We find this miracle recorded in three of the gospels: Matthew chapter 9, verses 20-22; Mark chapter 5, verses 25-34; and Luke chapter 8, verses 42-48.

The woman with the bleeding issue likely had menorrhagia. This is a heavy menstrual flow that is typically defined with these types of symptoms: (1) soaks through one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several consecutive hours (realize this woman had nothing like these products to help, but likely used rags or strips of cloth); (2) heavy bleeding that requires a person to use more than one period product at a time (she would not have had this aid); (3) the need to change pads or tampons in the middle of the night (she would have to continuously wash the strips of cloth she had and continuously reuse them); (4) menstrual flow or bleeding lasting more than a week (hers had lasted for at least 12 years –can you even imagine?!); (5) the passage of blood clots that are the size of a quarter or larger; (6) symptoms of anemia, including fatigue and shortness of breath (how she could maintain a living would be quite difficult); (7) constant lower abdominal and pelvic pain (for her to ensure for so long is a testimony to her fortitude); (8) the inability to perform regular daily activities because of bleeding (this would force her to be labeled unclean).

These symptoms from which she suffered had a huge social stigma for her to bear. She would be considered perpetually unclean requiring her to separate herself from family and all of society, could never go to the temple or synagogue, and likely had to live alone without any physical human contact.

The cause of menorrhagia could be from any number of issues: hormonal imbalance, ovaries that are dysfunctional, fibroids in the uterus, polyps, adenomyosis, cervical cancer, bleeding disorders that are inherited, progesterone hormone deficiency, anovulatory cycles in the first year of attaining menarche. These are difficult issues to deal with in today’s society. It is hard to imagine the hardships she had to go through.

We know very little about her background. At one time she had money, or her family had money as she had seen many physicians to try and get healed. So, at one time, people cared for her. Perhaps over time that dwindled away and she became a social outcast. Was she bitter? Did she still have people who cared? We can only hope she had family who still cared for her. Yet, even if so, there would be no human contact since she would be considered unclean constantly.

How did the woman decide that she would only touch the hem (tzitzit) of his garment? In these passages, the Greek word is krsaspedon, meaning fringe, tassel, border, or hem. The Hebrew word is tzitzit. In Numbers chapter 15 and in Deuteronomy chapter 22, it instructs that tassels, or tzitzit, should be placed on the corners of their garments.

Tzitzit were prepared in a very specific way. Five double knots were placed on each tzitzit tassel. In the spaces between these knots, one of the fringes being longer than the others is coiled around the rest. Seven coils in the first space, eight in the second, eleven in the third, and thirteen in the fourth for a total of 39 coils and has the same numerical value as “HaShem Echad”: God is One.

One could ask, was the woman justified to disobey the Law to get to Jesus? In her mind this was her one and only shot to get cured. If she wasn’t cured, then she may have people angry at her for making them ceremonially unclean, but she likely had that occur so many times before. If she was cured, then she could have a normal life. Some argue that as long as her skin did not touch anyone else’s skin, then no one would become unclean. Yet, in a crowd of this size, such a condition could not be guaranteed.

Was Jesus made impure because the woman touched his clothing? The Law stated this about a sin offering: “Whatever touches any of the flesh [of the sin offering] will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area” (Lv 6:27). Since Jesus was our sin offering, one could argue that he was in no danger to become unclean, but he would be the one to pass cleansing on to the woman rather than she passing uncleanness onto him. In addition, by her touching the tzitzit of Jesus’ garment, there was no danger of making him unclean, even if the previous argument is rejected.

Although many people were touching and jostling Jesus, he knew immediately when this woman touched his tzitzit. Healing went out of him into her. Others wanted what Jesus could give them but did not possess the faith in what Jesus could really give them. This woman had the faith in what Jesus could do for her. What was Jesus’ response? He called her daughter. Can you imagine what an emotional impact that had on her? He did not condemn her for disobeying the Law of Moses by putting others at risk of becoming unclean but had tender compassion for her and praised her for her faith. She got far more from Jesus than what she had ever dreamed of receiving.

