Acts 9:10-19

ruler of the synagogue - A synagogue would have multiple rulers. The roll of the rulers was to perform and oversee various duties such as selecting readings and teachers, to then observe and make sure that what was being taught was accurate, and to make sure that the services were done appropriately. In many ways rulers of the synagogue did the work of modern day Pastors.

So when we see this man Jairus being introduced as a ruler of the synagogue we know that if nothing else he is a man committed to the Jewish religion even if we do not know know what his theology was exactly.

Jairus (Ja-i-rus) - whom Jehovah enlightens

Luke tells us that the daughter of Jairus is about 12 years old..

Luke 8:40–42 ESV

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

Thronged - to press in from all sides

Verses 25-31

Now if you are Jairus you are not so happy that this interruption took place. Jairus was in a state of desperation over his little girl who was at the point of death when he left her to find Jesus.

But as Jarius has had the joy of a child in his life for 12 years, this lady has had the agony of this medical condition that made her unclean for those same 12 years.

Leviticus 15:19–31 ESV

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge. “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”

Here the woman gently and desperately touches the garment of Jesus as the multitude throngs Him. She does so with great faith knowing full well that if she is found out she will be in great trouble for making the masses unclean.

This woman unlike Jairus was an outcast who would not be permitted entrance into the Temple to worship God because of her uncleanness. She would be set apart from society and outside of the great pain and expense of her repeated visits with doctors she would have little to no face to face interaction with people.

Please notice that while this unclean woman touched Jesus it was her who was made well and made clean not Jesus who was made unclean.

Do you think Jesus didn’t know who touched His clothes?

He knew perfectly well who touched His clothes, He asked for her benefit not for His own.

While everyone was pressing against Jesus, this women deliberately and desperately touched the hem (some scholars believe the tassel) of His garment having faith that He could heal her.

Verses 32-34

He looked around knowing who touched His garment, but waiting for her to see Him looking for her. Waiting for her to meet His gaze so that she could come and confess what had been done for her.

The woman knowing what had happened to her - This woman can now come and confess the healing that God had brought to her life. She like us can know that God has done something in us, but still doubt if it was real. This was her opportunity to say it out loud and have it confirmed by Jesus.

On a much smaller level than this I remember being healed of a lifelong allergy to fruits and vegetables. Liana was fasting for 40 days and decided to join in by doing a Daniel fast. Banana pudding… I knew deep within me that I was healed… I had to then believe that healing and take a step of faith to proclaim that healing and walk in it.... Next day we went to the produce department where I pretty much bought one of everything...

But look at the grace and mercy of our Jesus as He calls her daughter. A wonderful term of endearment and display of His great love for her.

Go in peace and be healed - This was Jesus assuring her that what just happened was real and permanent. This woman could leave that place knowing that she was actually healed, not momentarily, but truly healed permanently of her issue of blood.

While it is interesting that she touched His garment instead of Jesus stopping to lay His hands on her and touch her, there was no power in the garment itself, it was merely the point of contact for her faith.

Her healing came as a result of her faith. By faith she came out that day knowing full well that if she was caught she would be in big trouble for being so close to everyone else and making them ceremonially unclean. By faith she made her way through the crowd that was thronging Jesus at risk of her being hurt by the crowd. By faith she saw Jesus and made her way closer and closer to the point of ultimately exercising her faith by reaching out to touch just His garment. By faith she felt in her body that she was healed. By faith she responded to Jesus when He asked who touched Him and looked around to meet her gaze. By faith she walked back to Him in that great crowd even though she did so in fear and trembling and she fell down at His feet. By faith she told the whole truth of the matter exposing herself to Jesus and to that great crowd of people. By faith she recieved she recieved the word of Jesus which assured her of her healing, peace, and a fresh opportunity at life. And though it doesn’t say it, no doubt by faith she returned to the Temple to worship God for the first time in 12 years to thank God, and by faith she returned to her home and her family to proclaim all that God had done for her that day.

Verses 35-36

While Jesus was still speaking to the woman...

Jairus this man who had been faithful to God for many years and proved his faithfulness through service to God and God’s people as a ruler of the synagogue has patiently (or perhaps impatiently) waited through this whole ordeal with the woman who was just healed. He has been trying his best to get Jesus to his home to lay hands on his daughter so that she too might be healed before she died and now it is all over.

Jairus gave it his best effort, but the thronging crowds and now this woman were just too much of an interference to getting Jesus to his home fast enough to save her life.

Jairus too was exhibiting his faith wasn’t he? By faith he went against what he knew the Rabbis, chief Priests, Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees thought about this rebel Jesus and went to Him for healing anyway. By faith he risked the ridicule of not just the religious leaders, but even the ridicule of his family and friends to come to this Jesus that they were told to stay away from. By faith he implored Jesus to lay His hands on his sick daughter who was close to death. By faith he walked with Jesus through the streets knowing that he was now going to be known as a follower of Jesus just by walking the streets with Him. By faith he patiently waited out this whole ordeal with the woman in the street, and now after all of that he is told the worst news he could possibly receive. His precious daughter who has spent 12 years watching grow up before him has died.

Can you imagine? I have daughters at home one of which is very close in age to Jairus’s daughter. My mind would be flooded with the thoughts of her first smile, the first time she said dada, her first steps, her first tooth, her first lost tooth, the times she came to me to be held and comforted, and many many other precious memories. All of the possibilities for her life now gone.

What about Jairus’s faith? Was it all for nothing?

No of course not...

This whole event was to be used to further build Jairus’s faith, so that he would be able to trust Jesus even with this bad news.

Do not fear - Stop being afraid

only believe - it is a command to continue to believe

Listen family, regardless of our situations in life we too must stop being fearful. We must be a people of faith not fear. We must continue to believe by faith in what God has spoken to us in His word and in our time of prayer with Him regardless of what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears.

Verses 37-43

Peter, James and John are the inner circle of disciples. They are for some reason the guys that Jesus allowed to come with Him during some very special times including His transfiguration on the mountain.

a commotion - these were professional mourners that were hired to really do it up to add to the moment. These people were not actually mournful about Jairus’s daughter. We know that because they go from the commotion of weeping and wailing loudly to laughing at Jesus’ words.

Laughed at him - ridiculed Him. The tense in the Greek tells us that they really ridiculed Him. They didn’t stop, but continued. I’m sure that was not at all helpful to Jairus nor his family.

Jesus put these ridiculing faith wreckers outside where they belonged.

Jesus healed both the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years as well as the 12 year old girl. He responded to the faith of both the woman and of Jairus. For the woman she had 12 years of misery and had lost all hope and all of her other resources before this day where she could place her faith in God and finally receive her healing. For Jairus he had a blessed 12 years with his daughter whom he loved and a wonderful life with a prominent position that would speak of great faith in God, but that faith was really made great through the testing of the events of that day.

It is interesting to note that while the woman came privately she was healed publicly and while Jairus came publicly his daughter was healed privately.

You see there is no one size fits all when it comes to the way that Jesus meets the needs of those who come to Him by faith. The only requirement is faith in Him.

Communion

Luke 22:14–20 ESV

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

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