********Mark 5:21-24 35-43 Help is on the Way!

Mark 5:21–24 (NRSV)

21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, “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 So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him.

Mark 5:35–43 (NRSV)

35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then 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 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

(Mark 5:21–24, 35–43)

In life there are times that we all need help. We need help in various ways at various times. None of us are above needing help and receiving help. There comes a time in life where we all have to call for help in time of need!

When we need help we need to recognize our need and call out for help. Recognizing the need is not enough. We must know when to call, where to call, and who to call. Calling upon someone who cannot help makes no sense.

• If your house is on fire you don’t call the doctor!

• If your house has been broken into or your vehicle stolen you don’t call a dentist!

• If your car is broke down you don’t call a lawyer.

• If you are sick or someone you love is sick you don’t call your accountant.

In time of need it makes the best sense to call upon those who can help. There are those who are trained and equipped in certain areas to help in time of need. In the case of emergencies it is good to know who to call. When someone calls 911 and tells of their need the dispatcher will say, ‘Help is on the way!’ It is good to hear those words that help is on the way. There are times in life that none can seem to help, but we learn today that there is One that can help in ways that no one else is able to help. There is One that can be called upon and He will be on His way.

→ He is never too far that He cannot be reached;

→ He is never to busy that He is unable to help;

→ He is never unprepared to handle life’s situations.

Mark proclaimed the impending problem of the girl, the important pleading of the father, and the infinite power of the Lord. Coming to the Lord and calling upon the Lord in time of need is the best thing we can do.

This passage reveals truths about help on the way.

I. The desperate request. (vs. 21–24)

A. The approach of the man. (vs. 21–22)

“Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet”

After Jesus had crossed back over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee from Gadara a great number of people gathered around Him. He had just gotten out of the boat and was by the sea when He was approached by Jairus. The Bible tells us that Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue. Because he was a ruler of the synagogue Jairus was probably a wealthy man.

◾ A synagogue ruler was an elected official who supervised the synagogue and the organization of the synagogue worship services.

◾ The synagogue ruler arranged for congregational members themselves to share these tasks.

◾ Synagogue rulers were held in high esteem by the people.

Jairus would have been well respected in the community of Capernaum and he would have had a high standing in the community. Jairus: His name means “whom Jehovah enlightens.”

We will learn that the Lord Jesus (Jehovah) did indeed enlighten Jairus to who He was and what He could do! In verse 22 we notice a desperate request by Jairus. We notice here the approach of the man. We notice the manner in which he came. He came and fell at Jesus feet. He laid aside his dignity, his pride, and didn’t worry about what others thought about him. Jairus was in a desperate situation and he came as a man in desperate need. He came to Jesus because he had a great need. We don’t need to blame him for that because we all have come to the Lord Jesus for various reasons. The Lord uses troubles in life, to drive us to Himself.

R. Kent Hughes wrote, “Jairus was like so many of us in our coming to Christ. It was not his love for Christ that brought him. It was not what he could do for Christ. It was his need. It was his desperation and a glimmer of hope. Despair is commonly the prelude to grace.”

We see the humility of Jairus in the approach of the man. He came before the Lord and fell at the Lord’s feet. Falling at the Lord’s feet got the Lord’s attention. The whole crowd came to a halt. In verses 21–22 we’ve seen the approach of the man. In verse 23 we see:

B. His appeal for mercy. (vs. 23)

“and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”

Jairus fell at the Lord’s feet and appealed for the Lord’s mercy.

Begged: to call nearinvite, , call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort (-ation), entreat, pray.

The man’s desperate request is seen in him begging Jesus earnestly to come and heal his daughter. The little girl lay at the point of death and the father came to the Master with an urgent request.

◾ Father’s—we need to make sure we bring our children to Jesus.

◾ We need to stand in the gap for our children—we need to bring their needs to the Lord!

Jairus had heard the Lord’s word and had heard of the Lord’s work and he came believing that Jesus could heal his daughter. Matthew Henry wrote, “he besought Him greatly, as one in earnest, as one that not only valued the mercy he came for, but that knew he could obtain it nowhere else.” Jairus came to the right place and the right Person for help. He appealed to the Lord for mercy. Jairus had some understanding and faith in the Lord but he didn’t realize that the Lord didn’t need to be present to heal. We remember the Roman centurion and his great faith. He said that he was not worthy of the Lord to come to his house. He knew the Lord just needed to speak a word and his servant would be healed.

