Amy C Walters

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter | Luke 8:40-56

Two main characters in this story are completely different: a synagogue ruler with a family and a lone, unclean woman who hasn’t been to the synagogue in 12 years. But what unites them is their belief in Jesus, a belief that he highlights to everyone who’s listening.

The two main characters in this story, other than Jesus, are very different people. Jairus is a synagogue ruler. He would have been highly respected in his community for his high position at the synagogue. He was also probably quite religious. He’s a family man. We’re told about his only daughter but he may have sons as well. 

And then there’s the bleeding woman. Her condition makes her ceremonially unclean so she is unable to go to the synagogue. She’s probably also isolated and alone.

What, if anything, do these two have in common? They are both desperate. They both come and fall at Jesus’ feet and plead with him. For both of them, Jesus is their only hope.

But there is one other key thing that ties them together, although Luke uses two different but related words for it in this passage. It’s faith or belief. 

When Jesus addresses the woman, he tells her, “Your faith has healed you.” It’s not something magical in Jesus’ cloak that does the trick. It is her faith in Jesus. Jesus points out that faith.

That’s part of the reason that Jesus calls her out in front of the crowd–to highlight her faith. And that’s part of the reason that all these other people who are pressing up against Jesus aren’t also suddenly healed. “Power has gone out from” him because this woman has intentionally sought Jesus in faith for the healing that she needed. 

With Jairus, someone comes from his house and says, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” But Jesus’ response to that is, “Don’t be afraid, just believe and she will be healed.” 

And yet, when we come to the end of the story and Jesus has raised Jairus’ daughter back to life, he and his wife are astonished. How is that possible if Jesus has said, “Just believe and she will be healed,” and yet they are astonished at the healing? Does that mean they didn’t have faith?

Let’s think about some other things Jesus has said about faith. For instance, he has said that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, that is enough to tell a mountain to move from one place to another (Matthew 17:20). Faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things when it’s faith in Jesus. So these parents can hold both faith and astonishment in their hearts and minds at the same time. 

Or there’s the father in Mark 9:24 who says, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Sometimes those both live in us at the same time. We don’t have to have a mountain of faith for God to move mountains. We just need a mustard seed. We don’t have to have all the faith and not a hint of doubt for God to work. We can believe and still ask for help for our unbelief. 

This couple can still be afraid and not sure what’s going to happen and see Jesus heal their daughter and be astonished at it. They can believe and be astonished at the same time. But the key is to believe. That is what Jesus is looking for.

Jesus is not there just to perform miracles for the people. He is not there to be a political ruler. He is there to call people to faith in himself. 

And that is our key truth for today: Jesus is looking for belief. 

From an exalted ruler of a synagogue to a lowly, unclean woman. Faith is what ties them together. Faith is what Jesus is looking for. Not social status, not power or privilege, but faith.