Daily Devotional For Thursday, February 1, 2024

Today, we pick up where we left off yesterday. Jesus was on His way to heal the daughter of a chief and supreme ruler over all the religious leaders in Capernaum. His name is Jairus. Please read the following in Matthew 9:18-26, "While He was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” (19) And Jesus rose and followed him, with His disciples. (20) And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, (21) for she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be made well.” (22) Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. (23) And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, (24) He said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at Him. (25) But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. (26) And the report of this went through all that district” (ESV).

We left off with Jairus learning from messengers that while he was on his way to Jesus, his daughter died. So, Jesus picked up His speed to get there. While on His way, the 8th miracle in Matthew occurs without notice to Jairus and both Jesus and Jairus stop in their tracks. If you are a parent, you can understand this delay must have created more stress in Jairus' life. We all know that when a person dies, time is crucial to apply CPR or the paddles to get their heart going. This had to be a stress producing interruption for Jairus. 

Just like Jairus’ daughter is 12-years-old, this unnamed woman has had this bleeding issue for 12 years. Jairus’ daughter had so far had 12 years of a great life, but for this woman, it was the opposite. 12 years of shame and fear.  Women who had an issue of bleeding from their uterus were considered ceremonially unclean by the Old Testament Law. In those days, this was the second kind of shameful health issue, just behind leprosy. 

In those days homemade remedies were suggested superstitious ways for healing such as carrying the ashes of an ostrich egg in a linen bag in the summer and in a cotton bag in the winter. Another involved carrying around a barleycorn kernel that had been found in the dung of a white female donkey. I imagine this woman had repeatedly tried all of these. 

Here is what the Old Testament Law said in Leviticus 15:25-27, “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. (26) Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. (27) And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening” (ESV).

For this woman she had lived the last 12 years of her life in a perpetual state of uncleanness. This means she would have been excluded from the synagogue  and the Temple because she would contaminate anyone and everything if she even touched them. All family relationships had to be carried out from a distance, even with her husband if she was married. By this point in her life, she was probably financially bankrupt from trying all the suggested remedies of her day. 

She felt all she had to do was touch the “fringe” of Jesus’ robe. The Greek New Testament word used here is [κράσπεδον, kraspedon] and it is more than just the hem or fringe of a garment. The Old Testament Law required that Jewish men have tassels attached to the hem of their robes. According to biblical requirements, Jewish men were to “make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments” and “put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.” 

Look at Numbers 15:38-41, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. (39) And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. (40) So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. (41)  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD your God” (ESV). See Deuteronomy 22:12, “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself” (ESV).

Numbers 15:38-41 tells you why Jewish men were to wear these tassels — to remind themselves to obey the Word of God and not to do what their heart tells them to do. Well, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day decided they wanted to be noticed for doing this. They lengthened their tassels to draw attention to themselves. Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:5, “They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (ESV). It was probably one of these tassels this woman grabbed to touch. 

The Greek text implies that she kept repeating to herself over and over this in verse 21, “For she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be made well” (ESV). She had one single focus — get close enough to Jesus to get healed. She tried to do this in stealth mode, but she got caught, which added only to her shame and embarrassment. Well it worked. Immediately when she touched one of Jesus’ tassels, she was healed instantaneously. Verse 22 it says this, “Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, `Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’” And instantly the woman was made well” (ESV). Meaning she was healed even before Jesus spoke to her.

Mark 5:29 says, “And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease” (ESV). The Greek New Testament word Mark used for “healed” is [ἰάομαι, iaomai] means totally healed with no lingering symptoms or further ostracizing. Luke 8:46 says, “But Jesus said, `Someone touched Me, for I perceive that power has gone out from Me’” (ESV). But Luke 8:43 says this, “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone” (ESV). The word Luke uses for “healed” is [θεραπεύω, therapeutic}, where we get our English word “therapy.” 

Matthew 9:21-22 affirms this as well. All 3 Gospels affirm that this woman was totally healed in every way: physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. This is the point of Luke 8:48, “And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace’” (ESV). The word translated as “well” is the Greek New Testament word [σῴζω, sozo]. This is the New Testament word for saved and salvation. It is sad that most translations miss this important point here.

Jesus’ words to her only confirmed what had already taken place. Notice here. Jesus knew the Old Testament Law, but He did not rebuke her for touching Him, making Him also ceremonially unclean. He was touched that she had touched Him with her faith. The two things that bring men and women to Jesus Christ are deep-felt personal need and genuine faith, and the woman with the hemorrhage had both. To Jairus and this woman, it proved Jesus was impartial who He healed. Jesus did not resent her, but redeemed her.

This affirms one reason why Jesus came in Matthew 20:28, Jesus said, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (ESV). Isn’t it wonderful that our God is more gracious to us than we are to each other? On Friday, we will finish this with Jairus. 

Questions To Consider

1. Has anyone, including yourself, made you ever feel you were unworthy to approach Jesus? If so, why? What did you do? Did you ever get past it? If so, how?
2. Have you ever made anyone feel they were unworthy to approach Jesus? Why? Did you later apologize and correct that sinful error? If you didn’t, why? If you did, what was the result?
3. How desperate are you each day to get to Jesus?
4. This woman broke Old Testament Law and risked according to her culture making Jesus ceremonially unclean. How far are you willing to go to get Jesus?
5. On a scale of 0-100, what level of passion for Jesus would Jesus say you have for Him and why?
6. If Jesus could heal you of anything, what is it and why is it this specifically?
7. Why do you think translators translated the word as “healed” rather than “save” in Luke 8:48? Do you think this makes much difference? If so, why? If not, why?

Scripture to Meditate On: Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I know I do not come to You enough. I allow so many other things to occupy my time and attention. Please help me set a time each day to abide in You and do what Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (ESV). Jesus, help me to help others come to you without bias and prejudice. For anyone I have been an obstacle in their path and approach to You, I ask for your forgiveness and I will apologize to them and help them take the next step to get to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you, PK