Matthew 9:18-26
¹⁸While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”
¹⁹Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.
²⁰And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; ²¹for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” ²²But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.
²³When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, ²⁴He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. ²⁵But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
²⁶This news spread throughout all that land.
Devotional
In this passage of the Bible we meet two very different persons.
A “vip” (a very important person. An acronym after the abbreviation V.I.P. for very important person) and what we might call “a gray mouse” (a dull, inconspicuous person).
Jesus has personal attention for both.
As long as the Bridegroom is with them, there is no need to fast and mourn (Matthew 9:15).
Both Jairus (See Mark 5:22,23) and the woman are having a very hard time.
- Jairus suffers because of his dying daughter.
- Due to her constant blood loss, the woman lacks energy and is also isolated. Because anyone who was unclean could not actually leave the house. Anyone who came into contact with you or your belongings became unclean as a result (Leviticus 15:25-28).
Both put their trust in Jesus in their own way.
- You can tell by the way Jairus treats Jesus that he is used to giving orders (Matthew 9:18).
- The woman seeks it in anonymity (Matthew 9:20).
But there is faith in the heart of both;
both are courageous.
- Jairus takes a risk by contacting a preacher in his circles.
- The woman risks the wrath of the masses by simply moving among the people.
Although the woman wants to go unnoticed, Jesus wants to let it be known that her healing is not due to the impersonal touch, but to her faith. And that He also came to deliver the unclean from their isolation (cf. Isaiah 61:1-3).
He addresses her as ‘daughter’ (Matthew 9:22).
She is welcome in the circle of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:17,18).
Jairus will have experienced this woman as a huge obstacle.
After all, his daughter is dying.
By making Jairus wait, Jesus makes it clear that waiting is inherent in faith.
While the opposite may sometimes appear to be true, the wait pays off.
Nothing is too much for Jesus: He awakens the girl. Not in the way Jairus had prescribed for Him, but in his own way.
For Jesus, death is no more than a sleep (Matthew 9:23-25).
One day He will awaken all who have fallen asleep in faith.
What a feast that will be (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)!
Question
- In imitation of Jesus, in what way are you active in releasing people from their isolation?
Prayer Suggestion
- Give yourself, with everything that makes life difficult, to Jesus.
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