21And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. 22Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Ja'irus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." 29And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" 31And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, `Who touched me?'" 32And he looked around to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 35While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" 36But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. 39And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Tal'itha cu'mi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." 42And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
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Food for life John 6:22-29
22On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not e...
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Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I tol...
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11On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama'ria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, wh...
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1After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was abo...
There is so much to unpack in this. A synagogue high priest accepts Jesus as a healer with divine power. A woman who has tried everything and spent every cent looking for healing sucks energy from Jesus simply by touching his robe. Jesus, even though he is being smothered by the crowd, feels the energy going from his body. When the High priest’s daughter dies, some feel Jesus may as well turn back. But Jesus says “Do not fear. Only believe”. I have a good friend who is currently being treated for cancer. She is faith-filled and quite inspirational in her ability to believe without fear. What I have noticed is that she is not afraid of death because she knows in her heart that she has walked with Christ and Christ will be there when she passes. I think we all have the option to reach out and touch Christ’s garments through the noise of our lives. Doing so from a place of belief leaves us comforted with the outcome no matter what that may be. Loving father, grant me a life without fear and filled with belief. Amen.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection is deeply moving. You’ve captured the essence of faith as an unwavering trust that transcends fear, much like the woman reaching for Jesus' garment and Jairus trusting in Jesus even when hope seemed lost. Your friend’s faith-filled response to cancer is a powerful modern parallel—her peace comes not from the certainty of healing but from the certainty of Christ’s presence.
DeleteI love your insight that we all have the option to reach out and touch Christ’s garment through the noise of our lives. It reminds us that faith is an active choice, not just a passive hope. Your prayer beautifully encapsulates that desire to live without fear, trusting completely in God.
This passage, and your reflection, reaffirm that belief doesn’t guarantee an outcome, but it does guarantee peace. 🙏💙