Living Miracles: Jesus fulfills the Law
Notes
Transcript
This morning we are going to be in what is referred to as a sandwich story. We will jump back into the primary story next week which is Jarius and his daughter, but this week we are going to focus on a woman who for 12 years has had a condition that makes her ceremonially unclean, and by the law makes anyone who comes into contact with her unclean. We will see that she has spent her life possessions trying to find healing. She is in a deeply desperate position that prevents her from getting the help she needs. There are some challenges we will see that Jesus fulfilled in this passage. Jesus took what was directed in the Old Testament and He turns it on its head.we will dive into the Old Testament today we will see the laws that God established to protect His people and we will see how in this passage that Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets.
A duck hunter was with a friend in the wide-open land of southeastern Georgia. Far away on the horizon he noticed a cloud of smoke. Soon he could hear crackling as the wind shifted. He realized the terrible truth; a brushfire was advancing, so fast they couldn't outrun it. Rifling through his pockets, he soon found what he was looking for--a book of matches. He lit a small fire around the two of them. Soon they were standing in a circle of blackened earth, waiting for the fire to come. They didn't have to wait long. They covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and braced themselves. The fire came near--and swept over them. But they were completely unhurt, untouched. Fire would not pass where fire already had passed.
The law is like a brushfire. I cannot escape it. But if I stand in the burned-over place, not a hair of my head will be singed. Christ's death has disarmed it.
Today we are going to be in Luke 8:43-48 and in this passage we will see three things.First, Profound proof- Jesus fulfills the law. Second, the cultivated conviction- its more than the touch. Third, the declared destiny- reunited in faith.
Turn with me in your Bible to Luke 8:43-48
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
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1. Profound proof- The law fulfilled
1. Profound proof- The law fulfilled
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
When we look at this scripture we would initially say, no Jesus did not fulfill the law, in all actuality because of the law Jesus would become unclean. You would be correct from the first view and from the wording of the law. Here is the thing about the law though, the law is there for a purpose. In this specific situation we are not talking the mosaic law but are going to look at the levitical law. This woman was not unclean or unworthy because of breaking Mosaic laws(the 10 commandments) she would have been ceremonially unclean as seen in Leviticus.
Leviticus 15:25-30
“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.
in this scripture we see that this woman is cerimonally unclean and as such it would be improper for her to be in the presence of others in general. She would have been excluded from society.The issue at hand though is not her uncleanness, it is what the uncleanliness caused, separation from society and God. Why? Look back at the scripture.
“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.”
This law was given as a way to protect the people from harm. God would not tolerate sin in His presence nor would He tolerate anything unclean. The Israelites were given these commands to protect them from the death that would result from bringing unclean things before God. Now the question we have to answer is, how then did Jesus fulfill the law by this woman touching him and her being healed? From the appearance, this woman broke the law and Jesus was now unclean. We must go back to the purpose of the law. What again was the purpose of the law? It was to restore relationship. God gave the levitical laws so that He and His people could fellowship together. He gave these laws so that when they entered into the tabernacle they could fellowship with Him without the fear of death. If the this was the real purpose of the law, we can see that Jesus while it would appear from our vantage point was now unclean and the law was broken, in the healing of this woman He actually fulfilled the purpose of the law.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
The law was given as a guardian to allow us albeit limited, to have fellowship with God. When Jesus came in He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the purpose of the law.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Jesus understood that the law was just a shadow of what God really gave us the law for, relationship.
Hebrews 10:1
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
Jesus fulfilled not the specific lines of the law but the ordained purpose of the law. Remember when Jesus healed on the sabbath, ate with tax collectors and sinners, and forgave sins? All of these things considered to be breaking the law, yet in what He did Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the law. This is what we must understand, Jesus did not break the law, He fulfilled its purpose.
A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by adoring New Yorkers 'the Little Flower' because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.
One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor." the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten days in jail."
But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant." So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.
Why does this illustration matter? It helps us to understand that the law is there for a reason, Jesus did not come to get rid of laws, what He came for was to free us from the penalty of the laws and our failures by paying the price. Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the law. So we understand the fact that while Jesus was ceremonially unclean, He fulfilled the purpose of the law in His life, this is how Jesus operated. So with that understanding of Jesus purpose, this should cultivate a conviction in each of us that it is more than just being around Jesus, it is more than just the touch, it is our belief in what He does that overcomes sin and separation in our lives.
2. Cultivated Conviction- Its more than the touch
2. Cultivated Conviction- Its more than the touch
And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”
Now we turn our attention to the woman and the crowd. Here is what stands out to me here. What did Peter say to Jesus?
Luke 8:46
And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!”
