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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.

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Luke 8:43 “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,”

   This woman had exhausted all human help. Evidently she was a person of some financial substance because doctors were not cheap. It is not completely clear what her malady was. Luke, being very exact, would surely have offered details if possible. But, propriety may have prevented him from being more specific in this case.
   Regardless of the exact nature of the problem, this would have caused the woman great difficulty as she would remain unclean all the time. Much like a leper, the crowd would have recoiled from her if they had known of her problem before her healing.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us. Without Your deliverance we are all slaves to sin. Thank You so much for Your mercy and grace! We are not good, but You are good. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:42 “for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.”

   Luke gives us all the details we need to understand what goes on in the narrative. He is known for his thorough treatment of subjects, and it is little wonder that we have both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles from his hand.
   The Bible is of course a Divine book in that the Holy Spirit is the author. However, it must be understood that it is also a human book. The Spirit did not pen it, but used humans to do that. Luke’s own unique style and thought thus shows through. This does not in any way undermine the authorship of the Spirit, but it does create a unique document. The Bible is one of a kind, being the book of God and the book of man at one and the same time.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth! You have given us an accurate account of all that has come before. You have not asked us to stake our lives upon myths and legends. You have given us plain facts of real events. You are so wise and so good! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:41 “And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house,”

   I’ve always thought it was nice of Jesus too meet this man’s faith where it was. Jesus could easily have healed/raised the girl from a distance. But Jesus doesn’t make a big deal out of this. He simply follows Jairus.
   Jesus always has a balance in this. He goes to the needs. But also, He waits for the needs to come to Him. In this case, Jesus was well aware that this man’s daughter was sick. However, Jesus was not headed to Jairus’s house until Jairus came and asked Him to come. Once asked, Jesus came.
   We can see this play out over and over in the time that Jesus was here with us. He went to teach the truth. But then He waited for people to respond. Then again, once that response came, He once again went to the need. It is this model of going, and then waiting for response, that gives us the precedent for how the gospel is to be taken to this world. We go where there is a general need and teach the truth, but we wait for the specific needs to come to us. And, once they do we make it a point to meet those specific needs.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done! You do not force Yourself upon us in our lives, but You do tug on our hearts to let us know You are there. Thank You for Your mercy! Thank You for Your love! Thank You for Your tender care for us! We are sheep, but You have given us the Good Shepherd. You know what we need. I will praise You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:40 “So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.”

   At this point in the ministry of Christ He still had quite a large following. This serves as a stark contrast to the folks on the other side of the lake who had just asked Him to leave. One group was afraid to keep Him, and the other was afraid to lose Him. But did either truly know or understand Him? Surely some among the multitude did. But many were just there to see what He might do next.

   Heavenly Father, I do want to see what Christ will do next. But, not for the sake of seeing miracles. I want to be involved in the work of Christ wherever and whenever it takes place. To be a part of what He is doing in this world is the most amazing thing I can ever hope to do. I love You Father. Give me a clear view of what You have for me to do each and every day. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

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Luke 8:39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

   Yes, that is right. Jesus sent this man home. He didn’t call him to go to some foreign land. He didn’t even take him over the lake and to places close by. Nope. He sent him home.
   There are many missionaries that have ministered all over the world, but are at a loss as to how to minister to their own families. They find it quite easy to share the gospel with strangers, but with family, that is a different thing altogether.
   Jesus knew this man would be most effective right where he was. This region where the man lived was full of spiritual darkness. People were living in superstitious fear. They were pagan by and large. But also, they knew this man. He was one of them and could reach them in a way they would readily understand.
    And, the man was one of the main sources of the devil’s deception before this transformation. Just as Jesus chose the Apostle Paul, Jesus chose the demoniac as the most unlikely of missionaries. I can only imagine hearing this guy telling his city about Jesus. He wasn’t afraid, I can tell you that. I’m sure holy boldness easily animated this man. He was used to the possession of evil, so the freedom of the Spirit of Truth was surely a great experience for him.

   Heavenly Father, only You understand Your ways completely. I just stand in awe of how You plan things. You make the best plans and purposes. You know exactly what needs doing. I want to follow You, not just what I think You want, but what You actually want. Thank You for leading us in the ways that are best for us, even if they are not our first choice. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.