Jairus' Daughter

The Legacy of Faith

(The Faith of Jairus)

Mark 5:21-43

Of all the crazy, scary, dangerous things I have done in my lifetime, nothing I have ever done was as frightening to me as that first positive pregnancy test.

I knew that as a father it was my responsibility to raise my children in an environment where they felt loved and safe, to make sure that they had all they needed to sustain their lives and to do my best to make them happy. I knew that as a father it was my responsibility to God to make sure that my children were in church where they could hear the gospel, and to make sure that God was first in our home no matter what.

2000 years ago there was a father who was desperate. His little girl, just 12 years old, was sick and at the point of death. This man was a leader of the Synagogue there in Capernaum by the sea of Galilee, this man was one who knew of Jesus' ability to heal those who were sick as he was probably among those sent to fetch him to the centurion's house to heal the servant. This man knew that Jesus could heal one who was sick, but no idea that He could heal one so close to death as his little girl. In desperation this man left the bedside of his precious daughter and went down to the shore to look for Jesus. This anxious father's name was, Jairus. Let's look at the Word of God and examine his situation...

Proposition: As a father there is no greater legacy we can leave our children than to demonstrate to them our faith in the Lord.

Interrogative: What legacy of faith will you leave behind for your children?

TS: I want to show you this morning how Jairus demonstrated his faith in Jesus. First we see...

The Expression of His Faith 21-24

By expression I do not simply mean that Jarius verbally expressed his faith for Christ, but rather I mean the outward demonstration of his faith. So how did Jarius express his faith in Christ?

He fell at Jesus feet v. 22.

Matthew 9 says he “worshiped” Him. Same word, same meaning.

He flung himself at the feet of Jesus!

This man who was a ruler of the synagogue, this man who had a name, and reputation in the city

This man who was no doubt friends with the pharisees and Sadducee, and maybe even a member of the Sanhedrin

People who hated everything about Jesus

This man flung himself down in desperation at the feet of the only person who could help him.

Fathers, our children need to see us fling ourselves down at the feet of Jesus. They need to see us turn in faith to the only One who can help in our time of need.

He professed that Jesus could heal his daughter v23

Of all the miracles Jesus had performed, he had yet to heal someone so close to death

But Jairus believed He could do just that

His faith was answered v. 24.

Jesus went with him

We need to let our children know that we fully believe that Jesus is with us

I can't imagine the joy in Jarius' heart when Jesus had answered his faith by agreeing to come with him

One of the most important things we as fathers can do for our children is to let them see the expression of our faith, that is our faith in action. “Put your faith where your mouth is dad!” Don't talk about your faith in God, show it! There's another lesson we can learn from Jairus as we see...

The Frustration of His Faith 25-34

I see Jairus there on his face before the Lord by the sea shore begging, that's what “besought him greatly” means, the Lord to heal his daughter. I can feel with him the elation at the Master's agreement to come with him to heal the girl, and then, as a father, I can feel his frustration at what unfolds next. We know what took place here with the woman and the issue of blood but there are some questions which come to my mind during this...

Where was Jairus during all this?

We have no reason to believe he went on before the Lord

The Bible says Jesus went with him

Plainly, they went together

Jairus must have been in the midst of this suffocating crowd

What was going through Jarius' mind?

You ever been stuck in traffic when you're in a hurry?

What went through your mind?

Probably the same thing that goes through everyone’s mind: COME ON!!

What was on Jairus' mind?

His daughter and getting home to her.

I can feel the frustration building inside of him as he looks at the crowd and waits for Jesus to find this woman who touched Him and I know as one father to another how frustrated Jairus must have felt, which leaves one other question...

Why did Jairus stay?

Because He knew Jesus was his little girl's only hope.

Let me tell you a father will do anything for his family.

Some time ago there was a story of a little 2 year old who was attacked by the alligator in Florida. How tragic that is. There are people who have blamed the family in the media for not watching the toddler more closely, but what you haven't heard is that the father of the little baby went into the water after his little boy and tried to wrestle his son from the gator's grip.

iii. Why didn't Jairus leave? He had no where else to turn and no amount of frustration could cause him to leave.

Dad's its OK for our children to see our faith frustrated at times. When situations are out of our control, we need to admit they are out of our control. And we need our children to see us turn to God and put our faith there in Him and to leave it there. When we are praying we need to pray and pray fervently like there is no tomorrow and trust God will answer the prayer. Our children need to see us continue to pray until even when answer doesn't come as swiftly as we'd like because they need to see that God is our only hope. There's one more lesson we can learn from Jairus and that is...

The Realization of His Faith 35-43

Look with me at verse 35... I can't imagine any worse words to be spoken. His daughter was dead. Jarius held on to the hope that “while there is life there is hope”, but now all that was left was faith. Jairus had faith to seek Jesus out, but now what? What was left? Jairus was done. The family had already hired the professional mourners to bewail his daughter. What was left but the funeral? That is when Jesus spoke up! When the Lord spoke 3 things happened:

Jairus had his fears silenced v. 36

“Trust Me” is what Jesus said

Faith is trusting in God for all things

Jairus saw the doubters leave 38-40

To unbelievers death is final

To Jesus death is nothing but sleep

Jairus had his daughter raised 41-43

When the news came that his baby girl was dead Jairus' world was crushed. His faith in Christ had led him to the sea, had caused him to stay while the crowd pressed in and the woman was healed, but when that news came all hope was lost, until Jesus spoke.

When Jesus spoke to Jairus, he knew he would hold his girl again because with God all things are possible. Our children need to see within us, fathers, that we truly believe that with God all things are possible.

Conclusion: The greatest legacy you can leave for your children is a legacy of faith in God.

Just like Jairus who saw the impossible, we need to let our children see the expression of our faith – our faith in action.

They need to see the frustration of our faith – when things are out of our hands, they need to see us stick with God until answer comes.

They need to see the realization of our faith – they need to see within us that we truly believe that with God all things are possible.

Jairus had faith that said, even in this time, God can.

This all starts with just 1 simple step, putting your faith in Jesus Christ and trusting Him to forgive you of yours sins.

Every head bowed, every eye closed. Have you ever trusted Jesus for forgiveness of sin? You can do that right now by simply confessing yourself a sinner and asking Him to come into your life and to save your soul.. Won’t you do that?