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Please turn in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9, just a bit 
of a review since it's been a couple weeks. We find ourselves in the 
larger context that began in chapter 8 at verse 1. Remember 
that the Sermon on the Mount is chapters 5 to 7. and it ends 
with this statement in verse 29. The people were astonished 
at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority 
and not as the scribes. And then beginning in chapter 
8 at verse 1 all the way to chapter 9 verse 34 what Matthew does 
is set forth for us the authority of Christ in terms of his action, 
in terms of his deeds, in terms of the things that he does. So 
there are three triads, three series of miracles from chapter 
8 verse 1 to chapter 9 verse 34. Along the way there is instruction 
concerning discipleship. So the whole view here, the whole 
idea in this section is to set forth the power and the authority 
of Christ and the way we ought to respond to that power and 
to that authority. This morning we're going to take 
up verses 18 to 26 in chapter 9. We'll meet a grieving father, 
an afflicted woman, and a dead girl. But I'll just begin reading 
in chapter 9 at verse 18. While he spoke these things to 
them, behold, a ruler came and worshipped 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. When Jesus came into the ruler's 
house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 
he said to them, Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping. And they ridiculed him. But when 
the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, 
and the girl arose. And the report of this went out 
into all that land. When Jesus departed from there, 
two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, Son of David, 
have mercy on us. And when He had come into the 
house, the blind men came to Him. And 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, 
According to your faith, let it be to you. And their eyes 
were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, 
saying, See that no one knows it. But when they had departed, 
they spread the news about him in all that country. As they 
went out, behold, they brought to him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, 
the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, 
saying, It was never seen like this in Israel. Pharisee said, 
he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons. Amen. Well, let 
us pray. Our gracious God and our Holy 
Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you 
for Matthew's Gospel, for what it reveals concerning the person 
and work of the Savior. We pray now that you'd give us 
eyes to see and hearts to receive your truth. We pray that you 
would forgive us for all of our sin and anything that would darken 
our understanding. Grant us grace to know the power 
and the presence of your Holy Spirit. and grant us the grace 
to focus our attention and to take every thought captive to 
the obedience of Jesus Christ. And Father, for those who have 
not believed the gospel, those who are in their sins, we pray 
that today would be the day of salvation. that they would see 
the glory of Christ, they would see his power, they would see 
his willingness, they'd see his ability to save to the uttermost 
all who draw near to God through him. We pray that for your glory, 
and we pray that for the good of souls, and we pray in Jesus' 
name. Amen. As I said, this section 
that I read in your hearing is the final triad. In this particular 
section, we have one section, one part, and yet two particular 
healings, as I mentioned, this ruler's daughter and this afflicted 
woman. And this is the first time, the 
first record of our Lord Jesus raising someone from the dead. So it obviously is a most glorious 
statement concerning his power fits in absolutely perfectly 
with the context, again, where Matthew is taking pains to show 
us his authority and his power. Now, if you compare Matthew with 
Mark, you will see that Matthew, again, is just interested in 
the bare facts. He excludes a lot of the details 
that Mark and Luke include. What Matthew is doing is theological 
in nature. It's not that details are unimportant. 
but it's that Matthew wants us to see in this rapid fire away 
the glory and the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. For instance, 
in Mark's account, There are 23 verses. Matthew has 9. In Luke's account, there are 
17 verses. Again, Matthew has 9. So he's 
very succinct. He's very, what some call, condensed 
in order to present Jesus as Israel's Messiah, as the one 
who has all authority, and as one we are to believe in. by 
the grace of God and for the good of our souls." Well, let's 
look first of all at the ruler's request, verses 18 and 19. Then we'll notice, secondly, 
the woman's affliction in verses 20 to 22. And then, thirdly, 
the daughter's resurrection. So those three persons are who 
Jesus comes into contact with in this brief section of Holy 
Scripture. Notice, first of all, the ruler's 
request. Several things we ought to notice 
about this particular man. His name is not given to us here 
in Matthew, but Mark and Luke tell us that his name was Jairus. 
His daughter was dead, and this moves him to seek out the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Matthew calls him a ruler. Mark 
and Luke supply for us that he was a ruler of the synagogue, 
so he was a Jewish man. He was a man of some notoriety. 
He was a man of some position, a complete opposite from this 
afflicted woman who will come and touch the hem of his garment. 
