Tuesday: On the Roller Coaster With Jesus
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 30th of July 2024
Read Mark 5:21-24. What characteristics particularly stand out about Jairus?
Religious leaders such as Jairus were not typically friends with Jesus (see Mark 1:22; Mark 3:2,6; and Luke 13:14). So it is likely that he is desperate. This desperation is exemplified by Jairus’s falling on his knees before Jesus. His plea is understandable to any parent—his daughter is dying. But he has faith that Jesus can help. Without a word, Jesus departs with the father to go to his home.
Read Mark 5:25-34. What interrupts the progress toward Jairus’s house?
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The story suddenly cuts away to another scene that evokes pity—a woman experiencing 12 terrible years of sickness. This story of Jairus and the woman is the second sandwich story in Mark (see Mark 3:20-35, covered in lesson 3). In this story the contrasting characters, Jairus and the woman, come to Jesus for help.
The woman comes up behind Jesus and touches His clothing. Immediately, she is well. But Jesus stops and asks, “Who touched My clothes?”
The woman, who had been so sick, was suddenly well. Yet, she feared that Jesus was angry at what had happened. It was a wild ride for her emotions. But Jesus wanted to heal not only her body but also her soul.
Then, back to Jairus (see Mark 5:35-43). It was a wild ride of emotions for the synagogue ruler, as well. Jesus allowed no one else to go with Him and the parents except Peter, James, and John. Jesus states that the girl is not dead but asleep. He casts out all the mourners and goes into the room where the dead girl lay. Taking her hand, He says, “Talitha koum.” Mark translates these words, “Little girl, get up.” Actually, the word Talitha means “lamb” and thus would be a term of endearment for a child in the home. The command to keep things secret is part of the revelation/secrecy motif that runs through Mark and points toward who Jesus is and that, ultimately, He cannot remain hidden.
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One of the things that I have learned about prayer is that not all prayers follow the standard form. There are whispers for help. Sometimes it is just the silence of desperation. In a class of thirty-odd students, there are the silent ones, with family problems, and the boisterous ones with learning difficulties. Neither are formally praying "Dear Heavenly Father. I need help! For Jesus sake, Amen". But their prayer is just as real.
The story of the unnamed woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment is almost hidden among the other activities and miracles of the day. It was a whispered prayer of desperation.
My prayer this morning is for the sensitive hearing to hear the unspoken prayers of others. ...and to connect our brains so that we can answer those prayers. We are called to be God's ears and hands.
Something that stands out for me in the story of the healed woman is that Jesus felt the power leave Him, flowing from Himself to the woman.
I'm picturing the scene. Jesus is moving along with a whole crowd moving along with Him, at His pace. Orbiting around Him. Like the sun is the center of our solar system, the Son of God is the center of all things. And on these dusty roads in Galilee, one could see that. Everything, all nature, revolves around Him and His control (Ps.33:6-19; Col.1:16-17; Eph. 1:22).In these moments, the people following Jesus were doing what we all are built to do, follow Jesus's every move. It wasn't idolatry. Our life is meant to be centered on Him, not on ourselves. I wonder how many others were healed just by being in His presence, moving along with Him.
So with the sun/Son analogy in mind, I wondered if the sun has a draw-down of energy as it emits light and warmth to Earth and the other planets, just as Jesus felt a draw-down of His energy. Turns out it does. AI tells me, "As the sun continuously releases its energy, it is slowly consuming its own fuel, the hydrogen at its core...However, the sun has an incredibly vast amount of energy stored in its core, and it is estimated to have enough hydrogen fuel to continue shining for several billion more years before it begins to exhaust its supply." So the sun will never exhaust its fuel. Phew, the metaphor holds. Jesus's energy for healing us, growing us, supplying life to us...will never run out.
Both Jairus and this woman exhibit faith. But the woman had been to all doctors, spent all she had then remembered there's Jesus. I believe the same was with Jairus. Even the Christians of today we find ourselves in such situations. We seek God as our last resort after visiting all magicians, even attending prayers from other men of cloth from the other denominations who we are told can prophesy and tell our future. If you fell sick today, do you pray or call for a doctor's diagnosis first?
The woman with the illness, had been to many doctors, to no avail. The diferential diagnosis with issuance of blood is several. The important point is that she trusted in Jesus to heal her. I would say that she fully relied on Jesus. Her faith was so strong, our Lord recognized that fact with the touch of His garment by his silent patient. How do we touch Jesus? Whisper a prayer in the morning. Whisper a prayer at noon, Whisper a prayer in the evening to keep your heart in tune. Yes of course with supplications.
Psalm 34:6. Don't you just love the word all in verse 4, 6, and 17.
Today I see Jesus as the Life, and would love to pray, "Lord Jesus the Life,..."
Seems Jairus' faith was sufficient for his very sick young daughter but may not have been so for her death. Seems Jesus acknowledged this too-he said nothing to him when he pleaded but He spoke when the trial was too much for Jairus to bear...
Today I want to personalize Jesus' command, "Be not afraid, only believe!"
My prayer is that when overwhelming situations come my way, I shall not be afraid but believe for it may only take a few moments and the girl shall be raised, or maybe four days like Lazarus, maybe 40 or 4 centuries but whichever it may be, He is the life- it shall be well!
I am so busy! I am so distracted by the responsibilities at present! It is challenging to evolve my thoughts to The Creator because my mind is trying to figure out which point of the agenda is most urgent. But when a deep problem involves my kid, then things turn different... Jairus got desperate! And Jesus was his answer. Jesus is my answer!
My prayer is that we don't read these as good bible stories, but that we take out problems to Jesus when they arrive.
This anecdote was recorded for our benefit today!
I pray for this kind of faith!
All we need is faith as a mustard seed, Matthew 17:20…just a speck of faith cause the mustard seed is the smallest seed…so with our little faith we can move mountains…we just have to believe!
The prayer of faith avails much. I am assuming that alot of people around Jesus that day might also have needed healing and came in contact with his garment or his body but might not have received healing but this woman was singled out because Jesus read what was in her heart, she was truly seeking with a humble, broken and contrite heart for more than physical healing but spiritual as well
Why did Jesus stop, and draw attention to what had just happened? Did He really not know? And why didn’t the woman just come up and ask Him directly, like Jairus had done? I see Jesus giving her the opportunity to express her need, and then affirming her value and worth by taking time for her.