The Cost of Delay April 9
Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
The woman who had touched Jesus and had been made whole had had her crisis of faith. She had seen the physicians and spent all her money, but she had grown worse rather than better. Hearing of Jesus and then hearing Him herself, she transferred her faith to Him and is made whole.
We should not be too hard on her physicians or our own today. Healing is an art requiring understanding as much as knowledge, hearing more than speaking. Our illnesses are as unique as our personalities, and the same is often true of the cure (as opposed to the removal of symptoms).
We think of this interruption of Jesus’ mission to heal Jairus’ daughter as a delay merciful to the woman healed of her long standing issue of blood. We also think of this interruption of Jesus’ mission to heal Jairus’ daughter as resulting in the young girl's death.
Perhaps in Jesus’ words to the distraught father we also can see that there is another purpose in the delay, the healing of Jairus’ fractured spirit.
Seeing the blessing when confronted with personal tragedy is difficult. We often need to know the rest of the story in order to understand.
Only Believe April 10
Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
The announcement that Jairus’ daughter is dead would normally mean the end of the story. A healer is no longer relevant to the situation.
Jesus says, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” The story is not over if Jairus allows Jesus to continue.
Jairus has taken a leap of faith by coming to Jesus publicly to ask for the healing of his daughter. A lifetime of commitment to the doctrines of the Pharisees is now hanging by a thread. He can reclaim his old position by standing down, renouncing his faith in Jesus, and surrendering his daughter to death’s dominion.
Or he can imitate the woman just healed before the crowd.
Like the woman who had tried everything to no avail, Jairus must believe. Jairus’ two choices are to bury his daughter or to believe in Jesus’ power, believe in Jesus’ power even over death.
Jairus’ spiritual life hangs in the balance. His journey of faith has hit a roadblock, a literal dead end. The Jewish spiritual leader must decide the limit – or lack of limit – of his faith.
Death is inevitable, but the timing is variable. Like Hezekiah (2 Kings 20), we would bargain for more time for ourselves or for those we love.
The father’s belief in the Father working through the Son is the only hope for the restoration of life, both physical and spiritual.
No Mourners April 11
Mark 5:37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.
Jesus takes only three disciples with him as they follow Jairus. There is room enough for only those whom Jesus chooses to witness the event.
We can imagine the other nine disciples restraining the crowd from following. Peter and the brothers, James and John, receive advanced training from their teacher.
They arrive at the house to find mourning for the death of the girl under way. Jesus’ questioning of why they weep when she is only sleeping is met with derision and anger at His insensitivity.
The tradition of the Jews to hire mourners is an old one (e.g., 2 Chron. 35:25, Amos 5:16). Although there is genuine grief expressed by family and friends, the artificiality of the “tumult” is at odds with the event about to occur.
Jesus sends the mourners outside, leaving only the parents and the three disciples inside.
Life is full of distractions, even in death.
Arise April 12
Mark 5:41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
Taking a limp hand of the twelve year old girl, he commands in the local dialect, “Talitha (young girl), cumi (arise).” She rises up and walks.
His words are plain and simple, but with dunamis.
Who has ever defied the laws of nature so flagrantly as to bring the dead back to life? That the witnesses are amazed is an understatement.
When on the other side of the Sea of Galilee among the Gentiles, Jesus had been asked to leave. His parting command had been for the healed man to testify of what had occurred.
Here in nominal Israel, Jesus forbids anyone to speak plainly of what has occurred. Jesus’ mission is to spread the Good News, to show people the Father and to increase their faith.
His mission is not to end physical death. There was a reason for the initiation of physical death after the Fall. Life on earth still is not yet ready for immortality here.
The work He has before Him is to raise the living who are spiritually dead back to life.
Astonished April 13
Mark 6:1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
Jesus leaves Capernaum on the eastern shore of the sea and heads south toward His own country. His destination is Nazareth, the place where Jesus lived for so many years, the place He calls home, His own country.
There is irony in this phrase, “His own country,” of course. The country Jesus claims is not the country that claims Him.
We have witnessed the miracles in the land of the Gentiles and then in northern Galilee. Jesus returns to Nazareth, His home. Now, among those who think they know Him, there are no crowds. No one seeks His wisdom or His healing power.
Jesus is invisible among His people until the Sabbath when He teaches in the synagogue. The words He speaks, the thoughts that He expresses, the people have never heard spoken from the priests. Truth always has had difficulty when raised up against authority.
Like Jesus’ neighbors in Nazareth, we trust what we have been told by authority more than truth itself. We are unwilling to challenge our beliefs. What would happen if we had to change them?
