Safeguarding

The LORD of Lost Causes

6.30.24 [Mark 5:21-43] River of Life (6th Sunday after Pentecost)

Grace and peace to you from God, the Father of compassion and all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we have received from him.

Ambulances are filled with all kinds of life-saving tools. Defibrillators. Ventilators. Spinal boards. Infusion and suction pumps. And of course, that fancy mobile bed called a gurney. EMTs and paramedics must know how to use all these life-saving tools and more if they are going to help those in moments of medical distress.

But an ambulance is not an emergency room. EMTs and paramedics are not ER nurses, physicians, or surgeons. They have limited information, knowledge, skills, and equipment. They need help.

So an ambulance must have another life-saving tool—its distinct siren. An ambulance doesn’t always use this tool—only when it is absolutely necessary. In those situations, the red and white flashing lights and the falling and rising “wee-ooo” noise help people realize that there is a medical emergency and they need to get out of the way because time is of the essence. Even Arizona drivers typically comply.

Time was of the essence for Jairus in our text from Mark 5. By this point in his ministry, Jesus had developed quite the reputation. In Capernaum, Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons—including one who was afflicting a man who came to worship in the synagogue—and even spectacularly healed a paralyzed man after publicly forgiving his sins. The people of Capernaum knew Jesus to be a powerful miracle worker and teacher. (Mk. 1:45) Crowds flocked to him even when he tried to stay outside of the public eye.

So when Jairus’ daughter fell ill, Jairus knew exactly who to look for. Mark tells us that Jairus was(Mk. 5:22) one of the synagogue leaders. As a leader in the synagogue, Jairus was part of the group responsible for the building and its worship practices & activities. Jairus must have been well-respected by the people of his town.

But as a synagogue leader, Jairus knew that not all of his peers thought highly of Jesus. (Mk. 2:7) The teachers of the law, men that Jairus knew well and probably worked alongside, considered Jesus a blasphemer. (Mk. 3:6) The Pharisees, influential spiritual leaders among the people, were plotting with the Herodians, their politically-minded enemies, to kill Jesus. Though Jesus was popular with the people, he was despised by the majority of the spiritual leaders of the day.

Yet, we have no idea what Jairus personally thought about Jesus before his daughter became deathly ill. We do know where Jairus turned when his little girl was at death’s door. Jairus went searching for Jesus by the Sea of Galilee. When he found him, Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet. He was (Mk. 5:23) pleading earnestly with Jesus to come to his home and heal his little girl.

We might wonder if it was faith or desperation that led Jairus to Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus knew what was (Jn. 2:25) in each person. Jesus knew whether it was faith or desperation that brought Jairus to him. Yet, we are not told which moved him to fall at Jesus’ feet. All we are told is that (Mk 5:24) Jesus went with him.

But they weren’t alone. A large crowd followed Jesus and pressed around both he and Jairus, making their journey back to his home slower than it had to be. If Jairus had had access to an ambulance, I’m sure he would have turned on the siren. But he couldn’t get the crowd to clear the way for Jesus to just get to his little girl.

Not only that, but in the mass of humanity pressing against Jesus was a woman who had been sick for a dozen years. She, too, had come to the lakeside to receive healing from Jesus. She thought if (Mk. 5:28) I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. So she strained to reach his clothes and did so. Jesus felt that his power had gone out from him. It stopped him dead in his tracks and he insisted on finding the woman.

All of this must have been excruciating for Jairus. Time was of the essence. Until it wasn’t. While Jesus was speaking with that woman, some people came from Jairus’ house and delivered the bad news. (Mk. 5:35) Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?

Jairus’ worst fears had come true. His little girl was dead. What could Jesus do? How could he help him anymore? It felt like a lost cause.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like God can’t help you anymore? Like it’s too late now. Have you ever felt like your painful, sad situation has spun out of control and become a lost cause?

Maybe, like Jairus, you were pleading with God to respond to some urgent medical emergency. Hurry up and heal me or my loved one. Don’t take them from me. I can’t bear to lose them.

Maybe it was a financial calamity. You got laid off or the overtime hours you had come to rely upon shriveled up. Everything felt like it was crashing in on you. And you cried out to God: Please come and fix this so we can survive. But the bills just kept piling up. You were up to your eyeballs in it and you didn’t see any way out.

