An important Jewish leader had begged Jesus Christ to come to his home because his twelve year old daughter was very sick. Jesus agreed and, surrounded by a huge crowd of followers, was on His way to the house when He was interrupted by a devout and humble woman. This woman, sick for twelve years, believed with all her heart, that if she just was able to reach out and touch Jesus, she would be healed. Unlike Jairus the Jewish leader, she didn’t beg Jesus. She didn’t even want anyone to know she was there to be healed. In fact you could say she was sneaking up to Him to be healed, and would have just walked away after she was healed if she could.
This is exactly what she tried to do when Jesus cried out, “Who touched Me?” (Luke 8.45) Still trying to remain unknown, even though she had been miraculously healed, she kept herself hidden until Jesus insisted, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Luke 8:46) Meanwhile, Jairus' twelve year old daughter died from her illness and his servants had come to tell him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher." (Luke 8.49) Jairus was content to step away and return home when Jesus stopped him, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." (Luke 8:50)
The humility of both Jairus the Jewish leader and the unnamed woman are at the center of the Gospel story. Jesus healed many thousands of men and women during His earthly ministry. Why would the Gospel take the time to tell us of these two particular women? There must be something more that Saint Luke wanted us to learn than just that Jesus has the power to heal. The story is about the humility of two faithful followers of Jesus Christ. In both cases, it wasn’t about the power of God, but their humble faith. “Be of good cheer.....do not be afraid....” (Luke 8.48, 50) were the words of God for these humble servants. When we are humble, there is no need for sorrow and fear.
Being humble may sound easy, but too often we don’t share the humility of either Jairus or the woman. I often hear people frustrated because things are going as they thought they should. Oftentimes we don’t want to wait for what other people need from God. We want our blessings now! We think to ourselves, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” We don’t consider the needs of others.
Here's the thing about humility. Both the woman AND Jairus received what they needed from God. They received what they needed because they were humble. The woman showed her humility by not wanting attention. Jairus showed his humility because he was willing to wait. If we are willing to wait and not be the center of attention, we will always receive what we need from God. It just takes a bit of humility.