Jairus didn’t have that type of faith, but he did have faith to come to the Lord and faith to call upon the Lord. Jairus believed that the Lord needed to come and lay His hands upon the little girl to heal her. John D. Grassmick wrote, “The practice of ‘laying on of hands’ in healing symbolized the transfer of vitality to a needy recipient.” Jairus believed that Jesus needed to be present to lay His hands on his daughter so that she could live. So this father came to the Lord for mercy for his daughter—he sought out the Lord, fell down before the Lord, and requested of the Lord!

We’ve noticed the approach of the man, his appeal for mercy, and in verse 24 we see:

C. The acceptance by the Master. (vs. 24)

“So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.”

The Lord Jesus accepted the invitation and pleading of the man. Jesus never turned down a hurting and helpless soul.

Herbert Lockyer wrote, “Unfailing readiness was His to help the afflicted. He never failed to respond to need.”

After the request from the man we see that help was on the way. Good news for Jairus and his family. Help is on the way! The Lord Jesus didn’t tell the man that his faith was insufficient. He didn’t tell the man that He didn’t need to be present. He was sensitive to the man’s need and accepted the man’s request. The great multitude followed Jesus as He went with Jairus. This crowd wanted to see what the Lord was about to do. There were some wonder seekers in the crowd. They had heard the man’s plea and now they wanted to see the Master’s power. The man gave a desperate request to the Master. If our child was sick and at the point of death we too would take some drastic measures!

We’ve noticed the desperate request. Next, we see:

II. The devastating report. (vs. 35–36)

A. The timing of the report. (vs. 35a)

“While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

There is never a good time to receive bad news. But it seems that bad news comes at the most inopportune times. Bad news has a way of devastating us. In these verses we see the devastating report. The Bible says that ‘While Jesus was still speaking.’ If you remember that the procession to the house of Jairus was interrupted by a woman with an issue of blood. The Lord healed the woman, took time to bring forth the woman, and to comfort the woman. All this took precious time. And Jairus was waiting on pins and needles for the Master to come on. While Jesus was still speaking with the woman, the bad news came about the girl. Some of us can relate to Jairus. The timing of the report was devastating to the man. Jesus was almost there and Jairus knew that the Lord almost made it. Oh, the timing of bad news. Jairus received a devastating report.

◾ It is never a good time for the doctor to tell you that you have cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

◾ There is never a good time for your teacher to tell you that you are going to fail the class and there is nothing you can do.

◾ There is never a good time for your mechanic to tell you that your car needs to go the scrap yard.

◾ There is never a good time for the bill collectors to call!

◾ There is never a good time for your spouse to tell you that he/she doesn’t love you and wants a divorce.

◾ There is never a good time for your child to tell you they are gay.

Have you received a bad report?

What do you do, where do you turn, who do you call upon?

We’ve noticed the timing of the report, next we see:

B. The troubling of the report. (vs. 35b)

“While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

“Some” from the house of Jairus came with the bad news. Obviously they knew where Jairus had gone. They went and found Jairus because he had let them know that he was going to find Jesus! When we are seeking out the Lord for His mercy and grace we should not keep it to ourselves! This notion that “Religion” is a private matter is not Biblical Christianity! He probably told them that he was going to seek out the Lord Jesus and plead with Him to come and heal his little girl. Someone had to be the bearer of bad news.

• This is never an easy thing to do, but someone had to come and tell Jairus that the little girl was dead.

These bearers of bad news didn’t show a lot of compassion or sensitiveness. They told him straight out that his daughter was dead. Then to add insult to injury they asked ‘Why trouble the Teacher any further?’ Hearing bad news is like letting the wind out of a sail. Jairus knew that it was a possibility that his daughter would not live, but we are never really prepared for the actual passing. This was a devastating report and it would have troubled Jairus greatly.

• Those who brought the news didn’t know the Lord because it was no trouble at all for Jesus.

He had set out and help was on the way and now we learn that the girl was dead and Jairus problems were magnified. When your problems are magnified and all hope seems gone—what will you do? This report was enough to trouble anyone at any time. At the report Jairus’ heart sank and his hopes fled!

We’ve noticed the timing of the report, the troubling of the report, and next we see:

C. The trusting through the report. (vs. 36)

“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

Though Jairus’ heart sank the Lord didn’t let it sink too far. The Lord intervened as only the Lord can intervene. The Bible says as soon as Jesus heard the report from the house of Jairus he spoke to Jairus. He spoke words of challenge and encouragement to Jairus. Jairus believed before that Jesus could heal his daughter or he wouldn’t have come to Jesus. Now Jesus was challenging him to believe that He can raise his little girl from the dead.

