DO NOT BE AFRAID—ONLY BELIEVE!

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on June 24, 2020 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: June 24, 2020 from Luke 8:40-56

Theme: When it comes to matters of sickness or death, Jesus tells us not to be afraid—but to only believe on Him.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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This morning, we will look at what seems like two separate stories in the Gospel of Luke. We could, in fact, treat them as two events and give two separate study times to each—and we would be blessed by both stories independently.

But the fact is that they were meant to go together. All three of the synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—contain these two stories; and all three combine these two stories together in the same way. One story surrounds another; and the story in the middle is meant to give significance and meaning to the story that surrounds it. So they are meant to go together, and to be read and studied in just the way they are presented to us—and in just the relationship they are shown to have to each other.

The first story is the story of how our Lord raised the twelve-year-old daughter of a synagogue ruler from the dead; and the second story—the one found within the first—is the story of how a woman was healed of a sickness that she had for twelve years just by touching the hem of our Lord’s garment. Both are meant to show us the power of our Lord over sickness and death—and our need to have faith in Him in the face of those two dreaded realities of life.

And I believe the significance of it all is found in what our Lord said that combined those two stories together. You find His words in Luke 8:50; “Do not be afraid; only believe …”

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Now; let’s remember the context in which these two stories are found. We find them in a section of Luke’s Gospel in which he was teaching us about the authority of our Lord. In verses 22-25, he showed us the authority of Jesus Christ—the Son of God—over the natural forces of this world and over the circumstances of life. He showed us this by how He stood up in the boat in the midst of the storm and commanded the wind and the waves to be still. Then, in verses 26-39, he showed us the authority of Jesus over the spiritual realms and over the kingdom of the devil. He showed us this in how Jesus cast the multitude of demons out of the man who dwelt among the tombs.

And now—in the two combined stories that are before us in verses 40-56, we see how Jesus demonstrates His authority over sickness; and even over death. Luke tells us;

So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 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, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 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, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 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?’” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 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. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened (Luke 8:40-56).

Now; it might be that you hear those two stories, and then hear me suggest to you that they display our Lord’s authority over sickness and death, and then wonder to yourself, “Well then; why is there still so much sickness and death in the world?” You might even remember that some people have used this passage to suggest that if you are sick—and if you have enough faith—you can be healed; and then wonder to yourself, “So then; is my problem that I just don’t have enough faith?” If a loved one became sick and died, was it because they didn’t believe enough—or because I didn’t believe enough?

A thousand times no! This passages is not meant to teach us that—in this present age—we can expect our Lord to heal every sickness and prevent every death; any more than the previous passages are meant to teach us that, if we have enough faith, there will never again be bad weather or trying circumstances, or that the devil and all forces of evil will all be cast out and will never again trouble the world. The thing that this passage is meant to show us is that our Lord has complete authority over those things that human beings can have no control over—even over sickness and death; and that we need to trust Him and wait on Him whenever we face such things. We can know that He can heal all sickness and raise the dead; but it is not a promise that He will do so every time we ask. In fact, we have stories in the Bible where godly people asked—but did not receive a healing; and were instead told by God that His grace is sufficient for them. We certainly should ask; but much more than that—we should trust Him do be perfectly able to do what is right and what is best for us.

That’s the significance of His words, “Do not be afraid; only believe …” These two stories—with those words of our Lord in the center of it all—are meant to show us that, when facing sickness or death, Jesus tells us not to be afraid—but to only believe on Him.

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We can break this combined story up into three parts. So then; let’s look at the first part. It’s where we’re told of …

1. HOW JESUS WAS CALLED TO HEAL THE SICK GIRL (vv. 40-42).

Luke tells us in verse 40 of what happened after Jesus made the trip across the Sea of Galilee back to the town of Capernaum—after having cast the demonic spirits out of the man of the Gadarenes. We’re told, “So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.” They were all eager to hear more from Him and to see His miracles. Perhaps many were waiting for Him in hopes of being healed by Him. And among them was a particular man—a very important man in the community. Verses 41 tells us, “And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.“

Did you know that if you go to the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee today, you can still see this synagogue? It was a synagogue that was built by a God-fearing Roman centurion out of love for the Jewish people. We read about his story at the beginning of Luke 7. This man Jairus was a Jewish leader among his people who was a superintendent of that very synagogue. We’re told in verses 41-42, “And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.”

It would be hard to imagine the anguish of this man and his wife. The original language of this passage tells us that the young girl was—right then—in the process of dying. And perhaps as soon as this man Jairus heard that Jesus had return to Capernaum, he ran to Him and pleaded with Him—knowing that He had the power to save his daughter’s life. Now; you’ll remember that our Lord had been meeting with some fierce opposition in the synagogue. Pharisees and scribes were accusing Him and testing Him there. And yet, at the humble appeal of the synagogue ruler, our Lord went. It’s a wonderful thing to notice that our Lord always went whenever He was humbly appealed to for help.

Now; at the end of verse 42, we read these words: “But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.” And you can almost picture the crowds that were pressing in on our Lord as He walked the roads of Capernaum—wanting to be near Him—hoping to see Him perform a miracle—perhaps even seeking something from Him. It would have been noisy and hard to get around. You can just imagine in your mind a vast number of people moving slowly along the road with Jesus pressed in at the center—and with everyone reaching out to touch Him.