What about you? What do you want from him? He only requires faith to achieve something for you that will also be beyond your comprehension: a new life that will transform you forever. How special is that?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Three examples of such a miracle are given in scripture: (1) a person who had just died only minutes before (Mt 9:18-19, 23-26; Mk 5:21-24; 35-43; Lk 8:40-42; 49-56); (2) a person who had been dead for a day or so (Jn 7:11-17); (3) a person who had been dead for over three days (Jn 11:1-57). Think about this as we go through these examples.

Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue at Capernaum. The ruler of the synagogue was the man chosen to care for the physical arrangements of the synagogue services. Today’s equivalent would be the president of the synagogue. They partner with the clergy, oversee the business operations of the synagogue, preside over the governance of the congregation, and serve as the chief financial officer and revenue generator.

This man’s daughter was likely only dead for less than an hour or so because she was sick when Jairus left to get Jesus and had just died when Jesus arrived at his house.

Surely, Jesus knew that the girl had actually died, so why did Jesus say Jairus’ daughter was only asleep? We don’t know for sure. Maybe he was indicating that weeping and mourning for someone who had hope was not necessary. Maybe he was indicating that there is no true death when the Messiah is involved, or her time of death will be so short it will be as if she had been asleep. Maybe he was mocking them for they were insincere in their crying and weeping.

It seems strange, and almost rude, that the mourners laughed at Jesus’ statement. Why did the mourners laugh? These were likely professional mourners. In rabbinic times, funeral processions were led by lamenting female mourners, often professionals. The Mishnah states that "even the poorest in Israel should hire not less than two flutes and one wailing woman" for his wife's funeral. Women also composed elegies that were chanted aloud. Prohibitions against women's voices being heard in public were relaxed for funerary rituals. Therefore, these mourners had no real invested interest in the family. This was just a job to them. Otherwise, they would have been incensed at his statement and not have resorted to laughter.

Why did Jesus tell Jairus and his family not to tell anyone what happened? Maybe he did not want his fame to spread within Israel too quickly as that would overshadow his greater message. Yet, we must realize that keeping such an act silent in such a close-knit group of people would have been nearly impossible.

Why did Jesus only have Peter, James, and John with him when he healed the girl? We don’t know for sure because Scripture doesn’t tell us. Maybe, though, he knew these three would be the leaders of the church after his ascension.

Another example was the raising of a widow’s son. This man was likely dead only a day or so because a body was typically buried as quickly as possible after death because the Jews did not embalm their dead. We don’t know of any necessary reason Jesus would have to go through Nain on his journey from Capernaum. Undoubtedly, he went there to meet this poor widow and decrease her pain. Even if that was not the case, learning she was a widow and no other male sons, this moved him to have compassion on the woman.

She had no husband and now, no son. Typically, the property would go to the next male heir in line. Therefore, she would be dependent upon more distant relatives who may have less of her interest at heart. While during this time, some women did have affluence, this was not typically true of those of agrarian societies with less Roman influence. Even if she was able to own the property, she would not be able to take care of it on her own. And if she sold it, she would have no place to stay. So it was a conundrum. It seems Jesus had a solution to her conundrum that no one would have ever thought possible. Only he could turn sorrow into profound joy.

Next is the resurrection of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus. Why was Jesus away when his close friend died?

It seems Jesus often stayed with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary in Bethany when he came to Jerusalem because the distance between the two cities was only about two miles. He had been teaching in Jerusalem and had several disputes with the Jewish leaders. Discussion became so hot they threatened to stone him. He eventually left to go on the other side of Jordan so things could settle down somewhat. Likely, he considered two miles not far enough away for him to be confronted outside Jerusalem.

