Message

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So far we have seen Jesus’ authority over sickness, nature (storms and waves of the sea), demons, and sin. In today’s passage Jesus reveals his authority even over death; his resurrection power. After accepting a ruler’s faith, he raises the ruler’s daughter from the dead as though he were raising a sick person from a bed. Jesus also heals a woman from her fatal disease through her faith. In this study may we learn how we can let Jesus’ power work in our lives. First, a ruler’s coming to Jesus with the problem of his daughter’s death. (18-19). Look at verse 18. “While he was saying this…” It is the opening phrase of today’s passage. In the previous passage when John’s disciples asked Jesus why his disciples did not fast, Jesus told them a clear aspect of the life of discipleship - it was because of they were joyful in their love relationship with him. Characteristically, Christian life is not an ascetic or sorrowful life but a joyful one. Then Jesus said that new wine had to be put into new wineskins, emphasizing the importance of preparing a vessel, a new heart and mind to contain Jesus and his gospel. Look at verse 18 again. “While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt down before him...’” When we refer to other synoptic gospels, this ruler was a synagogue ruler. In Jewish society, a synagogue ruler was also a small community ruler. So Matthew wrote, “a ruler came…” As a ruler he was also a man of authority. Usually people with authority in high positions are sensitive to public opinions and how others think of them. At that time Jesus was a newly-rising power and a threat to religious authorities. So the Pharisees began to show their opposition to him (9:3). A tension arose between Jesus and Jewish religious leaders. In such a situation it was dangerous for a man of significant position to publically side with Jesus by coming to him. Yet, this ruler came to Jesus and even knelt before him. What made him do so? He said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Here we see that his daughter’s sickness that resulted in death led him to such a humble state. When his daughter became sick and finally breathed her last, he could see that his religion was totally powerless to do anything for his dearly loved daughter, who had just died. When he needed help desperately, the help was not there. In that situation his position as a ruler did not mean anything to him. He was so humbled. Then when he heard of Jesus’ authority and power, it was so good to hear and really moved his humbled heart. He came to Jesus and knelt before him. Kneeling down before Jesus, he said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Up to this point there was no precedent of Jesus’ raising the dead. Amazingly, however, this ruler believed that his dead daughter would live if Jesus came and put his hand on her. In the Old Testament, it is written, "Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days” (Num 19:11). Yet, in his faith the ruler could know that such a rule would not be a hindrance at all to Jesus. Rather such rules would be dissolved in his belief that Jesus would make his daughter live. When he humbled himself before God, he could have eyes to see Jesus. Now faith in Jesus became everything to him. His faith was unshaken. How did Jesus respond to him? Jesus was so happy with the rulers’ coming and earnest request that he got up right away from his sitting position stopping what he was doing, and went with him. So did his disciples. In the gospel story this is the only occasion for Jesus’ going to someone’s house for healing at a request. Jesus’ traveling at this time for the sake of the ruler’s daughter seemed to be too much, while on earth his time was so limited and precious. But Jesus was willing to make such a travel because of the ruler’s humble faith in him. Jesus went with his disciples and according to Mark and Luke, a large crowd followed him (Mk 5:24; Lk 8:42). Here we learn that Jesus is pleased when we humbly come to him with firm faith He is the very one to whom we can turn. When we humble ourselves, we can have the right view of him regardless of various human opinions. He wants us to come to him with any life problem and experience his help. No problem is too big for him, even the problem like the death. Second, a woman’s coming to Jesus with her fatal disease (20-22). Look at verse 20. “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.” Most likely this woman’s condition is menorrhagia, a disease in which menstrual flow is abnormally prolonged, which usually produces anemia as well. With this disease, she would be considered ritually unclean and excluded from normal social and religious relations, since others would also become unclean upon contact. This was her shameful and painful human condition as a woman. She tried hard to be healed of this disease. but all her efforts were of no use. No doctor was helpful. It went through 12 years. 