"JAIRUS, A FATHER WHO KNEW WHAT TO DO!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte




MARK 5:22-24, 35-43

Well, it's Father's Day again! And again, it's one of those days when the sermons tend to be gender specific. I want to make it gender unspecific so the ladies and girls present won't be left out. We honor Fathers today, but the message fits all genders and ages. In the text we see a father with a problem. His little girl is sick and dying. But Jairus is a model for all of us. A model of faith. A model of a father who knew what to do. Let me share a story that illustrates this event. The story is about a man, Bob, and his wife, Annette, and their precious child, Blake. Blake became severely ill. But the parents were determined to do all they could to save his life, in spite of the life threatening illness. They went to see their doctor sure that he could help them. Jairus' daughter was also critically ill, and he, too, knew where to go for help.
  1. JAIRUS SOUGHT JESUS FOR HELP:
    1. He was a Jewish Synagogue leader. He might have jeopardized his standing in the Jewish community. People might laugh at him and reject him. But he had a problem and knew that Jesus was the answer.
    2. Jesus says, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV). Yet fathers (and non-fathers, too) frequently seek the wrong things first. Oh for fathers who seek Jesus first!
      1. Some fathers try everything else and then, sometimes, as a final resort will try Jesus. They are like the woman with a 12 year hemorrhage who had spent her entire living seeking help from the physicians who didn't help her. Then as a last resort she touched the hem of Jesus garment and was healed.
      2. Some fathers spend more time seeking golf balls than they do seeking Jesus.
      3. Some fathers spend more time seeking success than they seek to be faithful
      4. Some fathers spend more time seeking material possessions than treasures in heaven.
      5. But instead let us be like the Greeks in John 12:21 who came to Philip and said, "Sir, we would see Jesus!"
    3. Fathers, (and non-fathers, too) why should we seek Jesus for help? What does He have to offer? Why should He be sought first?
      1. We have the problem, He is the solution.
      2. We have the questions, He is the answer.
      3. We are weak, He is strong.
      4. We are foolish, He is wise.
      5. We don't know what to do, He has perfect knowledge.
      6. We are sinners, He is the Savior.
      7. We are guilty, He has forgiveness.
      8. We are small, but He is bigger than all the evil this world can throw at us.
      9. When we are friendless, He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother!
    4. What does the Bible say about seeking Him?
      1. "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29 (NIV).
      2. "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Psalms 34:10 (NIV).
      3. "Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6 (NIV).
      4. "This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: 'Seek Me and live;'" Amos 5:4 (NIV).

Blake's parents trusted their doctor and they trusted their Lord. They put the life of their precious son in the doctor's hands, and in the hands of Jesus. Jairus had that kind of confidence and faith in the Lord, so he did what Blake's parents did.

  1. JAIRUS PUT HIS DAUGHTER IN THE CARE OF JESUS:
    1. His plea was, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, that she may get well and live." That's putting her in the Master's hands.
    2. God give us fathers who are willing to bring their children to Jesus!  Fathers:
      1. Who actively invite Jesus into their homes.
      2. Who will dedicate their children to the Lord.
      3. Who will consistently raise their children to be active in His Body, the church.
      4. Who actively help their children come to obedient faith.
      5. Who care more for their children's spiritual upbringing than merely their physical well being.
      6. Who will lead their children to seek God's will for their lives.
      7. Who will put their children in the hands of Jesus by dedicating them to Him, and leading them to faith in Him.
    3. One mother said, "I am afraid to put my daughter in God's hands. He might make her a missionary or something terrible like that!" One father said, "I don't want to pray, 'Your will be done in my son's life!' I may not like His will!"
    4. But if we believe His Word, we know that "in His hands" is the best place to be!
      1. In Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) He said, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"
      2. In Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) He said, "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with My victorious right hand."

Jairus put his daughter in Jesus' hands and Jesus was moved by Jairus' faith. The doctor was impressed by the faith of Blake's parents. He knew the odds were not in their favor. He said, "I suppose your peace comes from your faith, but I never could exactly make out what faith is." "Well, doctor," the father said, "faith is just this, to trust God with your all your heart as we are trusting you with our son. We put him in your hands, and in God's hands, and we are leaving him there." Jairus had that kind of faith, too. Even when he got the news that his beloved daughter had died, his faith held.

  1. JAIRUS BELIEVED JESUS AGAINST ALL ODDS:
    1. The crowd said, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore." But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she shall be made well."
    2. Jairus believed that against all odds. He was like the person who wrote on the wall of one of the Nazi prison camps, "I believe in the sun even when it does not shine. I believe in love even when it is not expressed. And I believe in God even when He is silent." Jairus believed in life even though his daughter had died.
    3. Satan, the enemy, seeks to destroy our faith. The world is at war with faith. Our own natural inclination is to disbelief. But faith persists in believing anyhow.
      1. Believe God, not your own feelings.
      2. Believe God, not the popular opinion.
      3. Believe God, not the circumstances.
      4. Believe God, not the overwhelming and negative odds.
    4. The poem says, "Though times may be tough, and the road may be rough, just believe! Though you've cried many tears, and waited many years, just believe! If God said He will, then just be still, and believe! For God will truly do what He promised you if you just believe! Just believe in his word, trust in what you've heard; just believe! If your heart is broken, recall what he's spoken and just believe! For God cannot lie, so don't ask why, just believe! Let fear fade away, let your soul just say, 'I believe!'"

Blake's parents believed that God could heal and that the doctor could be his tool. They sought Jesus for help, they put their son in His hands and they believed, and Blake was cured. Jairus saw a miracle when he did that and his daughter was raised. We don't always see our loved ones healed; we have never had a loved one restored to us after death. But even then we need seek Jesus, to put things in His hands and to believe. While Jesus doesn't always respond in our time or in our way, He always works in a mighty way and according to His own will. He is too powerful to fail, too wise to make a mistake, and too loving to be cruel. When He doesn't answer as you wish, then is the time to believe His way is best. That's the time for faith. And faith always wins. Faith always triumphs. Faith is always the victory.

Story adapted from email illustration



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