Stop Bothering the Master

Introduction

Anybody here ever felt like giving up? Anyone felt like something or someone just isn't worth the time, trouble, and money?

My brother, Danny, used to build model cars, airplanes, ships, etc. when he was a kid. I speak of him quite often, and many of you will remember that he is 5 years older than me. Growing up, I used to admire the amount of time he spent painting, gluing, and piecing together those things. He paid great attention to detail, and worked hours upon hours to get things painted and put together just right. He would finish the model and proudly display it on his shelves in our room.

I thought that I might like to be able to do that- you know, build something intricate and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that came with finishing a long project like that. If Tahsha were here right now (she’s in the toddlers class), she would probably be. And what would trigger that fit of laughter would have been that I referred to myself as “possibly enjoying a project that takes hours and days to complete!” If you know me, you will know that I am a short term project kind-of-guy. I don't naturally have the patience for long term projects.

But I digress... As a child, I started asking for model cars for Christmas and birthdays. Of course, the first ones that I got were the ones that took 5 minutes to assemble. No glue was needed, the plastic pieces were already colored to look like the picture on the box it came in, and the hardest part was putting the stickers on straight. I was Loving it! I was so proud to have built these model cars! I asked for more, but soon became bored with the beginner level stuff, and they didn't have any fighter jets or tanks in the beginner levels. It was all cars.

So I started to save my allowance money, I began to buy the level 2 model kits. These you needed to glue some pieces together, but no paint was needed. There weren't that many pieces either, and they were big. I quickly mastered this level, in my opinion, and I went back to Hobby Lobby looking for a bigger and better model.

There it was! I had just finished reading a book about the the SR-71 Blackbird, and there it set on the shelf, just begging to be bought and built. But alas! it was skill level 5. This meant that all the pieces needed to be glued together. There were tiny pieces in that set, and all of them needed to be painted, before you put them together.

Some parts even required some trimming and cutting using an Exacto knife. I scraped together all my allowance money and bought all the needed paint. It wasn't much paint that was needed; if you are familiar with the SR-71, it is an all black spy plane that holds the record of fastest flights. It could fly higher and faster than any other plane and was out of missile reach. So I got my black paint, and orange, and white, and silver, and a few other colors.

Hmm… That is strange, the plane is supposed to be all black... Oh well, the box says I need them, so I got them. I got the glue, I got bought an exacto knife, and I was ready to go! Well, I got home and began to put this plane together. It was hard. I cut out the pieces from their little frames and began to follow most of the directions in the little booklet.

Y'all caught that, right? "Most." I skipped over a few pages at the beginning and began to glue all the pieces together. Some were not wanting to piece together quite right, but that's OK, I tried my best to make it work.

After several days of hurried work, I realized that this was NOT a 5 minute project. But one day, I finally got it put together. Now all I needed was to paint it. But remember, Skill level 5 models must be painted before they are put together! Ooops! O well, I painted it as best as I could and it didn't look half bad. Truth is, it looked about 85% bad!

All those other colors were to be used on the pilot, who was now glued inside the clear cockpit. Ooops! Well, I set that up on my shelf, not super proud of what I had accomplished, but it took too much of my time to just throw it away.

I came to the conclusion that the next model I would build would be of the same difficulty, and I would take all the needed time and read ALL the instructions. So I went and bought another model kit. I was, at the time, and honestly still am a little, obsessed with all things ARMY. So I bought an M1-A1 Abrams tank! Level 5 skill. I bought all needed supplies and got to work.

After about two weeks, I still had not gotten the bulk of the tank together. It looked nothing like a tank, so frustrated, I skipped to the end of the book, figured out how to put the body together, and kind of made it look like a tank. I was tired of the thing!

I had glue all over my hands, paint everywhere, I couldn't get those dumb stickers that you have to soak in water before you apply them to stick. I was ANGRY and TIRED! So I grabbed my tank, my plane, and most of the other models I had built, set them up under a tree in our back yard, went back in the house, grabbed my pellet gun and shot them all to bits!

I have never built a model kit since then! I gave up! It was not worth the effort, not worth the time, not worth the money (you know many Lego sets I could have bought with what I spent on model kits?). In my opinion, it was just not worth it, and I was not going to get better at it. So I gave up.

