"And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought Him to come into his house; For he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any, Came behind Him, and touched the border of His garment: and immediately the issue of her blood staunched. And Jesus said, Who is it that touched me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that were with Him, Master, the multitudes press You and crush You. But Jesus said, Someone did touch me: for I perceived that power had gone forth from me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him declared in the presence of all the people for what cause she touched Him, and how she was healed immediately. And He said unto her, Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace." (Luke 8:41-48,RV)
Here we have another of the miracles of Jesus, which are written that we might know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, we might have life through His name. (John 20:31) Most striking is this miracle adapted to the purpose for which it is designed; for nothing could more clearly illustrate the truth that we receive life and salvation from Christ through faith in Him.
Consider the facts in the case. For twelve years the woman had been suffering, and steadily growing worse. Physicians could do her no good, and she had no more money to spend on them, even if they could. She was dying in misery, without help or hope of help. She was indeed dying, for loss of blood means loss of life. "The blood is the life." (Deuteronomy 12:23)
This is a well-known and universally recognized fact. To shed blood means everywhere to take life. Therefore, when we read that the woman had been losing blood for twelve years, and that the loss was increasing, we know that her life was gradually and surely vanishing away.
But the great Physician came her way, and she had confidence in Him; "For she said within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole." (Matthew 9:21)
She touched Him, and immediately she was made whole; that is, all her lack was supplied; the loss was made good. What did she lack? What was she losing? Blood, life. Therefore in that she was made whole, it is evident that what she received was life- new blood. This is the simple fact. As surely as the miracle was performed, so surely did the woman in that instant receive life; yes, she actually received fresh blood; for she was made whole, and her lack was blood.
How was it done? Jesus tells us all that we can know about it, saying, "I perceived that power had gone forth from me." (Luke 8:46,RV)
From this we see that when Jesus supplied new life to the suffering, it came directly from himself. We read that: "All the multitude sought to touch Him: for power came forth from Him, and healed them all." (Luke 6:19)
In this verse, as in Luke 8:46, the Authorized Version has "virtue," where the Revised Version gives us the word "power." "Power" is the better word, for the Greek word is the same word that we have Anglicized as dynamite.
The power that works in all things, and that upholds all things, is the life of God; so the power that went forth from Jesus and healed the woman, as well as the multitudes, was life; and this we have already seen from the fact that Jesus supplied what she lacked, namely, life.
Jesus went about doing good because God was with Him, (Acts 10:38) and: "With God is the fountain of life." (Psalm 36:9)
The characteristic of a fountain is that although you continually draw from it, it always has just as much to give; so although Jesus was continually bestowing life,--it was flowing from Him to others,--the supply did not diminish, because He had the fountain in Him. "[He is] the Author of life." (Acts 3:15,margin)
The Touch of Faith
Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has made you whole; go in peace." (Luke 8:48)
In the margin of the Revised Version we have "saved," in the place of "made whole;" and this is the better reading. The words in the Greek are identical with those spoken to the sinful woman, who also touched Jesus, and who received forgiveness of sins. (Luke 7:37-50) Jesus said to her, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7:50)
Here, therefore, we have a practical illustration of the statement that: "The just shall live by faith," (Romans 1:17) together with the statement concerning Jesus, that "we shall be saved by His life." (Romans 5:10)
The woman was saved by the life of Christ, which she received through her faith in Him. By faith she received life from Him, so that she could truly say in the most literal sense, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
From the case before us, we see that these expressions are not mere forms of speech, but the statement of actual fact, We really receive life from the Lord. Whether we believe it and acknowledge it or not, it is true that our life comes from the Lord; for it was to the heathen that the apostle Paul spoke the words, "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
But there is a difference in the manner of our contact with the Lord. The multitudes pressed upon the Lord as He was on the way to the house of Jairus, but only one touched Him in faith, and thus received new life.
So all the multitudes of earth are in personal contact with Christ, whether they will or not, for only in Him can they have life; but when our touch is the touch of faith,--when we acknowledge Him in all our ways, (Proverbs 3:6)--then we experience His life as the power that saves.
A Blessed Reality
There was no imagination in the case of the poor woman who was healed by the touch of faith. There are imaginary diseases; but when the life-blood is surely ebbing away, the weakness that results is not a fancied one. No imagination is powerful enough to give strength to one who is in such a condition.
But the woman was made perfectly well and strong, and this new strength was no more imaginary than was her previous weakness. That which was done for her was as real as though a physician had performed the operation of transfusion of blood from a healthy person. Life is indeed real; and when Jesus tells us that He gives us His life, we may be sure that the gift is not an empty name.
How real and how precious does this miracle make the words, over which so many are offended; namely, "Without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:32)
The blood is the life; the shedding of blood is the giving of life; we have no life in ourselves, but are "dead in trespasses and sins," (Ephesians 2:1) because sin carries death with it. (Romans 5:12; James 1:15) The taking away of sin is therefore simply salvation from death; but those who are dead cannot live unless they receive new life, which must come from outside of themselves; and this life Jesus in His love freely supplies.
A Different Life
Everybody is familiar with the expressed resolve to "live a different life," the different life to be of course a better one. But how few realize that the better life must indeed be "a different life."
The life that they have been living is a life of sin. The life itself is sin. With that life they can do nothing else than sin, for it must be evident to every one who stops to think, that a person can live no life except that which he has, and that if he lives a different life, he must receive another life.
This new life is just what we get by faith in Jesus, and the miracle which we are considering was done and recorded in order that we might see the reality of the transaction. It is something on which to build faith.
Shall we not then, like the poor woman, "feel after" (Acts 17:27) the Lord?
If we reach out the hand in faith, we shall certainly find Him, for, "He is not far from every one of us." (Acts 17:27) "The word is nigh you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:8-10)--Present Truth, July 14, 1898--Luke 8:41-48.