So, an important question: did Jesus let Lazarus die? Bethany beyond Jordan (also known as Bethabara) was only 15-20 miles away from the Bethany near Jerusalem where Lazarus lived with Martha and Mary, and this distance could be traveled in a day. If it took the men a day to travel and tell Jesus of Lazarus being sick, and then Jesus waiting two days, and then traveling a day to reach Bethany where Martha and Mary were, then it would mean Lazarus died shortly after the men left on their way to tell Jesus. Lazarus was likely buried on the same day of his death as the Jews did not embalm people, and this occurred in the Springtime when decay would start to settle in quickly. Jesus knew Lazarus was dead as soon as the men told him he was sick.

If Jesus knew this, why did he tarry two days before starting his trip to Bethany and arrive on the fourth day after Lazarus died? Jewish mysticism teaches that a deceased person’s spirit remains around the body for up to three days after death before departing. It was well-known in Israel 2,000 years ago that someone deceased could come back to life during this 3-day period but not afterwards.

The other two examples were within this time period. Jesus wanted to show that he was indeed the Lord of Resurrection. After the spirit left the body and even after decay had set in, he could restore one to perfect health.

How much faith did Mary and Martha have? More than some, but less than likely Jesus expected. They didn’t doubt he was the Messiah and could heal. They were just unsure why he did not do it for their brother who was so close to him. Yet, they obeyed his command even though they did not understand it. That is the definition of faith, is it not?

Again, the Jewish leaders’ hearts were only hardened against Jesus for this feat which was clear only someone from God could accomplish. What was Caiaphas, the high priest, really saying when he said the following to his fellow members of the Sanhedrin: “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish?”

Caiaphas was a Sadducee and held the position of high priest for 18 years. Sadducees held the majority seat in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, over which Caiaphas ruled while he served as high priest. In terms of theology, Sadducees denied the afterlife and any existence of the spiritual world (angels, demons, etc.). Because of these things, they were often at odds with Jesus due to His teachings about humility, heaven, and his own deity.

In addition to his role as high priest, Caiaphas came under the direct authority of the Roman governor (he served under two: Quirinus and Gratus). The governor wielded power to appoint a high priest of his choice. This is why Annas worked hard to keep the high priesthood within his family after he was removed from that position. Caiaphas was his son-in-law. The governor could also use self-serving political influence and take custody of the high priest’s sacred vestments.

Caiaphas therefore had an incentive to keep the Pax Romana, the Roman peace, and help squash any and all insurrections of any kind. He was saying they had to have Jesus killed so that Rome would not take vengeance on them or the people as a whole. Therefore, that is why they plotted to have him arrested. His words, while intending to be their plot became the prophecy of why Jesus actually came to earth so he could die and unite all unto himself.

And what of your reaction? Will you be like Martha and Mary who had enough faith to follow Jesus’ instructions even when they did not understand them only to have joy beyond their imagination, or will you be like Caiaphas who saw only a means to and end in using Christ rather than acknowledging and serving him? He’s waiting for your response. Trust me; go for the joy.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

As we mentioned in a previous post, there were three types of miracles the Jewish leaders taught that only the Messiah would be able to do: (1) cast out a mute demon, (2) heal a man born blind, and (3) heal leprosy. We have already seen how he did the first two. In this post, we’ll see how he did the third.

The healing and cleansing from leprosy is found in three of the gospels: Matthew chapter 8, verses 1-4; Mark chapter 1, verses 40-45, and Luke chapter 5, verses 12-16. In these passages, Jesus encounters a man with leprosy who asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus does and tells the man to go to the priest so he could be pronounced clean and then enter back into society.

Then, Luke records another encounter for us in chapter 17, verses 11-19. Here there are ten lepers. They do not approach Jesus, but yell to him from a distance asking for healing. They head to the priest and are healed along the way. One of them returns and falls at Jesus’ feet praising and thanking him.

What about the healing of leprosy was considered so profound? In the Torah, it appears that God alone inflicts leprosy on a person:

“Then the LORD said, ‘Put your hand inside your cloak.’ So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow” (Ex 4:6).

“The LORD replied to Moses, ‘If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.’ So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back” (Nu 12:14-15).