The temptation to give up is present in the individuals that we are going to look at today. First, I want us to remember what has happened with Jesus recently. Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilea from Capernaum to the other side of the sea into an area called the country of the Gadarenes. The larger area is the area of Decapolis, where there were ten Hellenistic cities that held a loose alliance. These cities were not primarily populated by Jews, but by Gentiles.

You will remember, hopefully, that as Jesus and His disciples cross the sea, they encounter a fierce storm. Jesus calms the storm and they continue their journey to the area of Gergesa and Gadara.

When they make land, two demon possessed men run out from the tombs to meet them. We looked more in depth at just one of them last week. It turned out that the man was possessed by many demons, but Jesus set him free. This once wild man was now in his right mind and learning from Jesus. The demons, however, had gone into a herd of pigs and driven them off a steep cliff and into the sea where all 2,000 of them drowned.

Seeing this, the people of that town told Jesus to leave, and that is exactly what Jesus did. As He and His disciples were entering the boat, the formally possessed man asked Jesus if he could go along with them, but Jesus says, “No, go back to your home and to your friends and tell them all the great things that the Lord has done for you.”

So the man does, and he does more than that. He goes into all of the Decapolis and tells everyone that will listen to him about what amazing things Jesus did for him, and everyone is amazed.

We find ourselves now in Mark 5:21

Mark 5:21 KJV 1900

21 And when Jesus was passed over again [to Capernaum] by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

Luke 8:40 tells us that they gladly received him, and that everyone was waiting for his return.

One crowd sighed with relief as they watched Jesus leave, the other crowd shouted for joy at His arrival.

The events that we will cover today are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and to start off this morning, I’d like to read some from the book of Luke.

Luke 8:41–42 KJV 1900

41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

Luke 8:49 KJV 1900

49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.

Stop Bothering The Master

It is from this verse that we get the title of the sermon today - Stop Bothering the Master.

PRAY

We find Jesus disembarking once again in Capernaum, and there, he is greeted happily by many people. But one person in particular has an urgent request.

A Desperate Request

This man’s name, as we are told in the book of Mark, is Jairus. He is one of the rulers of the synagogue. This means that he would have been one of the board of elders that governed that synagogue in Capernaum.

let’s read about him in Mark 5:22-23

Mark 5:22–23 KJV 1900

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, [Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet. This act is one of extreme humility, especially for someone of Jairus’ status, but Jairus is desperate. Why?] 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

He’s desperate for his daughter to be healed, she is about to die.

Put yourselves in Jairus’ shoes. What a horrible thing to experience. In this time of heartache and worry, Jairus may have begun to think about the 12 years he had spent with his daughter. Perhaps his thoughts were on the day she was born, maybe on her first steps.

Perhaps he remembered that day the first time she called him, "Abba," or "Daddy." Maybe he thought of some funny things she had said or done, and maybe that even brought a smile to his face for a little while.

But then, the thoughts crept in of all the things he would not be able to do with his daughter. His heart breaks as he realizes that there will be no wedding, no grandchildren, no more fun times with his daughter. And I imagine that as he sits by his daughter’s bed, he begins to hear a commotion outside. I imagine that the people outside the house begin to speak about the latest news that is occuring right at the shores of Capernaum: Jesus is back in town!

And I can see Jairus getting up as if a surge of electricity has passed through his body. Jesus is back in town! Surely Jesus could help. He had already healed so many sick people, he could heal his daughter. He has to ask. But to ask, he has to leave his daughter’s side, and what happens if she dies while he’s away? And if that happened, would there be anything that could be done? It boils down to this - Does Jairus have enough faith to believe that Jesus can get to his daughter on time and heal her? Because if he doesn’t, then the choice is easy: stay with the daughter until she dies.

But for Jairus has faith, faith strong enough to leave his daughter’s side and find this man named Jesus. And out the door he rushes, but when he finally finds Jesus and explains what is happening, someone comes bearing the bad news of his daughter's death.

Mark 5:35 KJV 1900

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

A Desperate Interruption

But this is not the only thing going on with Jesus right now. You will notice that we skipped quite a few verses in Mark 5. Let’s go back and read some of those now.