Peter said, Master look at all these people how could it be that someone did not touch you! His response was not that oh no Lord, no one touched you. It was the opposite, Jesus how do you expect not to be touched? It was not just the touch though that made this encounter significant, it was the woman’s belief that Jesus could do what no doctor had been able to do in 12 years. It was not for her that Jesus was going to elevate her status, that she could take a picture with Jesus and say look I was at Jesus fest 25. No she touched Jesus because she believed in what He could do. She was willing to break customs and laws to get to Jesus so she could be healed. This is what I believe the problem is in the post modern world of faith. We want to habe our picture taken with Jesus, He is cool now. Jesus is no longer the heretic making the priests life miserable, Jesus is pretty cool in post modern faith in America. How many people though are willing to really chase after Jesus, to do whatever it means to be in His presence? Jesus has become a convenience for so many people, I hear it week after week. I would have read my Bible this week but was too busy, I need to have more prayer time, I’m just too busy. I know I need to do this or I need to do that but I just have too much going on. Listen I’m not going to make an argument for filling your calendar so you can prove your love for Jesus, but He should be more than a convenience for us. The things that bring us closer to Jesus should be priority. It was not this woman’s proximity to Jesus that healed her, it was Her belief in Him and her desire to touch just the hem of his clothes. We are growing up in a world where proximity to Jesus is easy to find. Look at the number of people wearing faith shirts, Jesus fish in cars, I love Jesus, do you stickers. Proximity to Jesus is not the issue. Our conviction should be do I want to be around Jesus or with Jesus? There is a difference.
Canadian professor and researcher, Beverly Fehr conducted a research study on love and commitment. It was very simple. She had two equivalent groups. One group came up with all of the attributes and characteristics of love, while the other group brainstormed all the attributes and characteristics of commitment. She simply then compared the two lists and found that around two-thirds of the words used for commitment were also used for love. What was her conclusion? Commitment is intrinsic to the very notion and concept of love.
But in today’s dating world, people are trying to get love without commitment. Researchers have a new word for this new relationship status—a "Situationship."
Time magazine defines it this way:
Somewhere between great-love and no-strings-attached lies a category of relationship that is emotionally connected but without commitment of future planning. It includes going on dates, having sex, building intimacy, but without a clear objective in mind. Enter situationship.
Situationships are one of the fastest growing relationship trends, which underscores the desire of many singles for an obligation-free relationship. The 2022 Tinder Year in Swipe Report noticed a “49 percent increase in members adding ‘situationships’ to their bios, with young singles saying they prefer situationships as a way to develop a relationship with less pressure.” Although situationships are touted as “more clearly defined than a hook-up,” they still retain tremendous ambiguity with no clarity of commitment, boundaries, or future togetherness.
Church Jesus power is not relevant in situationships. Notice all the people touching Jesus who did not say, I’ve been healed! There was one woman who believed in the power of Jesus and was more in love with the person of Jesus than proximity to Jesus. Let me ask you in your life, are you more comfortable with proximity to Jesus or do you really want a relationship with Jesus? We are called to commitment to the person and mission of Jesus.
The Bible tells us what our desire should look like
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
In healing this woman Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the law, she did not want to be close to Jesus, she believed in Jesus, these 2 things led to the declared destiny of a restored relationship.
Perhaps you could focus on the moment when Jesus feels the power go out from Him. Here, Jesus acknowledges the woman's faith publicly, transforming her secret act into a powerful testimony. This act illustrates how Jesus' response to faith reaches beyond the boundaries of social and religious norms, aligning with His fulfillment of the Law. You might explore how believers today can encounter Jesus, transforming personal acts of faith into testimonies of grace.
3. Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You
3. Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You
And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
The law was “broken” yet fulfilled in the person and power of Christ. This resulted in Jesus condemning this woman and telling the others to stone her, right? No! It resulted in Jesus calling her what? That’s right daughter. Jesus desire to restore and her desire to believe in His power resulted in a restored relationship with her and Him, her and the Father, and her and her community. The declared destiny is that faith heals completely. She was healed but more than the physical healing she was welcomed as a daughter into the family of God. This woman declared publicly before everyone why she touched Jesus. She condemned herself according to levitical law, yet Jesus set her free. Her belief in Jesus, set her free from the law, fulfilling the purpose of the law. This is the freedom that the Bible teaches us about. It is for freedom we have been set free. A better way for me to think about it, it is for relationship I’ve been set free. Jesus calls us His own and heals us from all things, spiritual healing is physical healing.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
see these scriptures do not say that the purpose of the law is not fulfilled. What it says is that if you seek God and a relationship with Jesus, you are set free from the law but you will fulfill the law just as Jesus did and said. Are you looking for peace? Are you looking for healing? It is found in faith in Jesus.
In this section, Jesus calls the woman "daughter," signifying inclusion and peace. Consider explaining that by affirming her faith publicly, Jesus demonstrates that her healing is not only physical but also social and spiritual. You could suggest that through faith in Christ, believers find peace and restoration, transcending the limitations of the Law. Highlight how this story invites us into a relationship marked by grace and acceptance.
