Luke 8:42-48

The book of Luke chapter 8, I want to read verses 40 through 48 this morning. We’ll be looking in particular at verses 42 through 48, but let me read from verse 40. And it came to pass when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him, where they were all waiting for him. and behold there came a man named Jaris and he was a ruler of the synagogue and he fell down at Jesus’ feet and besought him that he would come into his house. For he had only one only daughter, about 12 years of age, and she lay a dying that as he went the people, overthronged him, and a woman having an issue of blood 12 years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him and touched the border of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood staunched. And Jesus said, who touched me? When all denied Peter, and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude thronged thee and pressed thee, and sayest thou who touched me? And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me. For I perceive that virtue has gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, falling down before him, she declared unto him, before all the people, for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said under her, daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath may be whole, go in peace. May God bless to us his sacred and holy word this morning. When Jonah disobeyed the Lord and went down to the sea coast and took a ship to Tarshis, we find that he caused a lot of trouble for the ship. And the God sent a powerful storm upon the sea, so powerful that it was such that it’s threatened to smash in pieces, the ship. and tossed it all around. Everybody on board was terrified, thinking that all was lost. The crew decided that they would cast lots to find out what was the cause, who was the cause of all this? And of course, the lot by God’s providence fell on Jonah. And then Jonah had to explain and confess the whole story, how he had been disobedient to the Lord, and that this had caused all the trouble. My friends, we live in a world where one man’s sin has caused all sorts of trouble. When Adam sinned, we find that he plunged the whole human race into a state of spiritual darkness and sin and misery and all sickness and all sickness and all disease flows out of. the world being plunged into sin by Adam. One man caused all this. He was like the Jonah on board our ship, so to speak. And our text is a good example of this. We’ll begin to look at the world and the misery and the trouble of the world around Christ as he is here ministering. We begin to grasp the problems. of mankind or vast and difficult. And everywhere he turns, he finds people in need of his help. Christ has just returned to Galilee from the country of the Gatterines, where he cast out a legion of demons from a man, you’ll recall. The maniac. And no sooner does he arrive on shore before he’s met by a distressed man. whose daughter, just a 12-year-old young girl, is in such spiritual or in such a physical condition that it appears she’s going to die. She’s very ill. And while in the process of going to Jerius’ house, a ruler of the synagogue at Copernium, evidently, to heal the daughter, someone else seeks a healing. This woman with the issue of blood reaches out to touch his garment and be healed. These are examples of what’s going on continually around Jesus Christ. It gives us just a little taste or a sample of what was every day for him. And so we find here two stories, one within the other. Now this morning I’m going to focus on the woman with the issue of the blood because she’s sort of like right in the middle. of this Jarus story. And then we’ll go back to Jarus and pick him up. But let’s focus this morning on the woman with the issue of blood. Now let me say this. This story is not simply about a bodily healer. If we simply look at it from the physical aspect, we’re going to miss something important, I think, for us to consider. The words here have made the whole in verse 48 may have been better translated as, have saved you. The Greek word here, seratarios, is translated elsewhere in the New Testament almost constantly as salvation. As salvation. For example, let me give you. you a few verses. In chapter 2 and verse 30 of this book, a Luke, for my eyes have seen thy salvation. Luke 3.6, we see the translation here. All flesh shall see the salvation of God. Acts 2828, the salvation of God is sent under the Gentiles. in Ephesians 617, the helmet of salvation. And then in Titus chapter 2, verse 11, the grace of God that brings salvation. Each one of those is Sotarius. So the Greek word here is derived from the word sotur, which means savior or deliverer. And so the word, he really gives us a deep double meaning here. Yes, the body was made whole, but the soul was saved too. We have both ideas that can be captured by this word. Her faith in Christ saved her. Your faith hath made you whole. And thus, she can go in peace because her heart is made right with God by trusting in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, if we grasp this, and I think this is important for us to understand, then the application of this text to the matter of salvation becomes very simple and very easy for us to understand. So let me begin by talking about the woman’s sad condition. Here in verse 43, we read these words, and the woman having an issue of blood 12 years, which had spent all. all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any. This woman is in a constant state of uncleanness because we read about her issue of blood. This woman is diseased with an issue of blood from her body continuously for 12. 