You couldn't have more diverse people. Certainly a ruler of 
the synagogue would be looked upon favorably. Everybody loved 
him and everybody probably respected him. This woman with the affliction, 
however, was probably unclean. Her social status was probably 
no better than a leper. So we see from this that Jesus 
Christ and His power, His authority, His glorious majesty, and His 
excellent mercy upon sinners doesn't respect station. It doesn't 
respect office. It's not that if you're a ruler 
of the synagogue, you get to go to heaven. Or if you're a 
woman who's unclean, you get to go to heaven. It is all those 
who, by God's grace, come to Jesus in faith, they will have 
everlasting life. One man, Knox Chamberlain, describes 
this ruler of the synagogue in this way. Such a person would 
have been esteemed in Capernaum. Probably chosen from among the 
elders of the congregation, he was responsible for maintaining 
the building, for ordering public worship, and for fostering the 
congregation's fidelity to the Torah. So that's his identity. We notice secondly something 
of his faith. Notice in verse 18, while he 
spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshipped him, 
saying... Now many of the commentators 
suggest that the word that is used here is nothing more than 
a sign of courtesy. In fact, Mark and Luke tell us 
that he fell at Jesus' feet. They say the idea or the element 
of worship, the way the King James and the New King James 
translates it, is not necessarily what we are to garner and what 
we are to gather at this particular point. But we've been reading 
this gospel. We've been studying this gospel. We have heard men refer to Jesus 
as Lord. We have seen His power and authority 
in being able to hush the wind and the sea. We have seen His 
power and authority over demons. We have seen the trembling and 
amazement that takes place in the hearts of people that are 
witness to His great and mighty deeds. And based on the nature 
of this particular man's request, He is asking Jesus to raise his 
daughter from the dead. I don't think it's outlandish 
to suppose that he really did worship, that he really did bow 
in the presence of this Holy One, that he really did understand 
at least this much, that this Christ has authority over life 
and death. Maybe it wasn't as fully developed 
as our worship here this morning, But nevertheless, brethren, this 
man may have been acting and may have been conducting himself 
a lot more consistently than what he even knew at this particular 
time. So he falls down, he bows down, 
and he makes this particular request of the Lord. He says, 
my daughter has just died. This man's in pain. This man 
is hurting. This man is aching. This man is suffering. Man is agonizing. Probably of 
all the things that can happen to us in this world, the death 
of someone near us is the most difficult. And if it's a daughter, 
and as Luke tells us, his only daughter. And if it's a little 
daughter, as Mark tells us, she was only 12 years old. Our only 
12-year-old daughter has just died. You see the nature of this 
man's request. You see the pain that is driving 
him. You see the grief that is motivating him. And you see that 
Christ is his only answer. It's interesting. The daughter 
has just died, Carson reports. Mark 5.22 has, he's dying. Luke 8.42 has, was dying. Matthew, having eliminated the 
messengers as extraneous to his purposes, condenses so as to 
present at the outset what was actually true before Jesus reached 
the house. This is Matthew's tendency. Just 
give us the facts. Just give us the specifics. Just paint for us the picture. And the fact is that this little 
girl, whom this man loved, is now dead. And he sees that Jesus 
Christ has the ability. He sees that Jesus Christ is 
one that can be entreated. And he sees that Jesus Christ 
is one that will hopefully bring health to his little one. He 
believes that Jesus was compassionate. Remember those twin themes that 
we've seen about Christ in this section, chapters 8 and 9. Jesus 
is willing, isn't he? Remember, that's what the leper 
said to him, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. We have seen that emphasis in 
this section. Jesus Christ is willing. We've 
noted that hymn by heart, that he is able, he is able, he is 
able, he is willing, doubt no more. And this is precisely what 
these next two persons are going to find as well. They cast themselves 
upon the mercy of Christ. They see in Him someone who has 
compassion, someone that has kindness, somebody that has gentleness, 
somebody that can be approached. This is the Christ we preach. 
