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Chapter 9
Jairus' Daughter Raised from the Dead and the Woman with the issue of blood
9:18 As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live."
The ruler is not named here as he is in other gospels. It is Jairus the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum. When he originally comes to Jesus it is because his only child, a girl of twelve, was lying at the point of death (Luke 8:41-42). Jairus initially had faith that Christ could heal his daughter while she lived. (Mark 5:22-23). It was while he sought the help of Jesus that news reached him via his servants that his little girl had actually died. Jesus then challenges Jairus to keep on believing and she will be alive and well again (Mark 5:35-36). Matthew condenses this whole situation into one sentence.
9:19-21 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. But a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. For she kept saying to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed."
As Jesus and his disciples went on their way with Jairus to his house, a woman came up behind him, no doubt pushing her way through the crowd. She had suffered with a gynecological problem which meant that the bleeding from her womb was continuous, and had been so for twelve years. Such was her faith in Christ's power to heal, that she said "I have only to touch the hem of his cloak to be healed, and indeed she was. She was also naturally modest about her situation and did not wish her condition or her healing to be made public.
9:22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, "Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour.
The woman had hoped to be healed without being noticed, but one can never go unnoticed as far as Jesus is concerned. He encouraged her to tell her story, as a testimony to God's goodness (Mark 5:33), and reassured her that because of her faith, she was fully and truly healed.
9:23-24 When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep." And they began making fun of him.
A crowd of relatives, friends and neighbors had gathered to mourn the dead girl. In hot eastern countries, funerals must take place quickly, because of decay. They mourned in the traditional way, with doleful music. Can you imagine anyone entering a funeral and telling the relatives not to worry, for their dead loved one is not dead at all but only asleep? The words "Laughed at him" or "made fun of him" are really too weak. The word derided is more correct. The reaction of the crowd was hostile.
9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
The crowd were persuaded to leave for the time being, possibly by Jairus, (though Christ's authority would have been sufficient to compel them to leave, had he wished to exercise it). In this way the Lord was given his place to do his work.
Notice that Christ did not call on God or even pray for the girl. He himself is the resurrection (John 11:25) With power over life and death (Rom. 14:9). He took her by the hand and summoned her spirit back from the world of the dead, with the words recorded by Mark in Aramaic "Talitha Kumi" Little girl, I say to you, get up." (Mark 5:41)
9:26 And the news of this spread throughout that region.
Mark tells us tat he allowed only Peter, John and James with him into the child's bedroom, together with her father and mother. Yet no one can keep the secret of a dead girl brought back to life. Such an occurrence shook the entire region.
The healing of Two blind men
9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
Christ had healed many blind people, and as often happened, two more cam to him and shouted out for mercy, calling him the Messiah or Christ, the promised son of David.
9:28-31 When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes saying, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.
It was not at the roadside, as in the case of Bartimaus, but later in the house that the two men were brought to Jesus. Jesus questions them concerning their faith, to challenge them. Notice how after this challenge they call him no longer son of David but Lord. He touched their eyes, and by faith they received the healing from Jesus.
Yet on this occasion, the Lord did not want their healing advertised. He sternly warned them not to give their testimony. Yet they did not heed this warning, and mark tells us that as a result, so many crowds sought Christ for healing that he could no longer enter the cities, but carried on his ministry, like the Cfan crusades of today, in the deserts. Christ did not want his ministry to be seen as a healing campaign. He longed for the crowds to gather to hear the teaching of his word, to receive eternal life, for more important than healing was the mission he came to fulfill - the son of man has come to seek and to save the lost.
Deliverance of A Demon Possessed Man
9:32-33 As they were going away, a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him. After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!"
This man who was brought to Jesus had been robbed of the power of speech by a demon which possessed him. It was when the demon was cast out that his power of speech returned - their had been nothing physically wrong with the speech organs. Indeed, the ministry of Christ was the first time that men had ever seen demons cast out, and it was a characteristic of Christ's ministry everywhere he went, fulfilling the scripture which says "release the captives."
9:34 But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of demons he casts out demons."
In a mere fit of jealousy, the religious leaders accuse Jesus with this ludicrous statement (Matt. 12:24-30) tells us how Christ answered them, That it was nonsense to suppose that an army would attack and destroy itself in battle, so it was ludicrous to suggest that Satan could drive out Satan. He also warns them that to oppose the spirit of God in this way is to be in danger of committing an eternal sin (Matt. 12:31-32).
Few Workers
9:35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness.
Christ's purpose was to reach the whole population of Israel with the gospel, and so he would not be confined to one geographic location. He traveled as an itinerant preacher, preaching the gospel and teaching the word of God in every synagogue throughout the entire region. As he went he healed every kind of sickness and disease as part of his ministry.
9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
As huge crowds turned out to meet him and to be healed of their sicknesses, Christ the good shepherd had compassion on them, for without him they were without a shepherd, leader, guide, one to tend and bless and care for hem. One of our motivations in ministry and evangelism is not just the reality of people going to hell, but the reality of our wonderful blessed Saviour whom they do not know. How we want them to know him! So did Christ want this, which is why he says in the following verses:
9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest."
God has a great work to do., His harvest is the gathering of men unto himself from every tribe and nation. People coming to know and worship God through is son Jesus Christ. This work cannot be done by a small group of individuals. There is a world to be reached. Pray that the Lord of the harvest, which is God, will send or thrust out laborers into his harvest work. Sometimes God needs to thrust us out, or we would never go. The work of preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ is a labor, the word means toil, it is hard and often discouraging work. In a man turns up unprepared for a Sunday school class, and doesn't know what he will teach the children, or what activity they will do, then he ought not be surprised if their is not result. Paul says do the work of an evangelist (2 Tim. 4:5). God requires hard work. The word is "toi"l. Of Pastors teaching the word he employs the phrase "the hard working ox should not be muzzled as it treads out the corn" (1 Tim. 5:17-18). Work is involved. Praise God, let's not be afraid of such work for the master, nor accuse hard working ministers of relying on their own efforts. The harder a man works, the greater his revelation of Christ (See Paul More than they all). There is no room for the lazy in the kingdom of God.
