We are all Jenna with her eyes shut, groping through a dark room, listening for a familiar voice — but with one difference. Her surroundings are familiar and friendly. Ours can be hostile and fatal. Her worst fear is a stubbed toe. Our worst fear is more threatening: cancer, divorce, loneliness, death.
And try as we might to walk as straight as we can, chances are a toe is going to get stubbed and we are going to get hurt.
Just ask Jairus. He is a man who has tried to walk as straight as he can. But Jairus is a man whose path has taken a sudden turn into a cave — a dark cave. And he doesn't want to enter it alone.
Jairus is the leader of the synagogue. That may not mean much to you and me, but in the days of Christ the leader of the synagogue was the most important man in the community. The synagogue was the center of religion, education, leadership, and social activity. The leader of the synagogue was the senior religious leader, the highest-ranking professor, the mayor, and the best-known citizen all in one.
Jairus has it all. Job security. A guaranteed welcome at the coffee shop. A pension plan. Golf every Thursday and an annual all-expenses-paid trip to the national convention.
Who could ask for more? Yet Jairus does. In fact, he would trade the whole package of perks and privileges for just one assurance — that his daughter will live.
The Jairus we see in this story is not the clear-sighted, black-frocked, nicely groomed civic leader. He is instead a blind man begging for a gift. He fell at Jesus' feet, "saying again and again, 'My daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed and will live'" (Mark 5:23 NIV).
He doesn't barter with Jesus. He just pleads.
There are times in life when everything you have to offer is nothing compared to what you are asking to receive. Jairus is at such a point. What could a man offer in exchange for his child's life? So, there are no games. No haggling. No masquerades. The situation is starkly simple: Jairus is blind to the future and Jesus knows the future. So Jairus asks for His help.
And Jesus, who loves the honest heart, goes to give it.
And God, who knows what it is like to lose a child, empowers His Son.
But before Jesus and Jairus get very far, they are interrupted by emissaries from Jairus's house.
"Your daughter is dead. There is no need to bother the teacher anymore" (v. 35 NIV).
Get ready. Hang on to your hat. Here's where the story gets moving. Jesus goes from being led to leading, from being convinced by Jairus to convincing Jairus. From being admired to being laughed at, from helping out the people to casting out the people.
- Here is where Jesus takes control.
But Jesus paid no attention to what they said… — v. 36 NRSV
I love that line! It describes the critical principle for seeing the unseen: Ignore what people say. Block them out. Turn them off. Close your ears. And, if you must, walk away. Ignore the ones who say it's too late to start over.
Disregard those who say you'll never amount to anything.
Turn a deaf ear toward those who say that you aren't smart enough, fast enough, tall enough, or big enough — ignore them.
Faith sometimes begins by stuffing your ears with cotton.
Jesus turns immediately to Jairus and pleads:
Don't be afraid; just believe. — Mark 5:36 NIV
Jesus compels Jairus to see the unseen. When Jesus says, "Just believe," He is imploring, "Don't limit your possibilities to the visible. Don't listen only for the audible. Don't be controlled by the logical. Believe there is more to life than meets the eye!"
"Trust me," Jesus is pleading. "Don't be afraid; just trust."
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