We don't preach some machine. We preach a real sinner, a real 
Savior, rather, for real sinners. Christ looks upon this man favorably. He has the will, He has the compassion, 
He has the heart of yearning, and He has the power. Remember, 
if both of these elements were not there, we'd have a defective 
Christ. If we had one that was willing 
but not able, Well, he's just like the rest of us. We might 
be willing to heal people and raise them from the dead, but 
without ability, it's of no avail. But if he has this power, this 
omnipotence, this ability, and yet he's not entreated, he's 
not compassionate, he's not moved to pity, he doesn't look upon 
human suffering and grief with a desire to fix it, And what 
good is that? You see, in Christ we have both 
elements. If you're not a believer here 
this morning, let me tell you, Christ is full of pity. Christ is full of power. Christ is the one sufficient 
and alone who is able to save to the uttermost all who come 
to God through Him. Do not doubt, cast your soul 
upon Him. As Hart's hymn continues, venture 
on Him, venture holy. Come ye sinners to this one who 
is both willing and able to give remedy." This man, this ruler 
of the synagogue, believed that Jesus was compassionate. He believed 
that Jesus was able to raise her from the dead. This is an 
amazing thing, isn't it? Some of the commentators note 
a bit of a difference between this man and that centurion with 
the servant. in chapter 8, verses 5 to 10. Remember the centurion said, 
I'm not worthy that you should come to my house. I'm not worthy 
that you should come to my house. Could have been the Jew-Gentile 
distinction, or it could have been the reality that the centurion 
knew himself to be a wretched man that I am, and Christ the 
Holy One of Israel. But he goes on to say, only speak 
a word and my servant shall be healed. In other words, Jesus, 
from a distance, you are able to speak a word and bring health 
and healing to my servant. Not so with this ruler. He says, you need to come to 
my house. You need to lay your hand upon my daughter and you 
need to raise her from the dead. Notice that the prohibition of 
Numbers chapter 19 verses 11-13, this is out the door. This man's 
not thinking purity laws at this particular moment. He's not thinking 
of ceremonies at this particular moment. It was prohibited in 
the law to touch a dead body. And yet this man says, come, 
touch her. Wanted to live. Even if that is the case, even 
if that is what Matthew is highlighting here for us, the fact that perhaps 
the centurion's faith is a bit stronger. Knox Chamberlain makes 
this reference. He says, even if this man's faith 
was not as great as the centurion's, Jesus' response shows that he 
is less concerned about the size of faith. He is less concerned 
about the size of faith than about its presence and its object. I'm going to quote Machen at the 
end of the sermon this morning, where he highlights this reality. 
But just keep it in your mind, if this ruler's faith is less 
than the centurion's faith, notice his answer. Notice the response 
of our Lord Jesus. This one, whom we've been following 
in chapters 8 and 9, and yes, pun intended. This One who calls 
men to follow Him. This One who calls men in discipleship 
to live in the dust, if they need be, and die if necessary, 
they must follow Him. In this instance, the Son of 
Man arises and He follows Jairus. He wants to deal with his daughter. He wants to express this pity. He wants to show his compassion. But even more so, he wants to 
show his omnipotence and his power to raise her from the dead. Christ the Lord arises and follows 
him and so does his disciples. Now notice the woman's affliction. You see the movement of the narrative. 
Now Jesus and Jairus are heading over to Jairus' house. Because 
Jairus has said, will you come, touch my daughter, and she will 
live. Now Jesus says, yes, I'll follow you, let's go to your 
home. And on the way, this woman touches the hem of his garment. Spurgeon says this is an incident 
on the road, a wonder by the way. This woman just appears, 
here she comes, into the midst of the crowd. We read in Mark 
and Luke that the crowds were thronging him. They were thick 
and heavy upon him. Everybody wanted to be near Jesus. 
They wanted to hear what he was teaching. He was a publicly recognized 
figure at this particular time, and they wanted to see what he 
was about. And notice how this woman is described. She's in 
a wretched case too, man. I mean, here we have the suffering, 
the pain, the grief, the sorrow of a father whose daughter died. 
And now we have a woman with a flow of blood for 12 years. Now commentators pretty much 
agree that more than likely what her flow of blood was, was connected 
to the uterus and to the vaginal area. She had internal issues 
in her female areas, and it was an ongoing problem. In fact, 
Chamberlain shows that the terms that are used in each of the 
gospel accounts are the same Greek words you find in the book 
of Leviticus, the Greek translation of Leviticus, that deal with 
this issue. So she's got this flow of blood, 
and having this flow of blood, it would render her socially 
unclean. It would put her into the same 
category as that leper we met in chapter 8, verses 1 to 4. If she contracted this problem 
at puberty, then more than likely she was never married. If she 
contracted it after she had been married, some say, some suggest 
that she probably was divorced. Either way, her condition was 
bad. Let's just look at that in a 
bit more detail. She experienced, first of all, 
chronic pain and affliction for a period of 12 years. Now that 
right there is tough. That's hard. Some of us can take about 12 
minutes and then work like a crying uncle. Let me check out, Lord. This 
sore throat's too much for me. It's been a day, man. Certainly 
you can buck up, champ. Twelve years of chronic pain 
and affliction. She experienced 12 years of social 
restriction. Why do you think she snuck through 
the crowd? Because she wasn't supposed to 
be there. Why do you think she secretly 
touches the hem of his garment? Because she wasn't supposed to 
be there. She was an outcast. She was marginalized. She was an unclean thing. But 
when we look at Mark and Luke, we learn two other pieces of 
data about her. She was broke. She had no money. Why? Because she spent all she 
had on physicians. That's what it says in Mark. 
