In 8:40-56 we have an account of the Lord’s healing a woman with a flow of blood and His raising up a dead girl. In 8:41-42 Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, asked the Lord Jesus to heal his daughter, who was “about twelve years old, and she was dying.” While the Lord was on the way to heal the girl, “a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who could not be healed by anyone, approached Him from behind and touched the fringe of His garment; and instantly her flow of blood stopped” (vv. 43-44). Since this woman’s case is merged with the case of the ruler’s daughter, and since the twelve years of her sickness are the age of the girl, and they are both females, these cases may be considered a complete case of one person. In this view, the girl was born, so to speak, in the woman’s death sickness and died of it. When the woman’s death sickness was healed by the Man-Savior, the dead girl rose up from death. This signifies that every fallen person is born in the death sickness of sin and is dead in it (Eph. 2:1). When his death sickness of sin is dealt with by the Savior’s redeeming death (1 Pet. 2:24), he rises up out of death into life (John 5:24-25).
The flow of blood in the case of the woman signifies the leaking out of life. To lose blood means to lose life. This also is an aspect of the condition of today’s society. According to the picture presented in Luke, fallen man’s society is filled with demons and with the unclean business of hog raising, and it is characterized by the leaking out of life, which brings people into death.
In order to understand the record of the Gospel of Luke, we need to see the significance of all the cases included in this Gospel. The man with the legion of demons signifies the situation of human society. Human society is filled with possessing demons. The business of hog raising signifies the unclean business among the fallen human race. Now we see that the woman with the flow of blood signifies that fallen people in society are leaking out life, and the result of the loss of life is death.
On their journey the Lord Jesus and His disciples met a legion of demons, those working in the unclean business of hog raising, one with a flow of blood, and another one who had died. This indicates that in our journey to follow the Lord, we shall come in contact with four things: demons, the business of hog raising, the leaking out of life, and death. In our journey we may follow the Lord to a certain place, and there we shall meet legions of demons and unclean industry. Then we may go with Him to another place and there meet the leaking out of life and death.
In 7:36-50 we are represented by the sinful woman who had her sins forgiven and then began to love the Lord and live a life of peace. As those who have experienced the forgiveness of sins, we love the Lord and live a life of peace. Then, according to chapter eight, we follow Him, minister to His need, grow in life, shine as lamps, and become real relatives of the Lord. Hence, in 7:36—8:21 we see a picture of our Christian experience starting with the forgiveness of sins and ending with becoming the Lord’s relatives, the members of His Body.
According to the record in 8:22-56, we should not stop with becoming relatives of the Lord. Rather, we must go on to take the way the Lord has ordained for us. This means that we should take the journey that He has ordained. We make this journey at the Lord’s word and with Him in the boat.
We should not think that if we take the journey ordained by the Lord everything will be easy. On the contrary, we should be prepared to face storms. Because we are journeying at the Lord’s word and with the Lord Himself in our boat, we should not be frightened by the storms. The Lord is resting in the boat, and we should learn to rest with Him. However, this is not easy for us to do. When a storm arises, we may call on the Lord and tell Him that we are perishing. From experience we know that we are more likely to call on the Lord in a storm than when we are safe and at peace.
On our journey with the Lord, at a certain place we shall meet demons and the business of hog raising. In other places we shall meet the leaking out of life; we shall also meet death. But as followers of the Lord Jesus taking the way He has ordained for our journey, we shall always become a blessing to society. When we come to a place like that of the Gerasenes, a place filled with demons, the demons will be cast out, and the unclean industry will be cleared away. Even if others reject us, we shall still be a blessing to them. Then we may be led to another place and become a blessing to those who are suffering from the leaking out of life. As a result of our being in that place, some may be healed and others may be raised from the dead.
Wherever we journey in following the Lord, demons will be cast out, the business of hog raising will be cleared up, those suffering from the leaking out of life will be healed, and the dead will be raised.
We have seen that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the same three instances we have been considering in this message. We have pointed out that Matthew’s purpose is to show a dispensational change, and Mark’s intention is to show the authority of the kingdom of God. But in Luke these events are recorded in order to show us the journey that has been ordained for us by the Man-Savior. Through reading the account in Luke we see the way we should take as followers of the Lord Jesus. Because we take this journey at the Lord’s word, we shall reach our destination no matter how many storms there may be. Then at our destination we shall meet demons, unclean industry, the leaking out of life, and death. However, we shall always bring a blessing to these negative situations. The demons will be cast out, the unclean business will be cleared up, the disease of the leaking out of life will be healed, and the dead will be raised.