(We had the privilege of having Dr. B. J. Pruitt, our apostolic covering and father in the faith, with us this week. Here are some thoughts based on what he shared with us this week.)
Mark 5:22-23 (NKJV) 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”
Yesterday we looked at our need to return to the Lord. The nation of Israel repeatedly walked away from the ways of God. Every time they did, they found themselves in difficult positions. Eventually this tendency led to captivity for them. However, the Lord often exhorted them to return to him and his ways. In Malachi 3, we read such an exhortation.
I believe we need to return to the ways of God today. This is not a popular point of view. Even in the church, there is the sense that this is a new day and some things just do not apply to our current situation. I would counter with the thought that, although times change, neither God nor his Word changes. The problems, attitudes and many other things may change. The solutions do not. We must return to the Lord.
We looked at a woman in Mark 5 who had to use great effort to get to where Jesus was. She even risked criticism and worse to get close enough to him to touch the hem of his garment. She refused to stay where she was and die of her disease. I think we need some of what she had. We need to apply whatever effort we must in order to come into the presence of Jesus. If we endure criticism, so be it. If our faith involves some risk, it is worth it if we can come to where Jesus is.
In our day, we do not need to go to a physical location. It is a place of faith and commitment to which we must return. We need to return to the Lord in our behavior and our attitudes. We need to return to the Lord in our faith and expectation. We need to return to his ways and commit our hearts to hearing his voice.
This story contains another player. When Jesus returned from the other side of the Sea of Galilee, an important man came to ask something of Jesus. His daughter was dying. He wanted Jesus to come to her and raise her up. Jesus agreed and went with the distraught father.
Once again, we see that Jairus, the father in question, did not wait for Jesus to come to him. He was an important religious authority in the town. He might well have sent representatives to Jesus with the expectation that Jesus would certainly come to the home of such an important man. He did not do that. The situation was too important to him. His loved his daughter more than life itself. He got up from his place of comfort. He humbled himself and went to where Jesus was. He returned to the Lord.
In Jairus, we see another reason we need to return to the Lord. The woman with the issue of blood went for herself. Jairus went for someone else. We need to return to the Lord because our family needs him. We need to go to where Jesus is because our community needs a touch from the Lord.
Our nation is in desperate need and we cannot meet those needs. We must go to where Jesus is and intercede for our loved ones. Jairus wanted to bring Jesus into contact with his daughter. We need to bring Jesus into contact with our family, community and nation. To do that, we must be where he is.
As the story plays out, we see that Jesus readily agrees to go with Jairus. I can see the relief on his face coupled with urgency. His daughter is dying. He does not know how long she may have left. He is grateful that Jesus is coming to his aid but there is not time to waste. I can see him taking Jesus by the hand and rushing off towards his home.
They have not gone very far when Jesus stops short. “Who touched me?” he asks. The disciples point out that there is a crowd around Jesus. Many people are touching him. He said, “You don’t understand. I didn’t ask who is touching me, I asked, ‘Who touched me?’ Someone had made a demand on Jesus. The woman with the issue of blood had touched the hem of his garment with her hand but she had touched his spirit with her faith.
Jesus stops the procession to have a conversation with this woman. What about Jairus? He was the ruler of the synagogue. This same synagogue would have deemed this woman unclean. He knew that, by the law, she was not even supposed to be in the street. His daughter is dying! Time is of the essence!
Many of us would have grabbed Jesus and said, “Teacher, this woman can wait! We need to get to my daughter!” We might have pointed out that the woman was already healed. There was no need to delay further so we all can hear her story. There is no indication Jairus did any of that.
I have six children. I can tell you that if one of them were dying I would move heaven and earth to save him or her. I might well have grabbed Jesus and pulled him away from the woman. If he protested, I would have begged, pleaded or tried to intimidate him into going with me immediately so my daughter would not die. It would seem that he just waited for Jesus to finish with this woman.
Part of returning to the Lord is trusting him with our lives. Jesus said he would heal Jairus’ daughter. He is a man of his word. God is a good for his Word. When we return to him, we need to trust that he will do what he says he will do.
Jairus’ timetable and Jesus’ did not seem to agree. I often find myself in that position. Nevertheless, if I have truly returned to the Lord I will trust that he will do what he said he would do.
When they finally reached Jairus’ house, the people waiting there said, “You are too late. Jesus might as well leave because he didn’t get here in time. She’s gone.”
I am sure Jairus was initially horrified by this turn of events. I am sure he had the thought any parent would have in his situation. “If Jesus hadn’t stopped to deal with that woman my daughter would still be alive. If he had just kept going, the woman would be healed and my daughter would have lived.”
Jesus turned to Jairus and said, “Don’t be afraid. Just keep believing.” When we return to where Jesus is, we need to trust him with our whole life. Even if he delays to the point that it seems too late, it is never too late with Jesus. The girl was dead. She was not nearly dead. She was dead. The situation had gone from difficult and urgent to impossible. This did not hinder Jesus at all.
When we are where he is, nothing is impossible. He commanded everyone but the parents to leave the room. He told Jairus that he would raise up his daughter. It seemed that other things were more important than the life of their little girl. However, Jairus was with Jesus. Death was not too difficult an opponent for him.
As they watched, Jesus spoke to their lifeless child. “Little girl, time to get up!” I can only imagine how they felt as her eyes fluttered awake and she sat up completely well. “I think this little one needs something to eat.” Jesus said. What kind of joy would Jairus and his wife feel at that moment?
We need to be where Jesus is in faith and righteousness. When we are in that place, setbacks may come. Our timetable and Jesus’ timetable may not agree. We need to trust him. He will not fail us. It seemed that death had defeated Jairus. It seemed that Jesus had failed him. As Jairus continued to stay where Jesus was, he discovered that death is no match for the Lord of life. So will you!
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