She had spent all that she had. Luke 8.43, who had spent all 
her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any. 
This is a terrible condition, isn't it? She's got this flow 
of blood which creates pain and affliction. She's got this social 
restriction wherein she can't have harmony and joy and happiness 
and peace and community and all those things that we often take 
for granted. But as well, she's broke. I guess if you had no ability 
to socialize with people and you were sort of marginalized 
out of society, it'd be nice to have a big house. Be nice 
to have some of those creature comforts that we take for granted. 
She didn't have any money for this anymore because she had 
gone to the physicians, she had gone to the doctors, she had 
given them her loot, and they weren't able to help her. Which 
brings us to a fourth observation concerning her situation. I bet, 
doesn't say this in so many words, but I bet she was frustrated. Isn't that something many of 
you experience when you know that something is wrong and people 
can't help it? Yes, the pain and the affliction 
is a problem. Yes, the social restriction is 
a problem. But the frustration. Why do I 
suggest that? Mark 5.26 says she had suffered 
many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had 
and was no better, but rather grew worse. She's in bad shape. She's in 
a terrible condition. Yes, she's not dead, like Jairus' 
daughter, but the grief, the affliction, the pain, the suffering 
that she is experiencing is certainly on par with what Jairus is experiencing. What's the point? The point is, 
take all that to the Savior. Take all that to the Lord. Take 
all that to Jesus. Take all that to one who is touched, 
to one who is moved, to one who does have compassion, and to 
one who has omnipotence. Now, you know me better than 
to understand that I'm a charismatic or Pentecostal that thinks that 
Jesus is always going to heal everybody physically. I'm not 
teaching that. What I am suggesting, as we saw 
with that paralytic, there is a problem worse than paralysis, 
and that is the sin issue. If you have sin, come to the 
One alone. who is full of pity, the one 
alone who is full of power. That's what I think we're supposed 
to get from this. Jesus is there in the midst of 
the people and she comes and she touches the hem of her garment. That describes or that shows 
forth her faith. She came from behind and touched 
the hem of his garment. Probably these were the four 
tassels that a Jewish man wore in accordance with Numbers 15 
and Deuteronomy 21. What did those four tassels mean? It reminded them of the law of 
Jehovah, and to obey that law. Jesus was a pious, godly man, 
and he followed the law, and so he wore these particular tassels. She comes from behind due to 
the social stigma. She was unclean and was not supposed 
to be around people. But she also comes from behind 
because she's scared. I've got to say, if for 12 years 
I kept plunking down my loot at the doctor's office and I 
got nothing for it but more pain and more suffering, I'd be a 
little bit hesitant to try something else. I'd be a little hesitant 
to come to one, touching his garment, with the thought that 
he's going to heal me. In fact, in Mark and Luke, when 
Jesus turns around and sees her, it says she's trembling. She's 
afraid. The woman has faith, but even 
so, it might be something like this ruler's faith that's weak. It's not as strong as perhaps 
we might find in a George Whitefield centuries later, or in some of 
the heroes of the faith. But this woman comes and touches. 
