It was a sunny Saturday morning and the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air. Mike was beginning his pre-shot routine, visualizing his upcoming shot, when a voice came over the clubhouse speaker–”Would the gentleman on the Ladies Tee please back up to the Men’s Tee!”
Mike, still deep in his routine, seemed impervious to the interruption. Again the announcement–”Would the Man on the Woman’s Tee kindly back up to the Men’s tee, PLEASE!” Mike had had enough. He turned and shouted, “Would the announcer in the clubhouse kindly shut up and let me play my second shot!”
Some people just won’t be interrupted for anything!
My fourth grade teacher, Mr. Patty, was like that. He hated interruptions more than anyone I have ever known. He would get spitting mad if a student spoke out in the middle of a lesson or even if another teacher came to the door to ask him a question.
Our class eventually learned to use this to our own advantage. We all knew that Mr. Patty loved sports and that he was quite competitive. So, when it was time for recess, we often decided to play kickball and petitioned Mr. Patty to be our all time pitcher. If we could rig the game to keep the score close, Mr. Patty would get so focused on the game that he would forget all about our afternoon reading and spelling lessons. Sometimes we would have a 2 hour recess, until Mr. Boylen, our principal, would come out and tell him that it was time to go back inside. Mr. Patty would get so angry at the interruption that he would slam the big red rubber ball off the pitcher’s mound and say, “Kids, we’ll finish this game tomorrow!”
Wouldn’t it be nice to go through life without any interruptions? For that matter, wouldn’t it be great to get through a single day with no interruptions? No phone calls, e-mails, or text messages! No boss nagging, no coworkers complaining, no kids whining! Can you remember the last time you got through a whole day without any interruptions?
Jesus probably had a higher percentage of interruptions than anyone else in human history. It seems that every time he set out to preach and teach about the kingdom of God, he was interrupted by someone—his disciples, the Pharisees, and crowds of people clamoring for healings and miracles.
This is precisely what we find in today’s Scripture reading. As soon as Jesus returns from a difficult ministry journey on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, there was a large group of people who gathered on the shore to greet him. Why was this flock so eager to see Jesus? Because they all wanted something from him! But as usual, he takes the interruption in stride and begins to listen to the pleas and care for the needs of the crowd. Here is what happened!
The Bleeding Woman and the Dead Girl
One of the people standing in the crowd was a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue, the person responsible for organizing public worship. He was a prominent member of the community and everyone knew him. No doubt, he had heard about Jesus’ miraculous healings, because as Jesus approached, he frantically fell before Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house and heal his beloved daughter. His little girl was only 12 years old and she was dying. Jairus was desperate; he couldn’t bear the thought of losing his one and only daughter. As he pleaded with Jesus to come, he had two questions running through his mind: Would Jesus be willing to heal her and could they get there before it was too late? Thankfully for Jairus, Jesus set out right away.
But as Jesus made his first steps toward Jairus’ house, the crowd interrupted him by pressing in around him. They hemmed him in so close that they almost crushed him. While the mob was shouting their supplications at him, a woman came from behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. Even though he did not see it happen, he knew someone touched him because he felt power go out of him.
Jesus stopped everything and asked, “Who touched me?” Everyone denied it, and Peter pointed out the obvious fact that many people had touched him because the crowd was so thick. But Jesus persisted. The touch he asks about was no ordinary touch; it was a touch that pleaded for help and found it. The silent faith of the woman needed exposure.
When the woman realized that Jesus knew what she had done, with great fear, she reluctantly comes forward, falls at Jesus’ feet, and admits that she is the one who touched him. The woman didn’t want Jesus or anyone else to know that she touched him because of her physical condition. For the past 12 years, this woman had suffered from a menstrual disorder which caused a chronic flow of blood. Her condition was not only frustrating and embarrassing, but it also rendered her ceremonially unclean, isolating her from Jewish religious life. The Mosaic Law prohibited woman from entering worship during their monthly cycle.
This poor woman consulted all of the local doctors, but no one knew how to treat her problem. (I originally considered calling this sermon “The Failure of Physicians” but that might have hit a little too close to home.) Anyway, the woman believed that Jesus had the ability to heal her. Understandably, she didn’t want to be a public spectacle; all she wanted was to touch Jesus, an act that she hoped would restore her physically, spiritually, and socially. So, she got herself in position, touched him as he walked by, and immediately she was healed. She then hoped to fade away into the crowd and go along her merry way unnoticed.
