Mark 5:35-36“While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”
Picture Mark chapter 5 in widescreen, hi-definition format in your mind. The story which begins in verses 22-23 is not the story you expect it to be. What is the story about? A ruler named Jairus comes to Jesus because his daughter is sick-almost dead, in fact. See the title “The Healing” scroll across the screen. Verse 24 says, “And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.” Can you hear the orchestra build as a great throng of characters enters the frame? With great anticipation, the Lord Jesus is going to Jairus’ house to heal his daughter!
But then the story turns, almost abruptly, as a character enters the screen that is not in the script. A woman, with “an issue of blood,” becomes the focus of the Lord’s and our attention, and we forget all about Jairus. “The Healing” becomes the story of a woman who cuts in line! Think of how you would have felt in Jairus’ sandals. The reason we are not up in arms about her cutting in line is that our daughter is not the one dying! This “issue of blood”-whatever it may have been and in spite of all of the treatments and doctors-was not life-threatening. But the Lord directs His attention to her and away from the man with the critically sick daughter.
On the surface, this story looks like mighty sorry triage. The Lord passed over helping a girl near-death in order to help this lady whose condition was not life threatening. But the Lord Jesus is not all about triage; He is interested in miracles and multitasking.
Has someone cut in line in front of you before? I remember being in a chicken restaurant in Fort Myers, FL, when two old men in front of us got into a tussle-over cutting in line. These two old-timers looked like they might croak if they fought, but neither one was giving an inch! No one likes to be cut in front of, and the story in Mark 5 is literally life-and-death!
As Jesus wraps up speaking to the woman, a servant of Jairus came and told him in verse 35, “Thy daughter is dead.” How would you feel now? His daughter is dead, and this lady with some non-life-threatening issue is healed. But he was there first!
Notice the Lord’s words in verse 36: “Be not afraid, only believe.” You see, the Lord Jesus is a multitasker. It was not too much for God to heal both the woman and-as it became-raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
We also learn that the Lord is never late. “The Healing” now has become “The Raising.” God is not stressed because He knows the beginning from the end.
Last of all, the Lord never forgets. We forget, don’t we? Jairus might have thought the Lord forgot about him since this lady cut in line. But the Lord never forgets. He is sufficient for both the big things and the small things today.
Prayer Requests: – Revival services tonight in Harned, KY and Marana, AZ |