Mark 5: 21-24 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him.
Jairus, a synagogue ruler, a prominent citizen in the Jewish society, needed a miracle when he humbly fell at the feet of Jesus. He knew his daughter would die without divine intervention in her life. Later in the chapter, we discover Jairus' daughter does die before Jesus reaches her home; therefore, Jairus' concern about his daughter's imminent demise was valid. Jairus is a member of Israel's ruling class. Many of them opposed Jesus for various reasons: some felt he was an outright fraud; others thought he was trying to usurp the priests' authority; a few believed he was given supernatural power by the evil one. Once when Jesus had healed a man with a shriveled arm on the Sabbath and then had withdrawn to the lake and had healed many others in the the crowd that surrounded him, the teachers of the law said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” (Mark 3:22) Maybe Jairus was a true believer all along, but maybe because of his daughter illness he was a recent convert: a foxhole conversion experience in the time of need. Regardless, he humbles himself on this day before Jesus, begging for his daughter's life. How often even today, people of little believe or no believe in Jesus, turn to him when all else fails, when they have no hope. The wonderful part of the account of Jairus and his daughter is that JESUS WENT WITH HIM immediately. Regardless of Jairus' previous spiritual condition or his reason for turning to the Lord, Jesus had compassion on him and his daughter. Jesus does not quibble or question Jairus's motivations, telling him that He is too busy doing God's miraculous work at his present location to be bothered by Jairus' concern. No, Jesus immediately follows Jairus to his house. We know Jesus' journey to Jairus' house will be interrupted by the woman with an issue of blood, but Jesus intends to go with Jairus to his daughter's side immediately.
Oftentimes in our own lives, we need Jesus to intervene in a miraculous way. In those instances, as Christians, do we believe that Jesus is near us and desires to go with us immediately to meet our needs. An essential component of the Christian faith is the staunch belief that Jesus is always near us, always willing to assist us in our daily walk in life. An enduring faith believes without doubt that He is near us and will perfect that work he started in us. The apostle Paul wrote that we can confidently believe that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) We know Christ is much greater than a computer for he hears and addresses everyone's concerns simultaneously. His spirit does not have to leave another circumstance to meet our needs; no, He comes quickly to our concerns. The Bible says God is much more loving and caring than a natural father who loves his children passionately. Jesus said if a natural father who is evil gives gifts to his children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11) We see in today's passage a man who humbles himself to persuade Jesus to enter into his life in a powerful, healing way. We view a wonderful and powerful scene of solicitation, yet the Bible says we who are his children can come boldly to the throne of grace, asking what we will in faith as HIS SPIRIT petitions God on our behalf. We are not bastards: we are in the family of God through and IN JESUS. As we read in Hebrews, as his sons and daughters: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) Can we believe this REALITY or do we believe the scriptures are misleading, in error, a myth passed on by foolish people? The God of the universe who inspired the holy scriptures is not capricious, not a prevaricator, not a deceiver. HE IS NEAR US, displaying to us in every way, his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He writes his will upon our hearts and minds.
If Jesus is such a wonderful, compassionate interventionist for us, why are our lives often full of seemingly unresolved pain and troubles? Why does He not come quickly and deliver us when we find ourselves in such relentless difficulties? When we experience uncertainty and even unbelief, we must come back to the totality of the scriptures. God is eternal, his work is eternal. His purposes are beyond this timeframe of existence and our understanding. In the Bible, we see people who are sick or have a problem that God allows. We see the early church fleeing for their lives. Why did God not destroy all those who were against the early church? We see Paul with an infirmity. God told him he would use that weakness to perfect Paul, allowing him to see that God's strength was made perfect in his weakness. We see Paul in daily jeopardy of losing his life. We see him beaten more times than he could count. But in all of this distress, we find Paul standing firm in the faith, telling others about the goodness of God, asking all to pray continuously about everything and to rejoice in the Lord. Was God away from him when Paul suffered? No, God went with him as surely as Jesus went with Jairus. Jesus' purpose for Jairus' daughter's healing was probably to reveal his divinity to the unbelievers in Israel. In Paul's life Jesus revealed the reality of the Spirit in the life of a man of faith, totally committed to his Lord. Paul's life indicates that regardless of the circumstance, the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit leads us if we will trust him. Under constant duress, Paul writes letters of encouragement and joy. He tells us God is alive and will always be with us even through the most dire times. His letters encourage us to keep believing, to keep moving on IN THE LORD, even in the face of death, which all of us will experience. When Paul neared the end, he told his son in the faith: For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8) As Jesus goes with us, may this be our statement of faith when we finish the race.
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