Do Not Fear, Only Believe

Fear is powerful. Fear transforms actions, perceptions, reality. But today, we see that Jesus overcomes fear of something even worse that riding the Ultimate Rush Swing.

Pray

Mark 5:21–24 NLT

21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.

Jairus, The Interceder.

Synagogue leader. Stature, reverence, honored.

Was he a fan of Jesus? Did he oppose?

His daughter became deathly ill. Whatever his opinion of Jesus or of others thoughts, he loved his daughter more. And knew Jesus was the only hope to save her.

He gave up his position of privilege, to seek relief.

For one he love, destined to die

From one who had the power to give life.

Does this sound familiar??

Jairus is an image of Jesus.

He intercedes for one who had no standing and no access to God.

But we’ll get back to his daughter.

Mark 5:25–34 NLT

25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” 31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

The Woman Who Suffered The Law.

The interaction with Jairus is interrupted. And Jesus takes His time.

We can see clearly the plight of the woman. She suffered for TWELVE YEARS! Constant bleeding. Constant illness, weakness, shame.

She suffered. And she sought Jesus. That’s point one and that might be what you need today. He is healing and hope. He is comfort in distress. And let me tell you. You can’t reach out to Him in faith and He not know!

There were a thousand who mingled indifferently - the apostles reminded Him of that. If you seek Him sincerely, He knows. Your comfort might not have arrived yet, but it’s not because Jesus is indifferent.

She suffered from more than just the physical malady. She suffered from separation from belonging. She was unclean and unable to participate in ceremony or society because of how the Law caused division between clean and unclean.

The Law the God gave to Moses was a manual on how to live set apart from the world and to God. It allowed access to God through obedience to the Law. But none could follow it.

This woman represents the Jew’s access to God. They, and she, had the right and the means, but lacked the ability to pursue it. As she exhausted every earthly means to remove her shame, the Jewish people exhausted every effort to be good enough. But it wasn’t good enough for either.

And it’s not good enough for me or you! No matter how hard you try, you can’t live well enough to meet God’s standard of holiness.

This event gives not only us, but the Jewish people the path to salvation.

Disregard the Law that points to God

Disregard the concern for the judgement and perceptions of the world

Just run to Jesus! The Messiah is here, reach out and touch Him.

In caring for the woman (who represents God’s chosen people), Jairus’ daughter dies.

Mark 5:35–43 NLT

35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” 36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” 37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” 40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus Enters Our Hopelessness.

While Jesus was comforting the woman, messengers came to bring the worst news for Jairus. His daughter was dead.

Unlike the woman, there wasn’t more opportunity to seek hope and help for the girl. But Jesus told Jairus to have hope in hopelessness.

“Do not fear, only believe”.

Believe: in Jesus, in God’s ability to bring hope and life, in God’s desire that you should thrive in your faith.

Jesus sets belief against fear. ‘Do not fear’ 34 times in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Fear is the natural reaction to our realizing our actual natural condition: dead in sin.

What is there to believe in if we see the inevitable and terrible end - eternal judgement from a righteous God for our wicked sin?

The hope is that Jesus enters the house. Jesus stepped into Jairus’ house when hope had left.

Jesus stepped into the world when hope had left.

Jesus stepped into your life when hope had left.

It is not out of our struggling He saved us. It is not our of our pain. He didn’t come in the nick of time. He came when, like Lazarus, we were dead and stinking!

But Jesus has the comfort.

That the professional mourners couldn’t bring

That all the money and all the doctors couldn’t provide.

That all our efforts can’t afford.

Hope: In Word and Indeed!

Mark 5:41 ESV

41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

We were dead in our sins when Jesus stretched out His hand to heal. From the moment He “became flesh and dwelt among us” until He hung on the cross and proclaimed “IT IS FINISHED!” Jesus not only spoke the words of life, but lived then in the flesh, in His actions, in His deeds.

It’s not a theoretical salvation. It’s not a “hope of heaven only” proposition. Jesus brings new hope now!

Receiving that hope might not be easy. We must shake off the habits of death. We must choose to walk following Jesus and not in the paths that brought us death. But if we seek God in His Word, and be willing to follow Him despite the cost, that hope WILL be real.

Hope to heal old hurt and pain.

Hope to mend relationships.

Hope to break habits of self-harm and self-destruction.

Hope for joy, and peace.

And that hope is present, powerful, and calling.

Will you cling to death and it’s baggage? Or will you hear the call of Jesus: Little child, come forth!