And the reason why is because she says to herself, verse 21, 
if only I may touch his garment, I shall be saved. That's literally 
what it is. I shall be made well. The word 
saved is the word oftentimes employed for spiritual salvation 
from sin. You shall call his name Jesus, 
for it is he who will save his people from their sins. She uses 
the same terminology here. Again, I think in the context, 
what Matthew wants us to see is that this servant of the Lord 
comes to save his people from their sins. Along the way, he 
heals their infirmities. Along the way, he deals with 
their problems. but ultimately the primary emphasis 
upon this one is his salvation from everlasting death. She says 
to herself, if only I may touch his garment, I shall be made 
well. Spurgeon describes it this way. Great fear kept her from 
facing him. Great faith led her to believe 
that a touch of his robe behind him would cure her. She was ignorant 
enough to think that healing went out from him unconsciously, 
but yet her faith lived despite her ignorance and triumphed despite 
her bashfulness. Isn't that encouraging? Our faith 
at times lives despite our ignorance and it triumphs despite our bashfulness. He says it was her own idea to 
make a dash for it and to steal a cure. That's what she's doing. You see this kids? There's a 
crowd. There goes Jesus. He's walking with Jairus. He's 
going to raise somebody from the dead. You're broke. You're frustrated. You're in 
pain. You're in agony. You're exasperated. And you see this Jesus, so you 
shimmy through the crowd, you sneak in, and you touch the hem 
of his garment. What's her answer? What happens 
when she does this? Jesus turned around. And when 
he saw her, he said." Again, Matthew leaves out some of the 
details that we find in Mark and Luke, where Jesus says, who 
touched the hem of my garment? Jesus isn't asking the question 
there for himself. Jesus is asking the question 
for her and for his disciples. It's like God. Who told you that 
you were naked? Does God really not know that 
when he asks Adam and Eve? Or does God want to instruct 
Adam and Eve? It's the same sort of thing here. Jesus turns, and 
he sees her. John Gill describes it this way, 
Christ turned about to observe and point out the woman, and 
her cure to the company, not for the sake of his own honor, 
but for the glory of God, the commendation of the woman's faith, 
and I love this observation, I needed Gill because I didn't 
see it, and chiefly for the strengthening the faith of Jairus. What do 
you think Jairus thought when he was walking and this woman 
touches the hem of his garment and she's made well? Jairus is 
probably thinking, I made the right decision today. This is the one my dead daughter 
needs. This is the one my little girl 
needs. Notice the command from Christ, 
be of good cheer, daughter. We've seen that in chapter 9, 
verse 2, when they lower that paralytic down through the roof. What's he addressed that young 
man with? Be of good cheer, son. Your sins are forgiven you. So 
Jesus turns and he sees a woman who is trembling. He sees a woman 
who is fearful. And what is his command? Be happy. Be joyful. Perhaps we should 
think in terms of Matthew 9, 15. When the bridegroom is present, 
the friends of the bridegroom can't help but rejoice. That's 
one of the things that perhaps we are to suppose as we move 
through this narrative. Jesus is teaching us, Jesus is 
telling us there is a joy associated with the kingdom. When you come 
into contact with the Savior, when you come into contact with 
the bridegroom, what can you but do but be of good cheer, 
daughter? And then he says this, your faith 
has made you well. Now, the power of healing was 
Christ. It wasn't the touching of the 
tassel. It was the faith behind the touching 
of the tassel, the faith that entertained the thought, if I 
touch the hem of his garment, then I shall be saved. Christ 
associates this reality with her faith. Now we know that God 
gives faith. We know that if she had saving 
faith, it was the gift from God. But the idea here seems to be 
what we find in a parallel construction with justification. In the language 
of Luther, faith is the empty, beggarly hand that receives the 
gift of God. It wasn't your touch. It wasn't 
my tassels. It wasn't my garment. It was 
the living, authoritative, powerful Christ. It was faith that brought 
you into contact with that living, powerful Christ. That is what 
is highlighted. I mean, again, Chamberlain says 
this, that the sole cause of her cure was Jesus' healing power, 
the woman would fully realize. The suggestion that she trust 
in and then praise her trust would strike her as absurd. She 
wouldn't have left there saying, I'm sure glad I have faith. She'd 
say, praise God for Jesus. And it was that faith that was 
given to me by the grace of God that brought me into saving contact 
with him. That's the emphasis. And then 
notice the immediacy. The woman was made well from 
that hour. It's a big difference between 12 years, isn't it? Notice 
that Jesus doesn't say, well, you got a long road to hope. 
You put this on your head and you take these herbs and you 
take these pills and you take these shots and you spend this 
money and in six months then come and see me and we'll talk." 
She would have probably said, I've heard that before. Twelve 
years of doctors taught me about that. No, she's healed. She's saved. The living Lord 
Jesus knows what he's doing. Chamberlain makes an interesting 
observation. Luke does not tell us that she 
had grown worse at the hands of doctors. Maybe Dr. Luke didn't want to bring a negative... No, just kidding. It's interesting. Dr. Luke wrote exactly what the 
Holy Spirit of God would have Dr. Luke write. Well, that's 
a take from this passage, don't go see a doctor. We're not to 
take from this passage, don't go to physicians. We're to take 
from this passage an example of extreme grief and suffering, 
extreme affliction, extreme frustration, extreme poverty, and we're to 
see in this the healing power of Jesus Christ our Lord. That's 
what she would have went home celebrating. I doubt she would 
have went on a campaign to boycott every physician and every doctor 
that had ever practiced medicine. She was praising the Savior. 
