“Hearing this,
Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed”
(Luke 8:50).
Last
we have made aware that Jesus has authority over the demonic forces/the powers
of darkness. A few things to note.
The
powers of darkness knew who Jesus was (Luke 8:28);
They
knew that a time has been set for their “torment”;
They
knew there was no way out of their predicament but to obey…and obey they did.
(James 2:19).
Their
“proclamation” was based on knowledge and fear, Jesus did not need that. There
is, though, a proclamation based on revelation and worship (Matthew 16:16).
Jesus
has full authority. The gospel of Matthews ends with what is known as the Great
Commission. We read that “…Jesus came
to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me” (Matthew 28:18).
Those
words reflect exactly the framework of Jesus’ authority – all authority has
been given to Him.
The
Gospel of Luke presents all dimensions of Jesus’ authority.
Luke
8:40-56 is, primarily, about Jesus. What do we discover?
His
willingness to go to Jairus’ home and see his daughter;
His
readiness to deal with unexpected situations that come His way. Humans are very
unpredictable.
His
care for the social wellbeing of people…restoring people to their community.
Why did Jesus ask, “Who touched Me?”
Didn’t He know who touched Him? He most certainly did.
It
was for the woman’s benefit that He brought her situation into the open…revealing
her condition. The result was that she has been declared healed and,
consequently accepted back into society.
We
also learn about faith: a faith that heals and a faith that “travels the long
distance” (Jairus).
With Jesus near, there is no need to be afraid…just believe!