Reading Mark 5 – Jairus
Reading Mark chapter 5 brings you to this passage:
25And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
30And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32And he looked around to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
- Mark 5:22-35 (ESV)
And the person I’m feeling for is Jairus. There’s obviously a terrible urgency – Jairus (a synagogue president!) is on his knees begging in front of this Jesus; he says that his daughter is at the point of death. You can feel the relief in his mind as he’s finally got the Great Healer in tow to bring Jesus home to heal his 12-year-old daughter. Then some silly woman has to go and get herself healed in the middle of all this! AND she’s ritually unclean … AND she shouldn’t be in this crowd … AND she shouldn’t be touching anyone, let alone someone as holy as this Man. And as if that wasn’t enough, Jesus has to stop and have a little chat with her – “OK, OK, she’s healed, for heaven’s sake. Let’s just get going here!”
Then come the messengers. Jairus recognizes them and must have guessed as soon as he saw them what the story was – his daughter was gone. I cannot imagine the grief he must have felt; the anger at that wretched woman for holding up the journey. Life suddenly grows awfully dark for Jairus.
But God has a plan. (No duh! He always has a plan.) And Jesus overhears the bad news (v. 36) and a chink of light burns into the blackness – the Great Healer seems to think there’s still hope. Now in an act of grace, Jesus permits only the four men to continue with Him – Peter, James and John (the inner circle) and Jairus – to Jairus’ house. Somehow the entire crowd was dissipated, and there was sudden quiet.
I wonder what Jesus said to Jairus during that walk? Was there silence? Deep words? We’ll never know. But the light of hope must have grown a little brighter for Jairus, don’t you think?
When they got to the house the mourning was in full force; surely he must have felt sick with grief. If everybody was mourning, all hope had to be gone. Yet Jesus continues, and ejecting all the mourners, goes over to her bed. Three disciples, two parents and one Lord. Still there is a crack of light for Jairus – the Healer has now seen her and hasn’t stopped.
And He doesn’t seem to do anything special. He simply takes her hand and says, “Up you get.” And she did! Poor old Jairus! How could he handle the shattering of all that darkness? Light detonated around him – life would never be the same. All his preconceived notions of how the world worked were blown away. I’m guessing that, although his daughter got up and began walking, Jairus needed to have a bit of a lie-down!
I find it so easy to see the darkness moving in, just like I imagine Jairus did. The busyness, the inclinations and the beliefs of the world – like Jairus’ crowd, woman and mourners – all get in the way of the light for me too. Sometimes I’m holding on to the sure Truth of the Gospel for myself (by my fingernails, it seems) because there are times in my life when problems are presented to me, I think, solely in order to show me that God is active.
Dave Travis
Rose
Thanks for this great synopsis. (BTW, “No Name” near bottom of your list was Mel Lawrenz, Elmbrook...
Jon Reid
Great thoughts, Steve, thanks! You have such a great way of getting inside the scene and bringing it to life with your observations…
When I just can’t stand it {whatever “it” may be) anymore, and I want to say to God, “But don’t You UNDERSTAND??? It has to happen NOW!!!” (oh, the arrogance of saying that to Him!), the words that hold me steady (when I get around to remembering them and choosing to hang on to them) come from Ps.31:14-15a: “But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, “You are my God. My times are in Your hand…” All through that Psalm, David alternates between listing his great problems and choosing to put his eyes/faith/trust in the LORD and praising Him. I wish I did the latter more often…
Thanks. Yes, there are so many places throughout Scripture that tell us to set our focus on God. It amazes me how skillful I am in ignoring them!
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