At that moment Jesus stopped in his walk, while Jairus was trying to hurry him onward. He stood still, looked all around, and said, "Who touched my clothes?"
His disciples were beside him, and Peter answered:
"Why, Master, the crowd is all around, pressing close upon you, and yet you say, "Who touched me?" while people are touching you all the time."
But Jesus said, "I am sure that somebody touched me, because I felt that power had gone out from me."
As he stood still and looked all around to see who had done this, the woman came forward out of the crowd and fell down at his feet, trembling with fear, afraid that she had offended him. She told of what she had suffered, how she had touched his clothing and had been made well.
Jesus said to her:
"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be free from your sickness."
But while Jesus was delaying for these few moments, Jairus was standing by his side in growing alarm, for to him and his dying child every minute was precious. Just then some one from his own house came up to him through the crowd and said:
"Your daughter is dead; what is the use of asking the Teacher to come any further? Not even he can help her now."
These people had not heard how Jesus some weeks before had raised to life the widow"s son at Nain, for that village was at least twenty-five miles from Capernaum.
But Jesus spoke encouragingly to the sorrowing father. "Have no fear; only believe, and she shall yet be well."
They went to the house of Jairus, and the crowd would have followed him inside, but Jesus forbade them. He allowed none to go with him into the house, except the father and three of his disciples, Peter, James and John.
The house was full of people, weeping and wailing, playing on flutes and making a great noise, as the manner was then and is even now in that land. Men and women are paid to come to the house where one is lying dead, and to scream and cry aloud, so that all in the town may know of the death and of the sorrow of the family.
Jesus said to the people in the house, "Why do you make such a noise?
The little girl is not dead, but only sleeping."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jesus went into the room where the daughter of Jairus was lying dead on the bed, and taking her hand into his own said: "Little girl, I say to you, rise up!"]
Jesus meant by these words that we need not be filled with sorrow when our friends die; for death is only a sleep until the time when G.o.d shall awaken them. But this they did not understand; and they would not be comforted, for they knew that the child was dead.
Jesus ordered all these hired mourners to leave the house. He went into the room where the dead child was lying on the bed, taking with him only her father and mother, with his three chosen disciples. Standing beside the dead body, he took its little hand into his own and said:
"Little girl, I say to you, rise up!"
And instantly the girl stood up, looked around and began to walk. How happy were that father and mother as they clasped in their arms their little girl, no longer dead, but living and well. All were filled with wonder. They would have told everybody about this mighty work, but Jesus said to them:
"Give the child something to eat, but do not talk about her being brought back to life. Tell no one of it."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jesus healing the sick]
Sight to the Blind and Voice to the Dumb
CHAPTER 38
AS JESUS was coming out of the house where he had raised to life the young girl, two blind men met him; for the news of his return to Capernaum had gone abroad, and these two men, eager to obtain their sight, at once set out to find Jesus. They followed Jesus on the street, crying out aloud:
"Have mercy on us, O Son of David!"
You know that Jesus came from the family of which David had been the head long before. All the people looked for him, as sprung from David, to take David"s throne, and like David, become king over all the land.
The people who believed that Jesus was to be king often called him "Son of David."
These two blind men followed Jesus, crying to him, until he went into the house where he was staying, which may have been the house where Simon Peter lived. The blind men came into the house after Jesus. He said to them:
"Do you believe that I can do this which you desire?"
They answered him, "Yes, Lord, we believe that you can."
Then Jesus placed his hands upon their eyes, first on one man and then on the other. As he touched their eyes, he said to them, "As you believe, let it be done to you."
At once their eyes were opened and they could see. Jesus spoke to them very strongly, and gave them special orders, saying, "See that n.o.body knows of this."
He did not wish always to have crowds around seeking for miracles of healing, for he felt that he had a greater work to do in preaching to the souls of men than in curing their bodies. But these men went away and told all whom they met what a wonderful thing Jesus had done for them. It was not strange that they should speak of it, even though he had forbidden them, for all who had known them before as blind men saw the great change in their looks, now that they could see, and asked them how it had come to pa.s.s; so that it was not easy to avoid telling people about it. But wherever it was told, people who had any disease, or were blind, or deaf and dumb, or lame, were filled with desire to find Jesus and be made well.
Soon after these two men left Jesus, cured of their blindness, another man was brought to Jesus. This was a dumb man, in whom lived an evil spirit. Jesus always cast out the evil spirits, without waiting to be asked, whenever he found them ruling over men. He spoke to this evil spirit, and it left the man. Then all at once the man began to speak, for it was the evil spirit in him that had made him dumb. All the people wondered, and said to one another:
"Such power as this has never before been seen in the land of Israel!"
But the scribes and Pharisees, who were enemies of Jesus, said again, as they had said before:
"This man casts out the evil spirits, because Satan, the prince of the evil spirits, helps him."
Twelve Preachers Sent Out
CHAPTER 39
JESUS HAD now preached in nearly all parts of Galilee, except in the middle portion, the region around Nazareth, the home of his younger days. You remember that when he had tried to speak in Nazareth, soon after coming from Judea, the people refused to listen to him, thinking that one who had been only a workingman and not a Rabbi or scribe could not teach them anything.
But Jesus loved those people in Nazareth, for many of the men had been with him boys at school; and his own sisters lived there with their children, boys and girls, who were his nephews and nieces. He longed to see them all, and made up his mind to go again to Nazareth, and see if its people would this time listen to him. On his earlier visit he had been alone, and the men of Nazareth in their anger had tried to kill him by throwing him down a very steep hill; but now Jesus had with him his twelve disciples and many more who followed him from place to place. On this visit the men of Nazareth did not venture to do him harm, because of his many friends around him.
As before, Jesus went to the village church on the Sabbath day and preached. Again the people listened to him with wonder at his words; but again they said:
"Is not this the carpenter who used to make plows and hoes and tables for us? How can he teach us?"
He could only do a few of his great works, because the people would not believe in him. He did, indeed, lay his hands upon a few that were sick, and made them well; but he could only wonder at the hardness of heart in those among whom he had lived so many years.
Leaving Nazareth with a sad heart, he went around the villages in middle Galilee, teaching in the churches and curing sickness of all kinds. As he saw how poor the people were, how little they knew of the truth, and how greatly they longed for it, he felt a great pity for them. They seemed to Jesus like sheep that were lost and wandering, not having any shepherd. He said to his disciples:
"The harvest truly is rich, but the workers in it are very few. Pray very earnestly to the Lord of the harvest that he may send out workers to gather in his harvest."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Peace be to this house"]