According To Luke: Jesus, Jairus and a Jump Start!

According To Luke: Jesus, Jairus and a Jump Start!

Opening Illustration:

Do you know what these are? Of course you do, these are jumper cables! How many of you have ever needed jumper cables? Ok, several of you have. I have too. There are have been several times in my life where I have required the help of some jumper cables. My battery in my car died and I needed power. So I asked a friend to come, hooked up my battery to theirs, and what do you know…my battery was recharged. My car when from dead in the water to running like a champ. Notice that the power transfer did not come from another car simply pulling it to mine, it came through connection. The cars had to connect, they had to touch in a particular way, for the power to transfer from one vehicle to another. 

Remember, this, connection is key. It is key to jumping off cars and it is key to your spiritual life as well. You were created to connect. You were made to be touched. God desires to connect to you, to release His power in your life, and transform your life from dead to devoted. 

Fill in these two blanks this morning! Connect to Jesus To Find Hope and Healing!

Connect to Jesus To Find Hope and Healing!

Background of Luke 8:40-56:

Jesus had crossed the lake, the Sea of Galilee, with His disciples. In the midst of this crossing, there was the great storm, which our Lord stilled with a mere word. When they landed on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they were met by the raving demoniac, from whom Jesus cast out the host of demons. When Jesus and His disciples landed, once again, at Capernaum, on the home side of the Sea of Galilee, they were met by a large crowd , which had gathered to wait for Jesus and to greet Him. It is very likely that some of the other little boats, which had been on the lake, and which had witnessed the stilling of the storm, had gone back to port, and had reported how Jesus had dealt with the storm. Some may even have had reports of the deliverance of the demoniac. The crowds were no doubt expectant and exuberant as Jesus returned. Apparently Jesus taught by the seashore, and it was during His teaching that Jairus arrived, begging Him to come to his house, so that his daughter could be healed.

So, let’s read this morning from Luke 8:40-56.

Scripture:

Luke 8:40-56 ESV

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 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. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Follow Jairus and Connect To Jesus!

I. A Desperate Man vs. 41-42

Luke 8:41-42 ESV

41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

Point:

We actually discover quite a bit about Jairus here in this passage. We know that he was a religious man. A man who ruled in the synagogue. Jairus was a man of prestige, power and authority. He was also a father. He had a 12 year old daughter who was dying. We do not know her ailment but that she was nearing death minute by minute. 

Jesus had many followers. He also had many detractors. The religious and powerful people of Jesus’ time felt that he was a heretic, nothing more than a snake oil salesman. A charlatan.  The Pharisees were extremely judgmental concerning Jesus’ practices and teachings. None of them really wanted to be seen with Jesus, take Nicodemus for example. He came to Jesus but he came under the cover of night as not to be seen. 

Desperation does things to us though doesn’t it. It pushes us into decisions that otherwise we would not have made. Chances are Jairus heard about Jesus casting out the demons, quieting the storms, and raising the dead. While potentially doubtful in Jesus’ ability, his daughter was not getting well. In fact she was getting worse. Clearly no one else could help her. The doctors were mystified. The prayers of the synagogue seemingly were unheard. Maybe the Pharisees told him he did not possess enough faith. So, this man did as any desperate father would do, he took a chance. He reached out to the one person he was not supposed to in hopes that Jesus really WAS who He said He WAS!  

Point:

Sometimes desperation leads us on the path straight to God. Have you ever been desperate like that? I have. Have you ever made deals with God in desperation? I have. 

Lord save my marriage and I will…

Lord heal my wife of this cancer and I will…

Lord bring my prodigal child home and I will…

Ever heard the true statement, “there are not atheists in foxholes”? It’s true. Sometimes desperation leads to anticipation of God doing amazing miraculous things. 

Point:

I heard a statement from an old time preacher by the name of Vance Haver, “The tragedy of our time is that the situation is desperate but the saints are not.” Perhaps we have not seen God move in our day or in our lives because we have not reached the point where Jesus is the only answer, the only hope, the only purpose, and the only plan. Perhaps we are still trying to fix problems ourselves thinking that our way is best. 

Point:

If you are desperate this morning, embrace it and turn to Christ. That’s what Jairus did and we will discover what happens in just a moment. Christ never promises a life absent of desperate times, however, he does promises that He will be there when those times come. 

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Follow Jairus and Connect To Jesus!

I. A Desperate Man vs. 41-42

II. A Diseased Woman and a Distracted Savior vs. 43-46

Luke 8:43-46

43 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. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”

Illustration:

I read about an airplane that had been hijacked somewhere in Europe. As the hijacker made his demands to the pilot, something amazing happened: the pilot realized that the hijacker did not speak French. The pilot did speak French and knew that most of the passengers also spoke French.

So the pilot spoke to the passengers over the public address system of the aircraft. But he spoke in French, so the hijacker never really knew what the pilot was saying. The pilot said:

"The hijacker has demanded that we land right now. I am going to do that. Keep your seat belts fastened and you will be OK. As soon as we land, I am going to slam on the brakes. Since the hijacker is standing in the aisle, this will rock him backward. I will them immediately hit the gas, and this will rock him forward. He will fall flat on his face.