But as she fell at Jesus’ feet, she related her story of suffering and explained why she touched him. Instead of rebuking her for her underhanded way of approaching him, he commended her for her faith. Jesus looked at her with deep compassion and softly whispered, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
While Jesus dealt with this interruption, one can only image the frustration that Jairus felt. His daughter was on the brink of death, but Jesus stopped to engage in a seemingly unnecessary conversation with this woman who had already been healed.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been in a hurry to get somewhere, but your traveling companion holds you up because they keep getting caught in needless conversations. This happens to me every Sunday after church—I am always waiting for my wife to finish talking!
Well, Jairus’ worse fears were realized. While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, someone from Jairus’ house pushed through the crowd and delivered the worst possible news. With great sorrow in his voice, he said, “Your daughter is dead.” Then, recognizing the reality of the situation, he added, “You may as well let the teacher go and not bother him anymore.” In that moment of complete exasperation, I’m sure Jairus wondered if the outcome would have been different had Jesus not succumbed to the interruption.
But hearing these words, Jesus looked at Jairus and offered these words of comfort, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” This was an incredible call to faith! Despite his feelings of disappointment, pain, and anger, Jairus takes Jesus at his word and leads him to his house.
When they arrived, Jesus allows only the family, Peter, John, and James to enter the room where the little girl’s corpse is lying. Outside the house, the mourners have already gathered. They were only called after it was absolutely certain that death had taken place. In the midst of community sorrow, Jesus calls them to stop, for the girl “is not dead, but asleep.” The crowd laughed at this ludicrous statement—for a great miracle worker, they probably wondered about Jesus common sense. This girl was gone. Her spirit was already separated from her body. She was deader than a doornail!
But Jesus paid no attention to the jeers of the crowd. He took the little girl’s hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit immediately returned to her body and she was restored to life. As she opened her eyes and stood up among them, her parents were absolutely astonished. Jesus then proves his practicality and tells them to give the girl something to eat. (Apparently, dying and coming back to life works up quite an appetite.)
Jesus concludes his interaction with this family by instructing them not to tell anyone what had happened. Anyone who knew that the girl was dead and then alive again would obviously know what happened, but Jesus did not want undue attention drawn to what he had done because this would turn him into a wonder worker with all of the public attention focused on that ministry rather than on his central teaching about the kingdom of God. (Bock 247-248)
Now that we have heard this incredible story, allow me to highlight a few lessons that we can take away from it!
1.) Some of God’s most profound work is accomplished during the interruptions of life.
Divine providence means that God is in guides every detail of our lives. Even though interruptions are typically annoying and frustrating because they deter us from accomplishing our immediate goals, God uses them to accomplish his goals in our lives. For instance, sometimes God orchestrates minor interruptions like unexpected telephone calls or someone stopping by to teach us patience and perseverance. Other times he uses major interruptions like disease, disablement, or the death of a loved one to bring us to our knees and remind us that we are not in control of our lives. He uses interruptions like this to show us our need for a savior. Whenever you experience the aggravation of interruption, open your spiritual eyes and look for what God is trying to do in your life!
2.) God timing and plan is perfect, even when it doesn’t seem like it.
I suspect that Jairus had difficulty understanding why Jesus would allow himself to be preoccupied with the bleeding woman when his little girl was dying. Time was of the essence! Likewise, it can be difficult for us to understand God’s timing and plan in our lives. We often want Jesus to act right now or according to our time table, but as in the case of Jairus’ daughter, we must trust that his timing and plan is perfect.
3.) God is sovereign over disease and death.
This story clearly illustrates Jesus’ power and authority over disease and death. He can heal us from long established ailments and even bring us back from death if he so desires. It is never a question of whether he can heal and deliver; the real question is if it is part of God’s plan. Even today, sometimes God chooses to heal (miraculously or otherwise) and sometimes he calls us to persevere in suffering. Although rare, sometimes God surprises us by bringing someone back from the dead. But usually he calls us to grieve so that we will contemplate where our own soul will spend eternity.
All of Jesus’ resuscitations were temporary. This little girl would die again someday. But Jesus’ demonstration of power over death here is a foreshadowing of his own resurrection and his offer of eternal life to whoever would put their faith in him. Have you received eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ?
4.) God calls us to not be afraid, but to just believe!
Jesus’ words to Jairus in verse 50 are profound, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” This is what Jesus says to us too. There are many things in this world that we do not understand, and we are afraid of the unknown. We constantly ask God questions, but he does not always answer. Why? Because he wants us to be driven by faith, not fear! He wants us to trust him! Therefore, I say to you, whatever you are facing today, don’t be afraid; just believe!