This was the problem leading to the Fall, to Noah’s flood, to Babel, and throughout history until…what modern event in our own time?
Offended April 14
Mark 6:3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
The people of Nazareth may have heard something of Jesus’ miracles. Is Jesus, this native son, not just a man like themselves? Is He not the son of Mary and Joseph, a child they have watched grow into a man?
The reputed works of an absent Jesus give Him no honor. His contradiction of the teachings of men educated in the factual doctrine of the Temple is an insult to those who hear Him.
“So they were offended at Him.”
To offend is to “violate a law or rule…to cause discomfort.” The Greek word here is skandalizo, from which we get “scandal.”
How many times have we been offended by some remark or act, only to discover later its necessity and truth? Our limited perception of the world, our poor understanding of the fundamental principles of existence, create multiple opportunities for offense. And we move onward, oblivious of having closed the door on truth.
This is the state of the people of His native land. Is this also the state of what is reputed to be His legacy, “Christianity?” We…I still see His words in red through a fractured lens.
The giving of priority to other things - the tares of the world sprouting in the stony ground of my heart – put a veil over the teachings intended to give life in the kingdom of God here and now.
What must I do to have good soil so that truth can take root in my heart?
Their Unbelief April 15
Mark 6:4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
We have already seen Jesus’ brothers’ reaction to His ministry (Mark 2:21-35). The reaction of friends and acquaintances who have known Jesus as a child, as an adolescent, and as a young adult, is no better. They reject this new person as an imposter since he is but a man like themselves. After all, He is only a carpenter.
We have just seen the power of belief in the area of Capernaum. Jesus told the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid. Only believe.” And the woman with the issue of blood who touched His garment was healed by her faith.
We now see the power of unbelief.
We are familiar with the placebo effect, that a “cure” with no active ingredient is effective simply due to belief.
The nocebo effect is also possible, though less well publicized. Unbelief destroys the cure’s beneficial effects and there is no cure.
Jesus marvels at the faith of a centurion, a Gentile, in Matt. 8:10 and Luke 7:9.
In this verse, He marvels at the unbelief of Israelites. These are the people who have held the precious promises of God to themselves, yet here they deny the reality of the promises that a Gentile has accepted.
We can reject the gifts of God – and of Jesus. They are available to us only as we are willing to receive them.
Next day
Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
The woman who had touched Jesus and had been made whole had had her crisis of faith. She had seen the physicians and spent all her money, but she had grown worse rather than better. Hearing of Jesus and then hearing Him herself, she transferred her faith to Him and is made whole.
We should not be too hard on her physicians or our own today. Healing is an art requiring understanding as much as knowledge, hearing more than speaking. Our illnesses are as unique as our personalities, and the same is often true of the cure (as opposed to the removal of symptoms).
We think of this interruption of Jesus’ mission to heal Jairus’ daughter as a delay merciful to the woman healed of her long standing issue of blood. We also think of this interruption of Jesus’ mission to heal Jairus’ daughter as resulting in the young girl's death.
Perhaps in Jesus’ words to the distraught father we also can see that there is another purpose in the delay, the healing of Jairus’ fractured spirit.
Seeing the blessing when confronted with personal tragedy is difficult. We often need to know the rest of the story in order to understand.
Only Believe April 10
Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
The announcement that Jairus’ daughter is dead would normally mean the end of the story. A healer is no longer relevant to the situation.
Jesus says, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” The story is not over if Jairus allows Jesus to continue.
Jairus has taken a leap of faith by coming to Jesus publicly to ask for the healing of his daughter. A lifetime of commitment to the doctrines of the Pharisees is now hanging by a thread. He can reclaim his old position by standing down, renouncing his faith in Jesus, and surrendering his daughter to death’s dominion.
Or he can imitate the woman just healed before the crowd.
Like the woman who had tried everything to no avail, Jairus must believe. Jairus’ two choices are to bury his daughter or to believe in Jesus’ power, believe in Jesus’ power even over death.
Jairus’ spiritual life hangs in the balance. His journey of faith has hit a roadblock, a literal dead end. The Jewish spiritual leader must decide the limit – or lack of limit – of his faith.
Death is inevitable, but the timing is variable. Like Hezekiah (2 Kings 20), we would bargain for more time for ourselves or for those we love.
The father’s belief in the Father working through the Son is the only hope for the restoration of life, both physical and spiritual.
No Mourners April 11
Mark 5:37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.
Jesus takes only three disciples with him as they follow Jairus. There is room enough for only those whom Jesus chooses to witness the event.