12 years. That is a long time. Now, women normally have an issue of blood each month because of their reproductive cycle. It may last several days. We know that. This woman, however, has a constant flow of blood. In other words, day in and day out for 12 years, this was a problem for her. This is very unusual. Now, when you lose blood constantly, you can become anemic. You can become weak. You can even pass out. I know people that, you know, they’ve gone to another doctor’s office, and they told them, you know, we don’t even want you to leave, your blood count is so low. Because they had a continuous loss of blood. It was just something they had to deal with. It was a daily problem for them. Now, imagine this for 12 years. And they don’t have all the fancy medical stuff that we have today. And according to God’s law, you would be classified as unclean, as long as you had a flow of blood from your body. You’re unclean. Now look with me at Leviticus chapter 15 and verses 19 to 25. Leviticus chapter 15 and begin being reading with verse 19 and if a woman have an issue and her issue and her her flesh be blood she doesn’t have a sword that’s oozing or something like that but blood she shall be put away seven days and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean. Everything also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be unclean until the evening. And whoso toucheth anything that she sat upon shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean. until the evening. And if it be on her bed or on her anything whereon she siteth, when she toucheth it, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the evening. And if any man lie with her at all and our flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days and all the bed whereupon he lieth shall be unclean. If the woman have an issue of blood many days out of the time of her separation or if it run beyond the time of her separation, all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation, she shall be unclean. It touches everything she sits on, herself being uncleaned. and this would render her because she had to separate out here from the people in some ways she couldn’t go to the house of God. She couldn’t go to church as long as she had this issue of blood. This means for 12 years she has not been able to go to the house of God. So her issue of blood was not just a matter of inconvenience. It related to a physical weakness. affected her health as well as her spiritual state because she was kept from worship. And now we begin to see the seriousness of of this problem that she has. the woman’s issue of blood. Now, let me say this this morning. You are in a constant state of uncleanness while you’re unsaved. It’s the very word that God uses to describe a sinner. Listen to this in Ezekiel 3617. Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defowed it by their own way and by their doings. And their way before me as was as the uncleanness of a removed woman. A removed woman. removed from public life because her issue of blood renders her unclean their uncleanness is just like that. God says you’re just like a woman with an issue of blood. Everything you touch is defile. You contaminate everything with your sinfulness. Under them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure. Nothing. What did Jesus say to the scribes and the Pharisees? He called him hypocrites. For ye are like under whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead man’s bones and of all uncleanness. That’s how you really are. Uncleanness. Your uncleanness that we’re studying here from a spiritual perspective here has nothing to do with your body, so to speak. It has to do with your soul. Your inner person. Unclean. fowed in the eyes of God. You’re left spiritually weak without strength this Bible sense. To do anything to help you to overcome your condition. In addition, you’re alienated from God. You’re unable to approach him to worship him a right. Salvation described in this manner, you shall be my people, and I will be like God, and I will save you, from all your uncleannesses. Ezekiel 36 verses 28. Now, most people don’t understand this. This is a very vivid picture. They don’t understand how repulsive they are in the eyes of God. Do you see your uncleanness this? This is how we