Author: Bill Hall

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Luke 8:53

And they were right. She was dead. Or at least she was beyond any help that any but Christ could give. But, being right doesn’t excuse the derision with which they responded to Jesus.
As humans we often choose to mock others because we know we are right. But, there are several reasons we should avoid that choice. First, we might be wrong. Second, being right in no way justifies mockery. Third, deriding others very rarely casts one in a good light. And finally, being right and noisy leaves you only correct. Being right and quiet renders you correct and wise.
Heavenly Father, thank You for so often protecting us from ourselves. Your mercy is all that keeps us from immediate destruction. And only by Your grace can we obtain life. Thank You for every breath! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:52

Why would Jesus tell people to stop crying? He seemed very considerate of people’s feelings on other occasions. What happened here?
Notice in the following verse the reaction of those he spoke to. They laughed at Him. These who were crying and wailing were not the close family, but friends, acquaintances, and maybe even hired mourners. They were not crying involuntarily as those overcome by grief. They were mourning as a matter of duty, as a part of the funeral traditions. So Jesus was not unsympathetic. He was halting the funeral.
Saying the girl was asleep was Jesus’ way to indicate that the girl would live again. Though it is possible that this girl was in a state that she could nowadays be resuscitated, Jesus did use this manner of speaking in reference to Lazarus. And in the case of Lazarus, irrecoverable death was absolutely certain.

Heavenly Father, thank You for understanding us. Your love and care for us is wonderful. We praise You as the beneficent Creator. You are so powerful, good, and gracious! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:51

Jesus makes no sense to us sometimes. We would think He would want anyone and everyone in the house. But, we have to stop ourselves and look at the context. Remember the unbelieving servant that came to Jairus and told him not to bother Jesus? This individual was left outside. And Jesus took only the disciples closest to Him in many such cases.
Why? Jesus didn’t do miracles for purposes of popularity. He did them for belief. He didn’t want a crowd of fickle ‘followers’ that would leave Him when He asked too much. He was after a group of dedicated disciples that would be loyal, even to death.
Heavenly Father, help us to remember that only when we are faithful in the little things do You allow us to be involved with the big things. We will praise You for Your great wisdom! Jesus always did exactly the right thing. Your power and intelligence is perfectly manifested in him. Thank You for Christ! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:50

The words of Christ here are so important. He tells Jarius not to be afraid. He tells him to just believe. And, he assures Jairus that He can save the girl.
This is a beautiful verse. It really sets before us the right relationship to have with Christ. Fear is an awful enemy. The devil will try to use it anytime we are going to let Christ do something in our life. So first Jesus addressed it. Then, faith is really a matter of trusting the Lord. Just to allow Him into the situation is what He is saying here. He is telling Jairus that he need only let Christ into his life, and Jairus’ daughter would be fine. And that is nothing short of a picture of salvation. 
Heavenly Father, fear keeps us away so often. We will lift our hands to you and invite you into our situation. You are welcome in our lives. You are the One who matters in our experience. Without you, our very lives are invalidated. We will give You the praise for You alone are worthy! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:49

Here Jesus is referred to as ‘The Teacher’. The speaker here is simply informing Jairus that his daughter has died. But the completely hypocritical reference to Jesus was done almost without realizing it. This is not uncommon among those who wish to honor Jesus as a great person, but have no real trust in Him at all.

What is the nature of this hypocrisy? To call someone ‘Teacher’ and act as if that person can heal the sick, yet in the same breath deny that they can raise the dead, is incongruous. Many have been great teachers, but that wouldn’t automatically make them able to heal Jairus’ daughter. So as many have, this person is trying to respect Jesus as some great human; but not recognizing Him as more than human, the individual’s attempt is nothing short of confusing. Beyond that it implies that Jesus had other things to do besides being a comfort to this, now grieving, dad.

It is here that we are asked to make a choice. Do we leave Jesus to be limited like the rest of us? Do we assume, as many have said, that He never intended for us to see Him as anything more than a great human teacher? Or, do we now follow Him to the presence of death and watch as He breathes life as He has into every one of us? You must decide. But make no mistake, this choice will decide all for you.

Heavenly Father, I will praise You for Christ today. He alone can breathe life into our troubled souls. Only by Him may we escape this body of death and live full and free in all the glory You have intended. Thank You for Jesus! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:48 “And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

It is easy to love how Jesus speaks to people. My wife, MaryBeth, pointed out to me that this particular form of address is unique. Jesus didn’t call everyone ‘Daughter’ and His words to her are tender, like a father. Indeed, Jesus spoke to her in the words of the Father.
Here where He says ‘your faith makes you well’ doesn’t mean that just faith by itself heals. We must understand what faith is. It is trust, a trust placed in a certain person. In this case, it is trust in Christ. It is this faith that brought about healing, not just a general belief that healing was possible, but a trust that Jesus was the Healer.
Father, as Almighty God You do not have to reveal Yourself to us. You could veil Yourself more than You do. But, You have chosen to let us see You through eyes of faith. Thank You! If You had not, we would never know You. Every day I will think of the great joy it is to know and understand Who You are. It is the greatest mercy to be able to speak to You and be spoken to in return. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:47 “Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.”