12 years of illness could make anyone fatalistic, especially this shameful disease to a woman. Nothing in this world would give her hope. She must have been withdrawn into herself with no human hope, and living as a sick, shy and sorrowful woman. But when she heard of Jesus, hope sprang up in her heart along with divine courage. She got strength in her body and came to Jesus. Yet, she could not stand in front of Jesus and the public. She wanted to make her coming unnoticed so that she could just be healed with no one’s knowing it. It was so that she might not be stigmatized or damage Jesus’ popularity and his ministry. So she came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. The tassels in the cloak reminded the wearer to obey God’s commands and to be holy to God. But she touched his cloak with her unclean hand. In a sense it could be an act of endangering her life in the case of being noticed in the public. So her touching his cloak was her courageous act of faith. For she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” “If I only touch his cloak” faith was her own unique courageous faith. Her faith may have been as small as a mustard seed, but it was a living faith. To Jesus it does not matter if one comes from the front or from the back. What matters is whether one comes with faith. Jesus was so pleased with her act of faith that he turned and saw her, and said to her, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. By making her healing public with his announcement, Jesus removed the public stigma of her physical condition and thus facilitated her reentry into normal social and religious life. Jesus gave her wholesome healing, greatly encouraging her faith. Here we learn again that regardless of human conditions, one’s coming to Jesus with a personal faith is everything. Our Bible study, praying, singing, serving, and offering, all be our personal act of faith, with the longing of touching his presence and receiving his grace at each time of need. Third, Jesus’ raising the dead girl in her house (23-26). Look at verses 23,24. “When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, ‘Go away.’” They were professional mourners. By saying, “Go away,” Jesus wanted to clear the noise and insincere mourning of the house. Then he said, “The girl is not dead but asleep.” It was a radical interpretation of death. It was a new view of death. After Jesus’ death, it is assured that death is merely a state of sleep of one’s body while awaiting the final resurrection. (1 Cor 11:30; 15:20-23, 51-55; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).There is no death in Jesus. But they laughed at him, when Jesus said, “The girl is not dead but asleep.” Then what did Jesus do? Look at verse 25. “After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.” Unbelievers and skeptics were all put aside. A believing environment was needed for his new work. After setting the environment, what did Jesus do? Verse 25b says, “...he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.” What a simple description of Jesus’ resurrection power! Jesus raised the dead girl as if he raised her from lying on a bed. It was different from Jesus’ raising a dead young man from the coffin in a large funeral procession in Luke’s gospel (7:11-17) and his raising Lazarus from the tomb after three days of his death, calling out, “Lazarus, come out!” in the public in John’s gospel (11:38-44). These two events were spectacular. But Jesus’ raising the dead girl looked just like a ordinary event. Yet, it was an event that revealed Jesus’ undeniable resurrection power. Jesus’ raising the dead girl is written in all three synoptic gospels. It is interesting how Matthew’s description differed from the others’. In describing the resurrection power Matthew simply wrote, “and she got up” like “Jesus got up” to go with the ruler (9:19). Mark wrote, “He…said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ meaning, ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’ Immediately the girl stood up and walked around” (Mk 5:41,42). Luke wrote, “But he…said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up” (Lk 8:54,55). Mark and Luke used a command firm, but Matthew, a narrative form. Here we can get a clear message. Jesus’ resurrection power is too great for us to imagine. Resurrection is really something demonstrative and truly extra-ordinary. But our Lord Jesus wants us to experience his power of resurrection in our ordinary lives. He desires that work done by his resurrection power may be a norm in our lives. In other words he wants us to live with resurrection faith in our practical lives. Last week we heard history-breaking news that all of 33 Chile miners were miraculously rescued. It was an amazing event to all the people of the world. Especially, it brought a great joy to the family members and to the nation. The power of the rescuing was great, rescuing the trapped miners from the hole almost 700m beneath the earth. All people want power, truly great power. With no doubt resurrection power is the greatest. Our Lord Jesus wants us to learn resurrection faith so that his power of resurrection may be displayed in our lives, though the world may not know it. In our Thanksgiving worship service, when I heard the testimonies of our student leaders, it was none other than the powerful work of God in each of them. Their lives were rescued, revived and revitalized. It was a sort of Jesus’ resurrection power that worked in them. Although the world did not know it, we knew it and thanked God. We want to see in our ordinary lives such powerful, life-giving work more and more. We remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…” We have many things to challenge, personally and ministry-wise: school study, raising our children in this society, job matter, serving freshmen, making disciples, other human limitations, etc. But all these situations can be opportunities for us to learn resurrection faith so that our Lord Jesus’ resurrection power be displayed in our ordinary lives. Thank God for teaching us the ruler’s humble faith and the woman’s courage act of faith to come to Jesus. His resurrection power can be displayed in our ordinary lives through our faith. May we really come to him with our faith and let his resurrection power work in our day to day life.

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