Mark 6

Where Are We

Our last venture into Mark, two weeks ago, we became farmers and talked about soil.

Mark actually slows down for a minute and lets us look deep into one of Jesus’ amazing teachings.

Mark is such a fast paced action based book, but he still takes the time to look at the words of Jesus for His people knowing that His words are not just for the people in that moment,

but for people then and even the people 2000+ years later.

We are given time to slow down and really look within ourselves and ask “what kind of soil am I?”

Do I blow of Jesus’ word like the hard packed trail?

Am I rocky, am I a shallow Christian that never lets the word get deep? Who abandons as soon things get hard?

Am I surrounded thorns and choke the word when the cares of the world overwhelm me?

Or am I the fertile soil that takes the seed and plants it deep allowing it to grow within me and bear fruit?

It is our acceptance and belief in Jesus our savior that allows the seed to fall in good soil. Today we will see just what the belief can do........

The Action Returns

Ok, so enough sitting around! Mark gets us right back to the action.

Jesus is back in Capernaum and of course He is teaching and that’s where we catch up with Him.....

Mark 5:21–24 NIV

When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.

The Desperation of Parenting

How many parents are here today?

I am so lucky to be able to be in the lives of my kids. I am the step-father to 3 amazing children and obviously dad to Ella

However, I truly feel no difference. I may only be “dad” to one, and even she wanting to be like her siblings will call me Zach sometimes......

But I love each and every one of my kids just as they are my flesh and blood.

The love for your children is such an unexplainable, powerful love. It is a love that will bring you to your knees when you see them suffer.

Nina and I are lucky our children are healthy and happy and living good lives.

Even before I came into the picture there was an issue with Carlos and his growth plates on his head fusing. However, even through that, his surgery went without a hitch and he is a happy handsome boy today.

But even with our blessings we have experienced sickness in our children. and it kills me.

The month of January saw our entire house getting sick.....… multiple times.

Carlos and Gaba escaped the worst of it, but it hit Isa and Ella pretty hard.

I remember taking time of work and just waiting on them hand and foot. Doing anything I could just to give them even a moment of relief. I remember praying saying Lord take it from them and give it to me if you must, but don’t make them suffer any longer. And that was just a couple of viruses that they had a 99.9% chance of recovering from within a few days.

But watching your children suffer in any way is just heartbreaking.

So now let’s look at Jairus. His daughter doesn’t have a cold, or the flu. She is dying.

I can’t imagine his desperation in that moment. But we get a pretty good indicator of it.....

Who is Jairus? We we see here that he is a leader in the synagogue meaning that-

He is a Jew

While he is not labeled as a Pharisee, one could imagine he was very well versed in the Torah and the expectation would be that his allegiance would be with those who are currently plotting to remove Jesus.

But desperation will make you do..… well desperate things.

NO doubt this man saw Jesus healing others.

No doubt he had heard the stories.

A lot is not known about this man but one again could imagine that he could have been intrigued but also following in the steps of his leaders judgmental of these wonders.

And yet here he is falling at the feet of Jesus begging Him to save his daughter.

Faith isn’t always pretty. We imagine our relationship with Jesus as a courtship.

We introduce ourselves and we get to know Him through reading His word. We grow in our relationship and our faith grows along with it. And we eventually become mature Christians who live the life He laid before us walking in perfect faith in His will.

And sometimes the relationship begins with HELP!

That cry in the middle of the night when nothing else has worked. When all options have been exhausted. When everyone says all hope is lost. And we cry out maybe for the first time.

Ugly faith. Hard faith.

I believe this is where Jairus was.

We do not read of him following Jesus or taking part in His ministry at all. In fact, one could assume Jesus was the last resort.

How many times is that us? We may even know and have relationship with our Savior and yet He is the last call we make.

He is the last contact in our list only called on when everything else has failed.

A Job Lost

I have a story about that........Faith as the first step

Earlier this week I got a call from Nina. I believe it went something like this.......

“Well guess who is about to not have a job anymore?” Apparently her position is being completely removed from the company.

My heart sank.

I will be very honest with you. We are a two income family not for convenience but as a necessity. Colorado ain’t cheap.