Warren W. Wiersbe wrote, “It was easier for Jairus to trust the Lord while his daughter was still alive, and while Jesus was still walking with him to his house. But when Jesus stopped to heal the woman, and when the friend came with the bad news, Jairus just about lost his faith. Let’s not be too hard on him. We have probably given way to doubts when circumstances and feelings have overwhelmed us. Sometimes God has delayed and we have wondered why. That is when we need that special ‘word of faith’ from the Lord, and we receive it as we spend time in His Word.”

The Lord Jesus was calling Jairus to a deeper faith! He calls for us to believe Him and trust Him and there are times that He calls for a deeper faith. The Lord Jesus heard the bad word spoken to Jairus and in turn He spoke a good word to Jairus. Can you see what the Lord is doing here? He is encouraging the man not to give up, but to trust Him. The Lord Jesus told the man not to fear!

Afraid:

He was frightened at the thought of losing his daughter, and never being able to laugh with or play with her again. He should not fear because the Lord is near! Simon Kistemaker wrote, “Fear in the face of death is understandable, but to have faith in the face of fear is commendable.”

Jesus calls for faith in the gravest of circumstances. Max Lucado said, “Faith is trusting what the eye can’t see. Eyes see the prowling lion. Faith sees Daniel’s angel. Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah’s rainbow. Eyes see giants. Faith sees Canaan. Your eyes see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.” He was calling for this man to believe in the toughest time imaginable. We cannot take a day of from believing. The Lord calls for our constant belief. It would be like a teacher today helping a student with a difficult problem and prodding the student to learn and encouraging the student as the student learns. The Lord would enlighten Jairus to who He was and what He could do.

There was a desperate request, the devastating report, next we see:

III. The determined return. (vs. 37–38)

“And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.”

Upon hearing the words of the Lord, Jairus continued on home. The Lord stopped the crowd and called for Peter, James, and John to go with Him. These three disciples seemed to be in the inner circle. They were there at the Mount of Transfiguration and they were with the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. As they came to the home of Jairus there was bedlam as the professional mourners played their instruments, wept, and wailed.

H. Walker Evans reminds us, “In first-century Palestine, the more mourners you hired, the more you honored your dearly departed. Pro mourners did more than cry; they sang, played instruments, danced, clapped, and wailed (Nowadays we call this a ‘rock band).”

To our culture today this seems absurd, but this was a common practice in the Jewish culture in the 1st century. The family was obviously there and they wept, but there were also the hired mourners. They were making a great commotion over the death of the girl.

Tumult: a disturbances:—tumult, uproar. The presence of the mourners tells us that the girl was really dead. These mourners did not come to a sick person, but only in the case of a dead person. This girl had died and when the Lord Jesus arrived with Jairus and the disciples they found the weeping and wailing.

Help was on the way and when the Lord arrived help arrived!

Thank God for the presence of the Lord Jesus in this world. Jairus believed that the Lord could heal his sick girl; he was about to see the Lord raise his dead girl. Jairus pressed on; he had a determined return. All his hope had not gone!

We’ve seen the desperate request, the devastating report, the determined return, and lastly we see:

IV. The delightful result. (vs. 39–43)

A. He calmed them down. (vs. 39)

“When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

There is not a tragic end to this story. There is a delightful result as the Lord visited that home on that day. When the Lord came into the house He took matters into His own hands. I like it when the Lord takes matters into His own hands. There’s a whole lot of preach in that thought! The Lord first objective was to calm down the crowd. There was no sense in making all that fuss because the Lord of glory was on the scene. When the Lord came in He spoke up! He did not sit by and let the crowd continue to weep and wail!

The Lord asked a question that on the surface would have seemed absurd to the crowd. The crowd probably thought, ‘Is He the only one here that doesn’t know what has happened?’ They figured they had good reason to weep and wail! The family had lost a dear child and loved one and the others were paid to mourn. They seemed to have a reason to make a commotion. The statement the Lord made after the question was astonishing. He tells the crowd that the girl is not dead only sleeping.

Sleeping: to lie down to rest, i.e. (by implication) to fall asleep

The Lord viewed death as physical sleep. To the Lord waking up the dead was just as simple as waking up someone from a nap. Now if the girl was only physically sleeping it would have been good to let her rest. The Lord didn’t mean that the little girl was just asleep and needed to be woke up. But she was dead and He had power to wake her up. He calmed down the crowd! He stirred up the crowd though with this announcement. The crowd knew that she was dead but they did not know what the Lord knows.

