Tag: disciple

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Mark: Jesus Predicts His Death

Read: Mark 8:31-33

Jesus begins to speak clearly about the suffering He must experience, the rejection from the leaders, and His crucifixion. Mark doesn’t provide a lot of details, just concise statements, but I suspect there were more details in the discussion between Jesus and the disciples, words that astonished them and shook them up.

Peter had had enough! His heart was already pounding as Jesus talked about the ridiculous leadership and their inability to understand that Jesus, the man from Nazareth, the one speaking to them in human flesh, was in fact The Messiah. Now Jesus begins to talk about the manner in which He would be killed.

Crucifixion, the public shaming and execution of people through slow, disgusting torture, was well known by this time. As a society, Rome ruled with great authority and we know the pax Romana (see article) prevailed. Peace, in this case, was maintained through brutal, swift judgment where the guilty were put on display as reminders of the ultimate authority of the Roman overlords.

Peter blew a gasket!

and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Mark 8:32

Peter, rebuking Jesus. I love his heart, his passion, his complete commitment to serve the Lord, but here, he has overstepped his calling and authority.

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Mark 8:33

These powerful words are not to be taken lightly. As I let my mind wander into the scene, I imagine that Jesus’ words quieted event the chirping birds and crickets in the area. No sound followed the exclamation point. Total silence.

Pause.

Reflect.

Calm down.

With a word, Jesus could have dismissed the disciples, but he didn’t. Instead, quite remarkably, He draws them even closer. In my imagination, in the stillness of the night, they all shamefully, humbly, sit down around the feet of the Master as He speaks.

Jesus continues with a loving explanation to reset their perspective of the mission that lies before them. The concerns of God are far more important than these earthly thoughts.

I hope you have a quiet moment to ponder the seriousness of what we are called to do. I pray that I can remember the sensation I feel right now as I sit and type these words. I wish I could write a song, music to convey, words to remind us of this incredible interaction contained in three simple verses.

May God richly bless your day. Know that our battle is ultimately for God’s kingdom. Lean on each other for strength, but let us not forget our main mission.

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Mark: Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

Read: Mark 8:27-30

In a few words, Mark records a pivotal conversation for the world:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Mark 8:29

I’m trying to get my mind around how the Gospel of Mark is organized. When we zoom out to get a big picture of the writing, we see Jesus performing miracles for Jew and Gentile, covering many miles around the region and doing His best to keep his ministry quiet.

Literally thousands of people have been affected by His preaching, teaching, miracles, and perhaps mostly, his compassion. Over and over again we read the phrase, “Jesus had compassion on…” So who is He?

The Messiah

Peter is bold in saying what others were thinking, but no one disputes the conclusion that this man, the one that called them from various positions, the one that they can see with their own eyes and touch with their own hands is the Messiah.

The disciples have a front row seat to watch history unfold. Yet Jesus continues to keep this incredible revelation quiet,

Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. Mark 8:30

Why the repeated warning? I think it’s mostly because the people would not understand, they are not ready for the headliner. Jesus, of course, knows the delay in telling the world is only months away, but His disciples have no idea, let alone the “fans” that are gathering to hear His preaching.

Like a song that is working toward a climax that you know instinctively is coming, music beginning to swell, but not quite ready to break. The hearts of the disciples must be beating in anticipation of the day when Jesus rises to the top to take over the world. That’s what their ancestors told them would happen and I’m sure they all had visions for what that would look like.

Jesus tells them to keep it secret. Like any good military operation, we have to maneuver around, position everything perfectly before the strike begins. Sure, Jesus, we’ll keep it secret, we won’t tell anyone.

We have access to the whole story. We know that’s not how it turns out, but I think I can appreciate how the disciples feel, well, a tiny bit of how they feel. In all honesty, we have no excuse for not telling everyone.

The question is, do we have the faith to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah?

Lord, increase our faith so we may tell the world!

