1-5). When Jesus came, He sent away the legion of demons who made their abode in the wretched man’s personality. The fellow was completely restored to health and sanity once again. But what about the arch foe we call death? There were at least three brought back to life by the miracu lous power of the compassionate Christ. The first of these was the 12-year-old daughter of the syna gogue elder whose name was Jairus. At the point of her death, the man urged the Saviour to accompany him to his home without delay. The child was really beyond anyone’s power to restore her. The Lord reassured the bereaved father. With all the mourn ers put outside, Christ went into the death chamber with only His closest disciples and the parents. He com manded the little girl to rise up (w. 50-54). Her spirit came into her again, and she got up. The second of these is recorded for us in Luke 7, beginning with verse 11. Touch ing the casket, Christ commanded the young man to rise, and the lad came back from the dead. Then, doubtless the most spectacular case of being brought back from the dead was Lazarus, the only brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany. When Christ arrived, Lazarus had already been buried four days. John 11 tells us the fascinating story. So the mira cles of the New Testament are won derful to contemplate and tremen dous to study. God has given us so much in order that we might under stand and know exactly what He would have us to behold and believe. P art N ine I T’S SPIRITUALLY SCINTILLATING to realize that we have a miracle- working God who is interested in all that happens to each of us. If you’re not a Christian, the Lord is willing to work the greatest of all miracles 21
to pick up his bed and begin to walk (vv. 5-12). There was also the wom an with the hemorrhage from which she had suffered for over 12 years. It sapped her strength and kept her ceremonially unclean (Matt. 9:20). Afraid to face Jesus personally, she reached out in timid faith to touch the hem of His garment. Healing virtue from Him stopped the flow of blood. She was reminded that her cure came as the result of personal trust in Him (v. 22). The Lord healed the eyes of the blind, even of those so born. I’ve periodically visit ed the pool of Siloam where the blind man was healed. This is one of the thrills of taking a trip to the Middle East. The sightless man (John 8:59) recognized a voice of authority. He obeyed and was given his sight. The Son of God again used out ward signs when He put His fingers in the ears of the deaf man, and His salvia-moistened finger on the man’s stammering tongue (Mark 7:31-33). The man heard and spoke plainly (w . 34-35). Although deliverances from dis ease and disability are marvelous, the victory of the Son of Man over the devil’s domain and death is even greater than that. Think of the foes arrayed against the human race! Demons accomplish their purposes by taking possession of the human personality. A woman was afflicted with a demonic spirit for over 18 years. It kept her in a permanent, bent-over position. The Son of God loosed this daughter of Abraham. Standing erect, she glorified the Lord (Luke 13:11). We see yet an other example in Matthew 15:22-28 and in Matthew 17:14-15. Perhaps the most unforgettable Biblical example of degradation caused by demon possession was the naked wild man of Gadara, who possessed immense strength and cut himself with sharp stones (Matt. 5:
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