Mark 5:24–26 KJV 1900

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

As Jesus made His way to Jairus’ house, all the people that had been there to greet Him at the shore followed Him. But somewhere in that crowd was a woman with an issue. She had an uncontrolled hemorrhage of some sort that was slowly destroying her. It was incurable. She had spent all her money on doctors and none could help her, they just made things worse. For 12 years this woman had endured this condition.

Year after year, doctor after doctor, her conditioned worsened and her hopes grew weaker. Not only was this physically draining for her (imagine the pain and the weakness she would have suffered at the end of each day after having bled uncontrollably), not only was this condition emotionally taxing, but it had cost her the fellowship of community. It had eliminated her ability to worship God in the Temple.

This condition that she suffered with had rendered her ceremonially unclean, and therefore she could not enter into the Temple. Anyone who touched her, her clothes, or even sat in the same place that she had been seated would have been rendered unclean for a period of time also. This means that her contact with people, physical contact, would have been minimal. Understanding how Jews viewed those that were constantly ill helps us to understand that she was probably outcast, judged as someone who must be in this condition because surely, she was a sinner.

Don’t you see that her condition is far worse than just being sick? She is hopelessly sick, dying, alone, rejected, and looked down upon by others.

And in this condition, she hears the news as well. Jesus is back in town! And this was her thought:

Mark 5:28 KJV 1900

28 … she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

She had enough faith to go and seek to touch Jesus. Her faith was more timid than Jairus’ faith. Where Jairus had the faith to go and talk to Jesus, this woman could not bring herself to cry out Jesus’ name and get His attention, but she said within herself, “If I could but touch his clothes, that will be enough to heal me.”

So she makes her way through the crowd. I imagine that as people see her and recognize her, they get out of her way, for they do not want to be made unclean. And as she nears Jesus, she reaches out to touch Him.

Mark 5:27–28 KJV 1900

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And guess what happened? She was healed!

Mark 5:29–32 KJV 1900

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

The woman is healed immediately just by touching Jesus’ clothes. I imagine that her goal was to slip back into the crowd, but Jesus turns around, realizing that some of His healing power has gone out of Him, and asks, “Who just touched me?”

I can imagine the disciples looking at each other funny for a little bit, and Luke tells us that it is actually Peter that says, “Jesus, you’re surrounded by a crowd that is pushing in on you, and you ask ‘who touched me’? Everybody touched you!”

And as Jesus looks around, He sees the woman that was healed.

If you were in that woman’s shoes, how would you react? You just touched Jesus clothes, a condition that you have had for 12 years just was healed, and as you try to slink back into the crowd, Jesus locks eyes on you, how would you react? You know full well that you have not asked His permission, and now Jesus is looking straight at you. How would you react?

Mark 5:33–34 KJV 1900

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. [She’s afraid. She probably didn’t think that Jesus would notice someone touch his clothes with all the crowd pressing in. But now, she is healed and Jesus is asking, “Who touched me?” Would He be angry that someone unclean had touched Him? Would Jesus rebuke her publicly? Would he take back the miracle? But she was caught. Jesus had looked her in the eye, and there was no denying what had happened, so she confesses. Now look at Jesus’ response.] 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Remember, what kind of faith did this woman have? Weak faith, timid faith, and probably faith that was a little superstitious. And now, Jesus seeks her out to confront her superstitions and prevent misguided ideas.

Had Jesus permitted this woman to leave immediately after the miracle was performed it would have confirmed for her that Jesus healed merely because that was His nature. However, Jesus only ever healed according to his will. No work of His was done outside of conscious thought, and His question, “Who touched me,” was not to obtain information from the disciples, the crowd, or this woman. Jesus’ question had a double purpose.

You will notice that His question elicited from the woman a confession. She confessed and told Jesus the truth that she believed that if she only touched his clothing that she would be healed. It also confirmed that Jesus was aware of His healing. This was not an accidental miracle. Jesus hadn’t accidentally left the “power on” so to speak, and someone tapped into it. No, Jesus was aware of this happening.

Then, Jesus’ response to the woman confirms that it was not the clothing that healed her, but He himself. He tells her, “Your faith has made you whole from your plague.” It is also a declaration that this was not just temporary relief. She was made completely whole of her condition.

