Desperation!

Desperate people's lives are about the intersecting are the ever different he's the leader of the synagogue.

She's ostracized from synagogue. He has an impeccable reputation.

She's lost her reputation. He's enjoying a family.

She's lost her family.

He's the walking epitome of the favor of God.

She is the epitome of the disfavor of God, and they both meet here at the same time for the same reason Jesus is there. Last life interrupts our time constantly. Jesus also faced interruptions during his ministry. But you know what he did. He often turn to those seeming distractions into divine opportunities today on wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey takes us to the streets of Israel organist see that Jesus was on a mission.

But there was a divinely appointed interruption just around were in Luke eight today for this lesson. Stephen called desperation. If you look up the word desperation in Noah Webster's 1828 edition you'll find it defined as giving up of hope estate of hopelessness and despair definition is still true today. I have heard it said you can live for 40 days without food. Eight days without water for minutes without air but not very long without hope, hopeless desperation is going to describe two people that were about to meet in this next encounter. One of them becomes hopeless rather quickly the other has had hope slip away over the years, but both of them when they meet Jesus are both essentially hopeless what you take your copy of the gospel by Luke. Let's go back to chapter 8, one last time with this message will finish chapter 8 we been racing through it. Heavenly Jesus as your attorney Jesus and his disciples have now sailed back across the lake. If you're with us in our last study. He's delivered a demonized man and when they get back to Capernaum are waiting on the seashore. It is this mob of people. It's as if they never left there waiting for him were told in verse 40 and they welcome him. But Luke is going to focus the lens of his attention onto newcomers that have made their way into this crowd of people. Verse 41 and there came a man named Jarvis who was a ruler of the synagogue and falling at Jesus's feet. He implored him to come to his house for he had only one daughter, about 12 years of age and she was dying as Jesus went the people pressed around him he needed to be really easy to miss the fact that it is total desperation that brings a man like this to invite Jesus to his home. Luke gives us his resume here so we don't miss it.

Were told that he was a ruler in our cone is the word of the synagogue, you could actually translated president. The high priests managed the temple system.

The synagogues were managed by the local communities and they will elect a president to serve as long as he was able synagogue and he was called president because he presided over their worship services. He selected the Scriptures that would be read. He invited the rabbis who would come to teach. It was his responsibility to take care of the scrolls. It was his role to guard the flock from false teaching that really kinda adds to the drama. Here he supposed to be responsible to tell the assembly of the false teachers are that are rising up in the community that he would've been very aware of Jesus.

He would've been aware that the Jewish elites believed he was a false teacher.

He would been aware that a nearby synagogue had already kicked Jesus out for claiming to be the fulfillment of one of Isaiah's prophecies. In fact, that assembly led Jesus to a cliff to from over kill mysteriously miraculously slip through gyrus aware of all no follower of Jesus, but things have changed. He has a 12-year-old daughter was dying from what were told as we can put the clues together. She has about an hour left to live.

The Matthews account squeezes everything together and tells us that she has already died when gyrus meets Jesus is condensing the story and the one conversation. Luke stretches it out in his account gives us the fullest account and we discover that between his first conversation, and his last word given an event takes place gyrus is at this moment so desperate, he is willing to throw his public reputation away.

This is no doubt going to remove him from office.

They'll be finished with nothing to do with him either is good standing in the religious world is is toast. Some units it's over verse 41 tells us that he falls on his face before Jesus rescued. That was the word he prostrated himself before an honorable man that's shocking sure this boy everybody knows hours are probably back it out there there there watching this event unfold with amazement gyrus is throwing caution to the wind and in a sense, he said, so why none of that matters. Any my daughter's dying. Jesus is my only hope he begs Jesus to come to his home. Maybe that's maybe that's what you did some time ago you through everything to the side when you fell at the feet of Jesus friends, your reputation, your business clients your family, but it didn't matter because you come to understand that Jesus was your only hope between life and death and all that all the rest of that was nowhere near so significant. Jesus evidently agrees to go to his home because they continue on the middle part of verse 42 tells us that as he went. The crowds were pressing him.

Keep that in mind, chaos. We watch what happens next.

Verse 43 and there was a woman with who had a who had had a discharge of blood for 12 years.

She could not be healed by anyone of Mark's gospel adds by the way what Dr. Luke left out Mark Wright said she spent all she had on doctors and they only made worse and I can just see Luke going. Thanks so much Mark for adding line and there. Legend has it, her name was Veronica. We don't know for sure what we do know is the irony of 12 years. Did you catch it, a circle that in my text.

This woman got sick the year. This girl was born. I want to pause long enough so that we can understand her situation. Her disease is related to the flow of blood. This is the same Greek term used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament for menstruation.