“They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.’ Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him. King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and banned from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land” (2Ch 28:18-21).

And in the Tanakh, it stated that no person had ever healed an Israelite from leprosy; only God himself had sone so. Because of this, the priest to whom these men presented themselves must have been taken aback to hear their stories of healing by Jesus as it was his belief that only God could heal leprosy. Unfortunately, we don’t have a record of his reaction.

Jesus was the only person who would touch an unclean person and not be afraid of becoming defiled himself. Why? One reason could be because of what the Law said about the sin offering.

“Whatever touches any of the flesh [of the sin offering] will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area.” (Lv 6:27).

Did you catch that? As far as I know, this is the only thing that makes something else holy. Normally, the Law stated that anything unclean would make something it touches unclean. Here, it is just the opposite. That is why they had to be so careful about handling the sin offering. As Jesus was our sin offering, it seems what he touched became clean. In this instance, the leprosy (being an uncleanness of the skin) became whole (cleanness of skin). I find that remarkable.

There are some translations which state Jesus was “indignant”? The NIV is one of the few who translates the word to “indignant” rather than “having compassion.” There has been much debate about this. However, Jesus did have compassion or else he would not have healed. Yet, it may be that he could have become indignant because the man said, “if you will” which implied doubt on the man’s part that Jesus was willing. Jesus responded that of course he was willing and healed the man from his leprosy. If he was indignant, this did not mean he was not also compassionate. Otherwise, the man would not have been healed.

Leprosy was a very devastating disease. It wasn’t just the physical part where a person’s skin literally came off a person. It was that no one would touch a leper. Can you image going for years and years without any human contact or touch. For Jesus to touch him when he was a leper was probably more moving than we can ever imagine.

Why did Jesus give the healed leper a strong warning not to tell anyone except the priest? There are perhaps three important reasons to consider:

1)           Publicity over his healing might hinder Christ’s mission and divert public attention from his message to them. Such publicity is what, at times, forced Jesus away from the more populated areas.

2)           It was important that the priest pronounce the man to have obtained a genuine cure so that there might be no prejudice among the Jews against its being a real miracle. Possibly, if the man did not go at once to the priest without delay, evil-minded men might prejudice the priest and prevent his declaring the healing to be true because it was done by Jesus.

3)           Jesus did not want people focusing on the miracles themselves, but rather on the message he was proclaiming and the death he was going to die.

Why did the one leper come back to Jesus and the others did not? There are likely several reasons, but for this man who was a Samaritan, he had no priest to go to in order to show he was healed. The only place to go to have recognition of his cleansing was the one who had performed the cleansing. It is likely the others were Jewish and would go to the temple to receive their cleansing and be allowed back into society.

This does not excuse them from not returning to be thankful but could be one explanation for why this one man returned: not only because he was thankful, but he had no other person to present himself to for recognition of his cleansing.

So, we have seen Jesus perform three miracles that Jewish tradition stated that only their coming Messiah would be able to do. Yet, the Jewish leaders still did not believe him to be the Messiah. Why? Perhaps we should reverse that question and ask why do we not believe when we have this same level of evidence?

Ponder that and see if you can come to the same realization of who Jesus really is that his man did. What did he do? He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. Jesus is waiting for this moment from you so he can wrap you in his arms just as you are. He is the sin offering. His touch will cleanse you. Are you ready?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

This miracle is found in the gospel of John chapter 9, verses 1-41. Jesus and his disciples come across a man who had been blind since birth. His disciples are curious to know if this man or his parents had sinned causing this man to be born this way. Jesus said the answer was neither. This surprised the disciples because they had always been taught that such an incurable infirmity must be due to sin. They had often heard their Jewish leaders say, “there is no death without sin and there is no suffering without iniquity.” Some teachers of the law taught that Scripture taught this. For the parents to be at fault, some Jewish leaders pointed to Exodus 20:5 (for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me) and Ezekiel 18:20 (the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them). Yet, these phrases seem to be taken somewhat out of context to support this tenant. Regarding the unborn having sin, some rabbis thought it possible, while others thought it impossible. It’s not clear how widely held the prenatal sin view was, but apparently it was widely held enough to generate debate among themselves. Some argued that when it was stated about Jacob and Esau that they “struggled together” in the womb (Gn 25:33), it was implying they were trying to kill each other. Again, this seems to be an over interpretation of what the scripture is actually implying. So, it seems the disciples were wanting to understand from Jesus what the true answer to this debate was as they knew Jesus, of all people, would know the answer.

