The faith of some people in the New Testament is seen in the extremes to which they went to receive a miracle from Jesus: the Canaanite woman who jousted verbally with him for her daughter’s deliverance; the four men who broke through a roof and lowered their paralyzed friend to him; the woman who crawled through a crowd to touch the hem of his robe. These people went to extremes to get their needs met by the Lord—and desperate people still do.
Who would want to wait for a miracle to take place when an act of faith can make one happen? We all love action heroes, but there are heroes who are unable to act because of their circumstances, and their unspectacular but equally strong faith goes unrecognized. Faith is seen not only in those who break through but also in those who hold on—even when there no longer seems any good reason for them to do so. (Luke 8:41-55)
What one woman did to be healed has been spoken of for almost 2000 years. Her desperation drove her to touch the extremity of Christ’s power—the hem of his robe. Less remembered is the extremity of faith to which one man was driven when that very healing delayed Jesus from reaching his daughter, and she died.
The woman’s faith was shown when she crawled through a crowd to touch the hem of Christ’s robe, saying to herself, “If I can but touch the hem of his robe, I will be healed.” The woman was able to grasp her moment of opportunity and receive instant healing, but the father had to prevent fear from affecting his faith when the woman’s miracle delayed Jesus from reaching his daughter until after she had died.
The father showed his faith in continuing to believe after being told that his daughter had died. The Lord’s assurance, “Fear not, only believe,” calmed his fears and renewed his faith that Jesus would revive his daughter. The desperate act by the woman and the steady attitude of the father encourage us to “get through” when a fast act of faith is needed, and to “hold on” when a steady attitude of faith is required.
Which kind of faith hero would you prefer to be—one whose active faith gets immediate results, or one whose faith that God will act in time is stronger than the fear that time is running out? No doubt the first, but both kinds of hero are needed—in some situations an opportunity will enable you to do something, but in other situations lack of opportunity will prevent you from doing anything.
Other than praying, what can the elderly do to change anything? What can a grandmother do about the worsening behaviour of her grandchildren? How can a father intervene in the life of his grown-up son? What can parents do when their authority is diluted to mere influence? The answer to all these questions is at best very little and at worst nothing.
The woman who acted in faith and was healed after suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years is less relevant to these folk than the faith Jairus showed when told that his twelve-year-old daughter had died. They know what it means to be disempowered by age, to lose touch through distance or disinterest, to be forgotten in the busyness of life, to be at the mercy of things beyond their control.
Those who are inactive physically know what it means to hold on, to “just believe” when they look in the mirror and fear stares them in the face. They know that “all things are possible to the one who believes”—not just for those who act in a moment of perceived opportunity. They know it because they have felt the pressures that build when increasing age and diminishing opportunity bring a sense of hopelessness to their lives.
If Jesus had not raised Jairus’ daughter from death, we might see the woman’s miracle in a different light. We might see her faith as opportunistic—a miracle gained at the expense of a young girl’s life. The pressure on Jairus when Jesus stopped and asked, “Who touched me?” must have been enormous! He knew that his daughter was at the point of death; surely it was enough that this woman was healed. We need to hurry he must have wanted to say—before it’s too late! When his servants confirmed his worst fears he must have wondered if that was the case.
From the time of the woman’s healing to when he was told that his daughter was dead, the faith of Jairus was edged with fear. But after being encouraged by Jesus, his faith overcame that fear. The mocking mourners were expelled from the house, but Jairus and his wife, along with Peter, James and John, were permitted to witness the miracle of restored life.
I have laid hands on thousands in faith and witnessed countless miracles of healing around the world—in Europe, as well as in the USA and Asia. I love it when the blind see and the cripples walk. I admire the faith of the woman who saw the certainty of her healing in a single touch.
“If I can but touch the hem of his robe, I shall be healed.” But I also admire Jairus, who felt the pressure of time running out when Jesus was delayed, and then was confronted by his worst fear on hearing that his daughter was dead. But the assurance of Jesus revived his faltering faith, and with it his determination to believe until Jesus could bring his daughter back to life, and that he would hold her in his arms.
Who’s your faith hero? Maybe from now on it will be both—the woman who acted out her faith and Jairus who held on to his. Then again, maybe a faith hero is simply someone who does whatever is possible or necessary in the circumstance. Maybe you are an overlooked hero — most people are. A fast act of faith is what we’d all prefer, but a steady attitude of faith is what may be needed.