My thoughts immediately went to that rifle I just bought! That is looking like a pretty dumb move right now.

I was just doing the math in my head how long we could survive before things got tough........not very long!

All of these things are going through my head. And then I hear speak these words. I know it’s going to be ok. God has a plan for me. He brought me here and I have had such peace leaving DPS.

I felt such pride for this woman and such shame for this idiot. Here I am the spiritual leader of not just our home but of our church. And she is taking me to school on faith.

While I could hear her disappointment, the panic, the stress, the questioning was no where to be found.

So often in these situations we turn inward. Why God why? Why did You let this happen to me?

And yet her response was outward- God I know you have a plan for me and here I am to walk in it.

Why does this matter?

The Woman

Let’s continue our story.....

Mark 5:25–34 NIV

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

This is such a cool story within a story.

We find this woman who has been dealing with a bleeding issue for 12 years! I could not even imagine that.

Now days that would be tough I am sure. However, in the first century that this woman was living in it was not just the physical illness that she dealt with but due to Mosaic law she was considered ceremonially unclean and therefore was basically an outcast almost like that of a leper.

I love watching this scene in The Chosen. It’s just so powerful. She touches His cloak with the hope of being healed while yet remaining anonymous because she knows she should not be with all of these people. She is definitely not in a position to approach Jesus directly.

Yet Jesus is not looking for anonymous.

He was aware that His power had flown from Him and how did He respond?

He asked who touched my clothes? He wanted relationship. Jesus did not come to just heal your body and move on. His true purpose was to change your heart through relationship with Him.

And after she admitted to being the one what was His response?

Daughter, your faith has healed you.

He called her daughter. Not an anonymous I don’t care to know you, but a term expressing a close personal relationship.

He said your faith has healed you!

Circle Back

Ok so let’s go back to Nina’s job.

I asked why did her faith matter? Because Jesus told the woman with the issue of blood that it was her faith that healed her.

My wife stood on the foundation of her faith in her Father. She knew He was bigger and had a plan for her.

Can I tell you that on Friday she called to say that her boss had messaged her asking if she was interested in taking another position in the company!

A position in the same type of field she currently works in without a loss in pay!

Let me tell you this. God’s got you. It may not look how you thought it’d look. It may not feel like you thought it’d feel, but He’s got you.

As we are about to see with Jairus, He’s got you even when all human hope is gone.

Power Over Death

So now we return to Jairus desperate situation.

Mark 5:35–38 NIV

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.

The end.

Jairus is faced with the fact that his child is gone. All hope is gone. I situation I dare not ever even think about with my children. In all of history there have been two people resurrected.

One by Elijah and one by Elisha. Almost a thousand years separating him from them.

I am certain Jairus mind was not on those miracles but on the reality I’m sure he knows from the death of family and friends and community members.

Death is absolute. My faith has led to failure.

Yet Jesus speaks simply and boldly. Do not be afraid; just believe

Believe

Faith does not die when all hope is lost. In fact it is faith that provides hope.

Mark 5:39–42 NIV

He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

Jesus showed dominion over His people by healing the sick, He showed power over the spiritual world with the casting out of demons. We are going to see very soon He is ruler over His creation as He controls storms and walks on water.

But as a prelude to what is to come, He shows that not even death holds sway over His power.

Faith In the Face of Death

Sometimes we are the woman with the bleeding. Our faith is immediately rewarded with His blessing.

And sometimes we are Jairus. Our faith is truly tested. Jairus believed that Jesus could heal his daughter from her illness.

But what about when that opportunity passes?

Unfortunately we all have a line that we think even Jesus can’t cross.

Mark 5:35 NIV

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

It’s over. Why bother Him?

The line was crossed. Jesus can heal sick but death is absolute so there is nothing He can do.........Or can He?

The Challenge

Jesus showed once and for all here that He is in control of everything.

If we want to truly walk in His will and plan for our lives we are going to at some point remove the limits of our faith.

Even when we face something as absolute as death we know that He is more powerful.

True faith stands firm in the face of certain failure.

Desperation can be the gift given from our Father for the growth of our faith.