Jairus was "one of the rulers of the synagogue," a group that considered Jesus a threat and had mistreated and criticized Him at every opportunity. But none of that mattered now, nor did it matter that he might lose his lofty position, power, and influence. Only his daughter mattered at that moment.
When Jairus found Jesus, he begged with words that pull at my heart strings, "My little daughter lies at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live."
It's hard to know what else Jesus may have had planned that day. It would be easy to respond with, "I'm too busy" or "why should I help YOU after how you've treated me?"
But Jesus is a God of love, compassion, and mercy. He dropped everything to go with the man.
As they arrived at his residence, Jesus asked the disciples, other than Peter, James, and John, to wait. We might look at this as Jesus walking "into enemy territory" with only his three closest disciples. Few of those present, and it sounds like there was quite the gathering, would have been amiable to Jesus showing up there, especially at such a time. The girl was dead.
Well, they believed her to be dead and were already mourning her. Jesus perceived that it was more like a coma: "the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth." The cruel response was that of contempt and scorn. A faithless, contentious group.
Undeterred, Jairus, now accompanied by his wife, asks the scorning group of mourners to give them some space, and enters the house with Jesus to see his dying daughter.
The Master Healer next takes the girl by the hand, saying, "Damsel, I say unto thee, arise."
"And straightway the damsel arose, and walked."
And then oddly, Jesus asks those who witnessed the miracle to stay quiet "that no man should know it." He was worried about Jairus' family being ostracized and rejected by their community. Protecting them was more important that spreading His own fame or taking a shot at the Sanhedrin.
So many lessons are taught in this experience.
We must rise above our societal differences, whether political, racial, religious, or economic, and with compassion serve one another.
Sometimes we have to kick out the haters and distractions to make space for the sacred in our lives.
Humility and faith allow us to reach out to and invite the Savior so that He can visit and heal us and our families.
Be kind and meek, even in success. Graciously let others save face.
Don't give up, especially on life, for with God nothing is impossible.
Jesus loves us, and it's truly His great pleasure to come to us and heal us. Trust Jesus.
(Mark 5)
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