Jesus Changes Us [6-29-25]

June 29, 2025

Luke 8:40-56

“Jesus Changes Us”

For everything that was odd or erroneous or misguided about Sigmund Freud’s take on life, there’s one point he absolutely nailed. And it had nothing to do with human sexuality. Imagine that.

Freud once said the biggest problem we face as human beings is the threat of death. He said the fear of death factors into so much of our behavior. And most of it is at a level of dysfunctionality interfering with the joy we should have in life.

Think about all the angles of attack in fear’s arsenal. As a wise pastor once observed, “Fear is a heck of a drug.” {That wise guy was me} Who can forget those crazy first months of the Covid-19 pandemic? For some people it lasted longer than a year. That’s how spot-on Freud was in laying so

much irrational behavior at the feet of the fear of death.

Death is everywhere. Widespread presence of wars. Murders. Disease. Accidents. Somebody goes to the doctor complaining of a headache, and three months later they’re under hospice care. Somebody plunges off a cliff to their death trying to get the perfect selfie. A week doesn’t go by without another story of some weird way to die.

My mom died when she was 44, when I was 20-years-old. My dad died when he was 53, when I was 29-years-old. Here’s how astute Freud was. While I don’t think I harbor much fear of death, I’m only human after all, so there were concerns floating around the back of my wee little brain when I approached my 44th and 53rd birthdays. It was important for me to get over those tragic milestones.

Death is all around us. With that in mind, we move on to Luke 8:40-56:

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve 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.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, 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 ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of 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. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

In light of our opening conversation about death, there are two big picture points to these miracle stories.

First, these encounters, driven by Jesus’ love for all people, emphasize his sovereign Lordship. As God said at his baptism, “This is my beloved Son, with who I am well pleased.” Jesus is showing he is Lord of life and death.

The second point is a really big one. The two subjects of these miracles will sooner-or-later die. Jesus’ love and compassion are blessings for the short-term. But in the long run, there’s something greater needed. And these moments are a foreshadowing of that fulfilled need. Death comes to all of us. These verses answer the problem posed by Freud.

As we saw last month, Luke has a great way of getting our attention. Verse 41 opens with “and behold.” Behold is a kind of a jolt…a surprise…a startling moment. “There came a man named Jairus.” No foreshadowing. He comes out of nowhere. Behold.

Let’s take a moment to compare and contrast the two people encountering Jesus.

Jairus is a ruler of the synagogue. He is a respected and influential man in the community.

The woman is an outcast. The nature of her 12-year flow of blood isolates her from the synagogue, her family, and friends.

The man is rich.

The woman is poor.

One is respected.

One is rejected.

One is honored.

One is scorned.

One has a 12-year-old daughter who is dying.

One has a 12-year-old disease.

To put it another way, the woman has suffered for as long as the girl has been alive.

And here you have our Lord and Savior embracing both extremes. Both are

facing desperate situations. What will flow out of these two encounters is something you might want to write down:

AS LONG AS I HAVE JESUS, I HAVE ALL I NEED.

That gets at the heart of God. Jesus is committed to people. He is committed to lost people and to people in pain. And that commitment will lead Jesus eventually to the cross. These two healings are signs of his power and glory. These healings are interim stops along the way to the ultimate healing…the healing of sin and death. That is the heart of God.

Did you catch how Jesus responds to both healing moments? Again, this reveals the heart of our Savior. It gets at the essence of who Jesus is as your Lord and Savior. Jesus does not protest. He doesn’t ask probing questions. He doesn’t push back or shield himself from their intrusions. Jumping ahead to verses 52-53, when Jesus says, “She’s just sleeping,” how do the crowds of mourners respond? They laugh at Jesus. Put yourself in Jairus’s sandals. Your beloved daughter has just died. The wonder-worker you pinned your hopes on for her healing assures you that she will live. And these idiots laugh at that promise. I cannot imagine being such a ham-handed person. But Jesus doesn’t respond to their mockery. He doesn’t care. He does what he determined to do before he stepped foot in town. With love and compassion, Jesus is engaged. That’s who he is for them. And that is who he is for us.

Jesus is available. And he is interruptible. No problem of yours is too big or too small for Jesus. I love how the old hymn captures it:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

No ranking, no category, no limitations, whatever it is, you can bring it to Jesus. You have a Savior who cares. The woman grabs hold because she believes Jesus is who he says he is. The word Luke uses in verse 44 that’s translated “touched” literally means to fasten onto, to cling to, or to clutch. It’s not a tap or a brush. She’s attaching herself to Jesus. No matter what hardship or difficulty is in your life, you always have Jesus to hold on to. Always Jesus.

Make no mistake. Jesus came there to be interrupted. What a beautiful display of his power and love.

Here’s the last thing we’re going to look at. It’s the big picture truth heard in verse 48, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” There’s so much packed into that one little word, “peace.”

As Jesus uses it here, peace means “peace with God.” What threatens our eternal peace with God? Our sin. What did Jesus do when he died on the cross? He took our sin upon himself so we could have peace with God. When Jesus says, “Go in peace,” he isn’t bestowing some benign blessing upon her. He uses it in the fullness of its meaning. “Peace with God.” No strife. No enmity. Luke is talking about the peace of restoration, well-being, and salvation. Amen?

The biggest threat we all face is eternal alienation from God. While the young girl and the mature woman are healed in the moment of their greatest need, eternal salvation is so much more important. In these verses, Luke tells us that Jesus unleashes a spiritual healing in our personal lives. That is the long-term promise. Physical cures are temporary. Spiritual healing is eternal.

I love how one man puts it:

“God has granted wonderful advances through medical science. But one may be healthy, wealthy, and even wise, but still alienated from God and beset by a dis-ease created by a spiritual void. No physical cure permanently fends off the various assaults on our mortal bodies, but faith carried one through and allows one to overcome physical maladies.”

To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, his faith meant he could glory in his infirmity and see more clearly the grace and power of God working through him.

Whatever your need, Jesus has the power to provide it. That doesn’t mean physical healing will always happen. It doesn’t mean things will always go the way you think they should. It does mean that no matter what you experience or go through in life, all will be well, because Jesus Christ is Lord. Here’s a great observation about how a worldview can be messed up: “$55 million weddings. Trophy wives. Italian Villas. Will all fade away. The Bible – priceless.” Jesus heals a woman…Jesus heals Jairus’s daughter… Jesus heals you.

Let’s Pray:

FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE GLORY OF CHRIST SEEN IN THESE VERSES. AND THESE MIRACLES ARE PRESENT IN OUR LIVES. WE WILL BE RAISED TO ETERNAL LIFE. SO WE HAVE NO FEAR OF DEATH. DEATH HAS LOST ITS STING. THANK YOU THAT JESUS HAS CONQUERED DEATH FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE IN HIM. THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL HOPE. IN IT WE REST AND REJOICE IN CHRIST’S NAME. AMEN.