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Mark: The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

Read: Mark 8:14-21

It’s so easy to make fun of the disciples, their apparent ignorance, lack of insight and understanding, poor education, etc. Well, at least that’s my first reaction:

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” Mark 8:14-16

They only brought one loaf of bread. Based on the math of two previous stories, 5 loaves feeds 5,000+ and 7 loaves covers 4,000+; I’m pretty sure one loaf for their team is enough.

No, dear disciples, that’s not the point at all.

Way back in Exodus, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was instituted as a reminder of the first Passover, God’s amazing deliverance from the strong arm of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. No doubt everyone knew about the significance of yeast in baking bread. The leavening agent for bread is the difference between nice bread or flat crackers, a good loaf that sells in the marketplace or bad loaf that’s tossed to the dogs (unless intentionally removed). Hmmm.

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? Mark 8:17-18

It’s interesting that Mark prefaces this with “aware of their discussion.” The image I have in my mind is the disciples huddled up comparing notes, trying to figure out what He just told them.

On a practical level, Jesus reminds this that one loaf is surely enough to feed them, but it’s not about the loaf of bread people! It’s about the yeast, that small ingredient that changes everything. Just one gram of yeast and the bread is different, one sin separates the sinless from the sinful. There is no hope except through Jesus.

In the text, Jesus includes both the Pharisees and Herod in the same group, like they are of the same character. That’s absolutely the worst group anyone would want to be associated with. Herod is the one that just served up John the Baptist’s head on a platter just a few chapters ago. Herod’s yeast is probably narcissism, the Pharisees’ yeast begins with pride. The combination of the two lead to a life full of sin, far from that which Jesus calls us to.

Jesus chose these disciples intentionally, surely they were not from either camp, but they are certainly far from ready for what lies ahead. They have much to learn. We have the privilege of reading the rest of the story, they had to walk around in a daze hoping for the light to come on and clear up their misunderstanding. I’m sure they knew they were off base, but in the course of events, they just couldn’t get their minds wrapped around what Jesus was teaching them.

The same goes for me far too often. Is this trial a test or am I just being ignorant? Did I forget to bring the bread or did I miss the point entirely? What is the yeast in my life?

Like a song that ends in dissonance, Mark leaves us hanging:

He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” Mark 8:21

 

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Mark: Jesus Feeds 4,000

Read: Mark 8:1-13

Another large crowd gathers to hear the amazing teaching from Jesus. It seems that people are predisposed to gathering to hear words of wisdom or to be challenged to improve or simply to learn about something. Our quest for knowledge is wired into our DNA, some more than others, but all have a desire to learn.

I have to believe that Jesus is not your typical orator climbing on a precipice to make a point. Quite the contrary, I think He is encouraged by the people because of His humble approach to teaching coupled with incredible depth of wisdom. Of course He does have quite the credentials to support this notion, but the people gathering in this story don’t know how this all plays out, they just know of his reputation and after listening to Him speak, they want more and more.

In this instance, the people have been captivated for three days!

“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” Mark 8:2-3

Jesus instructs His disciples to feed the people, again! Their apparent amnesia is interesting, “can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” They gather seven loaves of bread and a few fish, obviously enough to feed the masses, right? Jesus blesses the bread and fish and the crowd is miraculously fed.

Given the context of this story in Mark, Jesus and the disciples are somewhere in the Decapolis, primarily dominated by Gentiles, though we read in a moment that there are Pharisees policing the crowd, so there are Jews present as well.

The first miracle of feed 5,000 (plus women and children) occurs in predominantly Jewish territory (Mark 6:30-44). This miracle is unique in that it is covered in all four gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry.

Feeding 4,000 (plus women and children) who are mostly Gentiles is significant and distinctly different! Mark seems to make the point that Jesus is wants to extend the gospel beyond the chosen ones. In addition to healing the Gentile women’s daughter and the man who couldn’t hear or speak, Jesus chooses to involve the disciples in sharing with this large population.

He could have had manna or quail fall from heaven, but, as with the first instance, He has the disciples serve the people. What He does and how He does it is important. What He does is feed a lot of people because He feels compassion. How He does it in mysterious, but requires the disciples to get involved, they don’t sit back and watch the miracle, they are direct participants in the event.