Her faith, though weak and timid, had caused her to act, and that is exactly what faith does. True faith, not just simple belief, but true faith causes us to act. And this woman’s faith caused her to reach out and touch Jesus. She did not have faith in the clothes, she had faith in the Jesus that was wearing the clothing, and she knew that Jesus’ power was strong enough that merely touching the garments he was wearing would heal her.

And Jesus acknowledges this when He tells her, your faith has made you whole. Now, nobody in the crowd, not even this woman, could ever rightly think, “Jesus’ clothes have healing powers.” No, the power is Jesus’, and He delivers that based on faith alone.

Devastating News

But we must not forget what was happening here. Jesus just got interrupted on his way to Jairus’ house, and now, Jairus receives some devastating news. We read it earlier, but let’s read it again in Mark 5:35

Mark 5:35 KJV 1900

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

Already it would not have been easy for Jairus to come to Jesus publicly and ask for his help. Those religious leaders opposed to Jesus could have made his life miserable. But faith moved Jairus, and now, Jairus is hit with the ultimate attack on his faith. His daughter has died, and he wasn’t there with her when it happened. Have his efforts been in vain? Has his faith driven him to do something so foolish as to leave daughter’s side when she was at death’s door for nothing? Did the interrupting woman delay Jesus’ arrival enough that now there was no hope for Jairus’ daughter?

I imagine all these thoughts are going through Jairus’ head in addition to the immediate shock and ensuing heartbreak that he must have been dealing with. And the voice that has delivered the bad new continues, “Don’t bother Jesus any more.”

I imagine the man that has given Jairus the news is pulling on his arm, trying to get Jairus out of the crowd and back home so that Jairus can begin grieving. “Let’s go,” the voice says, “It’s no use bothering him anymore.”

But another voice cuts through the commotion. It is Jesus. Mark 5:36

Mark 5:36 KJV 1900

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Just as Jesus has done countless times before, just as He did with the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus speaks to the heart of Jairus. What is going on in his heart? His faith is failing. Fear is replacing faith - not doubt, pure and unadulterated fear.

So Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid. Continue to believe. Keep having faith.”

Luke records Jesus’ words in more detail. Luke 8:50

Luke 8:50 KJV 1900

50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

“Jairus, just have faith, and she will be made whole.”

Mark 5:37–40 KJV 1900

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

Jesus takes Peter, James, John, Jairus, and Jairus’ wife into the house, and there, inside and out, are people wailing and bemoaning the loss of life of this little girl. These people would have known that Jairus had gone to ask Jesus to heal the girl, and as Jairus arrives with Jesus, they are probably also telling him, “She’s dead. It’s nice that He’s here and all, but there is nothing He can do now.”

And Jesus looks around at these mourners, some of which were probably hired, as was the custom in those times, and said, “Why all the crying? She’s not dead. She is only sleeping.”

At which point, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that these people “laugh Jesus to scorn.” These people laughed at Jesus as if he were delusional. To scorn is to look down upon, to hold in contempt. “Jairus, are you going to listen to this man? Don’t get your hopes up. He obviously has no idea what he’s talking about. He hasn’t even seen her yet! We know what death looks like, and she’s dead, Jairus. Don’t listen to this crazy man.”

At this moment, Jairus has decisions to make. Does he continue to trust Jesus, or does he listen to his fears, does he listen to the crowd, does he listen to his own family and friends? One minute he’s begging Jesus to come to his house and save his daughter’s life, the next he is witnessing Jesus’ healing power in a lady who merely touched Jesus’ garments.

One minute he is being told that his daughter is dead, but the very next moment, Jesus urges him to continue to have faith. Maybe she’s not dead after all. Then he gets home, and it is confirmed by the mourners and those within the house that his daughter truly has died. But now Jesus is saying she is simply sleeping? Can you imagine the emotional rollercoaster that Jairus is on right now?

But he lets Jesus kick everyone out of the house, and the only ones that remain are Jairus and his wife, Peter, James, and John, and Jesus. And finally, they go into the room where Jairus’s daughter was lying. I can only imagine what Jairus would have been doing if I were in his shoes: his eyes quickly scan the face of his daughter, then move to her chest to see if he can detect even the slightest motion that would indicate that she is still breathing. But the girl lies stone still. The mourners were right, she’s dead.