   Though the woman was trembling, Jesus had no intention to scare her. Our natural inclination in this sinful flesh is fear. But, Jesus wanted to give her peace in place of fear. She had suffered much and needed more than just physical healing.
   It is never a bad idea to share what Jesus has done in your life. Sometimes we decide not to because we fear that others will be jealous and say things like ‘well God hasn’t done good things for me’ and as a result, they will not trust Christ. But we are not to operate in fear. It is not to be a consideration.
   Instead our peace with God should be an example to others who will see our works and glorify our Father in heaven. If people feel that God has left them out when doling out blessings, our silence about His blessings to us won’t be of any help to them. It will only keep them from asking the question, ‘why?’ and realizing that we are all in the same boat. Some of us have simply freely accepted blessing through salvation that does indeed provide more than is otherwise available.
   Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You do today and every day in our lives. You pour out Your blessings on all people. I will praise You for the unique blessings available to me through a relationship with Jesus. There is no greater benefit than to know Him. I love You Father! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:46 “But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”

   The explanation Jesus gives here is quite mysterious if not taken in the context of the rest of Scripture. It would seem to imply a limitation in Christ; that He somehow was not in control of His power. But actually it shows the exact opposite. It is an indication of His divinity.
   The Godhead has set certain rules for divinity that each person of the Godhead follows. This is voluntary and thus completely under the control of the Divine Essence which the Godhead is. Jesus, as the eternal Son of God is bound by His own rules, in other words. He healed this woman instantly upon her touch because the Godhead has chosen to respond to faith.
   But, Jesus wanted to speak with this lady to impart spiritual blessing, and more faith, into her life as well. This is why He stopped and asked who touched Him. He did not ask because He did not know. He asked because He wanted the woman to take the next step with her faith and place her trust completely in Him by revealing her identity voluntarily. Think about it. Due to the nature of her malady, she could have been ostracized from the community because of her uncleanness. She had to trust Christ to make her healing clear and only those accepting Him would accept her.
   This is the nature of true faith in Christ. The strongest faith in Him relies completely upon Him. And, it will risk all else to show allegiance to Him.
   Heavenly Father, may we all respond in faith when called upon! You are the One we look to for everything. We are completely dependent upon the Lord Jesus. I will praise You for all that You have done. You are great! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:45 “And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say,`Who touched Me?'”

   It is really a wonder how Jesus was treated by His own followers. Peter (and those with him, so maybe some of the other disciples) seems to have a fairly patronizing tone. Jesus was obviously not heavy on putting people in their place. Otherwise His followers would be afraid to say things like this to Him. As it was, their weakness was free to show itself as they were allowed to share their opinions, no matter how silly they might be.
   Further, we must stop and think of the implications of this choice. Jesus chose to make this woman public. If He had said nothing nobody would have ever known about her. This shows that Jesus was not at all unwilling to call attention to His miracles. But His purpose was more pure than ours would ever be. To be sure He was happy to accept the glory for this mighty act, and so He should for He is deserving. But also, He wanted to speak to this woman. To have His words in her heart would be just as much a comfort to her as the healing itself, or more so.

   Heavenly Father, we must never forget You are worthy of all the glory. You get the credit. This isn’t about us. It is all about You! Only You are the God of All. You alone are the Mighty One. You are beyond all imagining in Your power and wisdom. I can never understand all that You are in my limited mind. But You have made Yourself known. What a wonder that You have a relationship with us! Thank You for making us! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:44 “came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.”

   The ‘border’ referred to here was what is now called the tzitzit, or tassel. These tassels are commanded in Numbers 15:38 and Deuteronomy 22:12. They are on the four corners of the garment and have a cord of blue woven into them. This woman is not the only one who received healing by touching the tassels on Christ’s garment. Mark 6:56 records the same kind of thing on another occasion.
   Now there was nothing necessarily unique about touching that part of His clothing. But it was comparatively easy to do, especially on this day when the crowd had Him hemmed in so closely. This woman knew it would have the desired effect because she believed Jesus was well able to help her.

   Heavenly Father, we are weak and You are strong. We know so little, help us with all the rest. As humans we tend to live in fear so much. Deliver us from that. You are the One we can look to always. You are always there and care and are on the throne. Only You know and understand us. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.