Instead, Jesus said this man was born this way so God could be magnified. Jesus made some mud using his own saliva, placed it on the man’s eyes, and then told him to go and wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam (in the southern part of the city of Jerusalem). The man did so and received his sight.

Jesus also made somewhat of a strange statement: night is coming when no one can work. What did he mean by this? The disciples were learning that they needed to make the most of their opportunities while they had the Light of the World (i.e., Jesus) with them. They needed to pay attention to him, to learn from him, so they could know him and faithfully represent him later. Today, we can’t “work while it is day” in the same way because Jesus is not personally here on earth. Yet, we still have been enlightened by him—he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Like the disciples, we should look to him, and like the disciples were encouraged to do—and like Jesus did—we should also make the most of the opportunities afforded to us. Each opportunity is provided by God for his glory, so we need to consider how we can work while it is still day.

Why did Jesus make mud with his saliva? There was a belief that saliva had healing properties. Maybe Jesus was indicating that healing was in progress to the people around him. Or it may be because the act of creating mud was considered work by the Jewish leaders. Perhaps Jesus is again emphasizing that the Sabbath was created for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mk 2:27). Doing good is always appropriate for the Sabbath. If the Law allowed them to get a donkey out of the ditch on the Sabbath (Dt 22:4), why not their fellow man who is far more valuable?

Why did Jesus send the man to the Siloam pool? In some respects, it was a word play, for the word Siloam meant “sent” (Jn 9:7). Christ had been sent by God through his authority, and now Christ was sending this man in his authority.

This was the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The previous seven days, the priests each morning went from the temple to the Pool of Siloam in the southern part of the City of David and gathered water in a golden vessel and brought it to the altar through the Water Gate in the Southern side of the Temple. The water was then poured down the side of the altar to signify the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

On this last day, the ceremony was not done. Yet, Jesus is now sending the blind man to the pool. Rather than the Holy Spirit being brought to the temple, the man is sent to the Holy Spirit for his healing.

Christ had just stated he is working while he is here on Earth. Who would be working when he is gone? The Holy Spirit. Perhaps this was a lesson for the disciples to ponder once he was gone from them.

Jesus did not go with the man to the pool. Who took him? We don’t really know. Maybe he knew his way around, but that’s traveling about a fifth of a mile. Also, Jesus was not there when the man received his sight. The miracle of sight would be its own witness for the man to proclaim to the people.

Why did the people not believe this was the man who had been blind and begged? Those who knew this man knew he had been born blind. They had been taught that one born blind could not be cured. Such a one was in sin and God would not heal such a man steeped in sin before he was even born. This is also why the Pharisees and Jewish leaders grilled him and his parents so. They also could not rectify that one born blind could now see. Rather than rejoicing in the miracle, they did all they could to deny the miracle.

They questioned the man relentlessly but did not believe him. They then questioned his parents and then brought the man back again. Not to understand, but how to discredit. They still tried to make the man feel like a sinner rather than rejoice with him. They said that the man who healed him was a sinner as well. The man quotes back to them scripture that they should know and reveals what they said about Jesus was untrue: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Pr 15:29). This makes the Jewish leaders mad, and they tell this man that someone steeped in sin from birth has no right to tell the righteous (indicating themselves) they are wrong. They then forcibly excommunicate the man from the temple.

