in Capernaum and He loved to be with the common people, to teach them God’s Word and to show them God’s compassion.

        See Luke 8:41…  A man named Jairus, a ruler in the local synagogue, falls at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come to his house, as his one and only daughter, who is 12 years of age, is dying.  Mark’s narrative tells us (5:23) that Jairus said to Jesus, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.”

        See Luke 42-44…  As they begin to leave for Jairus’s house, a woman, who has suffered from an incurable bleeding affliction for 12 years, comes and touches Jesus’ outer clothing; and according to (Mark 5:28) “saying to herself, ‘If I can just touch His clothing, I’ll be healed.’”

Amazing faith, this woman believed she could be cured by simply touching Jesus’ clothing [lit. the fringe of His outer garment].  Note: A tassel fringe with a blue cord was a reminder to obey God’s commandments (Numbers 15:38), “Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.”

Upon touching one of the tassels, the woman with the issue of blood was healed immediately (Luke 8:44) and her bleeding stopped.

Mark 5:26 tells us more about her condition, “she had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse.”  This poor woman had suffered greatly at the hands of many so-called doctors, they had taken all her money, but instead of getting better she had actually gotten worse.

        See Luke 8:45-48…  Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him, He turns around to the crowd and asks, “Who is the one who touched Me?”  Mark 5:30 records Jesus saying, “Who touched my garments?”

Peter answers, stating the obvious, saying that all these people are crowding in around the Lord, it could have been anybody.  To which Jesus says, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”

 

Jesus looks around, waits, and the woman comes to Him, falls at his feet, and tells Him what she has done; and at this point Jesus tells her she is healed and she can go in peace.  The Greek (Luke 8:48; Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34) literally says, “your faith has “saved” you. “Go in peace?”

        See Luke 8:49-50…   We are told that while Jesus was speaking to the woman, some men came from Jarius’ house to tell him that it is too late, his daughter has died, and he should no longer bother the Teacher [Jesus]; but Jesus says to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid any longer; only believe and she will be made well [lit. saved].”

        See Luke 8:51…  Jesus only allowed Peter, James, John, and the girl’s parents, to go with Him into see Jarius’ daughter.

Matthew 9:23 tells us that Jesus entered Jairus’ home amidst a bunch of commotion, as musicians and mourners were making much noise. .

See Luke 8:52-53…  Jesus silences the crowd saying, “the girl is not dead, but is only sleeping.”  The people laugh at Jesus [lit. laugh in His face] with repeated outbursts about the girl not being dead.  Jesus sends them away and only the girl’s parents and Jesus’ 3 disciples go in to her.

        See Luke 8:54-55…   Jesus takes the girl by the hand and says, “Child arise!”  Mark 5:41, “Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”..Immediately, the girl gets up (Mark 5:42) and walks around the room, and those who are there marvel at this!

Luke 8:56…  Jesus gives strict orders for them not to tell anyone about what has happened.  Not that it was going to be kept quiet, I mean, the musicians, mourners, other family members, and friends, they were definitely going to find out and when they did, they would most likely spread the word about this miracle.

In fact, Matthew tells us (9:26), that after Jesus raises the girl back to life, “news of this spread throughout the region.”

Jesus already had a reputation for His supernatural power: healing diseases, casting out demons, feeding multitudes with a few scraps of bread and fish, calming the winds and the sea, and now, raising the dead!

Jesus’ main purpose was not to heal diseases and feed hungry people, but whenever the crowds found Him, He had compassion on them.

Jesus came to bring the Good News of Salvation, to heal sick hearts, souls, and minds, to cast out fear and unbelief. Mark 1:38, “Let us go… so I can preach… that is why I have come.” Romans 1:16, ”The good news is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

 

When Jesus came, there was extensive disease, poverty and hunger among the people; He was forever reaching out to care for and love them.

According to Mark 5:43 Jesus said to Jarius’ family, “give the girl something to eat.”  Jesus had just brought this girl back to life, and she needed sustenance to regain her strength.

The Scriptures are full of examples of Jesus showing compassion to hurting people, no matter what nation, tribe, culture, or level of society they came from.

In today’s narrative, Jesus showed compassion to an outcast woman who had suffered for 12 years with an incurable disease; He then showed compassion to a synagogue official whose 12 year old daughter had become sick and died.

In both cases, there was a need that couldn’t be fulfilled by anyone else.  The truth is, it is our greatest need that brings us to God our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord, so that by believing in Him we have forgiveness for all our sins and we are eternally saved from any condemnation

Romans 3:10-12, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one”

Romans 3:22-24, “The righteousness of God [comes] through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Jesus said (Luke 5:31-32) “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Whether we admit it or not, we all have a fatal disease, it is called sin, it separates us from a relationship with God and puts us at enmity with Him; and best the only cure for this fatal disease is Jesus Christ!

 

Jesus came to save those who are lost and separated from life with God because of sin, spiritually dead, having been taken captive by the darkness.

2Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 6, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

In John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are One,” (John 14:7), “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

See John 1:1-5, 9, 14, 18…

John 14:19-21, “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 23, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our [home] with him.”

Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

In Jesus Christ we have the Light of God, and Life with God. 

John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me” (cf. Acts 2:21; 4:12).

Mark 1:14-15, “Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe [trust, have faith] in the gospel.’”

 

 

 
What is the Gospel?
 

 

1Corinthians 15:1-4, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

 

God loves us so much He sent His Son to take our punishment for sin by dying on the cross; so that anyone/everyone who repents of sin and believes in Jesus Christ as Savior receives forgiveness and eternal life.

 

        God responds to faith that believes (1John 5:5), “Jesus is the Son of God,” He alone can save us. 11-13, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

Do you know for sure that you have received forgiveness for your sins and that you have eternal life from God?  If you are not sure, you can clear that up with God right now, right here.

 

2Corinthians 6:2, “For [God] says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation.’”

 

 

 

 
Pastor Mike Hale