But as Jairus analyzes all of this, Jesus does something strange. He walks right up to her and takes her hand.

Mark 5:41–43 KJV 1900

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. [According to J.W. McGarvey, these words would have been the simple words commonly spoken to daughters to wake them up in the morning. And with the gentleness of a loving parent, Jesus calls this young girl to arise.] 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Luke gives a bit more of the details in his account. Luke 8:54-55

Luke 8:54–55 KJV 1900

54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

She was not sleeping; her spirit had departed her body and she was dead, but at the command of Jesus, her spirit returned, and she rose again.

What an amazing set of events. But again, this is included in Scripture for more reasons than for us to read this or listen to this and say, “Oh wow, what a great thing that Jesus did 2,000 years ago.”

Powerful Principles

There are powerful principles at play here. Put yourself once again in the disciples’ shoes, specifically Peter, James, and John. In two days, you have witnessed Jesus’ power of nature as He calmed the storm with just a word. You watched as Jesus, again, with just a word, cast out countless demons from wild men, demonstrating His authority in the spiritual realm. Now, back in Capernaum, Jesus power of sickness is proven once more as He heals the woman with the issue of blood. But this event has left you floored. Jesus not only has the power to stop death, but to reverse it altogether. To bring back to life one who had already died.

And as Mark records it, “They were astonished with great astonishment.”

Jesus’ authority over nature, the spiritual realm, health, and even over death itself is where these powerful principles that we are about to see are anchored.

Your Need Is Not a Bother to Jesus

The woman with the issue of blood tried to quietly and covertly seek a miracle, because, “Why would a rabbi like Jesus even consent to be close to someone unclean as she was?” Though everything in her may have been telling her to not go after Jesus, she did anyway.

Jairus gets word that his daughter has died, and the very next phrase he hears is, “So you don’t need to bother Jesus anymore.”

Whatever you are going through, your need is not a bother to Jesus. Your problem is not a bother to Jesus. Your pain is not a bother to Jesus. Though you may be rejected of people, though no one else can help, you may even be an outcast, but you are not a bother to Jesus.

Satan lies. He will tell you that you are not that important. His is the voice you hear saying, “Why would he ever bother with you?”

But you are not a bother. You are not a nuisance to Jesus.

Your Worth Is Not in Your Status

Being a synagogue officer, Jairus would have been wealthy. The woman with the issue of blood was bankrupt. Jesus looked upon them both with love and took time to deal with each of their problems. What made them receive that grace from Jesus? It wasn’t their money; it wasn’t their status. It was their faith.

Jesus Responds to Faith

There were many in that crowd that were pressing up against Jesus, many that were touching Him, but none of them experienced any miracles. Why is that? Because none of them approached in faith. Jairus approached Jesus in faith great faith - faith that proved unwavering.

The woman approached in timid faith. When things in their minds seemed to God bad, Jesus’ words for both of them were, “Be not afraid.”

James 1:5–7 KJV 1900

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

James is speaking about asking for wisdom, but then he extends the principle of asking in faith to everything else. The person that does not approach God in faith should not expect anything.

Do we have to have big faith or little faith? Just faith. When Jesus calmed the storm, he did so when the disciples had little faith. He didn’t say, well, when you drum up some bigger faith in me, then I’ll help you out. He said, “O ye of little faith,” and then he calmed the storm.

Faith Comes by Hearing

Where does faith come from? It comes from hearing - hearing God’s word. Romans 10, speaking specifically about saving faith, Paul writes to the Romans and tells them that faith comes by hearing the word of God.

Notice when the woman began to have the faith to touch Jesus’ clothes. Mark 5:27

Mark 5:27 KJV 1900

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

Jairus had obviously heard about Jesus and his greatness, and Matthew records that Jairus worshipped Jesus before asking him to heal his daughter.

But this brings us to another principle:

When Your Faith Wavers, Listen to Jesus

When the woman who had touched Jesus’ garment was confronted by Jesus, she immediately became fearful of Him. She feared rebuke, because she was unclean and had purposefully touched a rabbi, a teacher. But Jesus spoke and said, “Be of good comfort.”