Jesus then meets the man a second time. This miracle affected this man deeply and he was willing to stand up to the Jewish leaders and point out their hypocrisy. He was ready for a true encounter with the Messiah. Jesus reveals himself and the man readily accepts him and worships him. Jesus does not stop him from doing so.

What did Jesus mean when he said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind?” The reference to those who see versus those who are blind is meant to explain this entire incident with the blind beggar and the religious critics. Those who admit their need, and trust in God, are those who will be granted sight—just as the blind man was given both sight and knowledge by Jesus in response to his sincere faith. Those who are arrogant and presume they already know, will be hardened by the presence of Jesus, instead. Despite their knowledge (“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refused to come to me to have life” (Jn 5:39-40)), they allow their own prejudice to blind them (“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2Co 4:4)), making them incapable of understanding what they don't want to understand, anyway (“Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (Jn 7:17).).

Jesus' statement here underscores an important principle: God holds people accountable not only for what they know but holds them absolutely accountable for it. Those who come to God in humility, admitting weakness and seeking truth, are met with grace and forgiveness. We see this in this man’s response to his encounter with Jesus:

When Jesus heard that the Jewish leaders had thrown the man out of the temple (i.e., excommunicated him), he found him, and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him (Jn 9:35-38).

This is a good example of the fulfillment of Matthew 7:7–8 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Those who think they are wise, who claim to have spiritual sight, will be judged accordingly (“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (Ja 3:1)). This is especially true of those who, like the Pharisees, have knowledge and deliberately choose to ignore it.

Yet, can we today be too quick to judge here? Do we not at times act hypocritical? I think this is a good example for us to really look at our actions and see how they really align with Scripture. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (Ja 4:17). Truth is necessary even when it is sometimes hard to hear.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

This miracle is found in the gospel of Mark chapter 1, verses 21-28, and in the gospel of Luke chapter 4, verses 31-37. Jesus went into the synagogue at Capernaum one Sabbath. A man who was possessed with a demon cried out loudly asking Jesus what he was doing there. Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man and the demon had to obey. Everyone there were amazed, and Jesus’ notoriety increased greatly.

In the first century, synagogues were run by a chief ruler. This person would often open the service with various recitations, he would have a priest or Levite read a portion of the Torah, a portion from the prophets would be read in Hebrew and interpreted for the common people in attendance, and a sermon was then provided by someone. This was typically by the chief ruler but could also be a visiting rabbi or teacher. It seems Jesus often spoke at a synagogue as the chief rulers would allow him to do so since his fame was spreading throughout the land of Israel.

The word “synagogue” was formed from a combination of two Greek words (“ago” meaning to lead or bring along, and the preposition “sun” meaning together) and came to mean “to gather in, collect, or assemble.” The word synagogue in its earliest usages did not refer to a physical location or a physical building. First, Jewish individuals assembled and then once they began to build structures for their meetings, the word synagogue came to be applied to the building itself.

There were several activities these synagogues provided for their congregation. Activities included the reading and instruction of the law, the Torah, as well as providing hostel services such as lodging, food, and water for strangers.

Scripture indicates Jesus often healed people while he visited synagogues. The controversy of his work there wasn’t about his healing but about him doing so on the Sabbath. Healing on the Sabbath was a sacrilege according to some (Jn 15:1-18). There is one instance when the ruler of the synagogue angrily told the people to return to the synagogue on a day other than the Sabbath to be healed (Lk 13:14).

The same help the synagogue gave to its congregation and to those who were sick or needed help was also provided by the temple in Jerusalem. The temple of Jerusalem and the synagogues scattered throughout the land of Israel both seem to have attracted the needy in their respective communities. This may suggest why the Gospel writers often locate Jesus healing at a synagogue when he was not in Jerusalem, but when he was in Jerusalem, he healed at or near the temple instead of the synagogue. It seems appropriate contextually that Jesus first proclaims his mission to the needy at the synagogue and performs many of his acts of compassions on behalf of the needy at the synagogue — the ancient Jewish community center. He proclaimed at the synagogue in Nazareth, his hometown, the following: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:18-21).

