Posted 8-8-19 on the occasion of Mom’s 75th Birthday
Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’s Daughter (Mark 5:21-43)
21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+5&version=ESV
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it.33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”36 But overhearing[e] what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus[f]saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Note: Contrary to norm, the bold/highlighted sections are not links in this text, but points of emphasis. I prefer to NOT link off of the Bible because there is no place better to surf than the Book of Truth.
Today is mom’s 75th birthday! I hope to swing by this afternoon and join her in a cupcake and sing-along with the staff. She had a good, but tired day yesterday. She wasn’t very responsive to my raspberries nor my funny faces, but she was generally happy all things considered. I was just pondering my part of her 75 years as I drove in this morning and these verses came to mind.
Couple things about this verse for your consideration, some of which comes from the commentary of my favorite pastor of days gone by, Charles H. Spurgeon:
- People of all types come to Jesus to be healed. Jairus was undoubtedly wealthy, of a lofty stature and a man of faith (unlike many of his peers). Charles H. Sprugeon rightly states “I can imagine that, if Jairus had not been a man of much faith, he would have looked at the Saviour with a meaning glance, as much as to say, “’ Only believe’? Couldst thou ask more of me when my child is dead? Yet thou biddest me, ‘Only believe.’” But, brethren, here is the very sphere of faith. Where there is no wading, there must be swimming; and where there is no hope in the creature, then we must throw ourselves upon the Creator. So, the child’s death made room for the father’s faith.”
- Verse 22 in the King James version reads ” 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,” of which Spurgeon writes “Wherever we see that word, “behold,” it is saying to us, “Mark well what is coming.” “Behold,” — I say, behold indeed!
- When Jesus feels compassion for those weeping her apparent passing, Jesus offers a new diagnosis. She was dead for all to see, but not with Jesus in the room. When He stated that she was just sleeping, the faithless in the room laughed/scoffed. Be careful laughing at the Savior. Or, as Spurgeon writes “What a wonderful picture this must have been, — The Lord of glory in the center of a ribald crew who laughed him to scorn! But it is not the man who is laughed at who is necessarily contemptible, it is often the laughers who are the most deserving of scorn. It was so here in Christ’s day, and it has often been so since.”
- He leads the parents and the others who were not mocking the “sleeping” girl into the room, breathes life into her deadness and heals her, to the astonishment of all in the room. Spurgeon: ” How very often persons were “astonished” in Christ’s day! Sometimes it is put, “they marveled;” at other times, “they were amazed,” or, “they wondered.” It would have been well if wonder had always turned to faith; but sometimes it corrupted into hate. God grant that our wonder at Christ may always be of that kind which crystallizes into love!”
- Verses 24-34 were a beautiful brief intermission from when Christ “learns” of the ruler’s daughter and when He addresses her need. In these verses Jesus highlights the need to be patient and believe/trust in Him. His timing was terrible to those around but perfect for His intention. The poor lady in the sandwiched story had been ill for 12 years (!) and made worse (and broke) by doctors. (Sound familiar???) Regardless which story above we consider (the bleeding lady or the “sleeping” daughter), are we demanding that He cure our loved one in our time or His? Can He cure them? With a single blink. Will He? Perhaps. Perhaps they will be the first white flower at a Walk to End Alzheimer’s. OR—Perhaps they will wear a white robe in their eternal reward, cured and removed unscathed from disease and sadness for eternity in heaven. He is Sovereign. We are not.
- Belief/faith is only as valuable as the object on which you believe. I can believe in my ability to do a sit up or run a marathon, but my ability is not there. When I hear people say “He is a man of faith” or “At least he or she believed in something” I groan and yearn that they believe in the One worthy of belief.
As a parent, mom “believed” in her kids’ abilities and still does. She has always been our biggest cheerleader. Whether we were making good decisions or bad ones, mom has always encouraged us and gave us a trusting “You can do this” at just the right time. I have tried my hardest to be that kind of parent too because I have always appreciated how both her and my dad have been that way in our lives.
So today, her 75th birthday, we join her and ” “Do not fear, only believe.” ” in our Savior. We desperately want good reports–you know, one of those “Behold” moments— but we know that without His “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” kind of bedside manner, she will “only” arise to her heavenly home(!!). Therefore, we are not afraid from an eternal sense at all, but the unfamiliarity of this territory, and the years and years of her not getting better despite doctors draining her pocketbook, and the sheer sadness of her decline have made this a long, tiring, and faith-building journey.
If you are struggling in this area, I also invite you ” “Do not fear, only believe.” in Christ today. He is mighty to heal and He is mighty to save.
#EndALZ
Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay
Update: We did indeed lose another of the Sweet 17 last week, a wonderful Christian damsel in distress who no longer knows Alzheimer’s, tears, sadness, or anything but the joy that comes with being with her knight in white armor, her Creator.
Amen!