”Your daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But Jesus heard him and he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not; believe only, and she shall be made whole.” (NC Luke 6:12)
The story of Jairus, seeking help for his daughter is one, that we might all benefit from. When Jairus goes out seeking Jesus to heal his daughter, it is urgent. He is desperate. When he thought this was an illness his daughter would recover from on her own, He had not bothered Jesus about her sickness. However, now the tide has turned for the worse. He has done all he could for his daughter but it isn’t enough. He realizes his daughter is truly dying. In this moment of distress, his mind catches hold of the thought that perhaps Jesus can heal her. He acts upon this simple thought and goes to seek out Jesus to heal her.
Jairus is relieved and grateful when he finds Jesus and sees that he is willing to come with him that his daughter might be healed before it is too late. He has some hope. On the way, Jesus and the large party following him, are interrupted by a woman in desperation to also be healed. While they pause to address the woman in her need, Jairus may have been happy for her but also trying to muster the patience for his own situation to be addressed, knowing how serious the condition of his daughter is. Then he is met by one of his family who had been sent from his house to give Jairus the bad news. It is too late. His daughter is dead. Don’t bother Jesus any further. Just come home and grieve for her loss.
Now the situation has changed. When Jairus left his house, seeking Jesus, his intent was for Jesus to heal his daughter from her sickness. He had enough faith that Jesus could heal his sick daughter. If he had received this news before he found Jesus, he may have returned home to join his family in mourning and never gone any further to find Jesus. When the family does send a messenger, it is because they don’t want to bother Jesus about a hopeless situation. Jairus had not come to Jesus hoping he would bring her back from the dead. He wanted him to heal her from a sickness. In this moment, as far as he’s concerned, it really is too late. He has done his best, but it just wasn’t good enough. No need to bother Jesus any further about the matter. What began as his mission to have his daughter healed has now turned to a time for great sorrow and mourning.
When Jesus hears what news Jairus has just received, he knows what Jairus’s reaction will be. He knows that Jairus will probably give up. That’s why the messenger was sent to Jairus. When Jesus sees Jairus being encouraged to give up and give in to despair, he seeks to cut off that thought and give Jairus a reason, however small, to continue and yet hope.
He begins by simply saying, “Fear not”. That’s the worst thing Jairus can do. This is not to be taken lightly. He knows how quickly someone can lose faith and give into fear. He doesn’t want Jairus to give into fear. Especially not now! For his own sake and also for the sake of his daughter. The situation certainly does look bleak, but if Jairus gives into fear and despair, then it is over. If he doesn’t believe, they really can turn around and go their separate ways. In an effort to restore some hope and to give reason to continue, Jesus encourages Jairus, saying, “believe only, and she shall be made whole”. Jesus wants to take his focus and attention away from the terrible news Jairus has just received and give him a reason to hope and press on.
It reminds me of the scene in the Hobbit’s tale, where Bard is taking aim at the dragon and tells his frightened son to turn around from looking at the dragon, but to “look at me! you look at me!”. Focusing on the bad news or terrible things going on can bring fear, or despair and make things worse.
Jairus takes Jesus at his word, despite his reservations and his fragile faith. He continues with Jesus to see his daughter anyway. With this sudden turn of events, Jesus proceeds by only taking with him Peter, Jacob (James) and John. The rest of the crowd is left behind.
When they arrive at the house, the people are deep in the process of mourning and accepting the fate of the young girl. They have lost all hope for her return. And for good reason, wouldn’t you think? Jesus does his best to try to encourage them, and perhaps make them doubt what they think they know about the situation. He suggests that, “she is not dead, but sleeps”. But instead of laying hold of the thought that perhaps their diagnosis was premature, or just wrong, they laugh at his saying. It’s not just a pity laugh. It’s a scornful laugh! Jesus says this to them, hoping it would give some few, a reason to believe. But it doesn’t work. Not only does it not help, but it kinda backfires. Having people who have succombed to their fears, isn’t going to help with what Jesus intends to do. So Jesus asks that the family and other mourners allow them to be alone with the parents. This isn’t about “proving the doubters wrong”. That isn’t the motivation at all. It is about supporting those who have faith, who choose to believe. Apparently for the sake of the parents, the other family and mourners oblige without taking offense. Then Jesus walks into the room where the girl is lying on her death bed. He takes her hand and calls directly to her saying “Arise!”. Then the unthinkable happens! This young girl rises up and walks! Not only is she alive, but her illness is completely gone!
Since she had been ill for so long and unable eat or hold anything down during that time, Jesus suggests that she’s probably hungry and could use some food to begin to get back her strength. He asks that they not tell the others any extravagant tale about how she returned to health, but perhaps what he had suggested when he came in, that she was not dead but sleeping. With that, the story ends.
We don’t hear anything about the doubters who mocked Jesus when he came into the house suggesting the girl was yet alive. It was never about convincing them. It’s about the small faith of the few who did believe. So we don’t hear about their later reaction when they see the girl alive and well. What made it possible was that there were some few who heard, and though fragile, yet believed enough that Jesus could proceed and the girl was restored to life and fully healed. If they had given into their fears, it would not have happened. Jairus could have broke down on the way home when he got the news and called it all off and nothing further would have taken place. But he didn’t. In that moment, he wasn’t sure what, if anything, could be done. But when he heard Jesus’s words and saw his willingness to proceed anyway, he was encouraged enough to be willing to continue on as well. His faith was indeed small, perhaps like a mustard seed. But he did not give up.
There are really only two powers at work in this world, that love which comes of faith, and fear. We all know that the correct answer is for each of us to choose that perfect love which casts out fear. But fallen man is so prone to fear. Perhaps we should do more to foster our faith than to entertain our fears. As it is said, all things are possible to them that believe. Even if it is just a little belief, it is better than fear.
Mark Account
”And behold, there comes one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name. And when he saw him, he fell at his feet and implored him greatly, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed, and she shall live. And he went with him. And many people followed him and crowded him.”
”And a certain woman who had a discharge of blood twelve years — and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better, but rather grew worse — when she had heard of Jesus, she came in the crowd behind and touched his garment; for she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in body that she was healed of that plague.”
”And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the crowd and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, You see the multitude crowding you, and say you, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, your faith has made you whole. Go in peace and be whole of your plague.”
”While he yet spoke, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house a man, who said, Your daughter is dead. Why do you trouble the Master any further? As soon as he spoke, Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid; only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and Jacob, and John the brother of Jacob.”
”And he comes to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and sees the tumult and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he had come in, he said unto them, Why do you make this ado and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleeps. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he takes the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and enters in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand and said unto her, Talitha cumi — which is (being interpreted), Damsel, I say unto you, arise. And immediately the damsel arose and walked; for she was twelve years old. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them earnestly that no man should know it, and commanded that something should be given her to eat.“ (NC Mark 3:1-5)
Luke Account
”And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and implored him that he would come into his house, for he had only one daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went, the people crowded him.”
”And a woman having a discharge of blood for twelve years — who had spent all her possessions upon physicians, neither could be healed of any — came behind Jesus and touched the border of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they who were with him said, Master, the multitude crowd you and press upon you, and you say, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Someone has touched me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman found that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him, before all the people, for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort. Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace.”
”While he yet spoke, there comes one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Your daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But Jesus heard him and he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not; believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in save Peter, and Jacob, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept and bewailed her; but he said, Weep not, for she is not dead, but sleeps. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and he took her by the hand, and he called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose immediately, and he commanded to give her food. And her parents were astonished, but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.” (NC Luke 6:10-12)