Leviticus 15, Luke writes that she has been suffering some kind of discharge that will not stop one translation reads hemorrhaging as a result, she would've been ostracized, she would be ceremonially unclean.

The law specified that anything she touched any chair she sat on her bed. She lay on would be immediately unclean below recorded that if anyone touched her, they would have to wash their clothing and their bodies and be unclean until evening. If she was married. The rabbis would've encouraged divorce if she had children, she would no longer be allowed to hold them if she was a devout follower of God, and were not told if she wants.

But if she was she was barred from the temple in the synagogue. Frankly, beloved, we cannot imagine these 12 unbelievably low years. She is the hidden desperation and finally she's run out of money and this is where these two very desperate people's lives are about to intersect and are they ever different. He's the leader of the synagogue. She's ostracized from the synagogue. He has an impeccable reputation. She's lost her reputation.

He's enjoying a family. She's lost her family. He's the walking epitome of the favor of God.

She is the epitome of the disfavor of God, and they both meet here at the same time for the same reason Jesus is there. Last hope. Verse 44, she came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment.

And immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

Therefore, don't read ahead.

This fringe is not a throwaway line. None of this is his outside party to this is a reference to the rectangular cloth slung over the shoulder of a Jewish man. He was God fearing who was announcing safely publicly believed in the law of God, Jesus certainly would've deserved where this it's called crafts, but Don that's the word. Luke uses here translated friend represented the godly man. Amanda represented the word or the law of God. The verb for Todd. She's a little unfortunate. It needs clutch she's reached out and she's grass hanging from the corners in the front and back of this garment were were blue tassels. She's reached out and she's clutched one of these blue tassels representing the law of God. I wonder why she would be willing to violate his world Levitical law.

Certainly ceremonial law regarding uncleanness by reaching out in represented and touching grasping that which represents the law of the word of God. We don't know, but I believe that she's throwing herself on the mercy of God. Here she she she is essentially acting out this prayer almost as it were, that that God would vindicate her. Debbie suggests God and she does believe his word.

This is a prayer of faith, which is why Jesus relatable so your faith is safe to get there and at that moment she feels the healing coursing through her body.

She let's go and attempts to slip away. She's finished with him. He's not finished with her.

So he stops verse 45 and says who was it the touched me and are all looking at each other. You know what when all denied it, Peter said master the crowd surround you enter pressing in on you. I love Peter is saying were you kidding who hasn't touched you everybody's reaching but Jesus said somebody touched me because I perceived power has gone out for me but don't misunderstand, this is not a battery like the ones you bought for Christmas or forgot to buy for Christmas so your rental as you got in the last 10 minutes. He's not is not running out of power, the power of Jesus is constant even when he demonstrates power, he has not less power at any given time and that's because he doesn't really have power. He is power. He's holding back right.

Jesus is saying essentially somebody touched me differently. It wasn't the press and the jostling of the crowd isn't an accidental touches and intentional touch, so we stops, he knows the difference. And by the way, he knows who this woman is due by the he's gonna bring her forward for a lot of different reasons, but don't miss the fact that this interruption is only deepening the desperation of somebody standing there by the name of gyrus will get to him in a minute gyrus because I wasn't was to get home and this is an interruption. This is in the way this is not nearly as important as where were heading and so as far as he's concerned Jesus in the mission he must accomplish is interrupted made me kinda think about the ministry of the Lord, and if you go to the gospel by Luke, we will preach a sermon on it but I'll mention he's interrupted all the time he was interrupted while he was teaching. Luke five he was interrupted while talking to his disciples. Luke 12 is interrupted while he sleeping. Luke hates is interrupted while he's eating. Luke seven it's one interruption after another and and and by the way, Jesus bottles for his vitals then and now, how we ought to be living. You know none of us move from one planned event to the next. Do we really life seems to be filled with interruptions, even serving Christ is not moving from one planned event seems to be one interruption after another is a good example of how to handle the Lord has something to teach gyrus in this delay, but he also has something to teach this woman. And so notice and when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she was discovered she came trembling and falling down before him declared the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. She explains her disease.

She talks about her struggle. Having this kind of turned into a testimony meeting ever been in a hurry and somebody's giving of their testimony will hear this is happening for gyrus to stand or bite his nails and she just declares in the presence of all the people what had happened to her and I love the Lord's response or verse 48 was I miss it daughter, your faith has made you well.

Go in peace. You do know this is that this is the only time Jesus personally referred to a woman with this term daughter daughter she lost her family. She been alone for more than a decade.

We can surmise that her husband and her parents abandoned her. Who knows how large or extended her family had once been. Jesus says oh, listen, you are now and in my family there might daughter imagine what that mentor you got a new family now daughter your faces made you well. The verb it so this will be rendered. I believe it saved so does the work for saved she wanted to be healed. She's saved.

