The Story Within the Story of Jairus' Daughter - Luke 8

In Luke chapter 8, we come across two miraculous healings in verses 40 – 56. We are all very familiar with this story. Jesus, after just getting off a boat near Capernaum, is encountered by a Jewish synagogue leader named Jairus. Imagine a powerful man of Jewish culture found in a desperate state. His 12-year-old daughter is dying, and he reaches out in desperation to a controversial figure named Jesus. Jairus is likely risking scorn from the Pharisees. He doesn’t come in secret like Nicodemus; instead, he shows his desperation by approaching Jesus in a crowd and then walking with Jesus and a crowd straight through the heart of town.

We know the end of the story is joyful as Jesus heals the 12-year-old daughter and restores her to Jairus and his wife. There is an anecdotal comment at the very end of the story about Jesus telling them to tell no one what has happened. This comment stands in contrast to verses 16 – 18 of this chapter where Jesus tells us that light (good works) can not be hidden, but they expose themselves. It is clear the longer you study the Gospel writings the more you realize the importance of a story located in context with the other stories.

Historically, we know that Luke did not designate the chapters and verses in his writing. He wrote it and scholars later (probably first found in the 9th century) added chapters, sections, section headers, and then even later verses (most like in the 16th century by Santes Pagnino). With that in mind, it seems that Chapter 8 was organized as a playbook for the 12 disciples who would be sent out for the first time at the beginning of Chapter 9.

With this in mind, look back to the story of Jairus’ daughter. The story is interrupted in the middle by a woman who has been subject to constant bleeding for 12 years. She to is desperate. Some manuscripts point out that “she even spent all she had [that is money] on doctors” who failed her. Nothing has been able to help this woman. According to Jewish custom of the time, she would have been an outcast (see Luke 15:19 - 27). Nobody would have wanted her near them because she would make you ceremonially unclean to come in contact with her. This woman, like Jairus, had no hope left, except for Jesus.

Why is this story placed where it is in the Gospel(s)? It is no coincidence that the story of the woman with the constant flow of blood in wrapped in the story of the healing of Jairus’ daughter. There are a few similarities of course. One, both people in the story are referred to as daughter and we do not know their names. Two, both are completely healed and restored to normal everyday life. Three, both the father and the woman are desperate and reaching out to their last chance. Four, the daughter is twelve years old, and the woman has had a constant flow of blood for twelve years.

What if this story is deeper that we can see on the surface? What if the woman with the flow of blood is actually the mother of the 12-year-old girl and she has been separated from daughter and husband all this time. If this is the case, this story is much bigger than the healing of two people, it is the reuniting of a family that has been separated by the traditions and practices of the times. There is more evidence to this conclusion found in this passage. Rarely do we see a father concerned with the life of a daughter (or any female) in Biblical stories. Also, fathers are not typically the ones to come and plead with Jesus over a family member. At the beginning of this story, it appears that this father is alone with the daughter. Where is the mother in the pleading to Jesus? At the end of the story, the daughter’s mother is mentioned for the first time. She is completely absent from the rest of the story. It has been speculated that the constant flow of blood was referring to menstrual bleed. If this is the case, she likely could have been injured during the birth of the daughter. What a beautiful picture of Jesus completely healing a daughter, a wife, a husband, a marriage and a complete family.

If Luke 8 truly is a playbook for the disciples, then it is possible that verses 19 – 21 could be taken to reduce the importance of the family unit. Thus, this story of Jairus and his family reinforces the importance of a family and the wholeness of each member. Throughout chapter 8 Jesus shows His disciples the importance of spreading the Gospel (verses 1 – 15), that good works can not be hidden (verses 16 – 18), nothing should stop a person for doing what God has called them to do (not even family (verses 19 – 21)), true faith is even stronger than the powers of the Earth (verses 22 – 25), how to cast out demons (verses 26 – 39) and finally how to heal people and restore broken families (a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+8%3A26-39&version=NIV" target="CSMArticle">verses 40 – 56).

There are so many levels to the teachings of Jesus found in the Gospels. When we read with a discerning eye, it increases our faith and ability to be about our Father’s work. Then we might just find ourselves being sent out by Jesus to serve His children with the tools He has given us.