A Desperate Dad, A Faithful Savior
Rock Bottom - When God meets us at our wrost • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Rock Bottom. We're in the Rock Bottom series, examining how the Lord encounters and helps individuals experiencing the most difficult times of their lives.
The Lord is not indifferent to your pain, nor will He look away:
For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
The Shore of Prayer. Before examining the wonderful story of Jairus, I want to highlight that Jesus was greeted by a crowd eagerly awaiting His arrival on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Yet, on the eastern shore, Jesus was chased away by a crowd because Jesus had freed a possessed man:
Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
On one shore, there is a crowd begging Jesus to go away; on the other shore, there is a crowd begging Jesus to stay.
Application. Which group do you belong to? Are you part of the crowd that wants Jesus, or do you believe that Jesus is your biggest problem? Know that if you don't want Jesus, He will sail to other shores, to other families and people who want His touch.
Jairus. During His earthly ministry, Jesus showed grace to many people, but in this case, we are also given the name of the man who hit rock bottom: Jairus.
Jairus was the leader of the synagogue. His job was to preside over meetings, invite visitors to preach, and he also had the authority to excommunicate those who were rebellious and undisciplined.
In this passage, the leader Jairus finds himself going to this young Rabbi, not because of a personal spiritual crisis, but out of love for his daughter.
Application. To make us run to Jesus, sometimes it takes strong measures, it takes major problems, crises that bend all our convictions.
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.
R. Kent Hughes
Sermon's outline. Jairus's story is like a roller coaster ride; it's the story of a leader, a father, who hits the lowest point of his life, only to rise again thanks to Jesus' help.
Regarding Jairus, I would like to consider:
A low point for Jairus;
The lowest point for Jairus;
The highest point for Jairus.
N.1 - A Low Point for Jairus
N.1 - A Low Point for Jairus
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.”
A Low Point. When Jairus comes to Jesus, there is no hope for his daughter. He has already hit rock bottom! In this regard, I would like to consider:
1A. Jairus' Awareness (v. 23). Jairus knew the situation was serious.
This father was fully aware of his daughter's critical health:
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”
Application. It is not enough to hit rock bottom this morning to experience Christ's help.
We must be aware that we have hit rock bottom, admitting that we are hopeless.
Questions. Is there a need for more pain? Or does the suffering need to intensify in order for us to realize that we have hit rock bottom?
Illustration. What is CIP? CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain) is a rare genetic disorder in which a person does not feel physical pain despite injury or illness. Those affected, besides being easily injured (fractures, burns, etc.), risk worsening their wounds because they are insensitive to pain.
Believe me when I tell you that the real tragedy is not having hit rock bottom, but being insensitive to the pain this rock bottom is causing your home.
1B. The Identity of Jairus (v. 23). The Gospel of Mark reveals a detail in Jairus's request to Jesus, a detail not mentioned in the other Gospels.
Referring to his daughter, Jairus calls her "my little daughter," emphasizing the paternal love that binds Jairus to his daughter.
With this expression, Jairus sheds his robes as a synagogue leader and presents himself to Jesus in his true identity: that of a desperate father, a dad in need of Jesus' healing touch.
Application. It is precisely when we hit rock bottom that we need to present ourselves to Jesus without titles, masks, or trophies to display.
Come to Jesus in your true identity! Beyond your successes, beyond your respectable social standing, before Jesus you are simply a desperate mother, a hopeless father, you are like Jairus: a person who needs Jesus.
The disguise of Jeroboam's wife. The king of Israel had a sick son, so he sent his wife to God's prophet, asking her to disguise herself and ask the prophet what would become of her son:
So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news.
It is interesting to note that Jesus, when he commands Jairus's daughter to come back to life, addresses her in Aramaic, calling her "little girl" (Mark 5:24), a diminutive that expresses all the tenderness and affection Jesus feels for her. As we can see, being honest with Jesus pays off.
N.2 - The Lowest Point for Jairus
N.2 - The Lowest Point for Jairus
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?”
The lowest point. Here we are at the saddest moment of Jairus's life: his daughter's death has arrived.
Jairus would never again see his daughter's eyes, nor hear her joyful laughter.
Yet, in his most difficult moment, Jairus has Jesus at his side:
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In this regard, I would like to consider two elements:
2A. The Divine Amalgamation (v. 25). As Jesus heads toward Jairus's house, an interruption occurs: a sick woman touches Jesus and is healed.
This incident will take up Jairus's time, as Jesus searches the crowd for the woman who touched him.
Unknowingly, Jairus, the father anguished over his dying daughter, finds himself forced into another story, mixed up with that woman's problem, trapped in another tragedy.
