Against All Odds (Revival At A Funeral)

Against All Odds

Scripture Reference: Mark 5:21-43

Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on June 16, 2019

Delivered by Rev. John Daniel Johnson

To all the Father’s among us, Happy Father’s Day. This morning take your Word of God and turn with me to the 5th Chapter of the Book of Mark. Even though I’ll start this message today, because of time, I’ll only be able to bring out only a portion of the message. This message is really in two parts: one where a man receives a blessing; the other where a woman receives a blessing.

Two separate miracles of Christ sandwiched into the same encounter. Since today is the day we remember the sacrifice of our earthly dads, and more importantly, to remember the great sacrifice of our Heavenly Father who sacrificed His only Son that we could have eternal life, I’ll begin with the life-changing encounter that a ruler by the name of Jairus had when he encountered Jesus.

The first three books of the New Testament record both of these miracles that Christ worked in the life of this man and this woman. Both miracles happened only moments apart. In these miracles of Christ we see how Jesus loves us, regardless of our condition, social status, or how much we can offer. One is rich; the other is poor. One is respected and honored; the other rejected and shamed. One is leader in the synagogue; the other was not permitted to enter. One had a 12-year-old dying daughter; the other with a 12-year-old life-taking infirmity. Both of these miracles are going to lead us into understanding that Against All Odds we must seek Jesus, cling to Him, stand with Him and cherish Him more than all things.

Read Text:

This morning we are introduced to our first recipient of Christ’s miracle in this passage. His name is given to us in the first three Gospels as Jairus. He is also described as a ruler of a synagogue in Capernaum. He was not a preacher, teacher or a rabbi, but was primarily in charge of the day to day activities of the synagogue. He was the manager of the building. He was a man chosen by his congregation because was deeply respected, he was a devoted and devout man, and he was a holy man of that possessed the ability to lead. No doubt he was a wealthy man. No doubt he was envied by his peers.

However, on this day, he had heard that Jesus was coming to town. Let me set the background of this miracle. The day before Christ had been in Capernaum teaching and healing. He and His disciples got into a boat and began to sail across the Sea of Galilee. During the voyage, Christ slept, but a mighty storm arose. Fearing for their lives, the disciples awoke Jesus. In return Jesus asked where their faith was. He then rebuked the wind and the winds and water obeyed. They sail to the country of the Gadarenes, opposite of Galilee. There they encounter a man who lived naked among the tombs and cut himself. Christ cast a multitude of demons out of this man. The demons entered a herd of pigs which in turn all ran off the side of a cliff and drown in the sea. Christ then boards the boat again and returns to Capernaum. There the crowd is still waiting. They had been waiting all night for the Savior to return.

When Christ returns, the crowd swarms Him. The Greek language emphasizes that they are pressed against Him. They are all over Him. In the midst of this chaos, Jairus falls at the feet of Jesus. This leads us to our first point of the message. First,

I. Against All Odds, Find Hope at the Feet of Jesus.

Jairus reached a point in his life that it didn't matter what the world could offer. It didn't matter how he appeared before man. He didn't care how the people would react. He knew that there was only One Source of healing for his family. As he approaches Jesus, his daughter is dying. Where most people would be by the deathbed, spending the last few moments with his daughter, Jairus leaves. He leaves the thought of death to run to the Giver of Life.

Throughout Scripture we discover the significance of falling at the feet of Jesus. It is a place of worship, a place of praise, it is a place of lowering ourselves down to His will, and it is a place of learning.

Illustration—over the past few years I’ve seen dozens of shirts and sayings like “Real Men Wear Pink.” Even though this saying is used to raise awareness for breast cancer, it also had to do with people overcoming their ‘phobas.’ From our earliest childhood, little boys like blue and little girls like pink. However, I want to share with you this truth. Real men will love Jesus without reservation. They will worship as an example for their children. They are not ashamed to praise Him. They are not embarrassed for people to see them seeking more of the Lord.