When commotion and fear are erupting in our lives, we need the enveloping arm of a Friend to protect us in our unsteadiness, Someone who will guide us with love away from ungodly advice and towards the truth. In our study today, we will learn of the One who is full of compassion, power, kindness, and strength that always wants to help us in our times of need.
“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. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He 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.” 24 So Jesus went with him …35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.” Mark 5:21-24;35-43 NIV
If we had a bird’s eye view of the scene before us in this passage, we would see an empty boat moored beside an expanse of a lake and a large crowd of people gathered around a central point. Moving closer, we would notice that the group was surrounding and watching two well-known teachers, Jesus and Jairus, who were locked in conversation. At ground level, cries of astonishment would be heard as Jairus, a leader in the synagogue, knelt before Jesus in desperate pleading. In Matthew 9:18, we read that Jairus “bowed down before Him” (Matthew 9:18). The word for “bowed down” (‘proskyneō’) means to kiss the ground before throwing oneself down in worship and reverence before a superior.
What would cause such a public display of submission by one who held such power and status? Many high ranking and learned Jews held Jesus’ teachings in contempt (Luke 13:14). We hear and understand the reason for Jairus’ dramatic behavior in two biblical accounts:
“And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.” Luke 8:41-42
“He 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.” Mark 5:23 NIV
Certainly, we can relate to the distress and earnestness of this distraught father and imagine his pleas: “Lord, this is my only daughter, and she is just 12 years old. She is deathly ill, and I am afraid we will never see her again. I bounced this dear child on my knee, and her laughter filled my home. I am sick with dread as to what might happen next. If I lose her Lord, I fear the light will go from my wife’s and my heart forever. I need You to heal her urgently. You are our only hope. If You come to my home and lay hands on her, I believe You can heal her, and she will live.”
We can undoubtedly recall times of urgent need in our own lives when fear rose like acid in our throats, and we cried out: “Please hear me, Lord! I have nowhere else to go. I am so afraid of what is happening. Only You can help. Your hands have touched others. Please touch me and lift my burdens now. I will do anything!”
Similar to the prayers of Jairus, we may mistakenly impose necessary conditions on God in our prayer requests: "If God does this … [Jesus comes to my home and lays hands on my sick daughter] … then things will be okay." We may have even tried bargaining with God offering our repentance and good deeds: "God, if you get me out of this, then I will..." We frequently mix our prayers of faith with what seems reasonable to us or with hope founded on human wisdom: the likelihoods, calculations and seen facts in medical (prognosis of illness), educational (grades), economic (forecast of financial growth), or employment circles (probability of finding a job) rather than in the unchangeable hope and provision of God (Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 42:11). Can you relate to Jairus’ pleadings? What do your prayers look like in times of trouble?
God knows our hearts already (Psalm 139:1-3). His ways and thoughts are far higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and His plans are to eternally prosper us and not to harm, plans to give hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). New Covenant believers do not need to earn or bargain for God’s favor because Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” (1 Peter 2:24). In justification, believers are declared righteous and just in His sight as a gift through no work of our own. We come like Jairus to the place of grace and mercy - the feet of Jesus. We believe in the message of salvation through Christ, knowing that God is for us and not against us (Romans 8:31). As God did not hesitate to give up His own Son to transform our evil into good at Calvary, how can we not trust such a God to give us what we need (Romans 8:32)?
“What a beautiful sight to behold— the precious feet of the messenger coming over the mountains to announce good news! He comes to refresh us with wonderful news, announcing salvation to Zion and saying, “Your Mighty God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 TPT
Jesus did not weigh the depth of Jairus' faithfulness to God before He responded, but instead, He had heartfelt compassion for this father and daughter: "So Jesus went with him" (Mark 5:24 NIV).
In the second scene of this story, a wailing crowd of mourners and professional flute players performing songs of sorrow confronted Jairus with what he feared most. "Your daughter is dead; don't trouble the Teacher further." In their human understanding and lack of faith, they declared hope and help dead along with the little girl.
When Jesus saw that Jairus’ heart was fainting in fear and grief, He spoke words of faith:
“Overhearing what was being said, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power].” Mark 5:36 AMP [emphasis added].
Jesus brought Jairus' thoughts back to the unseen things of God (2 Corinthians 4:18). Jesus called Jairus to experience the fresh and raw grief of the moment, not in fear but by only believing in God's eternal and mighty provision of healing in Jesus. The word "only" means without anything else, solely and exclusively, emphasizing that faith and unbelieving fear cannot exist together. A concept expressed well by Job, who said, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him;" (Job 13:14).
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, continued to show His protecting and persevering love (1 Corinthians 13:7) and ministered personally to Jairus, just as Jesus tends each one of us. With thoughtful tenderness, Jesus separated the mourning parents from the commotion and took them with a few of His disciples to the bedside of their daughter. Despite the sinful ridicule of the crowd, Jesus spoke with incredible power into the situation:
“Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” Mark 5:39 NIV
“He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).” Mark 5:41 NIV
In the final and spectacular details of this account in Mark 5, we see Jesus now as the Son of God placing His hands of healing on Jairus' daughter and raising her back to life. He overturned physical death with ease as if He were only waking the girl from a deep sleep. In such a comforting sign of normality for her parents, Jesus called for the child to be served with food, having called her by the Aramaic term of endearment 'talitha' which means 'little lamb'.
Jesus was also a beloved Lamb who died, offered up by His own Father for us as a burnt offering on the wooden altar of crucifixion (Genesis 22:7-8), and rose again. From a plan conceived before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20), Jesus came down from the glories of heaven to humble Himself and die and rise for our sin sickness.
By this one perfect sacrifice, Jesus breathed resuscitating eternal life into our spiritual hearts, giving “life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” (Romans 4:17).
Justified by the precious blood of Jesus, we have been raised to a new life in Christ. What miraculous things have been called into existence that could not exist in our old hearts that were enslaved to sin?
What a treasure trove of redemption blessings God has provided for us to behold!
Eternal life (John 3:16), the forgiveness of all sin (Ephesians 1:7), freedom from the wrath of God (Galatians 3:13), adoption as His child (John 1:12-13), brought into the presence of God (1 Peter 3:18), living to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24), the cancellation of the demands of the Law against us (Colossians 2:13), a clear conscience (Hebrews 9:14 ), reconciliation with God (Romans 5:10), freedom from the bondage to fear of death by Satan’s defeat ( Hebrews 2:14-15), and freedom from condemnation by the judge’s gavel falling on Jesus Christ instead of us (Romans 8:34).
Jesus’ accomplishments at Calvary was the most beautiful love letter ever written, penned in His own blood, moistened by His tears and sealed with a kiss:
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10