"When he falls, those of you in aisles one through ten are to pounce on him. The flight attendants are going to use the coffee makers to heat lots of hot water. Once you have him down, they will pour the hot water on him. By that time, I will have opened the cabin door, and the police will get him."

The plan worked perfectly!

Point:

When planes, cars, or trains are hijacked, we do view these situations as positives. Generally hijackings end in violence and death. What about when a Bible story gets hijacked? What about when a miracle gets hijacked. Well that is exactly what happens in Luke 8. A woman seemingly steals Jairus’ miracle. 

Point:

As Jesus moves through the crowd towards Jairus’ house, a woman with a blood disorder reaches out her hand and touches the end of Jesus’ garment. She believed, rightly so, that if she were to just touch Jesus’ clothing that she could be healed. She does just this and in the blink of an eye, this diseased woman is suddenly and without explanation healed. 

Point:

But what about me, Jairus must have thought. Jesus stops, looks around, and begins to ask questions. Suddenly it appears that Jesus becomes distracted while Jairus’ daughter lay dying. I am sure that Jairus must have been thinking:

Wait, that was my miracle?

Does Jesus have a quota on how many millraces He can do in one day? Did He just go over it?

Who is this woman? Doesn’t she know what’s at risk?

Point:

By the way, we don’t know that much about this woman. Interestingly enough, this woman carried her disease for the same length of time that Jairus’ daughter had been alive. Because of her disease, she would have been an outcast. Quite the opposite of Jairus who was person of elite privilege.

Point:

There are a three things that one might take away from this story. First, there is power to heal when one connects to Jesus. No this lady was nothing thinking about jumper cables but she instinctively knew that there is power in touch, especially when we touch Jesus. She just knew, in faith, that touching Jesus would leave her remarkable changed. The same works for us today! When we allow Jesus to touch our lives He will change everything. He will heal our spirits, change the way we think, fix our language, adjust our motives, and encourage us. 

Next, Jesus is not just for the religious, the pious or the prestigious. Jesus is for the outcast and the unsocial and everyone in between. Do I really think that Jesus was distracted? Of course not. Jesus knew that His momentary pause would result in the death of Jairus’ daughter. He also knew who touched Him. Sometimes God does not move in our time so that His might and miracles can be seen more clearly. 

I know that it feels that God does not always hear or respond. I am sure that Jairus felt that way. I am sure for the entirety of the 12 years that this woman carried a blood disorder she felt that God was ignoring her. He was not. The time was just not right. Timing is everything in the economy of God. Things have to line up perfectly to see His movement powerfully! Remember this is His story and we are but a part of it. 

Lastly, both Jairus and this woman displayed incredible faith. Did Jairus know how Jesus would heal his daughter? Did this woman know what medical miracle Jesus was about to do in her life? Could she understand what was about to happen? The answer is no, they just believed. Friends, God is not always going to explain how your life change, how your healing is going to take place or come. It is up to us to just say ok, I believe. 

Point:

For the record, we display this type of faith all the time. How many of you have the Amazon Alexa at your home? We do and we love it. It plays music for us. It controls our lights, locks, and even our heating and air. I don’t have a clue as to how it works. I plug it in, open the app, hit a few buttons and WHAM…it just works. We don’t always have to understand how something is going to happen as long as we believe that it WILL happen! This woman, and soon Jairus, will discover the power that comes from connecting to Jesus. 

Listen to the change that Jesus makes in our lives. We don’t understand it, but we trust it. 

Colossians 2:13 NLT

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

Follow Jairus and Connect To Jesus!

I. A Desperate Man vs. 41-42

II. A Diseased Woman and a Distracted Savior vs. 43-46

III. A Discouraging Message vs. 49

Luke 8:49 ESV

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 

Point:

Over the years, I have assisted on my boys football teams. I love being out there with them and I love being there with the boys. During that time, Angela and I have made some great friends with other parents who do not even go to our church. I can remember with my oldest son was playing his first year of football. He was seven years old. At home, he played the part. He had the helmet, the pads, even the look. He looked rough and tough and ready to do. I was that Dad that even bought some tackling dummies. We put them out in the back yard and he would run and hit the pads. I promise you I thought we had the second coming Peyton Manning and Lawrence Taylor living in Daphne. 

I remember going to his first practice and his coach, Frank Pierce, who comes to this church, said to me something that I had never heard before. Chances are I was bragging on how great my 7 year old would be and how I had planned to carve a spot for him in the NFL Hall of Fame. Frank looked at him and with a wink said, “Stuart everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth”. That is true. Tackling dummies don’t hit back. 

Friends, what happens to you when life hits back? When you plan doesn’t work? When the outcome is not what you hoped for?

