Picture yourself in a really desperate situation, some life or death health crisis, or some very desperate, critical financial situation. You think that you have found a good solution, some real life-line that can help you, but then the bottom drops out and the life-line is not there. You have nowhere to turn. You get the worst possible news. There is no more hope. What do you do? The difficulties are just too great, so do you just admit defeat? This is the type of situation the gentleman in our Gospel passage today found himself. Let’s take a look at this event in this man’s life.
As our Scripture from the Gospel of Mark opens, we read how a gentleman by the name of Jairus came to Jesus. He had a young daughter who was quite sick, actually at the point of death, and he came to Jesus pleading with Him to come and heal her. She was obviously too sick for him to actually bring her to Jesus, so Jairus asked if Jesus would come with him to his house (vs. 22-24).
Jairus was a “ruler of the synagogue”. They presided over the local synagogues and were lay officials in charge of arranging the services and overseeing other synagogue affairs, such as running the weekly school for young Jewish boys, and caring for the building. They might be similar to deacons or elders in some Christian churches today. Rulers of the synagogues were frequently Pharisees, or at the least, associated with them. Considering that this was very likely the case with Jairus, it took a lot of faith and courage for him to come to Jesus. He could have lost his position for turning to Jesus on behalf of his daughter. However, the situation was desperate. Where else could he turn? Jesus was his only life-line. Jairus must have believed that Jesus could heal his daughter, which he obviously loved very much.
Fortunately, Jesus was willing to go with Jairus to his home. While enroute, something happened that put a whole different twist to the situation. Jesus got delayed, He was sidetracked by someone else and their concerns. The Savior was stopped by a woman who had her own health issue that she needed healing for, and He stopped to attend to her. Now what? Jairus’ daughter was near death, any delay would only make matters worse! I can only imagine what might have been going through his mind right then. I might be pulling on His sleeve, telling Jesus to hurry up, to leave that woman, that I had been first in line, so attend to my needs! I don’t see Jairus doing any of that. However frantic he was inside, he seems to have waited, at least outwardly patient, for Jesus to finish.
As we continue in our Scripture we read that the worst possible message came to Jairus from his household, which was that his daughter had died. The messenger told him that there was no more need for him to bother Jesus any more (vs. 35). His daughter was dead. What’s the use now? She is dead. Should he just give up and walk away? That’s what his messenger told him to do. Dead was dead, at least that is what they thought. Jesus had overheard what the messenger had told Jairus, and He told him to not be afraid, but instead to believe (vs. 36). Jairus was urged to maintain the faith that he had initially demonstrated in coming to Jesus. God always urges us on to faith and away from fear.
They continued on to the house, and when they got there, they found people already grieving and mourning (vs. 38). In that hot climate burial would follow as soon as possible after death, so public mourning and grieving was done immediately. Jesus then said something that brought immediate ridicule. He told them to stop mourning, that she was not dead (vs. 39-40). To say that she was “not dead, but sleeping” was a figure of speech. Jesus knew she was dead, but her death was only temporary. Though disrespectful, and meant to humiliate Jesus, their comments show that the girl was really dead, not just unconscious.
Seeing all the mourners and their ridicule of Jesus must have been difficult for Jairus’ emotions, but he still clung to his faith. Jesus always wants to operate in a climate of faith, not of unbelief, so He had everyone sent from the room except the girl’s parents, along with Peter, James, and John. He then took the girl’s hand and, speaking Aramaic, told her to arise, to get up (vs. 41). This was the second of three people that Jesus raised from the dead during His ministry, the first being the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-17), and then later His good friend Lazarus (John 11:1-44). Jesus told the parents to give her something to eat, and not to go spreading the word about this resurrection (vs. 43). Word would soon get around when people saw her. Jesus wanted time to leave the area to avoid ostentatious acclaim, and avoid scornful unbelievers. Jesus’ custom all along was to make Himself known to earnest seekers, but to conceal His true identity from the skeptics and unbelievers.
Are you facing some very desperate and critical situation, that perhaps has now gotten even worse, where there doesn’t seem to be any hope? Maybe time just seems to have run out in the situation, and there is seemingly nothing more that can be done. Jesus showed that with Him, it can never be too late! Time cannot limit what Jesus can do, and when He chooses to do it.
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