It’s intentional that we’re told about this pressing crowd; because it’s the context in which we find the second story. It tells us of …

2. HOW JESUS HEALED THE SICK WOMAN ALONG THE WAY (vv. 43-48).

Verses 43-44 tells us about a very tragic person within that crowd—perhaps just barely able to keep up with the throng—perhaps giving every bit of energy she had to draw close to Jesus—most likely being unnoticed or even ignored by everyone else. We’re told, “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, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.”

Now; what the nature of this woman’s illness was is not told to us. Not even Luke—the physician—elaborated on it. It may be that it was a very private nature. The phrase that she “had spent all of her livelihood on physicians” isn’t in the best texts of the Gospel of Luke—and so, you might not see it in other translations than the one I’m using. But it is spoken of in the other Gospels. She had run out of resources trying to get well—and no one could help her. It may be that she was not only exhausted financially, but also physically. We’re told that she sought to touch the border or hem of His garment; and this may be because she could not reach any higher than that. And there’s more. In the Jewish law found in the Scriptures, this woman’s situation would have been such that she was rendered ceremonially ‘unclean’. She could not have gone to the temple and worship during all of this time of her illness. She was basically ‘shut out’ by the law. Her situation was a desperate one—and spiritually like many of us. We too are unclean because of our sin, and have no resources of our own by which to be right with God. All that we can do is what she herself did—reach out to Jesus by faith.

And she did so. Verse 44 tells us that immediately, her flow of blood stopped. But then, another very remarkable thing happened. We’re told in verses 45-46, “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?”’ But Jesus said, ‘Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.’” We shouldn’t interpret this to mean that the power of Jesus is somehow distinct from Himself—as if the power of healing could go out from Him without His being in control of it. What He was doing was showing us that whenever someone reaches out to touch Him by faith, He knows about it. That faith is important to Him—and it gets His attention.

The poor woman was terrified. She was afraid that she did something wrong. Verse 47 tells us, “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.” But she did nothing wrong. Far from it! Our Lord praised her faith. In verse 48, we’re told, “And He said to her, ‘Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.’” It wasn’t the hem of our Lord’s garment that brought about the healing. It was faith in Him. This woman went home healed—no doubt praising God for the rest of her life.

Now; the huge crowd pressing in on our Lord would have seen this while He was on His way to heal the girl. Jairus himself would have seen it as he was leading Jesus to his home. And do you notice that the number of years of this woman’s illness was the same as the number of years that this girl was alive? The story in the middle is meant to teach us a great truth about the power of our Lord—and it goes on to enhance the story that surrounded it. We read on to see …

3. HOW JESUS RAISED THE YOUNG GIRL FROM THE DEAD (vv. 49-56).

Luke goes on to tell us in verse 49, “While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, ‘Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.’” What tragic words. And you can just imagine the grief that would have suddenly appeared on Jairus’ face. “But when Jesus heard it,” as Luke goes on to tell us in verse 50, “He answered him”—that is to say, Jesus responded directly to the fear that had now overcome Jairus—“saying, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.’” And He would have just then had given Jairus reason to not be afraid and to believe; because he would have seen what Jesus had done for the woman. When in the face of the horrors of sickness and death, our Lord—who is the Resurrection and the Life—says, “Do not be afraid; only believe …”

We’re told that when Jesus got to the house, He would not let the crowd come in to watch. He only brought in Peter, James and John—and also the girl’s mother and father. As was the custom of the day, the house was filled with mourners. But we’re told in verse 52 that our Lord said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And we’re told that—in an amazing irony—the mourners all laughed Him to mocking scorn. They knew that she was dead. But as far as the Lord was concerned—who is the Lord of Life—she was only sleeping; and He was about to awaken her. That’s what death is for those of us who know the Lord—only a ‘sleep’ that awaits the great ‘waking-up morning’.

Verses 54-55 tell us, “But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, ‘Little girl, arise.’ Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.” What healthy, living, growing twelve-year-old child isn’t always hungry? And this proved to her mother and father—and to all who saw it—that she was indeed alive and well. “Immediately”—just as was true of the healing of the woman.

We’re told in verse 56 that her parents were astonished—which can be translated ‘amazed out of their minds’. They had just been taken from a state of overwhelming grief to overwhelming joy in a moment’s time. But our Lord, we’re told, “charged them to tell no one what had happened.” If they had, no doubt people would have been bringing their dead from all over the world to be raised by Him.

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Our Lord could raise everyone. But He doesn’t. He could heal all sickness. But He doesn’t. But in an ultimate sense, by His death on the cross for us—and His resurrection from the dead—He has conquered all the consequences of sin. Among those consequences are sickness and death. And one day, they will be completely removed from us by Him. As we’re told in Revelation 21:2-4 concerning the new heaven and the new earth—and the New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven;

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

This is what the Lord Jesus has secured for us at the cross. No wonder then, in the face of such dreaded realities as sickness and death, He tells us, “Do not be afraid; only believe …”

EA