A
desperate father & a woman of faith
Scripture:
While he was
saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My
daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will
live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so
did his disciples.
Just then a
woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and
touched the edge of his cloak. She said to
herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned
and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed
you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
When Jesus
entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing
pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not
dead but asleep.” But they
laughed at him. After the crowd
had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this
spread through all that region. Matthew 9:18-26
Observation:
In this
passage, Matthew records two subsequent incidents, where Jesus heals a woman who
had been bleeding for 12 years, and raises a little girl from the dead.
Right while
Jesus was telling John the Baptist’s disciples about the patch of unshrunk
cloth and the old and new wineskins, a synagogue ruler appears and kneels
before Jesus. In those days, synagogues were gatherings which consisted of Jews
in the vicinity who came together to hear the Torah read and be instructed in
the Jewish faith. A synagogue ruler would be someone who was in charge of the
building where the synagogue met and also appointing the various persons who
would be on duty for the service, which was held on the Sabbath. Usually,
wherever there was at least 10 Jewish men, a synagogue would be formed, and
this was the way the Jewish faith was preserved through the centuries up till
today. In any case, a synagogue leader or ruler was someone of respectable
standing, and at the time, with many of the Pharisees and teachers of the law
already against Jesus, it was not easy for a synagogue ruler to come to Him and
risk the wrath of the religious elite. Nevertheless, this synagogue ruler was
no longer bothered with all that for he was in such sorrow in regard to his
daughter who was dying or even already dead at the time. In desperation, the
father came to Jesus, whom he heard had healed the sick and cast out demons,
hoping that the Lord could somehow heal his daughter.
While walking
to the synagogue leader’s house, a crowd accompanies Jesus, and just then, a
woman with an issue of blood approaches Jesus and touches the edge of his
cloak, believing that she will be healed. Jesus noticed her and tells her “take
heart daughter, your faith has healed you”. Is healing dependent on the
supplicant’s faith then? In another portion of Scripture, it is written how
Jesus could not do many miracles in his own village because of the lack of
faith of the people. Notice how the woman kept telling herself “if only I touch
his cloak, I will be healed”.
At the ruler’s
house, Jesus tells the mourning band to go away because the girl is only
sleeping, but they just laugh at him. Nevertheless, Jesus just goes in and
takes the girl by the hand, upon which she gets up to everyone’s great
amazement. The Lord has shown His authority even over death.
Application:
Drawing from
the experience of the woman with the issue of blood, we can see that while
Jesus’ power is ready and available, faith is also a most important factor on
the part of the supplicant or intercessor. When we pray for healing, we must
believe that our Lord Jesus is able and willing to heal.
Do
all get healed? Do all get raised from the dead? Certainly not! However, our
part is to pray in faith. The healing or miracle is God’s prerogative according
to His wisdom and timing.
Another lesson
we can learn from this passage is the father’s desperation. The father was
desperate to the point he no longer cared about his position as synagogue ruler
or what other people thought, he just wanted his daughter to live, and cried
out to Jesus with all his passion. When we seek with Jesus with such passion
and desperation, it is inevitable things will happen. Let us learn to be
passionate in our prayer.
Prayer:
Praise You, Father Lord, for Your generosity
and love towards us. Praise You, Lord Jesus for Your compassion, for those who
are lost, for those who are sick. Just as You healed the woman with the issue
of blood, and You raised Jairus’ daughter so long ago, heal today O Lord. You
are the same yesterday, today and forever. Teach us O Lord to pray with
passion, with desperation. Let us see Your power come in deep reality into our
lives. May Your name be praised always, precious Lord! In Jesus name, Amen
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