Jesus now says to her because of her faith in his word now demonstrated through the power of Christ.

She now believes in those who he is, he can say to her, you leave now go back into your life is no longer a life of desperation. It's a life of peace. I just remember she's been excommunicated for 12 years from where the synagogue and who standing here.

The ruler of the synagogue. I read it. It's not included in her, but I imagine the Lord single by the way gyrus. I want you to meet Veronica. You haven't seen her in 12 Years Dr. you might not know who gyrus is, he was elected 10 years ago or whatever and there's money to save receipt should be there Saturday that what you say. Proceed with your family.

She's probably going over the first time in 12 years. She by calling this woman forward. Jesus has the opportunity to announced a cleansing to the entire world. The news is going to be spreading like wildfire. She's no longer unclean. She's now welcomed as a member of the family of God enter the scene from it be like you driving in your car behind an ambulance and inside that ambulance is a loved one of yours. They're desperately ill racing down Interstate 64 to get the wake met the sirens on the lights are flashing in your driving behind it and you're praying all the way. We gotta get there. Lord keep the cars out of the way to everybody else just part it.

We gotta get here. There's no time to lose.

Suddenly the ambulance pulls off the interstate and over to the side, there's a homeless woman is been pushing an over stuffed cart. She's fallen scraped her knee. She's bleeding. She's been waiting for somebody to stop and help her. Nobody stopped the ambulance pulls over doors open EMS crew gets up walks over to her talks to her get the kid goes in bandages. Her knee cleans her up stands or other doing that you're sitting in your car and in can you imagine the panic and the anger and frustration.

Why in the world are we stopping for her before there even finished the back door.

The ambulance opens in the sky gets out and comes over you and says look when you turn the siren off your loved ones died Monday to rush sorry it's too late.

That's what's happening here while he Jesus verse 49 was still speaking to this woman, someone from the ruler's house came and said her daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. Turn the siren off the lights to light. Jesus, on hearing this answered him that his gyrus do not fear only believe and she will be well now.

He evidently did. Again, their continuing this jury. It takes some time before they finally arrived because of the crowd to their home effect. By the time they get there. Verse 51 says and when he came to the house he allowed no one to enter with him. He still outside their about to enter. He takes Peter James and John, the father and mother of the child and and and all the weeping and mourning. That's a reference to the professional mourners they've already been called are already wailing starting playing on the read flutes. These urges there already there and he says do not leave for she is not dead, but sleeping with his he's talking here in riddles telling the truth or spirit alive. Her body looks like it sleeping but it's dead, and to refer to a deceased body is sleeping, speaking in riddles because he apparently doesn't want this miracle to become center stage at this particular point. So he's kind of putting these people off and he knows verse 53 what they do and they laughed at him knowing that she was that these are professional mourners they've already seen her. They know death when they see it. They don't understand the life of the spirit. Nor is there he goes into the house into the bedroom where she's lying. And he takes her by the hand. Verse 54 he calls saying child arise in her spirit returned and she got up at once. He directed that something should be given her to eat. It's proof that she's truly alive. Her parents were amazed that he charged them to tell no one was happening's is only for the parents and a few disciples that Jesus takes this ruler of the synagogue from believing that he is a healer. Did you notice that the messenger from his home said don't bother the teacher anymore.

He's a teacher. It was he was much more, and he sees it with his own eyes that Jesus is the resurrection and the life he could've healed this woman much earlier.

The senior knew she was there that this event is planned by his sovereign Providence enough to have this delay even up to meet her but he wanted to because he was reintroducing her back in the life she had lived as it were a dead person. So there delay for both of them becomes a doorway into even greater discovery about who Jesus to this day in this true for us. Some of the deepest things you learn about God our winter your Bible pages dotted with your truth and you rely on him those desperate times like you would say to someone. Those were actually spiritually. Some of my best delays become doorway into greater discovery and becomes then one of God's most powerful method of teaching the form of a principal I could put it this way, unwanted interruption and unexpected trials are designed to make his way in order to deepen with God truth from this lesson is a powerful one. Perhaps God is brought desperation into your life to invite you to himself. He's not just your last option. He's your only option. What a great reminder today from God's word, thanks for joining us this is wisdom for the hearts your teacher for these daily sermons is Stephen Davey Stephen Davey called this message simply desperation. You can learn more about the ministry of wisdom international if you visit our website which is wisdom online.org. That site is filled with biblically faithful resources that will strengthen and encourage you. You can have free and unlimited access to the complete library of Stephen's Bible teaching ministry again visit wisdom online.org.

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