We can imagine the other nine disciples restraining the crowd from following. Peter and the brothers, James and John, receive advanced training from their teacher.
They arrive at the house to find mourning for the death of the girl under way. Jesus’ questioning of why they weep when she is only sleeping is met with derision and anger at His insensitivity.
The tradition of the Jews to hire mourners is an old one (e.g., 2 Chron. 35:25, Amos 5:16). Although there is genuine grief expressed by family and friends, the artificiality of the “tumult” is at odds with the event about to occur.
Jesus sends the mourners outside, leaving only the parents and the three disciples inside.
Life is full of distractions, even in death.
Arise April 12
Mark 5:41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
Taking a limp hand of the twelve year old girl, he commands in the local dialect, “Talitha (young girl), cumi (arise).” She rises up and walks.
His words are plain and simple, but with dunamis.
Who has ever defied the laws of nature so flagrantly as to bring the dead back to life? That the witnesses are amazed is an understatement.
When on the other side of the Sea of Galilee among the Gentiles, Jesus had been asked to leave. His parting command had been for the healed man to testify of what had occurred.
Here in nominal Israel, Jesus forbids anyone to speak plainly of what has occurred. Jesus’ mission is to spread the Good News, to show people the Father and to increase their faith.
His mission is not to end physical death. There was a reason for the initiation of physical death after the Fall. Life on earth still is not yet ready for immortality here.
The work He has before Him is to raise the living who are spiritually dead back to life.
Astonished April 13
Mark 6:1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
Jesus leaves Capernaum on the eastern shore of the sea and heads south toward His own country. His destination is Nazareth, the place where Jesus lived for so many years, the place He calls home, His own country.
There is irony in this phrase, “His own country,” of course. The country Jesus claims is not the country that claims Him.
We have witnessed the miracles in the land of the Gentiles and then in northern Galilee. Jesus returns to Nazareth, His home. Now, among those who think they know Him, there are no crowds. No one seeks His wisdom or His healing power.
Jesus is invisible among His people until the Sabbath when He teaches in the synagogue. The words He speaks, the thoughts that He expresses, the people have never heard spoken from the priests. Truth always has had difficulty when raised up against authority.
Like Jesus’ neighbors in Nazareth, we trust what we have been told by authority more than truth itself. We are unwilling to challenge our beliefs. What would happen if we had to change them?
This was the problem leading to the Fall, to Noah’s flood, to Babel, and throughout history until…what modern event in our own time?
Offended April 14
Mark 6:3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
The people of Nazareth may have heard something of Jesus’ miracles. Is Jesus, this native son, not just a man like themselves? Is He not the son of Mary and Joseph, a child they have watched grow into a man?
The reputed works of an absent Jesus give Him no honor. His contradiction of the teachings of men educated in the factual doctrine of the Temple is an insult to those who hear Him.
“So they were offended at Him.”
To offend is to “violate a law or rule…to cause discomfort.” The Greek word here is skandalizo, from which we get “scandal.”
How many times have we been offended by some remark or act, only to discover later its necessity and truth? Our limited perception of the world, our poor understanding of the fundamental principles of existence, create multiple opportunities for offense. And we move onward, oblivious of having closed the door on truth.
This is the state of the people of His native land. Is this also the state of what is reputed to be His legacy, “Christianity?” We…I still see His words in red through a fractured lens.
The giving of priority to other things - the tares of the world sprouting in the stony ground of my heart – put a veil over the teachings intended to give life in the kingdom of God here and now.
What must I do to have good soil so that truth can take root in my heart?
Their Unbelief April 15
Mark 6:4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
We have already seen Jesus’ brothers’ reaction to His ministry (Mark 2:21-35). The reaction of friends and acquaintances who have known Jesus as a child, as an adolescent, and as a young adult, is no better. They reject this new person as an imposter since he is but a man like themselves. After all, He is only a carpenter.
We have just seen the power of belief in the area of Capernaum. Jesus told the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid. Only believe.” And the woman with the issue of blood who touched His garment was healed by her faith.
We now see the power of unbelief.
We are familiar with the placebo effect, that a “cure” with no active ingredient is effective simply due to belief.
The nocebo effect is also possible, though less well publicized. Unbelief destroys the cure’s beneficial effects and there is no cure.
Jesus marvels at the faith of a centurion, a Gentile, in Matt. 8:10 and Luke 7:9.
In this verse, He marvels at the unbelief of Israelites. These are the people who have held the precious promises of God to themselves, yet here they deny the reality of the promises that a Gentile has accepted.
We can reject the gifts of God – and of Jesus. They are available to us only as we are willing to receive them.
Next day