The mere fact that so many are gathered to hear from a Jewish teacher is significant all by itself, but this doesn’t sit well with the Pharisees:

The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. Mark 8:11-13

I like to think that Jesus sighed because the Pharisees simply can’t believe what just happened. Surely they remember that Elisha feed 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), but it seems they can’t extend that concept to feeding so many, let alone non-Jewish people. Somehow they miss the miracle, are confused by His teaching, and come up with this great idea: ask Jesus for a sign. He simply dismisses them and gets in a boat to leave. Done.

Everyone who receives Christ has within them the dwelling presence of the Spirit. With that, each are given particular Spiritual Gifts for building up the body of Christ. Every Christ follower is a minister. We all participate, just like the disciples did in this narrative. And just like them, there are times, perhaps more often than not, that we do the work of Christ without completely understanding what’s going to happen. In the case above, watching seven loaves of bread feed so many was amazing. In our present day, sharing the gospel with one seems insignificant, but God can do amazing things with the smallest amount of faith!

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Mark: Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man

Read: Mark 7:31-37

Jesus continues to minister in the region, around the Decapolis, some 25 miles away, when some people brought a man who was deaf and mute to be healed. Their request is simple, “…they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.” In this case, Jesus is more interactive with the man.

After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. Mark 7:33

In the previous event, the girl who was possessed by an evil spirit wasn’t even present, yet she was healed. In this case, the disciples must have been watching and taking notes:

  1. relocate subject: how far do we take him?
  2. fingers in ears: which fingers? how far? actually in the ear?
  3. spit: how much? just the tip of the tongue?
  4. pray: “Ephphatha!”

Got all that? File this under how to heal and someone who’s become deaf and mute later in life.

Was this confusing for the disciples as they try to learn from Jesus? What’s the difference between the two incidents? Why the physical interaction?

In this miraculous healing, the process seems to be telling us more than the miracle itself. Jesus accepts the man, he honors his friends for bringing him to be healed without argument. Taking him away from the crowd gives me an image of compassion; I believe Jesus was showing extreme kindness in this action. From this somewhat private place, Jesus touches the man, He even uses saliva to take the breach of personal space even farther.

All of this activity only takes a matter of seconds, a few minutes perhaps, but all leaves me in awe of a God who would step out of time and pay attention to one man, to one of us.

Isaiah foretells of the coming Messiah after many woes and proclamations of bad news:

…they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Isaiah 35:2,5

Oh yes, we will see the glory of the Lord and the splendor of our God in ways we can barely imagine.

Beyond amazed, the man can’t help but tell everyone about the miracle. His life is reset, no more shame for deafness, whatever caused that to happen. No more mumbling of words, now he proclaims the hands of the Messiah have touched even an ordinary man.

This same Jesus has touched us. Go and tell the world!

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Mark: The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

Read: Mark 7:24-30

In this passage, Mark tells us that Jesus has relocated to the vicinity of Tyre, the bustling metropolis of His time, about 30 miles from Capernaum — a significant distance to walk, to find some rest and perhaps focus on teaching His disciples. For perspective, our daughter and husband live about 21 miles from us in Easley, SC. In our modern world, it takes about 30 minutes to drive from our place to theirs. Google maps suggests this would take us between 7 and 8 hours to walk to her house. A full day’s journey.

Territories of Tyre and Sidon, NIV Study Bible, p. 1670

Jesus led his disciples far away, but His fame has followed them. Here in this Gentile area,

He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. Mark 7:24

Mark’s account of this story uses the term “Syrophoenician” to describe the woman who approaches Jesus. Matthew’s account refers to the Old Testament label of “Canaanite” (see: Matthew 15:21-28). The point is that she is not part of the Jewish family and herein lies the tension.

The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. Mark 7:26

Initially, Jesus’ response troubled me, in my attempt to be politically correct, He calls the woman a dog:

“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” Mark 7:27-29

The woman is not deterred and counters with a beautiful notion that even His crumbs are good enough and completely sufficient. Her faith has proven enough for her little daughter. Once again, Mark chooses to highlight those who were considered lower than the least, a woman and a even worse, a daughter of a woman that is not part of any Jewish tribe.