We’ve noticed in verse 39 that He calmed them down, next, we see:

B. He put them out. (vs. 40)

“And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.”

The Lord sought to calm them down, but He stirred them up and then He put them out. The Bible says that they ridiculed Him. They laughed Him to scorn. They made fun of His statement. They probably thought that He was crazy.

Ridiculed: Laughed to scorn)

Those who will not receive Christ and believe Christ will one day be put out by Christ. Kenneth Wuest says that the word translated ‘put them all out’ means “to throw out.” The Lord cleared the house and they had no choice. They were put outside. Notice: The Lord put them all outside except the father and the mother and Peter, James, and John. The rest of the crowd had to go! They made fun of the Lord, and they were not privileged to the work of the Lord. It is a serious matter to ridicule the word and work of the Lord. He put them outside so that they could not see or hear!

A. T. Robertson put it well. He said, “The presence of some people will ruin the atmosphere for spiritual work.”

How true is that statement? Some folks bring a negative spirit to the worship service. They always complain and bicker and are never satisfied. They are not pleased about anything and they don’t mind letting folks know about it. They need to be put out like Jesus did this crowd.

He put them outside and took the father and mother inside to where the dead girl was lying. John Phillips wrote, “This was to be a family affair. Jesus was no stage magician, no modern ‘faith healer’ playing to an audience. This miracle, one of His greatest, was to be done privately.” We’ve noticed that He calmed them down, He put them out, and next we see:

C. He raised her up. (vs. 41–43)

1. His word. (vs. 41)

“Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

Mark tells us of the method in which the Lord raised Jairus daughter. Jesus did what Jairus asked Him to do and in the way that He asked Him to do it. Jairus asked the Lord to come and lay His hand on the girl and she would recover. Jesus came and laid His hand on the girl and spoke to the girl and she was resurrected. We know from previous miracles that the Lord did not have to be present to heal the sick. He came at the request of the ruler and brought back to life his lifeless daughter. There is power in the Lord’s touch and there is power in the Lord’s word. He spoke to the dead and the little girl heard His word.

In verse 41 we see His word, in verse 42 we see:

2. Her walking. (vs. 42a)

“Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.”

The girl heard the word of the Lord and obeyed the voice of the Lord. She immediately got up! She didn’t wait around and she didn’t fool around. She arose and walked. Her walk proved that she was alive and well. John G. Butler wrote, “Christ’s miracles had plenty of proof of their validity.” She was once dead, but now she is alive.

Walked: The tense of this verb is in the continuous tense which means that she continued to walk around.

There was a delightful result as the little girl was brought back from the dead. There was a commotion before the Lord came and there was a commotion after the Lord arrived. The parents would have been ecstatic at the walking of their little girl.

We are like every other parent. We got excited to see Elijah and Emma walk. We acted like we had never seen a baby walk before—some of you have done the same. We take pictures, make videos on our phones, send out and share on Facebook and email what our little one has done!

Jairus and his wife had something on everyone else—because they saw their daughter walk again! She had died, but now she was alive again! This girl had learned to walk before, then she died and could not walk again, and then the Lord raised her up again and she began to walk again. I believed it did her parents heart’s good to see their little girl walk. There was a delightful result.

We’ve seen His word, her walking, next we see:

3. Their wonder. (vs. 42–43)

“Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.”

Mark tells us that the girl was twelve years old. The woman with the bleeding problem had it for 12 years. The little girl was twelve years old. The parents were amazed at the work of the Lord Jesus. The Bible says that they were overcome with great amazement.

Amazement: This word in the Greek meant “to be out of their minds with amazement.”

The parents were overcome! They had a spell! They were greatly rejoicing over the life of their little girl. Her sickness had left her strength-less before she perished and after she had been raised from the dead she needed food to restore her strength. The Lord directed the ecstatic parents to feed the girl.

Warren Wiersbe said, “Divine miracles never replace commonsense human care; otherwise, we are tempting God.” He gave them a serious command to not to publish what had happened. Making known this miracle would have not been good for the little girl. She would have been prodded for answers and would never have gotten any rest. Possibly her life would be in danger from those who so strongly opposed the Lord Jesus. Lazarus went through that as well. It would have also hindered the Lord’s public ministry and His travel.

John 11)

• The miracle was complete,

• the girl was alive,

• the Lord had finished the work,

• and the people were amazed.

It’s good to know when help is on the way. It’s good to know that someone cares enough to help and is able to help.