Wonderful wonderful stories. Wonderful wonderful healings.
Jesus casts out demons
Luke 8:26-39
The woman who touched Jesus
Matthew 9:18-22, Mark 5:21-34, Luke 8:40-48
Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter
Matthew 9:23-26, Mark 5:35-43, Luke 8:49-56
Jesus heals two blind men
Matthew 9:27-31
A dumb man speaks again
Matthew 9:32-34
Jesus rejected again at Nazareth
Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-6
I love the story of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman that happens along the way. First., it shows that Jesus bore no ill will to the Jewish leaders who were rejecting him, because Jairus was one of them - the leader of the synagogue. Jesus sets off with him straight away. But on the way, he is delayed. Jairus no doubt was getting impatient. This woman could wait. With his daughter, every second counted. But Jesus won;t budge until he finds out who has approached him, and spoken with her, and set her on her way. And it’s too late. Jairus’ last hope has gone, servants come to tell him his daughter has died. Now he will feel a crushing guilt that he didn’t stay by her bedside, but rushed off on this foolish errand to try and find the mad preacher. What was he thinking of?
Jesus takes charge, telling Jairus to have faith, telling the mourners that the girl is asleep, not dead, even though they laugh in his face. But life returns to the little body at Jesus’ word, and she jumps up and starts prancing around. Wonderful.
How can anyone reject a man like this? But back home, they can, familiarity breeds contempt. In Nazareth they all know the carpenter’s son, and no one can believe that he’s become a miracle worker. Their scepticism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Convince yourself that you’re not going to see a miracle, and you won’t.
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