Daily Bible Reading 20th July 2026 // Luke 8:40-56
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given to her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.
We now look at the stories separately, beginning with the woman with the issue of blood. It is a moving picture that is presented. Here is a woman at her wits' end, in extremity, and ready to despair. But something else is presented also: the good news of the gospel is that there is a compassionate Saviour, ready to help. And, despairing though she was, she found help and salvation, and was sent away into peace, because she was ready to come to Him, and was not prepared to let anything stop her. This is really the whole pattern of the gospel - and when these three conditions obtain, the same kind of miracle can happen today as then.
There are two points in particular to note: the first concerns how this poor woman was there in the crowd round about Jesus. Luke does not tell us, but Mark does (5:27) that she came because she had heard of Jesus - heard of the miracles He had performed up to this point in His ministry, and on hearing, faith had been born in her heart concerning Him, and a conviction that here was Someone Who could help her and bring her relief. This has surely something to say to us in the Church today. We hear about the importance of 'non-verbal' forms of communication, but one begs leave to wonder whether this poor woman would ever have learned about Jesus if people had not spoken to her and told her about His mighty works. Here is the function and significance of true Christian testimony - to noise abroad the Saviour's Name, to speak well of Him in such a way that news gets round that there is a living Saviour who is great and wonderful and able, willing and ready to help and save.