Next Week, Lunch -

Pot luck.Healing of the Women

Psalm

Psalm 103 ESV

Of David. 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Prayer list:

•Russel & Lawanda’s family

•Doyan – face numb

•deaths in the family

•Karen – double pnom covid

•Cheryl’s mom – back issues

•Community:

•Carol Hamm mother out of hospital

•Bobby

•Gary -

•Mary Ann’s family

•Paul’s death – Comfort family

•Mary Ann’s niece has breast cancer (Kay’s daughter)

•Mary Ann’s nephew (Cary?) has lymphoma

•President and Nation

Chayanne Smith

Coluntae Smith

Drew and Amy

Harley Bixler

Kim Bloom

Sandra Fletcher

Scott Andrews

Susan Curtin

Betty and Tracy

Matt 9:18-26

Matthew 9:18–26 ESV

18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Compare and Contrast

This same story is in Mark and Luke. This story is about the two ladies who have more similarities than we realize on the surface.

As we compare and contrast these ladies, I will pull details from all three versions of the story.

Matthew is the shortest Story at 8 verses vs Luke at 22 verses. We will look at why a little later.

This ruler we read about in Matthew is named Jairus and he was the ruler of a synagogue near Capernaum. As such, he has a high position, was a learned man, and knew about things that are clean and unclean. He was there to get help for his only daughter.

The woman is unnamed. It is believed that at one time she was a woman of means or came from a family of means. She “had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. (Mark 5:26)

Both Jairus and the women were desperate. Jairus’ daughter was dying. The woman had been bleeding for a very long time.

In fact she was bleeding for 12 years - the same amount of time Jairus’ daughter had been alive.

They both heard about Jesus. Jairus acted on behalf of his dying daughter. The woman acted on her own behalf.

Both had faith.

And Jesus healed both women.

It is no accident that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all insert the story of the woman into the story about Jairus and his daughter.

Verse by Verse Overview.

Matthew 9:18–19 ESV

18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.

While Jesus was saying these things - These are the things we studied last week. Jesus was answering the question about fasting and taught about how Christianity would not just be a patch on Judaism, but it was something new. It was not something in the line of Abraham, but it went all of the way back to Genesis 3:15 where God promised Adam a saviour.

Heb 5:5-6: So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

Heb 5:9-10 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Also in Heb 6:20; Heb 7:1; Heb 7:10, 7:15, 7:17.

Jesus was a descendant of David - of the Tribe of Judah. He was not a priest in the line of Aaron.

Jesus was not born to provide yet another sect of Judaism. HE was born to be the saviour of the whole world.

His life and His purpose was not just for Judah, it was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that through his descendants the entire would would be blessed.

It was at this time that Jairus came to Jesus and asked for help.

While the Greek is unclear whether she just died as it seems in Matthew or was about to die as is more likely in Mark and Luke isn’t the issue. Matthew appears to pass up the issue of her being near death and receiving word of her death. Luke is precise in his story to capture the details of the story. Matthew skips a few things to get to his point quickly.

In both versions, Jairus is asking Jesus to save his daughter from death and bring her back to life and health. Matthew is focusing on the faith of this man who was a Jewish leader when so few Jewish leaders believed in Jesus. Because he was named, he was probability alive and part of the church when Mark and Luke were written as is often the case when names of those healed are in the gospels.

English Standard Version Chapter 9

20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”

Consider both the desperation and the faith of this woman. Consider what this illness cost her.

We already mentioned about the money she has spent for doctors.

We already mentioned the pain and suffering she suffered at the hands of the doctors.

Loss of blood has other consequences she was most likely facing such as tiredness and lightheadedness.

According to Lev 15:25-27, The woman would have been ceremonially unclean and, therefore, cut off from the ceremonial observances of the community. She could not worship and her contact with other people would have been restricted because if she touched them, she would be unclean.

We don’t know if this woman was married, but we do know that if she was, this would have affected the marriage. She could not touch her husband without making him unclean. They weren’t able to be intimate.

Yet she had faith that all she needed to do was to touch his garment - his outer cloak. If the did that, she knew she would be healed.

We are not sure if she thought about the consequences. If she touched him, he would be unclean. He would need to be purified in order to be part of society. He would need to be purified in order to teach. But for her it had been a long 12 years and no one - even Jesus would ever know.

She had her plan and she executed it perfectly.

Luke tells us that “She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.”

Although she succeeded, the story does not end there. Luke continues in verse 45 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!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 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.

Mark and Luke saw this confession of the woman as important, but this is not important to Matthew.

Matthew 9:22 ESV

22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

Matthew just concludes the story with a note - Jesus saw her, commented on her faith, and healed her. Short and to the point.

But it isn’t quite that simple. When Jesus spoke, he told her that her faith made her well. Many translations say that her faith healed her. But those translations lack the deeper meaning that the Greek word implies.

The Greek word used here is: sózó and it is best translated as “to save or save.

Jesus called her daughter - he understood her pain. He communicated his love for her in the tender words he used. He communicated his love for her in understanding that she needed more than just physical healing. She also needed spiritual healing. He communicated his love for her when he sold her she was saved - a word that meant she was healed physically and spiritually.

This was more than she expected when she went out to touch his garment.

But isn’t God always more than we expect? Doesn’t He always know what we need - even when what we ask for isn’t what we need?

Matthew 9:23–26 ESV

23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

The story pans back to Jairus’ daughter, Jesus kicks the mourners out and brought her back to life.

Everyone was talking about this. The end.

For Matthew, this is how the story ends. Jesus heals a woman and raises another. Two people with faith and Jesus is shown to be God

But Luke doesn’t end there. He has a different focus. Remember, in his version, the girl was on her deathbed, but alive when Jairus went to find Jesus. Not his servants told him that the child has died and that he should no longer bother the Teacher anymore.

Jesus reassures him with these words: Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well (Luke 8:50) Then he made good on his promise in the presence of only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s parents.

We know it was more than just a healing because Luke is specific that her spirit returned to her.

Unlike the woman who was healed publicity, Jesus instructed Jairus and his wife not to tell anyone what had happened.

Conclusion

This week, we learned about how Jesus healed 2 women. In 2 weeks, we will look at how God heals 2 men.

But today’s story isn’t just about these 2 women. Yes, it is a story about the faith of Jairus and the woman. But that is only part of the story.

What is more important is how Jesus listened to the women and knew what they really needed. He didn’t need to scold the women, he needed to comfort her. She needed to know God loves her.

Contrast that to how Jesus speaks to the religious leaders. They do not need to know that God loves them. They need to be put in their place. They need to be shown what truth is.

But that is the great thing about God. God knows your heart this morning. God knows what you are thinking. God knows what you have been through. God knows what you are currently going through.

You can hid behind your mask this morning. You may be able to hide your heart from everyone here, but you cannot hide from God.

SO many people throughout this nation are praying for our country. Yet so many of us have not been willing to humble ourselves before a holy God.

Where are you at? Have you humbled yourself before a holy God? Have you asked God to heal this land? Have you asked God to heal your heart?