Daily Devotion With Pastor Dan – September 29th, 2020
(Matthew 9:18-22)…..While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
God’s Word reveals Jesus’ authority over all things. In the gospels, we see that Jesus touched the leper and he was made well, Jesus spoke and a raging storm and a tossing sea suddenly became calm, at His command a man held captive by the devil was set free, and the paralyzed man made to walk. We serve a Lord who possesses ALL authority and power (Matthew 28:18) (Ephesians 3:20). We serve a Lord with whom nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). In our text this morning Jesus again shows His authority, and this time over death.
A man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, one of the officials who oversaw the business of the synagogue, who was an important man in his community, who probably possessed, power, privilege, prestige, position, prominence, probably a wealthy man. Sickness and death had visited the home of Jairus and nothing of his status could deliver him or his family from the pain of the trial he was in. Jairus needed help that none of his resources could provide. He needed faith that rests in Jesus and in His power alone. This is the same truth for us today. We also need faith that rests in Jesus and in His power alone.
It is that faith which we are to…….
- Stand fast in – (1 Corinthians 16:13)
- Continue in – (Acts 14:22)
- Be strong in – (Romans 4:20-24)
- Abound in – (2 Corinthians 8:7)
- Hold fast to – (1 Timothy 1:19)
This is the kind of faith the Lord is looking for in your life and mine. He wants us to come to the end of our own abilities. He wants us to come to the place where we know that we can’t, but He can. Like Jairus, our faith must be in the Lord and in His ability. Faith in Jesus is faith that will always be honored by God – (Mark 9:23) (John 14:13-14).
Notice also the woman that was healed in our text this morning (9:20-22) (Mark 5:25-34) (Luke 8:43-48). Jesus was on his way to heal Jairus’s daughter when He was stopped by a woman who needed healing. This woman had an issue of blood, now why is that significant? This made her unclean according to (Leviticus 15:25-30). This had gone on for twelve years of her life, so imagine for twelve years being an outcast of society. She had spent all of her money to find a cure yet she had grown worse and worse and nothing could heal her. Her condition reminds us of another condition
- That man has a spiritual problem, sin (Romans 3:23) (Romans 6:23)
- This problem has separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2)
- Man’s sin problem can also last for years and years if it goes untreated
- There is no physician of the day that can cure this problem
- The religious leaders of the day could not cure this problem (Matthew 5:20)
- We cannot cure this problem with our own righteousness (Philippians 3:8-9)
The woman had heard about Jesus (Mark 5:27). She believed, “If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole.” She acted on that belief, and she touched the hem His Garment (9:20). The word hem is significant here (Matthew 14:34-36) (Matthew 23:5-6), to us we think of the hem as being the very bottom portion of the robe, the part nearest the ground. But it was actually a tassel (fringe) that hung from the four corners of their Tallit, prayer shawl. The word fringe means the same things as the word hem in Matthew. It is the word Tzitzit, of which we get the word tassel (Numbers 15:38-41). The tassel’s were formed from four strands of thread which are doubled making eight strands. One of the strings, usually a blue string, is much longer than the others. These strands are tied in a series of five knots. The five knots represent the Torah (the first five books our bible), which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Between the five knots there are four windings
- In the first – the string is wound around seven times
- In the second – it is wound around eight times
- In the third – it is wound around eleven times
- In the fourth – it is wound around thirteen times
- These windings are very significant to the Jews
- Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value
- The windings – (7+8+11) – equal twenty-six and this number is equal to the Hebrew value for the Name of God – YHWH and is called the – Tetragrammon – It is the word we know as Jehovah
The tassels on the border of a man’s garments were there to be a constant reminder of his relationship to God.
- A constant reminder that God purchased them unto Himself
- A constant reminder that they were a kingdom of priests – a holy nation – (Exodus 19:6)
- A constant reminder that they were required to obey the Lord of God
- No matter which way they turned – they would see the tassels – and be reminded of obedience
- A constant reminder that God has been faithful to them – He had led them – fed them – blessed them
- A constant reminder that they were part of God’s eternal plan
When the woman with the issue of blood came to Jesus and touched the tassels of His garment, she was in a sense touching much more than a piece of fabric. She was embracing the promise of (Malachi 4:2). She was looking for healing in His wings, this is the same word used for border or hem. You see, she saw Jesus as the Messiah, and like Ruth, she was asking the heavenly Boaz to spread His skirt. The word skirt is the same word that is translated border in (Numbers 15:38). She was doing what the Psalmist did in (Psalm 91:1-7), asking to come under the shelter of the wings of God. The word wings is the same word translated border in (Numbers 15:38).
Are we understanding what happened here with this woman? When she touched the tassel (hem of His garment) – it was the same as touching Him. She looked to Jesus by faith and when her faith touched His grace she was healed. She was looking to her Messiah and trusting Him to deliver her from her situation. She was claiming the promises of the Word of God and resting in the grace of God. She came to the right Person in the right manner and she got what she needed (Mark 5:29-34) – notice the word immediately.
If you need Jesus this morning for anything you might be struggling with, reach out and grab hold of His garment by faith, and He will help you.