There came a man, whose name [is] Jairus, and he was a chief of the synagogue, and having fallen at the feet of Jesus, was calling on him to come to his house; because he had an only daughter about twelve years [old], and she was dying... And having come to the house, [Jesus] suffered no one to go in, except Peter, and James, and John, and the father of the child, and the mother; and they were all weeping, and beating themselves for her, and he said, `Weep not, she did not die, but doth sleep; and they were deriding him, knowing that she did die; and he having put all forth without, and having taken hold of her hand, called, saying, `Child, arise;' and her spirit came back, and she arose presently, and he directed that there be given to her to eat. -Luke 8 (YLT)
A Canaanite [Gentile] woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. -Matthew 15 (RSV)
We have looked at the case of the Gentile woman's daughter in other studies. We noted that when she addresses the Lord as "Son of David," he ignores her. We contrasted this with the stories of the blind men who called on him as "Son of David." He answered these and healed them. In both instances we are told he "touched" them. In the case of the Gentile woman's daughter, the Lord heals her without ever seeing her, and only after the Gentile takes her place beneath Israel and acknowledges him as "Lord" (for "Son of David" was a title meant only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel).
Today we look at a similar healing from a slightly different angle. In Luke 8 we see Jairus' daughter dying (note there is no rejoicing that she is "Abraham's Bosom" in bliss, etc.). Jairus was a chief in the synagogue. He was Jewish, a son of the Kingdom, a son of Abraham. In this case we see the Lord touch his daughter and call her "Child." She is raised from the dead.
Now let's look at a Gentile leader who makes and appeal to the Lord.
As he entered Caper′na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. -MT 8
We see, again, a Gentile being healed from a distance. The Lord never touches him. We also note a warning to "the sons of the Kingdom." This is warning to Israel. If they lack faith, they stand to lose their place in the promised land and kingdom in a coming age. Clearly this is look to the future as Abraham, Issac, and Jacob have been raised.
In the very same chapter (Matthew 8), before and after this healing of the Gentile, we have healings of Israelites. The leper is healed as is Peter's mother-in-law. In both cases, it is noted that Jesus "touched" them.
Paul directs us to "compare the things that differ" (Phil 1:10) in scripture. This is one the most essential things we must do if we want to truly understand and interpret scripture. We see in the Lord's earthly ministry (which extends in parts into the Acts age), a dispensational truth in regard to Israel and Gentiles.
Since Adam, all who have the promise of life in the ages to come receive that gift by grace through faith. But, clearly, how the Lord administers his plan and to what we must believe changes. There are "things that differ" among all the dispensations.
let's look at another healing.
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” -Luke 13Again, we see the Lord laying hands on a "daughter of Abraham."
This is all part of "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Tim 2:15). We must not read the gospel accounts of the Lord's ministry, the Book of Acts, or the Acts Age epistles into the current (Post-Acts) dispensation).
When we read about the Lord's earthly ministry (words and deed) we must understand why he came, and to whom he was sent. Surely, part of his ministry was to "take away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), but his coming was a King to his people to confirm the promises made to Israel alone. We've seen in other studies how "the gospel of the Kingdom" is not for us today and is limited to Israel. Similarly, the gospel we preach today is separate from the promises to Israel.
Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision [Israel] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers. -Rom 15:8
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” -Matt 15:24
These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick... -Matt 10:5-7We want to be careful here and add that in all ages and dispensations, the Lord Jesus is to be exalted. He is the Creator God. He is the promised seed. He is the sum and substance of all hopes of all men of all time. But that does not change the Plan of God in regard to the ages. We need to learn to rejoice in the promises of this dispensation. We have a gospel which was hidden from "before the foundation of the world" and only revealed to Paul after the Acts age.
Israel has her hope and promise, and we have ours.
Paul prays that we will be enlightened unto this glorious gospel. Israel looks forward to her millennium. But even that blessed age, on earth, will have rebellion and turmoil. Our blessings are in the far above the heavens, in the holy of holies where Christ sits at the right hand of God!
May we continued to be enlightened unto this truth. What riches we have!
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. -Eph 1:15-23