Ryle says she came trembling and went back triumphing. That's 
what happened. And then let's look finally at 
this resurrected girl. So Jesus and Jairus arrive at 
the house. When Jesus came into the ruler's 
house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 
he said, that seems a bit odd. The Mishnah stipulated that even 
the poorest families had to hire two flutists, or is it flautists, 
I'm not sure, had to hire two people that played the flute 
and hire one wailing woman. You see, a Jewish funeral wasn't 
like ours. We do it hush-hush. We don't 
want anybody to see that we're grieved, we're hurting. We don't 
want anybody to think we're odd. That wasn't the case here. They 
wail. mourned, cried, they played flutes. It was a time of great distress, 
a time of great despair. They were agonizing and they 
gave vent in this expression. I'm not saying what we do is 
necessarily evil. I'm not saying what they did 
was necessarily right. I'm just saying, socially, this 
is the scene. There's a tumult going on there. 
There are people weeping. There are people wailing. There 
are people mourning. There are people that are grieved. 
They only had about a 24-hour period to do this because the 
Jews didn't embalm. So you went in, you did your 
grieving. What does Jesus say? He said 
to them, make room. Literally, get out. The verb 
that is employed of them going out suggests that he helps them. 
Get out. Make room. This isn't a time 
for a death dirge. This isn't a time to take your 
flutes and despair. This isn't a time for mourning 
and wailing. The bridegroom is here. Make 
room. He says, for the girl is not 
dead, but sleeping. Now, I realize that the Bible 
uses the word sleep to describe death at times. I think what 
Jesus is emphasizing here is that she really is dead, but 
it's not permanent. Jesus knows good and well that 
he's gonna walk into a room, he's gonna lay his hand upon 
her, and she's going to rise. Jesus knows this, and he tells 
them, make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping. Some 
have come to this text and said, well, she was just in a coma. 
And the weeping crowd didn't realize that. And the flutist 
didn't realize that. And dad and mom didn't realize 
that. No, the presence of these weepers, the presence of these 
flutists, the presence of this request indicates that she was 
in fact dead. His point is it's not permanent. This isn't the final chapter 
in her life. This isn't all there is for her. 
What happens when he makes this statement? It says, and then 
they ridiculed him. It's an interesting verb choice. 
It's an imperfect dance, which means they kept doing it. You're 
crazy. You're nuts. You're out of your mind. She's 
dead. It's over for her. She's gone. In fact, Luke tells us, and they 
ridiculed him knowing that she was dead. So the laughter indicates 
this reality. She's not in a coma, she's not 
just in a suspended state of sleep, but rather she is in fact 
dead. Jesus' statement was enigmatic 
to highlight the reality that it's not a permanent state. But 
their laughter also indicates something about them. They are 
utterly unprepared for what's about to happen. Right? You don't know what you're talking 
about. We've seen dead girls. I'm a flutist and I've played 
at five funerals over the last month. I think I know what a 
corpse looks like. Any of you who have seen a dead 
body realize there is discontinuity between life and death. The dead 
body looks dead. The dead body is dead. And this 
is what's going on here. So what does Jesus do? But when 
the crowd was put outside, he went in and took her by the 
hand, and the girl arose. Talk about brevity. Talk about 
succinctness. I think if we were Matthew's 
original audience, we'd say, what else? Tell us more. What was it like? Matthew, do 
you realize you just, in the space of a few words, told us 
one of the most amazing things we've ever heard? Yes, prophets 
raised people from the dead, Elijah and Elisha. Yes, apostles 
will raise people from the dead. So in some sense, Jesus isn't 
doing anything more than a prophet or an apostle. But remember, 
The prophets and the apostles never claimed to be God. The prophets and the apostles 
were never recognized as the Son of God. Remember that we're 
in a context. We have seen Him rule the waves 
in the sea. We have seen Him cleanse a leper. 
We have seen Him cast out demons. We have seen Him heal people. We have seen Him forgive sins, 
which is the prerogative of God alone. So that when we come to 
this crescendo, when we come to Jesus laying His hand upon 
this little girl, and she arises, what is the take-home response 
from us? This is our God. This is our 
Lord. Now the other gospel writers 
do fill in for us. After the crowd is put out, Jesus 
takes Peter, James, and John, and also Mom and Dad. Jairus 
comes to Jesus, but Mother is there, too, in the inner chamber. 