Perhaps it was infertility. So many believing couples struggle with it. Abraham and Sarah. Isaac and Rebekah. Zechariah and Elizabeth. You prayed and pleaded with God to bless you with a little bundle of joy. But instead, it just feels like a grievous and painful lost cause.

Maybe a relationship that had turned sour. You wanted to fix it but you knew it was beyond you. You felt like you needed a miracle, some kind of divine intervention. So you fell to your knees and pleaded earnestly with God: Fix my marriage. Help my kid get their life together. Help my loved one kick that destructive drug habit. Heal things so that we can live in peace. But nothing happened. It felt like your pleading fell on deaf ears.

Maybe it’s some private, spiritual struggle. You pray and you plead for God to free you from your struggle, from your weakness, but you keep falling into sin. You feel like a lost cause.

And to make matters worse, while you were in the throes of your pain and your struggle, your eyes were subsequently opened to all the other people he did help out. Sick people who miraculously did get better. Financial disasters averted. Friends and co-workers invite you to their baby showers and weddings. People unwittingly brag to you about their successful kids, their happy relationships, or how they've excelled in some spiritual discipline that you’re struggling in. The very gifts you’ve been asking God to give you have been scattered among others.

In moments like these, no one has to come up to you and say: Why bother anymore? You’re already thinking it! You already see it as a lost cause.

If you’ve ever felt that way, I want you to listen carefully to Jesus. Did you hear what he said to Jairus? (Mk. 5:36) Don’t be afraid. Only believe.

Don’t be afraid that God overlooked you. You can count on the God of all wisdom to be well aware of your situation.

Don’t be afraid that it’s too late. Believe in the God who is eternal and all-powerful, who transcends time and yet also works within time and space to accomplish his purposes.

Don’t be afraid that your situation is a lost cause. Trust in the Lord of lost causes. (Lam. 3:25) The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him. (Lam. 3:22) His compassions never fail. (Lam. 3:23) His faithfulness is great. (Lam. 3:27) It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

You can see what the Lord of lost causes did for Jairus. He went to his house, even when others thought it was a waste of time. He drove out the professional mourners and those who could only offer their wails. He took Jairus and his wife and he went to where death seemed to have the final word. And he tenderly took that little girl by the hand and he spoke to her. (Mk. 5:41) Talitha koum. These weren’t the words of some incantation or some magic spell. Jesus spoke to the dead girl in her native tongue, Aramaic. Talitha, little girl. Koum. Arise.

He spoke to her as if she was alive, not because she was, but because his words have the power to make alive. To Jesus, death is nothing more than a sleep. That’s why here in Capernaum—and in Nain, and in Bethany—Jesus speaks to those who are dead the way you and I would speak to those who are asleep. Little girl, arise. (Lk. 7:14) Young man, get up. (Jn. 11:43) Lazarus, come out. Your eternal God has the power to roll back the clock, to make time stop, and to make time never stop. So he is never too little, too late. Your powerful Lord never sees anything or anyone in this world as a lost cause. He sees lost people and he seeks and he saves. He sees rebellious sinners and he redeems and renews a righteous spirit within them. He sees death doing its worst and he speaks & he makes alive. (Is. 40:9-11) Here is your God. The Sovereign Lord has come with power. He gathers the lambs, the talaiam, in his arms and he carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have young.

That’s what he did for Jairus and his little girl. He came with power. He carries sinners close to his heart. He gently leads his people. So there is nothing and no one to fear. Jairus had nothing to fear because Jesus was there. And neither do you. Don’t be afraid. Only believe.

Just believe that this same Jesus doesn’t just have the power to bring one little girl back to life. He has the power over sin, death, and the devil. He saw the damage that man’s rebellion had done to his creation and he didn’t throw in the towel. He didn’t say it was too late or that sinners were a lost cause. He went to us. He spoke to people who were dead in sin, Get up. You are forgiven. Leave sin behind. He comforts the frightened don’t be afraid. Just believe. If that were just some feel-good platitude it would mean nothing. But when it comes from the Author of Life, My Redeemer who lives, the God who made us and loves us and will make all things right for us in the end, they are powerful. They are comforting. Life-giving. Hope restoring. Fear silencing. Faith strengthening. We need these words. We need this Jesus.

Yes, there are times in life when it feels too late. There are moments that seem to be lost causes. Don’t be afraid. Just believe that God is always good. He is all-powerful. And he loves you. His compassion, his mercies never fail. His faithfulness is great. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him. So it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Amen.