are. This is how we were before converted. Do you see the desperate need? You have had to be cleansed of it all. Just a this woman needed to be healed. We need our soul to be healed. This uncleanness taken away from us. A constant state of uncleanness. Notice also here. She’s unable to find a cure. Verse 43 tells us here the last part of it, the second part of it, says this, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any. We see this woman’s unsuccessful search for a cure, for healing. For a long time, 12 years, this poor woman sought a cure for her issue of blood, and it impoverished her. Took away all her money. And yet, she didn’t get a cure. She went to a multitude of physicians. Perhaps you had a lot of medical treatments. Maybe she had a lot of medications that she was given. Herbal treatments or something to this nature. She didn’t improve at all, but actually became worse. Eventually, she ran out of money. She spent all her living on the physicians, but it was all wasted. It was an elusive cure. You see, our unsuccessful search here. My friend, Friends, let me say this. You will not find a cure for your soul’s uncleanness just by seeking earthly help. You can’t blame someone for seeking a physician when they’re sick. God often uses that means to help them. However, it would be sinful to trust solely in human physicians without seeking God’s help. You must recognize that your health is in the sovereign hand of God. He is the one that takes away sickness. We mean by King Asa in Second Chronicles Chapter 16. Asa was diseased in his feet until his disease was exceedingly great. And yet in his disease he sought not the Lord but to the physicians. He never recovered. He didn’t seek the Lord. The lesson is this. When it comes to disease, what is impossible with man is possible with God. Christ is the great physician. But let’s look at this from the spiritual angle this morning, regarding a cure for the disease soul. There are many who desire relief from the guilt of sin would like to have peace of mind, but they don’t know where to find it. They have sought the help of many religious physicians. but have not been made any better by it. As Job said to those that came to comfort him, miserable comforters, are you all? My friends, there are people weary themselves with every imaginable man-made scheme to find relief for their burdened conscience, but it’s all in vain. Peace of conscience has not been found. Forgiveness of sin has not been obtained. You can go to every psychiatrist. There is. is on earth and he’s not going to be able to solve your problem. As Job said, miserable, you are all physicians of no value to those that come here. You want to heal me, you’re not of any help. I was struck when I was thinking about this passage about John Bunyan’s writing of Pilgrim’s progress. Here’s man who sees his great sin. This burden it’s on his back. And he tells his family, I’m really concerned. Our city is going to be destroyed by God, and we’re all going to perish. All of us. And he said, I don’t know what to do about this burden on my back. I don’t know which way to turn. What must I do to be saved? Now, if you look at the book carefully, there are many people who attempt to help Pilgrim. To get the burden off his back. Originally, at his own hometown there, many people attempted to give Pilgrim advice about this burden, and they said, you know, Mr. Pilgrim, all you need is more rest. You know, if you got more rest, you wouldn’t have this problem. Why don’t you get some more sleep? Before Mr. Pilgrin couldn’t sleep. He was too burdened by his sin. He was restless. Couldn’t sleep. obstinate, a man from his town, urge his pilgrim, get rid of that book. Get rid of that Bible. That’s your problem. Stop reading that book. That’s what’s causing all your difficulty. That’s what’s causing this guilt of conscience. But Mr. Christian believed that the book was God’s Word. And it was true. That didn’t solve his problem either. Mr. Worldly Wise Man told Pilgrim, I think what you need is to go to the village of morality and see a man called legality, and he will help you with your burden on your back. But on his way, he has to pass Mount Sinai, and all the fire off the top of the mountain scared him, frightened him. He couldn’t, I wasn’t going to solve his problem. He couldn’t go that way. Formalist hypocrisy said, well, you can come in any time. you won and you don’t have to get, go on the narrow way, go through the narrow, the narrow, the straight gate to get to the celestial city. You don’t have to do that. Mr. Christian says, yes, but the Bible says that someone that doesn’t come in by the door is a thief and robber into the, the sheep pen. There are no shortcuts to heaven, and Mr. Christian knew that wasn’t going to work. Only Mr. Evangelist gave him the right advice that he should follow the pathway that he set him on where he could go to the cross, and it’s at the cross, that the burden of his back finally falls off, rolls down the