So, the synagogues were built as a geographical and symbolic extension of the Jerusalem temple. It allowed Jewish leaders to meet the Jewish people in their own communities more often than when the people visited the Jerusalem temple.

Many people, when they heard Jesus speak, would say he spoke with authority. Why was that? The scribes and Pharisees would quote from various authoritative Jewish scholars when they taught to drive home a point or an interpretation of scripture, like a textbook where references are provided to show that there are other authoritative sources saying the same thing as you or that supports your premise or conclusion. In the Old Testament, prophets had authority because they spoke, “Thus says the Lord.” Jesus spoke from his own authority and would say, “Verily I say unto you.”

Why did Jesus shut the demoniac down so quickly? Jesus did not give dignity to the demon by carrying on a conversation with it or allow it to manifest its nature further. Jesus rebuked the demon almost immediately, commanding it to be silent and to come out of the man. The demon obeyed, but only after one final rebellious act. The demon cast the man to the ground in a way that was so violent, it seemed certain the man would have been seriously injured. Yet in Luke’s account of this, he lets us know that no injury came to the man from this display. Jesus, not the demon, was in total control.

During this time in first century Judaism, exorcisms were not uncommon, but were typically a long, drawn-out process with formulas and protocols to follow, like first getting to know the name of the demon they were dealing with. It was believed that if they knew the name of the demon, the one performing the exorcism could use that name against the demon making it reveal something they could then use to force the demon out of the person. This was one reason the process was so lengthy as often the demon knew their tactics and did not want to relinquish their name to the one trying to exorcise them from the person they inhabited. The one doing the exorcism knew when they were successful when they noticed a quick, definite, and dramatic change in the person’s persona or speech.

Jesus did not do his exorcism in this manner. He cast out the demon in just one short sentence: “Come out of him!”

The brevity of the incident had a profound impact on those who watched. At the word of Jesus, demons obeyed. This demonstrated to the people there that Jesus had great power and authority.

There is another incident of this type where a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus for healing (Mt 12:22-23; Jn 11:14-20). This time, the people asked if Jesus was the Messiah after this miracle of healing but not after the miracle he performed in Capernaum. Why? Normally, a person who was mute all their lives would have to learn how to talk. That was not the case here. The man could talk coherently immediately.

This passage in John lets us know that it was the demon who was preventing the man from speaking. It was this kind of demon against which Judaism's methodology was powerless because he could not speak, so there was no way of establishing communication with this kind of a demon; no way of finding out this demon's name. Likely, this demon was using this thought of a mute demon being beyond help to stay in this man. So, within the framework of Judaism, it was impossible to cast out a dumb demon.

The rabbis taught, however, that when the Messiah came, he would be able to cast out this type of demon. As this was one of the messianic miracles that would prove who the Messiah really was, the audience turned to the leaders and asked them, “Is this him?” In other words, they were asking if Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. After all, Jesus was doing the very things they had been taught from childhood that only the Messiah would be able to do. They never asked this question when Jesus casts out other types of demons. However, when he casts out a dumb demon, they raised the question because they recognized from the teachings of the rabbis that this was a messianic miracle.

There were two other messianic miracles that the Jewish leaders taught that the coming Messiah would be able to perform. One was the healing from leprosy. They taught that only the Messiah would be able to heal a Jewish leper. The other miracle was healing someone born blind. Healing someone who had gone blind was one thing since it was a matter of restoring what was lost. Yet, one born blind had no history to go back to when that person could see. In the posts to come, we’ll address how Jesus also fulfilled these types of miracles as well.

As you can see, Jesus Christ was more than a miracle worker. He went beyond expectation to remove any doubt of his authority and his purpose. Yet, as you can see, the Jewish leaders still did not believe. What about you? Do you still doubt even though you have read all he has done for you? More evidence is not what will make you believe. Yielding your will to him and believing him by faith will. Take the step. You’ll be so glad you did.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens