MATTHEW 9: 18-26 [THE MESSIAH REVEALED SERIES]
THE REACH OF FAITH [THE INTERRUPTIONS OF LIFE ]
[1 Thess. 4:13-18/ Mark 5:21-43/ Luke 8:40-56]
After three non-miracle events Matthew returns with a flurry of miracle activity [in verses 18-34]. The raising of the dead and the healing of the issue of blood mark the first instance in a third triplet of Jesus' miracles. The previous triplet of miracle took place by the Word of Christ, this triplet occurs by Christ's hand or touch.
What brings people to Jesus? What caused you to come to Jesus? People came to Jesus because He was involved in ministry. Jesus was exercising authority and compassion that brought healing and life to people (CIT). Here we find the story of parental grief and personal shame and suffering which brought people to Jesus.
While Jesus was about His daily work of the kingdom He was continually interrupted. Jesus saw these interruptions as God sent opportunities for Him to minister to the needs that brought people to Him so that He might prove God's love for the people and authenticate Himself as God's hand of love.
I. THE DEAD DAUGHTER, 9:18-19.
II. THE HEMORRHAGING WOMAN, 9:20-22.
III. THE RAISED GIRL, 9:23-26.
The totally of Jesus’s authority will be revealed as a father comes to Jesus for the life of his daughter in verse 18. “While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue ruler 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.”
“An official of the synagogue” would be a well-known and important person in a community held together by the rituals of religion. He was one of several rulers over the synagogue who led in public worship (Acts 13:15). Mark and Luke say this man's name was Jairus (Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41). As ruler of the synagogue, Jairus was responsible for administration- looking after the building, supervising worship, running the school on weekdays, and finding rabbis to teach on the Sabbath.
[Before the year 586 B.C., virtually all Jews lived within one hundred miles of the temple, so they all worshiped there. But in 586 B.C., the Jews were carried away into Babylon and held hostage for seventy years. No longer able to worship in the temple, they established synagogues in every neighborhood with ten or more Jewish men. The synagogue then became the place of assembly for the Jews where they would worship and study the Scriptures. Each synagogue had ten leaders, called elders. Of those ten, one was elected by the other nine to be the ruler. The ruler of the synagogue was a man of tremendous importance. Not only was he in charge of the synagogue, but he would also settle civic disputes within the neighborhood.[Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 66.]
So synagogue rulers had power and influence. Jairus was such a man. Yet he was willing to risk it all and come to Jesus because death had crept into his family. This loving father had probably exhausted all efforts to heal his daughter girl and was now in need of what only God could do, so he comes to Jesus. Despite being a worshiper of the One true God he bows down, prostrates himself at Jesus' feet and worships. Desperation should put us on our knees before God. May the sickness and death of our relations should brings us to Christ, who is life. If it doesn’t, what would?
The ruler’s exceptional faith in Jesus is shown not only by his worshipful posture before Jesus but also in His plea “come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” This request reveals great faith in Jesus. Although his daughter has just died, he believes Jesus can nevertheless revive her. To this point Jesus had performed all His healing miracles on people who were still living. The official’s faith in God is evident in his bold assertion that the touch of Jesus would return her to this life.
[Touching a dead body was considered the most defiling kind of uncleanness (Num. 19:11-22). Most religious leaders and teachers would have refused to come anywhere near the dead.]
Jesus' response to the expressed faith and hope is seen in verse 19. “Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.”
In response, Jesus said nothing but acted by rising and following the official, accompanied by His disciples. There was no question on the part of Jesus that the Father had given Him authority to minister to this need.
A legend is told about A RABBI from a small Jewish town. The people had gathered in the synagogue on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), but when the time came for the most important service of the Jewish year to begin, the rabbi was nowhere to be found.
During the delay, a young mother rushed home to check on her little daughter, whom she had left sleeping. To her surprise, she saw the rabbi sitting quietly in a chair, holding the child in his arms. He had been walking by her home on the way to the synagogue when he heard the infant crying and stopped to help. He held the little one until she fell asleep.
There's a lesson for us in this rabbi's example and in Jesus' love for people. In our hectic and busy lives, we tend to get so caught up with our own concerns that we lose our sense of compassion for others. We must make time to observe and respond to individuals - whether they are little children, parents, or older believers.
Somewhere amid all the demands on you as a servant of Jesus Christ, take the time to hold the hand of an aging believer, to comfort a tired mother, or to cradle a child until she sleeps. Great occasions for service come seldom- little ones surround us daily.
II. THE HEMORRHAGING WOMAN (20-22).
The official’s story is suspended here by an interruption that extends from verse 20 to verse 22. At this desperation point the story of the healing of the hemorrhaging woman begins with verse 20. “And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak;”
As Jesus traveled to the girl, His journey of mercy was interrupted by another person in need. It did not matter what Jesus was doing, how He was ministering, He allowed these interruptions. Whether He was speaking to a crowd (Mk. 2:1-3), conversing with His disciples (Mt. 16:21-24, 26:31; Lk. 12:12-14), traveling (Mt. 20:29-31), sleeping (Mt. 8:24,25), or praying (Mk. 1:35) He made time for those who needed Him. These intrusions were viewed as opportunities for ministries and not for rebuke. What would be an interruption for us He uses as a spring board to teach or perform a marvelous deed. As we too go on our errands of mercy we will pass other sorrowing hearts, so tightly packed are the hurts of men.
This woman was in great distress, and no wonder, she had been suffering a chronic excessive loss of blood [a hemorrhage evidently due to a uterine disorder] periodically for twelve years. It made it impossible for her to feel strong and healthy and at this particular moment she was probably again being afflicted by one of these hemorrhages. Her sickness was incurable, humanly speaking, as Luke the Physician tells us in his Gospel, and she had depleted all her funds seeking man's help.
The woman's actions reveal a new avenue of Jesus' healing ability that extends beyond His word or touch. Because she believed that even the impersonal touch of the fringe of His garment would be sufficient, she pushes up behind Him and reaches out and touches Jesus.
Verse 21 reveals the persistent thought that caused her action. “For she kept saying to herself, ‘If I only touch His garment, I will get well.’”
What great faith she exhibited! She did not need Him to touch her, she was not even worthy to touch Him and make Him unclean (Lev. 15:19-21). If only she could touch the lowest part of what touched Him [the fringe of Jesus’ cloak -the required tassels of Num 15:38–39; Deut 22:12] that would be enough. She did not want to trouble the Great Teacher. He had more important matters to deal with than an old bleeding woman, didn't He? So in humble faith she extended her hand to the hem of the Great Physician’s garment.
“Get well” is literally “be saved” or delivered [sōzō]. Jesus came and brought full, rich meaning to the word for it now implies an even greater deliverance from the sin that was the root cause of all physical infirmity. In our times of desperation, we don't have to worry about the correct way to reach out to God. Like this woman, we can simply reach out in faith. He will respond.
The woman might have thought she could get by without public notice but she couldn't. Jesus' responds to her touch in verse 22. "But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.”
She had not escaped notice after all. Jesus was aware that power had gone out of Him, so He turns to her and affectionately calls her daughter and encourages her with the words “take courage” or cheer up. He states the reason for her delivered or saved condition was her faith in Him and His power. She had reached out and touched Jesus in faith and was made well (delivered). Her recovery was instant. In one brief moment the hemorrhaging stopped completely. Health and vigor surged through her body.
Jesus is seeking to draw each of us to confess publically what faith in Him has done. As a plant left in darkness becomes pale, sickly, and dies so faith in Him which is not brought out into the light is unlikely to receive the nourishment necessary to survive. The sickness drove this woman to Jesus. It is the mercy of God that nothing more than a selfish desire to get rid of a painful disease started a process which turned a life into peaceful, thankful surrender of the cured self to the love and service of the Mighty Healer.
God changed a situation that had been a problem for years. Like the leper and the demon-possessed men, this diseased woman was considered unclean. For 12 years, she too had been one of the "untouchables" and had not been able to lead a normal life. But Jesus changed that and restored her. Sometimes we are tempted to give up on people or situations that have not changed for many years. God can change what seems unchangeable, giving new purpose and hope.
Perhaps you have said, “I would love for Jesus touch me, but I don’t feel His touch.” Then be like this woman. If you’re not feeling His touch upon you, reach out and touch Him. Have you made the effort to press through the crowd of unbelief, of busyness, of entertainment, of activities—the crowd of all that stands between you and the Lord? Press through and say, “I just want to touch the hem of His garment. I know if I can touch Him, I’ll be helped.”
This woman expended the effort to break through the crowd and touch Jesus. Was her theology correct? No. Was her knowledge complete? No. She was acting out of superstition. But the Lord didn’t say, “Since your theology is all messed up, I won’t help you.” No! He’s a Savior who heeds the cries of His children, even though their phrases are amiss, or their theology’s not right. God honors the person who in desperation is seeking to touch Him.
Now, do you suppose by this time, Jairus was growing impatient? “Come on, Lord. My daughter is dying, and You’re talking to some lady who’s touched Your garment?”
Do you ever feel that way? “Lord, I see You’re blessing this person and You’re blessing that person. Great! But, Lord, what about me?” I suggest to you that in seeing the healing of this woman, Jairus was being prepared for the healing of his own daughter. You see, whenever the Lord delays our prayers and is working in other people or in other places, be observant of where He is working and what He is doing because therein lies lessons for you as well. Keep your antennae up, your eyes wide, and your journal open to record information the Lord knows you will need shortly. [Courson, p. 67.]
III. THE RAISED GIRL (23-26).
The encompassing story of the official’s daughter resumes once again in verse 23. "When Jesus came into the official's house, and saw the flute players and crowd in noisy disorder, "
The interruption taken care of, Jesus continues on His way to the ruler's house. Christ went on in calm consciousness that even on such an errand that He was on that the power of God was sufficient to meet any occasion. The girl's father and the disciples might wonder why He stayed His steps to talk to a woman and feel that priceless moments were lost. But Jesus knew His resources. One would receive no harm by the delay and the other received a needed blessing. The girl had just died, but already a crowd was making noise - tumult in the outer court, with loud, wild wailing and screaming. Many of these were professional mourners who like vultures made their living from the dead (Jer. 9:17, 48:36, 16:6f; Ezek. 24:17; Amos 5:16). Mourning, like everything else, had been reduced to a rite or ritual.