The term dogs gets my attention and it must have shocked the Jewish leaders of the day as well. How could Jesus interact with one of those people?

I’m offended because it’s completely unacceptable to refer to a group of people as dogs. Apparently, in those days, this was not so uncommon, yet it is certainly not an endearing term. But I think that IS the point. The Jews of the day were indeed the chosen people of God, but they have closed the doors to the dogs of the world. Unless you followed their ways, their laws and rules, you could not be one of the chosen people.

In this bold, short narrative, an outsider, a woman nonetheless, comes to Jesus to beg for her little girl and He makes a point of letting everyone know that though His first objective is to the chosen children of Israel, He demonstrates the desire to adopt everyone into the family, even those society has labeled as dogs.

While we might be put off by the term, I’m completely convinced that we do the same today. We have labeled people dogs of this day, those who have aligned themselves with satanic cults, religions that are far from Christian, or even the homeless, vagrants of society.

I pray that this story would shock me, that it would be cold water splashed in my pious face anytime I consider someone outside the Christian faith as somehow less worthy than myself. Lord, Your gospel is good news for everyone. Help us to share with the dogs of today!

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Mark: That Which Defiles

Read: Mark 7:1-23

The Pharisees and some teachers of the law…again. This time, the approach is simple, pick a rule that surely everyone knows: you must wash ceremonially before eating!

Most of the words in this passage are in red letters in my Bible, the words of Jesus. Mark explains the idea of washing before eating in verses 1-4, then quotes the Pharisees:

“Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” Mark 7:5

Jesus sees this as a great teaching moment. He explains rather bluntly that they have elevated their customs above the law that they pretend to uphold. In this case, ceremonial washing, but in other cases, they’ve made rules to allow them to disobey God’s commands. To be clear, this is much more than merely not washing hands before dinner, this is an attitude of the heart, of a contrite and bitter heart.

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” Mark 7:14-15

The funny thing is that the disciples didn’t understand, they had to ask for clarification. I’m sure glad they did, because I’m not sure it was quite clear to me either. “Are you so dull,” Jesus continues, it’s not the food that defiles you at all. No more rules about clean and unclean food. Mind blown!

How many traditions have we invented that we hold onto so tightly? There are some who firmly believe that only ordained clergy can administer communion or baptize new believers. Only staff can decide what’s best for the holier than Moses defined hour of worship on Sunday. The Pharisees had 600+ rules. I suspect we have more, but we’re better at hiding them so as not to be accused of being a Pharisee. Clever us.

We know these rules are not of God. We created these rules out of a desire to elevate some above others, to put clergy on a pedestal, elders above deacons, deacons above congregants, congregants above outsiders. We’ve created a hierarchy that has is so inwardly focused that we’ve lost touch with the outside world–the world Christ came to save.

This type of arrogance has crept into the modern church club mentality where only certain people get an invitation to meetings and discussions that affect the body of believers. Over time, this has become the norm. Add a decade or two and we see the church in great decline, no longer a key part of society.

Our selfish desires for recognition have undermined God’s desire for creating an effective church, a body of believers that are filled with the Holy Spirit and on mission to change the world. I truly believe that unless we become the church Jesus intended, we are just ceremoniously washing our hands.

If we know the rules, we can play the game fairly. When the rules are so simple, like love God, your neighbor and yourself, it’s not so easy. “Did God really say…” (Genesis 3:1), words from the great tempter reappear.

Jesus isn’t done yet,

He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23

It’s inexcusable to blame someone else for the sin that comes from my actions, my thoughts, the impurities in my heart. The “devil made me do it” is simply not true. Satan may have put the thought in my mind, but it was my choice to cultivate the thought rather than just have the Holy Spirit destroy the weeds!

That which defiles reminds us of the seriousness of our ministry. The list that Mark provides, quoting Jesus, is rather shocking. For a culture that seems to hang pride up as a banner, to talk openly about sexual immorality, adultery, lewdness, etc., was unheard of…literally. These are just things we don’t talk about. But this is our savior, Jesus. He is not bound by our perception of rules and regulations, he only cares about the heart and soul.

