A Few Good Men

WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR 1992 WAS A FILM STARRING TOM CRUISE AND JACK NICHOLSON ENTITLED “A FEW GOOD MEN.” FROM THIS MOVIE WE GET THE MEMORABLE QUOTE FROM JACK NICHOLSON’S CHARACTER (COLONEL NATHAN JESSUP) TO TOM CRUISE CHARACTER (LT. DANIEL KAFFEE) “YOU WANT THE TRUTH, YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH.” THE MOVIE CENTERS AROUND TOM CRUISE CHARACTER, A YOUNG LAWYER WILLING TO JEOPARDIZE HIS CAREER IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH IN DEFENDING TWO MARINES ACCUSED OF MURDER WHILE ACTING UNDER ORDER.

HOWEVER, THE CONCEPT OF A FEW GOOD MEN DID NOT EMERGE EXCLUSIVELY FROM THIS 1992 MOVIE. RECALL, IF YOU WILL IN GENESIS 18 ABRAHAM RECEIVES WORD FROM THE LORD THAT HE IS GETTING READY TO DESTROY THE CITIES OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH BECAUSE OF THE WICKEDNESS IN THE LAND.

ABRAHAM PLEADS THAT IF THERE ARE FIFTY RIGHTEOUS MEN, FOR GOD TO SPARE THE CITY. AFTER NEGOTIATING HIS ORIGINAL PLEA OF FINDING FIFTY RIGHTEOUS MEN DOWN TO TEN RIGHTEOUS MEN, THE QUEST TO FIND TEN RIGHTEOUS MEN PROVE FUTILE AND CONSEQUENTLY THE CITIES OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH ARE DESTROYED.

I WONDER AT A TIME WHEN:

88% OF DRUNK DRIVERS ARE MEN.

83% OF PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR SERIOUS CRIMES ARE MEN.

85% OF ALL MURDERS ARE COMMITTED BY MEN.

ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR MEN HAVE BEEN TO JAIL, IN JAIL, OR HEADED TO JAIL.

WHEN MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE ULCERS, AND TO DIE FROM CANCER, PNEUMONIA, LIVER DISEASE, STROKES, HARDENING OF THE ARTERIES AND HEART FAILURE . . .

WHEN 75% OF ALL SUICIDES ARE MEN,

I WONDER THAT IF GOD WAS TO GO LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN WHAT THE VERDICT WOULD REVEAL?

WELL COME WITH ME AS WE EVALUATE AND ANALYZE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD MAN.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MAN?

IT’S NOT THE CLOTHES HE WEAR

HOUSE – LIVES IN

CAR – DRIVES

LOOKS, PHYSIQUE, OR BANK ACCOUNT STATUS

BUT WHAT MAKES A GOOD MAN IS HIS ABILITY TO:

LEAN ON THE LORD

LEAD OTHERS TO THE LORD

LEARN THAT HE CAN TRUST IN THE LORD

IN OUR TEXT WE FIND A PARADIGM OF A GOOD MAN.

WE FIND A MAN BY THE NAME OF JAIRUS (JAY-I-RUS), A MAN OF POSITION, POPULARITY, PLAUDITS, PROMOTION, POWER, AND AUTHORITY. YET THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WITH ALL HE HAD AND HAD GOING ON FOR HIM, IT DID NOT NEGATE THE FACT THAT HIS DAUGHTER LAID AT THE POINT OF DEATH.

RECALL HOW NAAMAN IN SECOND KINGS, CHAPTER FIVE . . . LEPROSY.

UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU HAVE, AND HOW MUCH YOU HAVE OF IT; TROUBLE WILL FIND YOU. AND WHEN TROUBLE FINDS YOU, YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHO TO FIND.

TEXT (MARK 5:22 & 23) – JAIRUS (JAY-I-RUS) SOUGHT OUT JESUS. HE SOUGHT OUT JESUS BECAUSE AS A TEMPLE WORSHIPPER, HE KNEW THAT IF HE SOUGHT JESUS, WHILE HE COULD BE FOUND, THAT HE WOULD INDEED FIND SOMEBODY HE COULD LEAN ON.

JAIRUS WAS AWARE OF EVERYTHING THAT WENT ON IN HIS COMMUNTY AND THEREFORE KNEW JESUS WAS IN THE VICINITY. JAIRUS SOUGHT JESUS, KNOWING THAT IF HE FOUND HIM, HIS SITUATION WOULD CHANGE FOR THE BETTER OR AT LEAST JESUS WOULD BETTER PREPARE HIM TO DEAL WITH THE CHANGE IN HIS LIFE. . .

THE TEXT DOES NOT PRIVY US TO WHY HIS DAUGHTER WAS ILL

WHO – FAULT

WHAT – CAUSE OF HER ILLNESS

HOW LONG – SICK

WHEN THE SYMPTOMS FIRST APPEARED

MARK JUST INFORMS THAT JAIRUS WAS AT A MOMENT IN HIS LIFE WHERE HE KNEW THE ONLY ONE HE COULD TRULY LEAN ON WAS JESUS . . .

V.38 INFORMS US THAT JAIRUS LED JESUS TO HIS HOUSE, BUT IN ACTUALITY HE WAS LEADING HIS HOUSE TO JESUS.

EVERY GOOD MAN/FATHER IN ADDITION TO SHOWING HIS CHILDREN HOW TO:

SAVE

BUDGET

TEACHING HIS SON – HOW TO KNOT A TIE

MODELING FOR HIS DAUGHTER WHAT SHE SHOULD LOOK FOR IN A MAN

SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT LEADING THEM TO JESUS . . .

LASTLY, A GOOD MAN NOT ONLY LEANS ON THE LORD, LEADS OTHERS TO THE LORD, BUT A GOOD MAN LEARNS THAT HE CAN TRUST IN THE LORD.

V.35 INFORMS US THAT AS JAIRUS AND JESUS HEADED TO JAIRUS HOUSEHOLD . . .

CROWD IN V. 36 CAME RUNNING - “DAUGHTER IS DEAD, DON’T BOTHER JESUS . . . TOO LATE.”

BUT I’M GLAD THAT NO PROBLEM – IS A BOTHER

AND NO PROBLEM IS TOO LATE TO TURN AROUND

V.36 – JESUS TOLD JAIRUS “DON’T LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, JUST BELIEVE THAT I CAN DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL. . . “ SOMETIME YOU HAVE TO BLOCK OUT THE CROWD AND JUST LEARN TO TRUST IN THE LORD.

LOOK AT VERSES 37-40, THE PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT THE NEGATIVE REPORT AND THE PEOPLE MAKING A BUNCH OF NOISE, JESUS EXCLUDED THEM FROM HIS PRESENCE . . .