Jesus then issues this statement to Leith Hakumi, which translated 
means, little girl, arise. One of the commentators says 
that Talitha is the word for lamb. And it's sort of like a 
pet name for a child. And he suggests that it could 
actually be rendered into English, get up kid. She rose from the dead. She's in the presence of all. It says in Luke's account, then 
her spirit returned to her. She wasn't in a coma. You see, 
in a coma, body and soul do not split. It's interesting too, 
when you look at 1st Kings 17, when Elijah prays, he says, let 
his soul return to him. Wonder if Luke's got Elijah on 
the mind when he's rehearsing this. And then it says in that 
account in 1st Kings 17, that his soul returned to him. The 
same language is employed, which we learned, she was dead. And then in Mark and Luke, Jesus 
commands that food be given to her. Well, why does he do that? Because she's hungry, of course. but to show that she's not an 
apparition. She's not a ghost. She's not 
a phantom. Remember when Jesus appears to 
his disciples in Luke 24, what does he do? He eats a piece of 
broiled fish and honeycomb. What does that demonstrate? It 
means he's not a phantom. He didn't just appear this way, 
but he is Jesus. So when Talitha rises from her 
bed and she starts to eat, everybody sitting around is saying, this 
girl that was dead is now alive. It cannot but be the case that 
the whole region finds out about this according to verse 26. Probably 
Capernaum, probably the entire northern shore of the Sea of 
Galilee and into Galilee itself. Did you hear what happened at 
Jairus' house? Did you hear what was going on 
there? She was dead. We know she was 
dead because the mourners were there, the flutists were there. 
We know she was dead because her parents saw her dead. And 
then Jairus, this ruler of the synagogue, got the faith and 
went and asked the Lord to come and lay his hands on her. And 
you know what? That's what the Lord did. And 
notice that as well. Remember, there's prohibitions 
in the law against touching a dead body. This was a question in 
Haggai's day. The question was, does the holiness 
of the temple sanctify the unholy one? No, not necessarily. The unholy one certainly does 
make contagious, or sin does transfer over to the holy one. That's what they thought, and 
that's true. But instead of Jesus being defiled 
by contact with a dead body, Jesus, who has the authority 
of life and death, raises her from the dead. It's beautiful. 
It's wonderful. It's amazing. This is typical. This is what Christ does. And 
this, then, brethren, this miracle of healing serves Matthew's point. Behold your God. Well, we learn in conclusion, 
or we learn in summary, a couple of things. First, the faith of 
Jairus and this woman. We run through chapters 8 and 
9. This is what I think Matthew 
wants. First, for us to see the glory of God, the glory of Christ, 
specifically, in his authority. He wants to show faith. He wants to show what people 
look like who take this seriously. It truly was an act of faith 
for Jairus to come to this man, whom many of the religious leaders 
at this time were increasingly unhappy with. It took faith for 
him to say, Lord, come to my house. Put your hand on my daughter, 
and she will rise." That's faith. And this woman, who had this 
flow of blood, scurrying in through the crowd, trembling and fearful, 
reasoning to herself, if I just touch the hem of his garment, 
then I shall be made well. This is faith, brethren. Faith looks to Christ. Faith, 
by God's grace, lays hold of Christ. We just studied in the 
last hour, faith is that instrument by which we receive Him, and 
by which we rest on His righteousness. Faith is the alone instrument 
for justification. And realize, if Jairus' faith 
was not as strong as the Centurion's, if the woman's faith was not 
as strong as other people's, it was faith. Now that quote 
from Machen. Machen says weak faith will not 
remove mountains. Doesn't Jesus teach this later 
in the Gospels? If you have great faith, you'll 
be able to say to that mountain, jump into the lake, or jump into 
the river, jump into the ocean. Machen, with this thought in 
mind, says weak faith will not be able to remove mountains, 
but There is one thing at least that it will do. It will bring 
a sinner into peace with God. Because you see, it's not the 
size of the faith, it's not the power of the faith, it's not 
the strength of the faith, it's the object. Machen Ben says, our salvation 
does not depend upon the strength of our faith. Saving faith is 
a channel, not a force. If you are once really committed 
to Christ, then despite your subsequent doubts and fears, 
you are His forever. Now, Machen is not saying, go 
ahead and doubt, go ahead and be fretful, go ahead and be fearful. But Machen is underscoring this 
reality, that while weak faith may not remove mountains, this 
one thing it does. It connects a sinner savingly 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Spurgeon makes this statement. 
After I supply the words, faith looks to Christ, who is able 
to raise the dead, heal the sick, and save the sinner. In Spurgeon's 
commentary, he says this, with reference to Jairus and his daughter. 
