Taking a Step Back to See How God is Working in Our Lives

Welcome back to Coffee with a Calvinist, a daily devotion and Bible reading to accompany your morning coffee.

My name is Keith Foskey and I am a Calvinist.

Today we're going to be in Luke chapter 8.

If you want to open your Bibles up to Luke chapter 8.

Now one of the things that I haven't noted so far, but I'm going to mention today, is that the chapters in Luke, just like all the Gospels, are longer than what we have in say one of the epistles.

The epistles usually have shorter chapters and so because I'm limiting myself to one passage or one section of the of the chapter, we really are jumping over a lot.

The beginning of the the eighth chapter of Luke talks about the women that ministered alongside of Jesus while working with Him, providing for Him, which is an interesting little side note that Luke tells us is that the women were providing for the for the needs of the ministry.

And then we have the the great and wonderful parable of the sower and part of me wanted to talk about that today because that's one of my favorite parables.

I encourage you to read it then read the explanation of it.

The parable itself is four through eight and then speaks about the purpose of the parables in verse 9 through 15.

It kind of gives an explanation of it and I think understanding the parable of the sower is a is a helpful tool in understanding other parables as well because it's one of the it's one of those parables where Jesus gives a full explanation and He kind of shows us how the parables work in as analogies to realities in our faith.

Then we move down and we see the the situation with Jesus's mother and his brothers.

We see Jesus calming the storm.

We see Jesus healing a man with a demon in the country the Gerasenes.

And then we get to the part that I want to focus on and this is verses 40 to 56.

So this is this brings us to the end of the chapter.

It says, Now when Jesus returned the crowd welcomed Him and they were all waiting for Him.

There was a man named Jairus who was a ruler of the synagogue and falling at Jesus's feet he implored Him to come to his house for he had an only daughter about 12 years of age and she was dying.

Now right away I remember when I was younger and I would hear this story talked about and I remember at that time as a young person sort of putting myself in the narrative sort of empathizing or sympathizing in the narrative with the young girl who was sick.

But now as an adult as a father I put myself in the in the shoes of Jairus.

Here's a man who is who is desperate.

His daughter is sick.

She is dying and he is looking for someone to help.

He's heard about Jesus this healer.

He knows probably a lot about Jesus.

It says that he was a ruler of the synagogue which means that he would have been well educated in religious things and probably well educated in religious people and therefore he would have known about Christ.

And he comes to Jesus.

He implores him to come to his house.

He knows Jesus has the ability to heal.

He's probably seen it happen or heard that it has happened.

So Jairus calls for Jesus to come and in the midst of this there is a woman and it goes on to say in verse 42, As Jesus went the people pressed around him and there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years and though she had spent all her living on physicians she could not be healed by anyone.

She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment and immediately her discharge of blood ceased 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.

But Jesus said someone touched me for I perceive that power has gone out from me.

When the woman saw that she was not hidden she came trembling falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and now she had been immediately and how she had been immediately healed and he said to her daughter your faith has made you well go in peace.

While he was still speaking someone from the rulers house came and said your daughter is dead do not trouble the teacher anymore.

Now you have to imagine the heartbreak of Jairus at this moment.

He got Jesus to listen.

He got Jesus to to come and while they were on their way probably the first bit of hope he's had in the midst of this horrible ordeal while they're on their way this woman stops Jesus and the whole crowd stops him and Jesus stops to deal with this woman and Jairus is probably in his mind just come on you know he's he's not worried about this woman and her issue of blood he's worried about his daughter and now now she's died now now it's in the minds of most people would be you it was too late.

Verse 50 but Jesus on hearing this answer answered him do not fear only believe and she will be well.

When he came to the house he allowed no one to enter with him except Peter and John and James and the father and the mother the child and all were weeping and mourning for her but he said do not weep for she is not dead but sleeping and they laughed at him knowing that she was dead.

The callousness of men's hearts is hard to describe sometimes but just the callousness of being able to laugh and I know maybe it doesn't mean they laughed out loud but their attitude towards him was so smug and so so hurtful.

Verse 54 but taking her by the hand he called saying child arise and her spirit returned she got up at once and he directed that something should be given her to eat her parents were amazed but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.