It’s so easy to criticize the church for its shortcomings and while awareness is important, action is imperative! My earnest desire is to do more and rant less, but sometimes, I just have to let it out!

Lord, help us to ignore the prompts of the great tempter, the one who has a finite lifespan. Help us to focus on you and you alone.

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Mark: The Disciples First Ministry Experience

Read: Mark 6:6b-56

The balance of chapter 6 reads like a quick synopsis of the disciples first ministry experience. The details about  John the Baptist seem like more of an important side note than a part of the story. Another interesting nuance is in verse 30 where Mark refers to the disciples as apostles. In Mark 3:14, some translations include “as apostles,” but otherwise, this is the only reference to His disciples as apostles in Mark’s gospel account. (See Mark 3:14.) Interesting.

Here’s a brief outline:

  • Jesus leaves His home town where He was all but dismissed and begins to preach in each village.
  • Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs to preach.
  • Herod hears about the amazing works of Jesus and is confused, thinking John the Baptist has been resurrected.
  • The apostles (disciples) return with stories from the field.
  • In their excitement, they forgot all about eating, plus there were loads of people following them who were also hungry.
  • Jesus feeds the 5,000. The disciples are confused.
  • Jesus walks on water. The disciples hearts are hardened.

Herod’s confused. The disciples are confused. Wouldn’t we be confused? Perhaps I should search for a different word, but Mark is reporting events that were anything but normal. No doubt we should be scratching our heads and wondering what is going on.

Feeding 5,000 (and many more!)

When Jesus feeds the massive group, it’s interesting to see the level of authority and respect He has earned among the people:

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Mark 6:39-40

Imagine some 10,000+ people (counting spouses, children and relatives) are gathered around the countryside without sound system or any particular formal organization. Jesus directs this entire crowd AND they cooperate. I’ve been in concerts with groups of this size. It’s quite hard to imagine how He managed to direct them in the first place, let alone feed them miraculously.

This significant miracle is included in all four gospel accounts, perhaps because it’s so much greater than the story about Elisha feed 100 men in 2 Kings 4:42-44. Jesus is far superior to the prophets of old, that’s easy to say, but to the Jew in that day, this was huge. They revered the prophets for their great faith–they were the heroes of old. Jesus feeding so many through this miracle was a very big deal.

There’s no attempt to explain what happened here. All we know is they started with five loaves and two fish, fed the mass, then ended up with twelve basketfuls of loaves and fish. The disciples were probably exhausted, so Jesus sent them by boat to Bethsaida while He dismissed the crowd.

Two quick points:

  1. Dealing with so many people is hard work, even with Jesus by their side. Jesus knows this and sends them off to take a break.
  2. Jesus, once again, managed the huge crowd. He dismissed them (somehow), then goes to take a break Himself.

Jesus Walks on Water

In just a handful of verses, Mark covers this amazing event. Jesus is on the mountainside praying after dismissing the crowd and sending His disciples along. Somehow He saw them straining at the oars and felt compassion for them. First of all, how did He see them? This is just slipped into the text like it makes sense! He walks out to them just before dawn, the darkest part of the night. They freaked out! Exhausted from the day, fighting the waves, they’re sure to have lost their minds, but Jesus is making yet another point for them to consider.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:50-52

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the events captured in this chapter, but honestly it’s beyond difficult. The disciples are on mission with Jesus, witnessing firsthand the miracles and amazing teaching, get to preach themselves and watch the crowds swell, watch Jesus handle the masses, walk on water, calm the storm, and simply say, “Don’t be afraid.”

Just a normal week at church.

Not!

When I think about my minor ministry, the smallness of that which I do on a daily basis, and my inability to get much accomplished, I’m lost in my weakness. Oh me of little faith (not Ye). If nothing else, I hope I can see that God is not bound by human limitations or logic.

