Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
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. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.
It is painful when you realise the thing that you had been hoping for won't happen. It could have been a family you wanted, a career, or a healthy condition. Perhaps you failed the test, missed the window of opportunity or have been given the wrong diagnosis and have lost hope. In this passage a synagogue leader has lost his daughter and he says, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." What incredible faith this mad had. In a moment of grief and mourning, he had profound clarity of belief that Jesus had the power to raise his daughter from the dead.
Similarly, this woman had be unwell for twelve years and, if you have ever experienced a chronic illness, there comes a time when you learn to live with your situation and accept the hand that life has dealt you. Sometimes hopelessness comes suddenly and other times it can descend upon us like a fog slowly over time. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
In Romans 4:17 Paul says that our hope is in a God who can bring the dead back to life and create something out of nothing. I think we forget this. I mean, it is so hard for us to get our heads around because no one else can create something out of nothing. We take existing ideas and make new connections or alter them but when something ends, that’s it. Done. Gone. To keep hoping feels like denial, not faith. However, God requires no building blocks to be able to create new life.
The word in theology for this is ‘ex nihilo.’ Out of nothing. What is ex nihilo in your life? What have you given up on? Jesus specialises in making life from death and beauty out of nothing. Hold onto hope. It might not always look like what you imagined but the best is still ahead.
Reflect
- What does this story reveal about Jesus to us?
- Is there a situation where you have lost hope?
- Where do you see hopeless situations where you live?
- What would renewed hope in Jesus look like in these situations?
Respond
Pause and pray. What is a big prayer that only God could achieve? Add a calendar entry to 3 months from now to remind you of this prayer and then repeat if nothing has shifted.
