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*“Faith and Rejection”*
*Mark 5.35-6.6*
I hope that you are prepared this morning.
I hope that you have taken the time this week to investigate our text.
This is one of the reasons we provide you with the questions in your Spiritual Swordsmanship.
We want to come to this service already primed for what God would teach us in this passage in Mark.
Do you know where I get most of my understanding in Scripture?
It doesn’t come primarily from Greek language tools, commentaries or dictionaries.
Though these tools definitely help, it is mostly reading, re-reading, praying and meditating on Scripture.
I usually read through the passage in its context, spend some time looking at it in the original language, consulting commentaries and such.
Then I go back and I meditate some more and God, through his Spirit, enlivens the text and enlightens my heart and mind to understand.
I challenge you to do this every week and see if God doesn’t graciously give you a passion for his Word and growing in your faith.
This morning we are in Mark 5 and 6 beginning in verse 35 of chapter 5.
Last week we witnessed a couple of interactions between Jesus and people in need of him.
It all began when Jesus came to the shoreline and got out of the boat when he is immediately approached by a synagogue ruler named Jairus.
Jairus approaches Jesus regarding his daughter who is dying.
After leaving with the man to help him, the crowds follow and throng about him and he is approached by a woman who touches his garments and is healed of an illness she has had for twelve years.
Though she merely wanted to slip away undetected, Jesus confronts her and sends her on her way healed and in peace.
We left off without discovering what happened to Jairus and his daughter.
And this is where we pick up the account today.
In fact this passage is so interconnected, verse 35 begins with “while he was still speaking.”
Jesus was concluding his conversation with the woman as our account begins.
Let’s read the first portion of the text – verses 35 to 43. *READ.
*This brings us to our first point – *Believe the Impossible.
*In this first portion we are looking at, I want you to try and get inside the thinking of Jairus.
Track the account from his perspective.
To this point, we know that Jairus had faith that Jesus could do /something/ for his daughter for he came to Jesus and implored him to help.
It now seems as though Jairus has to proceed from believing the difficult to believing the impossible.
In your reading of the text in Mark, did you find yourself asking why it is structured like this? Did you wonder why Mark puts this account of the woman smack dab in the middle of Jairus and the daughter?
I have a suspicion.
It is almost as though God graciously provided Jairus an opportunity to learn about faith through the woman and to trust Jesus despite everything to the contrary.
It’s as if God is trying to get across, “ok.
You just witnessed a miracle because of the faith of the woman.
Let’s take what you just learned and put it to the test.”
I don’t know about you.
But I find some experiences in my spiritual growth that are pretty consistent.
It seems as though when God shows me something new in *principle*, he will graciously impress these things in *practice*.
So when I begin to better understand what it is like to love my enemies, be patient with people, love and care for my wife, or trust God, he very frequently give me the “opportunities” to apply these principles.
Anybody else know about this??
Have you ever prayed for patience?
And so this is why, I believe, the story of the woman is sandwiched here and verse 35 begins with “while he was still speaking.”
At the conclusion of his interaction with the woman, some folks from Jairus’ house come up to him, put their arm around him, and tell him, “I’m so sorry.
Your daughter is dead.”
Do you get the sense that, to this point, perhaps his household isn’t thrilled that Jairus has left everyone behind to pursue this radical teacher and healer?
I cannot help but think that those associated with Jairus shaking their head at him and think he is humiliating himself.
He is a man of importance and he is seemingly casting his reputation aside as he pursues this Jesus.
Perhaps they have talked among themselves and thought that maybe the news of his daughter will bring him back to his senses.
“Why trouble this teacher anymore.
I am truly sorry for your loss but let’s try to put things back to how they used to be.
Let’s give up all this religious stuff.”
Have you ever had something like this happen to you?
Perhaps you trusted in Jesus while you were in a struggle with addictions or divorce or depression.
God can get your attention in such times.
But then you begin to hear the voices from those in your circles.
“I know this Jesus helped you quit drinking or get through your divorce.
But come on.
Let’s go back to the good ‘ol days when we used to…”
Notice what happens next.
Verse 36 begins with “but overhearing what they said.”
I think Mark picks out a great word here that you don’t really see on the surface.
The word for “overhearing” has three distinct meanings.
It can mean “1) to overhear something not intended for one’s ears, 2) to pay no attention to or ignore, and 3) to refuse to listen or to discount the truth of something.”
I agree with one of the commentators who suggests that all three of these meanings apply to Jesus here.
Jairus was invited to believe the impossible, despite the circumstances.
Jesus must have heard the whispers – perhaps whispers of doubt.
Jesus looks Jairus in the eyes and says, “Do not fear, only believe.”
If you were to focus on circumstances here, things may not look so good.
What Jesus is asking is for Jairus to stop looking at the circumstances and focus on Jesus.
It would only be natural for one to despair at such a time.
Jairus may have had enough faith for Jesus to /heal/ his daughter.
But now she is /dead/.
Jairus has likely heard the reports of demons being exorcised and illnesses being healed.
But now hope *must* be lost.
What can be done for the dead?
And Jesus says, “do not fear?
Believe?”
What do you think is going through the mind of Jairus here?
“What’s done is done.
Perhaps I should seize the moment and regain my dignity and reputation.”
Maybe he could have claimed temporary insanity and the people around him would have forgotten the whole thing.
How often do we also become paralyzed by circumstances?
Do we fear or believe?
This is another one of the areas that God so graciously impresses upon me time and time again.
You want more faith?
God says, “I’ll give you more practice.
You’ve read about it and you’ve seen how powerful and faithful I am.
And yet you doubt?
Here’s another opportunity to trust me.”
A commentator notes, “This is the challenge before Jairus, and before everyone who meets Jesus: to believe only in what circumstances allow, or to believe in the God who makes all things possible?
One thing only is necessary — to believe.”
Momentarily, it appears as though Jairus chooses to trust Jesus.
For Jairus followed him.
It is indicated that Jesus only allowed a few to go with them – including Peter, James, and John.
If you’re familiar with the life and ministry of Jesus, you would know that he frequently allowed these three men to experience some of the more intimate experiences in his life.
These were the men that were present at the transfiguration where Jesus provided a slight glimpse of his glory in Mark 9.2.
They were separated from the rest in the Garden of Gethsemane near the end of Jesus life in Mark 14.33.
So Jesus, Jairus, Peter, James and John arrive at the house of the ruler of the synagogue – Jairus.
Jairus is also called to believe the impossible, despite people.
There is a commotion and people weeping and wailing loudly.
Jesus comes into the house and asks a seemingly ridiculous question, “why are you making a commotion and weeping?” “Alright.
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