Jesus: The Sun of Righteousness
PS. BRENDEN BROWN | JULY 12, 2026
One of the most remarkable things about Jesus is that He never saw crowds the way we do. Where people saw a sea of faces, Jesus saw individuals, noting their broken hearts, hidden pain, and lives longing for hope.
As Matthew 9:36 records:
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
This profound truth comes alive in Luke 8, where two very different people encounter the same Saviour and discover that His grace is available to anyone willing to come to Him.
Before arriving in Galilee, Jesus had been casting out demons, preaching the Kingdom of God, and transforming lives. As He returned across the lake, a large crowd gathered around Him. Everyone wanted His attention, yet in the middle of the chaos, Luke slows the story down and introduces two people whose lives had been marked by twelve years of suffering. One was Jairus, a respected synagogue ruler, while the other was an unnamed woman who had lived in isolation because of an issue of blood. One was known by everyone, while the other had been forgotten by society. One carried influence and authority, while the other carried shame and rejection. Yet, both found themselves in exactly the same place: desperate for Jesus.
Two Desperate Lives, One Saviour
Jairus had everything the world could offer. He held a position of honour, people respected him, and he had authority within the synagogue. Yet, none of those things could save his twelve-year-old daughter. Faced with the reality of losing his child, he discovered that titles, influence, and possessions have limits. There are moments in life when only God can intervene.
As Luke 8:41 describes:
"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."
Every parent understands that feeling. When a child is hurting, a loving parent would gladly carry the pain themselves if it meant their son or daughter could be healed. Jairus could not fix what was happening, and in his desperation, he fell at the feet of Jesus.
At the same time, another desperate person quietly pushed her way through the crowd. Unlike Jairus, we are never told her name. For twelve years she had suffered from a continual flow of blood.
According to the Law in Leviticus 15:25:
"If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity... all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness."
Because of this, she lived isolated from worship, community, and normal relationships.
Mark's Gospel adds that she:
"...had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse." (Mark 5:26)
She was no longer only sick; she was poor, exhausted, and without hope.
Luke deliberately places these stories together because the Gospel is for everyone. Jairus represents the respected insider, while the woman represents the forgotten outsider. One had a name, while the other did not. One belonged in the synagogue, while the other had been excluded from it. Yet, Jesus welcomed both with equal compassion, proving the truth of Romans 10:13:
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
This is the beauty of the Gospel. It reminds us that every person, regardless of status, success, or failure, ultimately has the same need. We all need Jesus.
The Cost of Approaching Him
The question is not whether Jesus is willing to help us; the real question is whether we are willing to come to Him. Jairus risked his reputation by kneeling before a Rabbi many religious leaders rejected, while the woman risked public humiliation by entering a crowd while ceremonially unclean. Both were willing to lay everything aside because they believed Jesus was their only hope. Sometimes breakthrough begins when pride ends, echoing the truth of James 4:6:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Abiding in His Word
One detail in this story is often overlooked: why did the woman reach specifically for the edge of Jesus' garment? It was not superstition; it was Scripture. Her faith was rooted in what she knew about God's Word.
Jesus later taught:
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
Freedom is the fruit of abiding. From childhood, this woman would have known the command God gave Israel in Numbers 15:38-39:
"Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations... And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them."
These tassels were never about mere religious tradition. They pointed God's people back to His promises, His faithfulness, and His covenant. Every time they looked at them, they remembered that true life was found in obedience to God's Word rather than following their own desires.
As Joshua 1:8 instructs:
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night... For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
The Word of God was never meant to be read occasionally; it was meant to shape every part of life, and that is exactly what it had done for this woman.
The Sun of Righteousness
The prophet Malachi closes the Old Testament with one of the most extraordinary prophecies about the coming Messiah:
"But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." (Malachi 4:2)
The Hebrew word translated as "wings" is kanaph, a word that can also mean the edge, corner, or hem of a garment. Suddenly, Luke's story takes on deeper meaning. The woman was not reaching for ordinary clothing; she was reaching for the kanaph. She knew the promises of God and believed the Messiah would come with healing in His wings. Matthew 9:21 records her simple confession:
"For she said to herself, 'If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.'"
Her faith was not built on fleeting emotion; it was built on revelation. She recognised the Messiah because she knew the Scriptures, illustrating the truth of Romans 10:17:
"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
Four Hundred Years of Silence
Malachi delivered his prophecy around four hundred years before the birth of Christ. After his message, there was silence. God did not send another prophet, yet His silence was not abandonment; it was preparation.
Israel had become comfortable with half-hearted worship, but through Malachi, God called His people back to wholehearted obedience before promising that the Sun of Righteousness would rise. He also promised a messenger to prepare the way, as Isaiah 40:3 prophesied:
"A voice cries: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"
Four centuries later, John the Baptist arrived in the spirit and power of Elijah, preparing hearts for the coming of Jesus. When Christ appeared, the long-awaited sunrise had finally come, and as John 1:5 declares:
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Restored and Sent in Peace
When the woman touched Jesus' garment, she was doing far more than touching fabric; she was reaching for the fulfilment of God's promises. Immediately, power went out from Jesus and she was healed. The miracle did not begin with her physical touch; it began years earlier when she chose to believe the Word of God. Knowing the truth allowed her to recognise the Truth standing in front of her. Jesus confirmed her restoration in Luke 8:48:
"And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.'"
That is still true today. The more we abide in Scripture, the more clearly we recognise Jesus.
As Hebrews 4:12 reminds us:
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
God's Word does not merely inform us; it transforms us.
Malachi's prophecy still speaks today. Darkness, sin, and shame do not have the final word. Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, has risen with healing in His wings. Like Jairus, we may come carrying burdens we cannot solve. Like the woman, we may come carrying wounds no one else can see. The invitation is the same for both: come to Jesus, lay down your pride, and trust His Word.
As Psalm 103:2-3 beautifully reminds us:
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases."
When we know Him, we discover that freedom is not found in our own strength but in the One who fulfils every promise of God. The same Saviour who stopped for an unnamed woman in a crowded street still sees every person who reaches for Him today. His light still shines into darkness, His truth still sets people free, and there is still healing in His wings.