Luke 8: 41Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying… 49While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.” 50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed…”
Jairus was powerful in his community. As a well respected synagogue ruler, he was a person of high moral integrity; religious; educated; well-mannered; excellent in public relations; and of course, very knowledgeable of the things of God, especially in matters of public worship.
But underneath all the power, all the prestige, and all the political influence he enjoyed, Jairus was a loving and caring father.
One day, the seemingly- comfortable life of Jairus was disrupted by an unexpected event. His 12-year-old daughter became very, very sick. This powerful and affluent man came face to face with a situation he cannot control. Looking straight at him was his greatest: the fear of losing his precious daughter. Helpless and desperate, he came to Jesus.
As a synagogue leader, he had heard about the miracles Jesus performed. Perhaps, he had even heard him teach in his synagogue. Although Jairus was not open follower of Christ, he had no choice but to humble himself before the Lord. This man of power fell at the feet of Jesus pleading the Lord to save his daughter’s life. Jesus actually agreed to come to his house.
But before he could even bring Jesus to his daughter, his greatest fear had come true. Someone came and told him the horrible news that his daughter had died.
In his book, After the Death of My Son
, author Dennis Apple shares the horrifying experience of losing his 18-year-old son. One morning, he discovered the lifeless body of his son in the family living room, apparently from complications of infection. In his book, which he wrote 16 years after the death of his son, he shares the dark, lonely road of grieving for a child. He discloses his anger and disappointment with God; his frustrations with friends and family; and shares how he’s dealt with the grief attacks, which continue to sneak up and surprise him.
We could only imagine the grief and utter shock of Jairus when he heard the tragic news.
In the midst of the all his grief and the confusion, Jesus said the most powerful, the most awesome, and the most comforting words one could ever hear: “Don’t be afraid. Just believe. Your daughter will be healed.”
We could only wonder if the words of Jesus even made sense to Jairus at that point. Wasn’t it reported to him that his daughter had died? Why is Jesus even talking about her healing? Was he giving Jairus empty promises?
The situation was clearly out of Jairus hands. He had to make a very quick but very important decision in his heart. Will he walk away and accept the report of his daughter’s death? Or will he make room for Jesus to intervene?
Jairus eventually took Jesus to his house, a decision that others may have found strange. But Jairus made his choice. What was there to lose? What if Jesus was telling the truth? Jairus, now the confused and grieving father, held on to the tiniest spec of hope his eyes could see.
The succeeding events were simply too awesome for human words. Jairus’ daughter was indeed dead. Relatives and friends were wailing and mourning in grief. But Jesus spoke one more time, “Stop wailing. She is not dead but asleep.” The words of the Lord were received with much criticism by those who had heard him. What is this man even talking about?
Inside the room where the daughter lay, Jesus, together with his three most trusted disciples Peter, James and John; Jairus and his wife, took the hand of the dead child, spoke powerfully to her spirit, “My child, get up.” And she did. She walked around house to the utter amazement of everyone.
No other words were needed to be said in defense of Jesus and his actions. The awesome miracle spoke for itself.
Acceptance is our ability to recognize that we cannot be on our own.
The name Jairus was derived from a Hebrew word “Jair” and it means “Yahweh enlightens.” To enlighten means to make clear, to reveal and to simplify.
In the Bible, there are many ways that God enlightens his people. But in the case of Jairus, the enlightenment of God came upon him in a very humbling way. Jairus had to be stripped off his pride, his arrogance, and his self-sufficiency to confront his need for Christ.
This reality is very telling of how fathers, or men in general, are expected to behave by society today: always in charge, in control, self-sufficient, all-knowing.
In other cultures and social traditions, men are not even allowed to show vulnerability, helplessness, or emotions to their wives and children; otherwise, they will not be “man enough.”
But what does it really mean to be “man enough” in the eyes of the Lord? In this very self-reliant and macho-society, where everything seems to be measured by power, control, authority, and force, Jesus is inviting us to welcome the ways of humility, of faith, of meekness, of prayer, quietness of heart and most of all, dependence on God.
Although there is wisdom and great merit in hard-work and self-reliance, we must also be gracious enough to respect the boundaries of our own strength and human effort.
Just like Jairus, we need to be open to situations where we cannot be in control anymore; situations where our pride and our boasting will not have room; situations where we need to shut up, to swallow our own pride, and simply allow God to be God.
Allegiance is loyalty. It means dedication to duty, commitment, faithfulness, steadfastness.
In our text, we learn that allegiance is all about our ability and willingness to listen to the voice of the Lord.
When men came to Jairus and told him about the death of his daughter, the men said, “Jairus, your daughter is dead. Do not bother the teacher (Jesus) anymore.”
What would you have done if you were Jairus? Oftentimes, the voice of Jesus can be drowned by public opinion and social pressure. Jesus would say, “Be truthful and honest,” but others will say, “Be practical and save yourself.” Jesus would say, “Forgive and love your enemies.” But others will say, “Love only those who will love you back.”
This is where we need to make our respective choices: whose voice we will listen to, and whose voice truly matters most at the end of the day.
What we have learned, however, is that the voice of the Jesus brings forth hope, healing, and unspeakable blessing.
The voice of Jesus shatters the powers of death, and brings forth life and glory; that is, if we will listen and truly believe.
Are there desperate situations facing us today? Are there overwhelming issues that we need to deal with? Are we also in need of a miracle?
May we all continue to learn how to accept our limitations, to learn to embrace defeat, to befriend our failures, and to simply step aside and make way for God to be God.
In the process, may we also learn to grow in genuine and heartfelt allegiance to Christ, hearing his voice, choosing to believe, and realizing always that the Lord is on top of every situation. He is still, and is always in absolute control, remembering, too, the Lord’s words to Jairus in his greatest time of need: “… Do not be afraid; just believe.”