He says, Lord, take our dear young children by the hand and 
raise them up to everlasting life while they are children. It's a great application that 
we learn from this passage. We ought to be a Jairus. We ought 
to be at the throne of grace. We ought to be pleading with 
our God, save our children. We ought to pray to Christ to 
lay his hand upon our little ones, to take them from their 
early ages. Do not let them grow hardened 
in their rebellion. Do not let them grow incorrigible 
in their rebellion. But rather, Lord, make what the 
preacher says in Ecclesiastes 12, their lot and their portion. Let them remember their creator 
and their youth. Wouldn't it be splendid and wouldn't 
it be wonderful and wouldn't it be awesome if our children 
passed from death to life before they had to pass into the deep 
valley of wretched conduct and sinfulness that marks so many 
of us? Wouldn't it be such a blessing 
to see our children, again imperceptibly with the human eye, believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and find Him as their Lord and Savior 
without first having to go smoke crack? without first having to 
be addicted to porno, without first having to be all these 
wicked, horrible things. Lord, let us be a gyrus and say, 
Lord, put your hands upon our children and raise them. Save 
them. Cause them to know everlasting 
life. And children, if you're here 
this morning, don't wait. Don't tarry. Don't put it off. Don't say no. This Savior is 
glorious. Do you see what Matthew says 
about him? This Jesus stands up from probably sitting at the 
feast, the connection is still toward this, the disciples of 
John the Baptist saying, why do your disciples fast, or why 
do we and the Pharisees fast and your disciples don't fast? 
He's talking about rejoicing, he's talking about feasting, 
he's at Matthew's house, he gets up and he follows Jairus. He 
follows him through a crowd, follows him on a dusty street. 
He follows him with the intention to raise his kid from the dead. 
And along the way, this woman touches the hem of his garment, 
and Jesus says, Be of good cheer, daughter! Faith has made you 
well. This is the Christ we preach. 
This is the Jesus of the Bible. This is the Lord of glory. This 
is the maker of world seen and unseen. This is the God who upholds 
all things by the word of his power. This is the God of absolute 
sovereignty and comprehensive rule. This is the God we preach. Go to him in faith and he will 
receive you. Children and young people, do 
not tarry. Venture on him. Venture wholly. He is able. He is able. He is 
able. He is willing. Doubt no more. Flee to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have seen again the display 
of His power. He cleansed the leopard. He healed 
the centurion's servant. He heals Peter's mother-in-law. 
He casts out spirits and healed all who were sick in a summary 
statement in verses 16 and 17 in chapter 8. He rebuked the 
winds in the sea to demonstrate His sovereignty over nature. 
He cast out a legion of demons from the two men in the country 
of the Gadarenes. He forgave the paralytic of his sins and 
enabled him to rise up and walk. That's a lot of stuff in the 
space of two chapters, isn't it? And now, glory upon glory, he 
raises the dead. You see, when the Baptist sends 
his disciples to ask Jesus, are you the one? Christ is able to 
say, go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind 
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. 
The dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached 
to them. And blessed is he who is not 
offended because of me. That's your God. And then finally, 
we see something connected to last Sunday. That empty tomb 
and that statement, he is risen, shows his victory over the grave. 
Jairus' daughter is but the first fruits of a resurrection to come. 
Jesus will also raise from the dead the woman at Nain, her son. Jesus will also raise from the 
dead Lazarus in John chapter 11. But what Paul tells us in 
1 Corinthians 15, specifically 20 to 28, and then about 50 to 
55, Christ will raise all men from the dead. All those who are in Christ will 
be rejoined body and soul and enter into heaven, world without 
end. Ryle said, let us see in this 
miracle a blessed pledge of what our Lord will do in the day of 
his second appearing. This is a down payment. This 
is firstfruits. This is a pledge of what is to 
come. Our Lord Jesus is victorious over sin. He's victorious over 
death. He's victorious over the devil. 
He's victorious over the grave. He is the victor. And this is 
what Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15. If you ever have trouble 
with that statement, come back to Jairus' house. You will see 
the power of our Lord, you will see the efficacy of his word, 
and you will see the ability, joined with pity, to raise his 
people from the dead. Let us pray, and may God in heaven 
take these things and apply them to our heart, and may we be looking 
at Christ, looking to Christ, in faith. Faith, faith, faith. Believe on him, and you will 
have everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for this, your word, and we thank you for our Lord Jesus 
and his authority and his power and his excellency. And we pray 
that you would just watch over each one of us here. We pray, 
God, that you would increase our faith if it is weak, if we 
have doubts, if we have fears. increase it, make it strong, 
make it bold, but ultimately let me, let us all realize that 
our salvation hinges upon the power and the glory and the ability 
of Jesus. I pray as well for those who 
are outside of Christ that you'd open their eyes and open their 
hearts to the truth, cause them to believe, cause them with this 
woman to reach out, to touch the hem of his garment and to 
find his power to save. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.