Jairus was told, “Your daughter is dead, stop bothering the Master.” And immediately Jesus said, “Fear not, only believe.”

Arriving at his house, Jairus saw mourners. Maybe even the family doctor was there. They all were mourning her death, and surely Jairus’ faith was under assault once more. But he listened to Jesus say, “Weep not, she’s just asleep.”

And when Jesus called for everyone to leave the house, Jairus chose to listen to Jesus and not the scorners.

Jairus could have turned and left Jesus, but he stayed with him and hear Jesus say, "Fear not, believe only." I imagine that there was something about hearing Jesus saying "Fear not" that was absolutely calming to Jairus. As they approach the house, the wailers laugh at Jesus when He says that the girl is only sleeping. They laugh him to scorn. Jairus had an opportunity there to say, "Hey Jesus, you know, they are probably right. Thanks for coming anyway, but I have to get on mourning my daughter. There is nothing that can be done." He could have entered his house alone and cried with the rest of them. But thankfully, that is not how the story goes. Jairus decided to have faith in Jesus, and let Him into his house, even when nobody else believed.

When everything is going wrong, don’t stop coming to church. When everything is falling apart, don’t stop reading your Bible. When things don’t go as planned, don’t stop praying. Actively listen for God.

Why?

Jesus Has Words of Love and Power

Despite what the world thinks of you, though they may think you’re crazy for having faith in Him, Jesus has power. We have seen and studied His power over all things. But His power is loving. When the woman was afraid, he called her “daughter.”

When raising Jairus’ daughter, he called he “damsel” or “little maid,” using a term of endearment for young women. He looked out for her needs. In her sickness, this little maid had probably not eaten for a very long time, and Jesus lovingly commanded that she be brought food.

Because he cares about the details. Because he loves us.

Application

When Satan tells you, “Stop bothering the master,” when he says, “You aren’t important enough to Him,” when Satan says, “You should be taking care of things on your own,” hit him with the truth.

You are not a bother,

You are loved and cared for beyond your wildest imagination,

Jesus delights when we cast all of our cares upon Him because He wants to handle our problems - because He know that we cannot.

So stop trying to handle things on your own. Stop trying to be strong. Go to God, trust that He has a plan and is working it out in your life, faithfully obey Him, and rest in Him.

If you are not saved today, these principles apply to you as well.

You cannot save yourself. There is no amount of money you can spend that will buy you freedom and forgiveness of sins. There is no status that can raise you above the wicked sinfulness of your own heart. You need Jesus, and only Jesus, to forgive you.

You must come to Him in faith. You can be close to Jesus and do things that will make you appear close (read your Bible, pray, come to church, etc.) None of that will save you. You must come to Him fully believing what the Bible says about Jesus and how He died and rose again to pay for your sins.

He did this because He loves us. My friend, do not believe the lie that you are unlovable and unredeemable. If you were the only sinner ever to exist, Jesus would have died for you. He loves you and cares for you.

Invitation

Home Group

Warm-Up Questions

What stood out to your from the sermon? What questions or concerns do you have?

1. What are some projects or tasks (from hobbies, work, or life) that require extra patience or perseverance for you?

2. In moments of frustration or failure, what thoughts or voices influence your decision to continue or give up?

Scripture Focus Questions

3. Does anything stand out to you about either the woman’s or Jairus’ approach to Jesus?

4. The phrase “Don’t bother the Master” is spoken to Jairus after his daughter’s death. How does Jesus’ reaction to this news shape our understanding of His power?

Heart Focus Questions

5. When have you felt like your problems or prayers are too small—or too big—for God to care about?

6. What fears or doubts threaten your faith when things look hopeless or when delays seem to make the situation worse?

7. How do you experience the tension between “fear” and “faith” in your walk with God? What might it look like to listen for Jesus’ voice in those moments?

Application Questions

9. Who or what comes to mind when you hear “you are not a bother to Jesus”? How does that truth challenge how you approach God with your needs?

10. In what areas of your life are you tempted to “stop bothering the Master”—to give up praying, believing, or seeking God’s help? What step can you take this week to renew your faith instead?

11. Is there someone in your life who needs to know they are not a burden and are loved by God? How could you embody Jesus’ patience and compassion for them this week?