Jesus realized that much of this ostentatious display of grief was insincere and therefore improper and that in this particular case death was going to give way to resuscitation (not resurrection).
Scorners who laugh at what they do not understand, are not proper witnesses of the wonderful works of God so Christ has them removed in verse 24. “He said, ‘Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.’ And they began laughing at Him.”
Jesus used sleep metaphorically for death in which the soul has separated from the body. For death to the Lord of life appears as but sleep. It is not worthy to be called death that from which we can and will one day be awakened. None who die are dead but only hibernate until the Caller to eternal existence speaks.
Hired mourners were distasteful to Jesus, who quickly dismissed them and the confusion they added. Losing out on their opportunity to profit by the situation they strike back at Jesus. They interpreted His words literally. The New Testament again and again exposes the error of interpreting every word of Christ literally (Jn. 2:20,21; 3:3,4; 4:14,15,32,33; 6:51,52; 7:34,35; 8:51,52; 11:11,12,23,24; 14:4,5 etc.). They then laughed at Jesus. The skeptical laughter of the crowd underlines the greatness of the miracle that Jesus was about to accomplish.
Today they also laugh and scorn His words that every being will be resurrected to stand in judgement on the last day. Whatever your belief, if God has said it, it matters little, it will be done.
Whenever Jesus wants to work in your situation, there will be mockers, saying, “It’s not going to happen. The Lord’s not going to help you. He doesn’t care anything about you.” And these little voices inside of us, the voices of unbelief, of demons, or even of well-meaning friends, say, “Grow up. Don’t expect a miracle.”
The laughers, the scorners, and the mockers were moved out before Jesus went in. Move out the mockers, gang. Believe the promises of God, quote Scripture, rejoice in advance, and anticipate His blessing. [Courson, p. 67]
In verse 25 the power of Jesus defeats the power of death. “But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.”
It probably took some time but with determination He removed them. Put out is to thrust out. The unbelievers were not to see the great power of God. The ruler had ask Jesus to lay His hand upon the child but the Lord does even better. There is not extra-ordinary effort but with authority and tenderness He takes the child by the hand and as Mark relates says “Talita cumi,” little girl arise. The words are strange to our hearing, but stranger still is that the cold dead ear of death hears and responds. Immediately her soul returns and she gets up.
The synagogue ruler didn't come to Jesus until his daughter was dead - it was too late for anyone else to help. But Jesus simply went to the girl and raised her! In our lives, Christ can make a difference when it seems too late for anyone else to help. He can bring healing to broken relationships, release from addicting habits, and forgiveness and healing to emotional scars. If your situation looks hopeless, remember that Christ can do the impossible.
Verse 26 speaks to fact that raising one from the dead is the most spectacular of all Jesus’ miracles. "This news spread throughout all that land.”
Much interest was stirred and Jesus often tried to avert interest in His power. He was more interested in showing the way to eternal life than that His miraculous power was known. Jesus growing power and notoriety will cause the Pharisees and Sadducees to begin a mounting opposition to Him and what He is wanting to accomplish in the lives of people.
IN CLOSING
The two interlaced stories present Jesus as the Lord and Giver of life, the One who can restore and extend life, the One whose compassion reaches out to bless the suffering and afflicted. Matthew has born testimony to the manifestation of Jesus' power at it's zenith. Jesus, the giver of life, reaches into the cessation of physical life and brings back physical life. Thus this great saying of the Lord is that she is not dead but sleeps can now be applied to us. [The raising of the little girl foreshadows the ultimate resurrection of the dead by the power of Jesus (27:52).] Since He has come, death is softened to sleep for those who love Him and became a frightful reality for those who do not.
Death for one born again is not something to be feared for it is merely the separation of soul and body by the physical act. This name sleep, sanctioned by Christ, speaks of the cessation of connection with the world of sense and a merging in rest. It does not imply unconsciousness, for we are not unconscious when we sleep, but only unaware of externals. It holds the promise of waking when the sun comes, the Son of Righteousness. So Jesus has driven out the old ugly name of death. Our tears flow less bitterly when we think of our dear ones as "sleeping in Jesus." Their bodies, like this little girl, are dead but they are not. For in Him “they live, and breathe," have their being, not in the atmosphere of this world, whether they "move" or not.
For “the trump shall sound and... the dead in Christ shall rise” (1 Thess. 4:).
"Oh death where is your victory, Oh death where is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15: ).
[Jesus’ goodness turns our problems into occasions of hope, His greatness makes our needs seem small, His graciousness makes our ultimate healing sure. That He can heal is without question; that it is His will to heal is another question. We must seek to discern the will of God. Yet not matter what we must seek to be authentic witness of His presence and purpose and ask for what who give Him glory. Our witness often includes suffering for the ministry of healing is the church’s privilege more than her program. [Augsburger, Myron. 1982. The Preacher's Commentary Series, Vol 24. Matthew. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. S. 18.]