Point:

The bottom line is that this man came to Jesus to have his daughter healed, and she died. For those of us who have made deals with God and saw the opposite result that what we are hoping for, this story is for you. Friends just the other day I performed my first funeral of the year. We prayed and prayed for healing and restoration only to have this sweet man pass away. How do we make this work with our faith? How do we reconcile this issue? 

First of all, death is not always the worst outcome. For the man who we prayed for and passed, I believe that he was healed, changed, and remade. His existence in heaven is the ultimate healing and release. The same goes for all those who know Christ and pass. That is the hope, that is the promise, and that is the truth. 

Point:

Also, God uses the discouraging news of life to create a platform and a witness for the believer. Over the holidays I was in Montgomery. I was spending time with my father in law and we got to watching a documentary on Pistol Pete Maravich. Pistol Pete was a tremendous basketball player and athlete. Perhaps the greatest college player to have ever lived. During his life he became addicted to drugs, he was an alcoholic, and his mother committed suicide. Later in life, while contemplating killing himself, he turned to Jesus and cried out for Christ to save him. When he connect to Jesus, his life was radically transformed. He went on a speaking and preaching circuit. People came to Christ in droves because of the Pistol. Sadly, Pete died of a heart attack at the age of 40. Doctors said that his heart defect should have killed him when he was 20 years old. You would think that Pete’s witness died that day. It did not. You see my father loved Pete Maravich. His life was influenced by Pete’s testimony. Pete’s life verse is my father in laws life verse. Matthew 5:16, “let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven” This happens to be my favorite verse because of Chuck’s witness in my life. You see, sometimes God allows life to happen to build a testimony that will last long after you are gone. How many lives have been exposed to Christ because of the story of Pete Maravich’s documentary on ESPN? Countless. You see friends, sometimes we must operate on what we believe rather than what we can see. 

2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Follow Jairus and Connect To Jesus!

I. A Desperate Man vs. 41-42

II. A Diseased Woman and a Distracted Savior vs. 43-46

III. A Discouraging Message vs. 49

IV. A Dazzling Miracle vs. 54-56

Luke 8:54-56

54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed…

Illustration:

A Mississippi man who ordered his wife a $2,000 diamond tennis bracelet for Christmas was stunned when he discovered the package delivered to his home contained not just one but 48 diamond bracelets — and no receipt or paperwork.

Some might say that it was a Christmas miracle. 

Dale Dickerson had ordered the baubles from the Atlanta-based Jewelry Unlimited, a company that truly lived up to its name this holiday season.

“I just stood there and just stared at it for several seconds ’cause I didn’t know what to do,” Dickerson told Memphis’s Local ABC 24 of finding 48 individually wrapped bracelets in the box with handwritten labels bearing serial numbers. “I mean I just literally stared at it, just dumbfounded.”

The IT professional said he was a “nervous wreck” having almost $200,000 worth of jewelry on his kitchen counter, so he composed himself and immediately called the company.

“The manager came on, and I could tell he had a lot of panic in his voice,” Dickerson said with a smirk.

After assessing the situation, the manager followed up with an email to Dickerson, thanking him for his honesty and providing a pre-paid shipping label for returning the inventory.

After sending back the 47 extra bracelets, Dickerson, who hails from the aptly named Olive Branch, received a second package — but this time,  it was sent intentionally. It was a pair of diamond earrings that Jewelry Unlimited sent as a thank you gift.

Point:

Well, you may not receive 48 diamond tennis bracelets in the mail, but trust me, God has a miracle for Jairus and He has one for you as well.

Point:

Jesus then accompanies Jairus back to his home. On arriving, they find a great commotion. Those who have gathered there are weeping, wailing, and beating themselves in grief. Jesus steps inside and makes the startling statement: “The child has not died but is sleeping.”On hearing this, the people laugh at Jesus. They know that the girl really is dead. Yet, using his God-given powers, Jesus will show that it is possible for people to be brought back from death just as they can be awakened from a deep sleep.

Jesus now sends everyone outside except for Peter, James, John, and the dead girl’s parents. Jesus takes these five with him and goes to where the girl is lying. Taking her by the hand, he says: “‘Talʹi·tha cuʹmi,’ which, when translated, means: ‘Little girl, I say to you, “Get up!”’” Immediately, she rises and begins walking. Imagine the ecstasy that Jairus and his wife feel on seeing this! Providing further evidence that the girl really is alive, Jesus directs that she be given something to eat.

Point:

So, what’s the takeaway here? I suppose it is this, stay close to Jesus. When trouble comes, stay close to Jesus. When life punches you in the mouth, when all your plans fail, stay close to Jesus. When it seems that everyone else is getting their miracle but your seems to not show up, stay close to Jesus. When everything goes dark, black, and you cannot see any longer, stay close to Jesus. Notice that Jairus does not leave Jesus’ side. I am sure that his Pharisee friends laughed at him when his daughter died. But Jairus never left Jesus side. 

Stick with Jesus!

Mark 10:27 ESV

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Jesus Turns Our Troubles Into His Testimony!