Lord, may I read these stories and be amazed at Your works, at Your desire to teach, to lead, to care for us. Increase my faith one more degree that I would believe You have a plan for my life for Your greater good. My greatest desire is to see people come to Christ, those who have no idea what that means, inside and outside of the church. Move me out of my comfort zone and into the world where there are those who would welcome Your message and those who refuse to listen.

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Love Each Other

Read: John 15:15-17

This is part of the scripture reference in today’s ODB devotion, so I felt moved to share this incredible quote from Jesus as recorded by John:

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other. John 15:15-17

If Bible memory verses are a important to you, verse 17 is pretty short! More than just memorizing seven words, my prayer is that we internalize this command from Jesus.

It’s a command, not a suggestion.

Context: This is part of John’s extensive narrative that captures Jesus’ words in the Upper Room just before His betrayal and arrest. Like the Sermon on the Mount, this discourse is an important part of scripture for us to fully understand — so much scripture, so little time! Anyway, I hope you’ll be prompted to read more of John 13-17 with the idea that “love each other” is central to theme as the words are centered in Jesus’ talk with His friends.

Ministry is challenging at times, even difficult, seemingly impossible. We need each other to be effective. My prayer this morning is quite simple: let us learn to love each other as Jesus commanded, lock arms and share the great news of the risen Savior. Jesus promoted His disciples from servants to friends. Go and do likewise!

This is my command: Love each other.

https://odb.org/2017/10/22/love-of-another-kind/

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Mark: Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter; Heals A Woman

Read: Mark 5:21-43

Jesus is not happy with the Pharisees, the teachers of the law, and the religious right, but he doesn’t apply that stereotype to everyone who wears the mantle of Jewish leader. This is important for us to grasp. Our version of church has plenty of Pharisees, but there are many inside those organizations that truly love Jesus and are doing their very best to live lives as disciples and disciple makers. I hope we are not too quick to judge!

In this story, Jesus demonstrates his love for one of the synagogue leaders, Jairus, by receiving him and hearing his request:

He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him… Mark 5:23-24

Tears begin to creep into my eyes when I read “my little daughter is dying…” The words are so sincere, they touch my heart. I don’t know how many children Jairus had, but it’s obvious that he is counter culture on several levels. First, he cares about his “little daughter,” his baby girl. My understanding of the culture at that time would dismiss baby girls as a burden, a non-contributor to the family, something necessary for procreation, but not for carrying the family name. Ugh!

Secondly, though Jairus is part of the currently established church, he seeks out Jesus, he’s not your typical Jewish leader. I’m sure there were many who were not dissuaded by the Pharisees and their evil desires to eliminate Jesus.

Hearing his petition to heal his dying daughter, “Jesus went with him…” Isn’t that just like our Lord, our Savior? I know it’s a simple phrase, but it’s amazing to read that Jesus stopped what He was doing, whatever direction He was headed, and went with Jairus. Do you see that? Can you believe that Jesus would walk with you?

Jesus Heals a Woman on the Way

Along the way, as if this weren’t enough, a woman seeks out Jesus for healing. For 12 years her bleeding simply would not stop. Doctors had not clue (I can’t imagine what they tried). She spent everything she had for a remedy, but it only got worse. Then she heard that Jesus would be walking by and knew that He can heal her, but she is “unclean” by definition, so she had to disguise herself and sneak up to touch the hem of His robe. Instantly she is healed and Jesus decides to use this as His preaching point, on the way to Jairus’ daughter.

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:32-34

Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter

It took time to make the journey, though it doesn’t seem like it was that far. In whatever time it took, the little girl died. Jairus’ friends and family already began to mourn, but Jesus has a different plan. He and His selected three disciples (Peter, James and John) plus mom and dad went into the room where the little girl laid.

He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. Mark 5:41-42

Beautiful story. Happy ending. Many lessons to draw from these few words. I can’t help but be overwhelmed at the deep demonstration of Jesus’ love for those who would simply reach out to Him. He’s willing to walk with us, to take our hand, to heal our brokenness.

Jesus, we love you! Oh how we love you. You are the one our hearts adore!

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