It won't be a waste of time! Jairus will be encouraged by that miracle performed by Jesus. The Lord has wisely intertwined the two stories, blending these two families, to encourage each other in faith.
Application. The Lord still does the same with us today: He is blending your story of pain with that of your brother and sister.
And God blends us together because He doesn't operate in "watertight compartments." In fact, His miracles and deliverances are intended to bless and encourage not only you, but everyone around you.
Like Jairus, you too are wondering why God is uniting you, bringing you closer to others who need help, instead of immediately intervening on your behalf... The answer is simple: because your deliverance is not just for you, but for others too!
Naomi's Syndrome. God blends us together, but we often don't accept this divine fusion, because it's natural for us to focus on our own personal pain.
If this is our condition, then we have the "Naomi syndrome." In the book of Ruth, Naomi asks Ruth to separate from her three times:
“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
Naomi doesn't want to be mixed up, she doesn't want to be united with anyone else, but she wants to stay focused on herself and her pain. Thank God that Ruth was determined and didn't leave her mother-in-law.
Thanks to this unusual couple, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the Lord will bless their lives.
Do not resist God's fusion, do not refuse to enter into the lives of others: the Lord will use this mixture to strengthen your faith.
2B. The Divine Interference (v. 36). The terrible news reaches Jairus's ears: your daughter is dead! Until a few moments before, it was the woman with the flow of blood who was the most desperate, while now it is Jairus who is no longer hopeful.
Yet, it is at this moment that something strange happens: Jesus intervenes in the dialogue between the messenger and the desperate father.
The term "overhearing" means to ignore, to pay no attention, to refuse to obey, to be deaf.
Application. This is how it should work when we receive messages of discouragement, when we receive reports of death: let us allow Jesus to answer for us.
Let this word, this sermon, make us disobedient to the enemy's threats, make us deaf to discouragement.
Let Jesus interfere in the thoughts that are destroying your faith in God. Jesus' interference will make us deaf, blind, and mute to the enemy's words. Jesus can afford to interfere in the relationship of death:
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
N.3 - The Highest Point for Jairus
N.3 - The Highest Point for Jairus
Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
The Highest Point. It is clear that Jairus's high point comes when Jesus arrives at his house.
As we will see, Jesus does not behave like a guest; rather, he begins to give instructions so that the miracle can be performed for Jairus's family.
In this regard, I would like to highlight the two instructions Jesus gave in Jairus's house:
3A. The Filter (v. 40). The crowd gathered at Jairus's house was incredulous. Many of those present had been paid to mourn and play the flute in honor of the deceased.
According to tradition, even the poorest of Jews, upon the death of a family member, was required to provide at least one mourner and two flute players.
It is obvious that Jairus's social position allowed him to have an entire crowd of mourners and flute players in his house.
This crowd, however, ridicules Jesus, who invites everyone to leave. If the miracle is to happen, the music must stop.
Jesus filters out everything that shouldn't have been in that house, and when everyone is pushed out, the atmosphere changes.
Application. To reach the highest point the Lord has set for us, we must allow Him to filter out what is toxic and harmful to our faith.
Illustration. Many believers are like those fish who live in aquariums where the water filters don't work. The water is dirty, putrid, and those fish certainly suffer (see Aristide's aquarium).
There are a multitude of habits that are polluting your faith in God; perhaps they are people, relationships that are undermining the work Jesus wants to accomplish for you and in you.
3B. The Elite (v. 37). Jesus takes only three of the twelve disciples with Him to Jairus's house.
Peter, James, and John make up one of the four groups of Christ's twelve disciples.
We will find this selection of Peter, James, and John on two other occasions: the Transfiguration and the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus brings with him the best of his group of disciples, the elite, the top.
Application. The highest point, the miracle, the turning point in our lives, occurs not only when we allow Jesus to filter out what pollutes our faith, but also when we allow Christ to bring into our lives those who encourage our faith:
Peter, apostle of the foundation;
James, martyr of the faith;
John, author of texts such as the Apocalypse.
We are allowing Jesus to bring men and women of God into our lives, people who encourage our faith.
Illustration. One of my kids created a school project titled: "We Are What We Eat." I borrow this title and adapt it to today's sermon: "Our spiritual health depends on our circle of friends!"
According to statistics, our lives are influenced by the five phone numbers we call most. This morning, as you scroll through your phone list, ask yourself: "Do I have a Peter? Do I have a James? Do I have a John?" This morning, Jesus wants to give you blessed relationships that will positively impact your journey of faith.
Conclusion
Conclusion
From rags to riches. In just a few verses, Jairus goes from the depths of despair to complete joy. Jesus, the Savior, can do the same for you!