hill and goes into the grave. Remember? Friends, there are many earthly physicians who promise a cure, but all they do is bankrupt you. You’re left in a more wretched. in an unhappy state than you were before. Remember what Peter says about some of these religious teachers? They promise you liberty, but their way leads to greater bondage. It does not help you at all. So here’s the woman’s sad condition. The third thing we see here is the woman’s great faith. Look at verse 44. She came behind Jesus here. and touched the border of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood staunched. There’s hope. The first thing we see is hope here. Other people were cured by touching Christ. Being ceremonially uncle, this woman could not go to the house of God. She couldn’t go to the temple. but she wasn’t cut off from approaching Jesus Christ. How wonderful that is, isn’t it? She sought him out as he followed Jarus, the ruler of the synagogue, to the man’s house. Where did she get the idea that if she just touched Jesus, she would be cured? Where’d you get that idea? It was publicly known. it happened before. Look with me at Luke chapter 6, just a couple of pages back. In verse 19, we read this. And the whole multitude sought to touch him. For there went out a virtue out of him and healed them all. Everybody who touched Christ was healed. And so here’s her hope. I heard that people touch Christ and they’re healed. If I could just touch him, I could be healed too. The knowledge of this fact made her well, I have a chance to be healed. Matthew’s Gospel 921, we read it earlier. She said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. All I got to do is touch his garment. Now the lesson here is a salvation of other people by Christ should encourage you to go to him for help. Have other people been cleansed of their uncleanness by going to Jesus Christ? You can be cleansed of your uncleanness by going to Christ. Here’s the promise of Scripture. Zachariah 131. In that day there shall be a fountain open to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for unhingerals. cleanness. Zachariah Chapter 13 in verse 1. In that day it’s speaking of the day of the Messiah when he comes. There shall be a fountain open, a source of flowing water. The fountain of life, living water to wash away the sins, the uncleanness of people. It’ll be open because God is open an new and living way. It’s abundant and it’s a permanent source of cleansing. As the Psalmist said, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51 in verse 3. There’s a fountain open for all who desire cleansing from their sin. It’s through Christ and His blood that we are washed clean. So the provision has been made. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. This prophecy provides hope for those who are mired in their sin. The Messiah provides a way to be made whole. Now, as you look down through history, there are a multitude of people have come, reached out, touch Christ by faith, and we’re saved, cleansed, of all their uncleanness. This is your source of hope, is it not? That God has provided a way through Jesus Christ, it’s related to us in Scripture, and others have tried it. And indeed it works. You don’t need to despair. There is a way to be cured of your uncleanness. That uncleanness that plagues your soul. there’s hope. Now we also see timidness in this woman. She sought a cure by secretly touching Christ. The nature of the disease is such you could imagine. She didn’t want to go and tell publicly what she wanted Jesus to do perhaps. Maybe she didn’t want to say make it publicly known. She was too timid to ask. Jesus directly here for a cure. And therefore, she approaches Christ while he is surrounded by a crowd of people. Now, the more people that were present, the more likely it would be that she reached out and touched him that he wouldn’t know. At least she thought, he won’t know who touches or nobody will know what happened. And I’ll be healed. So she thought she could get like a secret healing that nobody else would know about. Perhaps Jesus also. So she carefully touches him. Now notice, does she touch him on the shoulder? No. Does she touch him on the arm? No. She touches him on the border of his garment. So that he won’t feel it. That’s the point of what she’s doing here. She’s just going to touch the border of his garment, get a secret healing, be healed and cured, and no one will ever fail. Now notice this is a free healing. She paid all this money out to the physicians to be healed. All she has to do is touch Christ here. There’s not a dime involved in this. Is there? All she has to do is touch him and she’ll be cured. The wonderful thing about salvation in Christ is it not? It’s without money and it’s without price. Isaiah 551. tells us. Salvation is always by free grace. You simply reach out, touch Christ by faith, and you’re healed. Now often people are fearful that maybe Christ will reject. Maybe they’re too simple, too unclean, too