Jairus' Daughter

What does it take to bring us to Jesus?

In this account for a family in Capernaum it was to be the sickness of their most treasured possession, their only child.

Luke 8:41There came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue and he fell down at Jesus feet and begged him that he would come into his house—

The scene is set as the sun rises on the narrow streets in the Roman garrison town of Capernaum, but in one house in the Jewish quarter everything was hushed. People moved on tiptoe, they spoke in whispers; and in the little bedroom father and mother knelt beside the bed. There lay their daughter—she was twelve years old. They had been watching and praying by her bed all night. They had been hoping against hope, and fighting with their fears.

But the autumn morning came, fresh, bright, and beautiful, and the strong light of it flooded the room and fell on the young child face—and hope was almost gone for their only daughter.

Nobody knew that Jairus was a believer

• The father's name was Jairus, and he was the leading elder in the Capernaum Church, but just that alone does not assure our salvation nor offer the life that is in God through Jesus Christ. We can go to Church all our lives and be leaders or elders but unless we meet Jesus there it means little.

Act 4:12 And there is salvation in no other One; for there is no other name

under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Jairus would have heard Jesus reading the Scriptures there, and he would have often talked with neighbors about this Jesus who was going about healing the sick.

Everybody in Capernaum knew Jairus;

• Position and pride and duty can restrain us from seeking the truth, everyone knew Jairus they knew he went to Church, so for Jairus to admit that he believed in something different that struck right at the heart of the existing establishment was very bold.

But no one knew that he believed in Christ until this day when his daughter was at the point of death.

What does it take to bring us to Jesus?

In the scene we can imagine the look of shock on the face of Jairus’s wife as Jairus raises himself from his daughters little bed where they had been praying and weeping all night and crashes out of the door racing for the street where he knew Jesus would be.

No one knew he believed

• Jesus was not to be found residing in the temple; no he was out amongst the people that needed him. He came to heal the sick not those that were well.

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard, He said to them, The ones who are whole do not need a physician, but the ones who are sick.

Luke 8:41 So the respectable and well thought of Jairus finds Jesus and throws himself down at his feet and begs him to come and heal his daughter.

What does it take to bring us to Jesus?

§ The day before on the lake the disciples had cried, "Master!" and it was fear for themselves that brought them to Jesus.

• And now the ruler of the synagogue cries, "Master!" and it was love lot his child that had brought him. A little child had led him.

If the little girl had always been strong healthy and happy, she never would have

Helped her father like this. Health is such a precious gift and praise God for

laughter in the nursery and in the schoolroom.

But there are crippled sons and fragile daughters who have led their fathers and

Their mothers straight to Christ, and they were the only one’s that could do it.

In every life there are broken and crippled things, and many times these are the

Things that will bring us to Christ.

For Jairus it was his precious little girl.

To the Sufferer God Seems to Move So Slowly!

From the shore to Jairus’s house was only a short distance, but that day to Jairus it never seemed so long. The news soon spread up the narrow streets that Jesus was back and every turn was blocked as the crowd gathered and grew, until at last it seemed impossible to get through, and Jairus must have groaned in despair and frustration.

Then just when the crowd was beginning to move there came a interruption. A poor sick woman had touched the hem of Jesus' robe and had been healed, and Jesus stopped (as he always did and still does) and called her out of the crowd to teach her that there was no magic here, but that her faith in God that had healed her.

And all this took so long for Jairus and how many times had he heard the old lady tell he story as she was no doubt well known in the small community.

But then came the sight of his servant fighting through the crowd and his heart broke. Because he knew in a moment the news his servant was carrying and all hope was gone.

§ How slow God often seems! How hard it often is to wait on Christ! How hard to see the ones we love in danger, how hard it is to wait. But you and I like Jairus must sometimes wait, because in that waiting other miracles are happening (like the lady with the issue of blood) and God is doing far more than we can see in the place of our trouble.

§ Waiting sometimes seems so wrong, and just when we have regained our feet and again stand, there always seems to come the messenger with more bad news that again shakes our world.

But beside Jairus there was Jesus.

Luke 8:50 But when Jesus heard, He answered Him, saying, Do not

fear, only believe and she shall be healed.

Reader this is no different for you and I, through out every trial the master is there.

For Jairus the rest of the journey to his front door must have been like a dream and he could recount nothing except Jesus words carrying him.

My friends we may never remember the times we are carried by the master but when we get to the end of our days on this earth and meet Jesus we will look into his eyes, and those times will come flooding back to us and all we will be able to utter is “my Saviour how great thou art”.

The world mocks the faithful

At last Christ reaches the house carrying the anointing power that could have moved a mountain but instead of crashing in he stops with tender courtesy and he waves all back, except Peter and James and John and the parents. There were to be no sightseers here.

At this point the sound of hypocrisy and the white washed walls greets the ears of Jesus.

Luke 8:52 And all were weeping and bewailing her. But He said, Do

not weep; she has not died, but sleeps.

"Weep not," said Christ, anxious to quiet the uproar, and how unreal their grief was we can now see, as when the next moment they broke into scornful laughter and rebuked the Christ.

• When the bubble of religion and false belief is pricked the result is often harsh and bile filled as the hypocrisy is uncovered.
• Also there may be other reasons, for example in this account it may be because the mourners were worried that they wouldn’t get paid if she was indeed only asleep, and after all they had been around death a great deal because it was there job and who was this Christ anyway.

So Jesus throws them out.

• Jesus loves everyman but there are times when tables need to be overturned and devils cast out.
• Liberality in the Church is not love but compromise that is set only to please men.

He took then took the little girls hand, and called, "Talitha cumi!" "And her spirit returned, and she arose; and He commanded that she be fed. Can you wonder that her parents were amazed? Do you not see why Christ wished it kept a secret? Think what would happen if the news spread that a dead girl in your street was raised to life; think how people would crowd to see her, till the excitement would make her ill again; think of the stir and tumult that would surround the man who raised her, and you will understand the reticence of Christ. Think also on the effect on the house of Jairus everyone would know his secret possibly before he was willing to share it.

Jesus knew these things as he entered the house, but his tender love took these into account to protect and up hold this little family.

There are so many lessons from this beautiful story, but here are a few to meditate on

Christ's Hatred of Insincerity

The women who wailed were wailing for a fee. They beat their breasts at so much per hour. Had their grief been genuine, Jesus would have been ver

y pitiful. But it was insincere, and He turned them out. Christ hates all shams. He cannot tolerate hypocrisy. He excludes from His company the insincere.

The Unfailing Thoughtfulness of Jesus

It was He who commanded that the maid should have food. Jairus loved his daughter, and would have died for her. But in the joy of that hour he never noticed that she was hungry. Christ noticed what Jairus failed to see.

Those That Are Called Early Are Called Easily

The little girl was newly dead. She had not been lying in her grave, like Lazarus. So here there is no agony of spirit, no crying with a loud voice; but all is quietly and easily done. All spiritual awakening is the work of God, but the young are the most easily awakened. There are no grave clothes to bind them yet, no long-continued sins have made them loathsome.

Fathers and mothers I beg you realize their opportunity, and plead with God for your children’s definite salvation, because the years of tenderness are so short and sweet. Take the opportunity do not delay. Because Christ still is saying, "Suffer the children to come unto me."

Pray for then, pray with them, take them by the hand and lead them as Christ has led you. See them baptized and know that one day they will be nation changers for God.