Lesson Forty Seven

JESUS’ MIGHTY POWER

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Memory Verse: Matthew 9:22
Further Study: Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56; Desire of Ages, pp. 342-348; The Bible Story, vol. 8, pp. 12-18

My husband and I recently celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. When I met him he introduced me to Christian contemporary music. It wasn’t that I hadn’t been exposed to all the genres out there; I had. But the music played in my home growing up was more hymns and spiritual classics with a few Heritage Singer songs thrown in. I have to smile as I listen to that same contemporary music today. Forty years ago, some considered this music on the edge of extreme. Today, not so much!

Some considered this music on the edge of extreme. Today, not so much!

But one of those songs he shared has played in my head this week as I restudied the story of Jairus. Don Francisco, a Christian musician, wrote “story” songs. He would take a Bible character’s situation and set it to music in a dramatic way. He did this with Jairus. The song begins without a strong melody line, but as you listen to the narrative the emotional impact builds as Jairus’ problem unfold. By the time his daughter is raised, the song swells to a rousing refrain: “I got to tell somebody!” First it’s sung as a whisper and then as Jairus recognizes the gift Jesus has given him, and in spite of being told to be quiet, he begins to shout, “I got to tell somebody, I got to tell somebody, I got to tell somebody, what Jesus did for me!”

If you’ve been following these devotionals you will realize that we recently welcomed our third grandchild—a girl—into our family. Her birth has prompted family discussions of what my daughters were like as babies. We’ve taken many a trip down memory lane as I tried to recall their infancy. What I’ve discovered is that it’s the challenging memories I remember more in detail. I certainly remember that the girls were pleasant, smiley, or delightful, but the memories are less clear. But the colic, the sleepless nights, the tantrums, or the daily grind of having an infant with a toddler are seared into my memory in full detail. Why is that? Why remember the bad more than the good?

Why remember the bad more than the good?

It should be more like Jairus. I should always be in a state of “I got to tell somebody!” When I am the recipient of God’s blessing especially through answered prayer whether it’s finding lost keys, lost people, or lost hopes, I should want to run out into the street—“I got to tell somebody what Jesus did for me!” Too often we are focused on the challenges and thus why we might remember them in more detail. I could give you a list right now of the things that occupy my mind that I wish God would resolve or remove. But what I really should be doing is shifting my focus to all that He has done, knowing that because He did, He will again. I should be so focused on the blessings that in 10, 15, or 20 years, those are the details I remember.

Let’s renew our focus today. Concentrate on the blessings, the things that Jesus has done and is doing for you. Then, like Jairus—shout aloud, “I got to tell somebody!”

Digging Deeper 

Another story in our lesson this week is about the woman who suffered from bleeding for 12 years. Some really interesting points not to be missed in this story.*

• The constant flow of blood caused the woman to be ceremonially and socially unclean. This would mean she couldn’t worship at the temple; she couldn’t live with her husband or have contact with her friends. She would be shunned from society. One can imagine how lonely her life was and why she would reach out to Jesus.
• Touching Jesus would make Him unclean, but just the opposite occurred. When she touched Jesus, He wasn’t made unclean, but she was made whole.
• Jesus actually asked, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples thought it was an amazing question when He was being jostled by the crowd. But Jesus was revealing the difference between a casual contact and a touch of faith. We also can “bump” into Jesus and not be changed. It is when we reach for Him there is a change in us.
• It was important for Jesus to let her know that He knew she had touched Him. She most likely reached out somewhat in superstition. But by His acknowledgment of His power of healing, it helped her to understand it was not His clothes, but her faith in Him.
• This is the only circumstance where a woman is called “Daughter” by Jesus. It demonstrates His tender-loving care for her and must have been such a warm encounter after what she had endured.

Making it Real

Listen to Don Francisco’s song, “I Got to Tell Somebody.” I believe you will be blessed. 

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Merle Poirier writes from Silver Spring, Maryland, where she works as the operation manager for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines as well as the designer for KidsView, a magazine for 8-12-year-olds. She enjoys spending time with her family including being a grandmother to two active little boys, who greatly enjoy Starting With Jesus, and a granddaughter, born in 2023. She is blessed to have all three living close by, continually bringing joy and delight.