evil for the Savior to heal. So you can be timid maybe about coming to Christ. But listen to the words of Christ himself, come unto me, oh, you that labor and are heavy laden, you that have a burden of sin like Mr. Christian, and I will give you rest. I’ll give you peace with God. I’ll give you forgiveness of sin. Matthew 1128. And he that cometh to me, I will know why he’s cast out, John 637. You know what? The scribes and Pharisees said about Jesus. They murmured about him why he receive his sinners. Now that should be an encouragement to any sinner. He receives sinners. Scripture encourages you that and as an unclean sinner to seek out the Savior. Isaiah 55, 6, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he’s near. There’s an encouragement to seek him out. To reach out. Touch him by faith. There was a great monarch that once entertained all the beggars of the city on certain set days of the year. And so he would have, at this large table of his, the royal table, all the people from his court, and then with them would be all the beggars of the city. Now, the people who were from the court would be dressed in all their royal type clothing, but the beggars would come in their regs, but they would all sit down and all eat together at the same table. Well, there was a man, who happened to be of the royal court that spoiled his silken apparel and he dared not wear it to the king’s royal table. And he thought to himself, I can’t go to the king’s feast today because my clothes are soiled. And so it struck him with great sadness. But as he thought about, in fact, I’m going to miss out because I don’t have this beautiful clothing to wear. He realized, but wait a minute, all the beggars are able to go to the table and sit there and eat with the king. What if I just dressed up like a beggar and went? And so he did. And he goes and he was able to sit down at the table and enjoy the meal, the feast with the king because he didn’t have a beautiful garment to go. So he went in the rags. Put rags on and went. And he was received. Friends, none of us can go to Christ as a saint. We have to all go as a sinner. Only if we’re savagery in the royal court, but just eating at the table, we all have to go as bankers. But we still can be received and welcomed at the feast of Christ, at the wedding feast. So if you can’t come as a saint, come as a sinner. Timidness. a cure sought by secretly touching Christ and then faith. She acted by faith in touching Jesus Christ. Verse 48. Jesus says this. Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole. Have saved thee. Go in peace. Jesus emphasizes this point. Obvious that despite her timidness she still believed that Christ could heal her if she could just touch the Savior. She didn’t doubt that by touching his garment, she would get a complete healing. And she did. Immediately her issue of blood staunched. She quit bleeding. If you watch a spider and you catch them early on when they’re just making their spider web, one of the things you notice is this filament comes out of the spider. and it’s like thrown out and it lands on something may land on a window seal may land on the wall but he cast it into the wind so to speak into the air maybe a tree branch maybe a doorpost side of a wall something and it sticks to it is sticky and then the next thing you know he’s going out there and he’s adding on all this and the next thing you know the big spider web’s all built but the commencement of the spider web is by faith isn’t it he just cast out the filament and expects it it it’s going to land somewhere and it’s going to stick my friends a spiritual healing always begins with an act of faith isn’t we we we go to christ we don’t we don’t despair of of a healing but we turn to the Savior. Yes, it is God’s work in us that turns us to the Savior. Christ is able to save it into the uttermost that come unto God by Him. So you’re called upon to believe on him that justifies the ungodly. Trust in Christ, put your confidence in his redemptive work, his sacrifice for sinners. Ephesians 1-7, in whom we have redemption through his blood. the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. Now you can stay in your misery, burdened by your sin, and never get any better. We can reach out and touch Christ by faith and have all your uncleanness washed away and be forgiven of your sins. So we see the woman’s great faith. She has hope, she’s timid, but she acts in faith. Now friends, Jonah cast the whole ship into a state of misery and trouble. Adam has cast a whole human race into it. And we see in our text here this poor woman with this issue of blood. And we see also the ruler of the synagogue and his daughter. Christ is the remedy for man’s uncleanness. The only remedy available. All other physicians are going to leave your broke and you’re useless. So go to Christ by faith, reach out and touch him, and be made whole. The Bible says he’s able to say this. Let us close with our word of prayer this morning.