Verse 24. Jesus went with Jarius, but before He gets to Jarius’ house another incident comes in: “And much people followed Him, and thronged Him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. For she said, ‘If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.’ And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.” Here is a case of need; a woman with no name, and no claim, except that He is the Saviour and she is a needy one, and she has faith in Him. How all this answers to the present time. Now, it is individual salvation, not national. We have no claim as Gentiles but our need. No doctors can work improvement of our hopeless case. Only Jesus can do helpless sinners good. It must be nothing short of personal faith in Christ that can meet our desperate case.
Verses 30-34. “And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And His disciples said unto Him, ‘Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest Thou, who touched Me?’ And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth.” She was healed; that was all she wanted, but that was not all He wanted. He wanted her to know His love and grace, as well as His power to heal. He wanted her to know His heart, as well as His hand. And so He called her out in confession before Him, so that He might speak to her His words of grace. “And He said unto her, ‘Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.’” Is this not another likeness to the present time? In no other period of time was the Lord revealed as now. He called her daughter. We are the children of God the Father; we are members of the body of Christ; we are sealed with the Holy Spirit; blessings only known during this present time on earth, yet they will be ours for all eternity. Full assurance of faith; full assurance of understanding; full assurance of hope, given to us now by His word and Spirit.
This story of the woman suddenly ends and the narrative returns to Jarius again, so when the church is completed and taken on high to be with the Lord, the prophetic clock will start again just where it left off, to complete Israel’s story also. We must not look for the fulfillment of prophecy during the period when the Lord is calling His bride out of the world.
Verses 35-43. “While He yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, ‘Thy daughter is dead: Why troublest thou the Master any further?’ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’” Here we see how He encourages the believing remnant of the Jews in the coming day, and will recognize them as those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:2929Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)). “And He suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter, and James, and John, the brother of James; and He cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.” Just as the Jews do now at certain seasons, but they are just as ready to laugh the next moment. So when the Lord said, “Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth,” they laughed Him to scorn. To Him she was but sleeping, awaiting the time when God’s promises to Israel would be fulfilled (Ezek. 36). “And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, ‘Talitha cumi,’ which is, damsel, I say unto thee, ‘Arise.’ And straightway the damsel arose, and walked, for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And He charged them straightly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.” So, when Israel is restored again, the Lord will see to it that she will be cared for. His covenant with them will be a covenant of grace. His law will be written in their hearts, and their sins and iniquities will He remember no more (Heb. 8:10-1210For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:10‑12)). But He does not speak to Jairus’ daughter as He spoke to the woman. Israel will be His earthly people, but the church is His body and His bride; she will share His heavenly glory (Eph. 5:25, 26, 2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27)). May our souls enter into His love for us now.
(Continued from page 239.)