Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

This man, Jarius, was a Synagogue leader. This means he was a Jewish leader. He would have fallen under the leadership of the Chief Priests and Pharisees, and they, from the start, did not like Jesus’ popularity, as this seemed to threaten their position and power. So, to come to Jesus, he had to be desperate. His daughter was dying. He risked all of his position and power to save his daughter.

Jesus’ trip to heal Jarius’ daughter was delayed when he stopped to heal the woman who was bleeding (yesterday’s devotional), and he called out her great faith. So, when the messenger came and said Jairus’ daughter was dead, Jarius must have been crushed. But then, HOPE SPOKE TO HIM – in the form of Jesus, the Son of God. He said: “Do not be afraid … just believe and she will be healed.” And the rest of the story shows how Jesus raised this girl from the dead. And then he told the family to keep it quiet.

There are a few takeaways I have from this passage: 1) Jesus told the man who he cast out the legion of demons earlier in the chapter to spread the word, but this time, he tells the family to keep it quiet. Why? We don’t always know the whys at the time, but this is a good example of obedience without having to know the why. We know that later, after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, both of their lives were in danger from the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They were trying to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. So maybe he was trying to protect the family from this kind of danger? Also, he still had a lot of time in his ministry, before he would die on the cross. He probably knew this was not God’s timing for him to be crucified. The point is, we don’t always know the whys, but if we obey, we will typically understand later and see that God’s will is always there for our good. 2) Jesus challenged Jarius to believe even though raising someone from the dead was seen as impossible. Jesus used this challenge in Jarius’ life to grow his faith. Can you and I view the challenges we are presented with in this life as an opportunity to grow our faith in God? 3) Finally, when faced with extreme hardship, we must ask Jesus for help. He may not always act as we would have him to (after all, he is sovereign), but he will help us through and give us peace and show himself to us in a tangible way.

Many times we read of these miracles and wonder, why don’t these things happen to us in our hardships? I find it helpful to remember that this is only our temporary home. We were not designed to live forever here. This is also a testing ground for our faith. I Peter 1:6-7 tell us: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” So, we will all eventually die and we will all experience trials. I say this not to minimize them, but to acknowledge it is part of God’s plan. While Jesus was on earth, it was part of God’s plan to empower him to heal, in order that we would realize, in part, that he is the Son of God, and The Healer of our hearts, as well. And our approach to life should not be to wait on God to take away our trials, but to lean on God in the midst of them … to see how he will bless us through them.

If we draw closer to God in the trials, our faith is strengthened, and we will be a more useful instrument for him in eternity.

Lord, thank you for this example of your greatness and power to heal. I also appreciate the fact that you care about building my faith. I trust you to take me through the highs and lows, the storms and the calm waters alike. You will be my constant companion, if I faithfully follow you. Praise you Lord Jesus, you are Lord of all!