Jairus' Daughter: a story of faith and trust

Mark 5:21-43   (25-34 is the woman with the issue of blood)

When the Lord was here on earth and did wonderful miracles, he did things that are beyond the powers of men.  The Lord Jesus did these miracles to point to His divinity.  These were things that only God could do.  Jesus' miracles are not recorded in the bible to make us think that we can do the same because we can't do the same, but Christs' power is revealed to encourage us to see that Jesus is God and he can do anything, his power is unlimited.  

Nothing is too hard for Jesus.  As Christians, when we see what an almighty and wonderful Jesus we have it is going to strengthen our faith to really believe and trust in him even when it is hard, and even when the world scorns and laughs and there is opposition.  If we see that Jesus is God and he can do anything, then all the scorn of the world will not make any difference whatsoever to us because we really believe in the omnipotent Saviour.  Spurgeon said:  "I believe what I believe and I will believe it even if I believe it alone."  Not dependent upon what other people think, not dependent upon current opinions or what the crowd thinks, not religious fashion, Spurgeon says that faith that is not dependent upon anybody else, but on Christ alone because  he is such a marvelous wonderful Saviour.  This faith only comes through a personal study of the bible.  We really believe what the bible says because we have pondered the scriptures and God has convinced us that this is true and logical and makes complete sense.  When we really believe that, it is not somebody else's faith that has convinced us, but it's our faith,  what we have come to believe and it doesn't matter if the whole world is against us, it makes no difference whatsoever because we are not relying on other people's opinions or feelings, or relying on other people for support. You can really say with Spurgeon, "I believe what I believe and I will believe it even if I believe it alone."  My faith is in Christ.  And that is the purpose of the recording of the miracles in the bible, because Jesus is God and he can do anything and there is no room for doubt at all.  If the almighty God humbled himself and became confined to a human body, then what is there that God cannot do?  Nothing.


This miracle takes place in the fishing town of Capernaeum.  There are many people around the Lord Jesus, and there is a man named Jairus coming to the Lord Jesus, he is a very important man, a ruler of the synagogue but there is anxiety on his face.

Jairus' faith:  V21-23 "And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.  And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him (Jesus), he fell at his feet." (the word behold tells us that something important is about to take place, behold according to Noah Webster 1828 means "to fix the eyes upon; to see with attention; to observe with care.")  And besought him greatly saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live."  With flowing robes, this dignified man comes down to the docks at the fishing town and he falls at the feet of the Lord Jesus, because of the approaching death of his little daughter whom according to Luke 8:42 is his only daughter, who is 12 years old..  "my little daughter is at the point of death"  She is at the point of death, at her last gasp.  He says "come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed."  Jairus besought Jesus greatly, "Master will you come, you are my only hope, there is no one else."  Jairus had faith, he believed that if Jesus came and put his hands on the little girl she would live.  He had faith and trust, he prayed to Jesus in a time of crises and he believed that his daughter would live.  Sometimes we come to God in a time of crisis but do we really believe in him?  we need to trust in him for answers to our prayers.  What point is there in prayers if we don't believe.  We have to believe that God will answer our prayers, if you pray without faith it is a waste of time.

Jairus' patience:  V25-34   On the way to Jairus' house, a woman who had been ill for 12 years, and had visited many physicians and spent all that she had was no better but grew worse. She came along and touched the hem of Christ's garment because she believed that if she even touched his clothes, she would be healed which she was, and the conversation that ensued took a bit of time.  If you had a family member that was at the point of death, you might say "come on, hurry up"  but in those verses there is no word of Jairus being impatient.  He waited patiently.

Jairus encountered a trial:  V35-37 ".....there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?  As soon as 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 James, and John the brother of James."   The news came that this man didn't want to hear. "your daughter has died"  the servants said that it was too late.  This is a very trying thing, he would have been in despair, but notice that Jesus heard but did not pay attention, he holds out a light to Jairus, "Be not afraid, only believe"  But what hope is there, what a test this would be.  Faith alone, believing against death.  This event is now too personal for the crowd because in V37 Jesus would not let anyone follow except Peter, James and John.  He only brings with him the closest disciples because the whole situation has changed.  It is not a healing that is needed now, but a resurrection.  The disciples might have remembered the widow of Nain when Jesus raised a young man from a coffin.  

The mourners:  V38-40  "And  he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult and them that wept and wailed greatly.  And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.  And they laughed him to scorn.  But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entered in where the damsel was lying."    The mourners were making an awful racket.  It was a tumult, and many of these mourners were not even sincere because according to V40 they laughed and scorned.  The mourners were endowed with the gift of shifting from mourning to mirth, they were insincere.  They were putting it on.    In those days mourners were hired to cry at funerals.  Tears alone are not a sign of mourning, some people can turn tears on and off like a tap.  But there is an attitude and a depth and thoughts, the thoughts of a person tell you much at a funeral.  If a person can't be serious at a funeral they can't be serious at anything.  If we can't be sincere at a funeral then we are shallow.

They were thrown out:  39-40  Jesus threw them out "but when he had put them all out"  Jesus threw them out so that they saw nothing of the miracle to come.  Some preachers have a mindset of Jesus that is only "gentle Jesus meek and mild" and they don't tell you about the tenses of the words.  The words "but when he had put them all out" are an action that he completed, he expelled them with a rapid motion.  The Greek word means 'with a force they couldn't resist', he threw out the mockers and he used force that they couldn't resist.  Jesus is gentle Jesus but he is also strong Jesus.  Jairus is silent all this time.  

Gentle Jesus:  V41-43 "And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.  And, straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years.  And they were astonished with a great astonishment.  And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat."   The Lord takes his disciples and the parents and he takes the little girl by the hand and he says  "Damsel, I say unto thee, arise" Her spirit returned to her body, and she got up and she walked.  There had been a separation of body and spirit, she had really died, but at Jesus' words her spirit returned.  There is life in the words of Jesus, and there is nothing that Jesus can't do.  He expressly told them to give her something to eat because they would have been totally astonished, so he tells them what to do.

What is the teaching?  Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead not so we think we can do the same thing, but to show us that there is nothing too hard for the Lord, there is nothing he cannot do.  And that is why as believers we can really trust him.  Therefore the Lord Jesus can raise our spiritually dead relations. 

This actually happened and you wouldn't have a problem believing that if  you really believed that Jesus is God.  Jairus had real faith against the power of death.  Only faith in Jesus can prepare you to face down death and still have hope in your heart.  Do you have this faith like Jairus did? 
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The notes above were made by myself from the sermon by Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed) at Sermon Audio.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=322091834258