Into The Chamber Of Death

Come to Jesus. When we say, “Come to Jesus,” we speak not as the world understands. To those perishing, “Come to Jesus,” according UrbanDictionary (a profane resource, but one that shows the spirit of this age) is, “Getting called on the carpet, dressed down, or otherwise chewed out in a sever manner; to not necessarily using religion, to tell the truth.” Coming to Jesus is judgmental, scary, negative. But for us, coming to Jesus, is returning to Him Who made us; it’s discovery of healing; it’s being freed from suffering.

Come to Jesus. “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake” (Mk. 5:21). The crowd gathered for various reasons. Some wanted to be healed, some wanted to learn, some wanted to have Him tickle their intellects, others wanted to scrutinize and judge Him, others wanted to enjoy the whole spectacle. The crowd gathered for diverse reasons, some good, some neutral, and some bad. Coming to Jesus isn’t simply gather around Him, like the crowd. Crowds gather and crowds disperse: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Is. 40:8).

Come to Jesus. “Then one of the synagogue rulers, name Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet, and pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live’ ” (Mk. 5:22–23). Jairus didn’t come to the lake to gather around Jesus; rather, he came with a purpose. Jairus pleaded with Him: “May your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need” (Ps. 79:8). Jairus was not interested in casual observation of the Rabbi, nor in stimulating discussion with Him about this or that interpretation of the Law, nor even in his own relationship to God. All that mattered at that moment was Jesus laying His hands on his daughter and healing her.

The woman also came to Jesus, but through another route. She was part of the crowd, perhaps attracted by the commotion. “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak” (Mk. 5:27). She didn’t know who Jesus was, but when she found out that He was a healer (of the demoniacs, of fever, of various diseases, leprosy, paralysis; even His disciples were given authority to drive out demons), she felt the urgency. She wove her way through the crowd, pressing on toward her goal.

After you’ve come to Jesus, that’s not the end. Walk with Jesus to your problem. “So Jesus went with him” (Mk. 5:24). It seems rather straightforward, but had Jairus not returned home, Jesus would not have entered it to heal his daughter. Yet I regularly fall down on this most basic act. I pray to God, “Help my nephew to overcome his anxieties,” and then I go along my merry way and fail to bring Jesus to my nephew. Jesus can come to heal on His own and He will be near those who are bowed down who call upon Him, but if we’re going to take the initiative and go to Him, we must be prepared to participate in the efforts.

And how marvelous is that? Jairus, not only could please with Jesus to heal his daughter, but he was able to lead Him into his house to the very side of her bed. Jairus participated in his daughters healing. With out his part, the Lord would have been back in the crowd beside the lake.

Likewise, the woman came up behind Jesus and didn’t stop there. “She touched his cloak” (Mk. 5:27). She might have pushed and shoved and gotten, not simply behind Him, but right up in front of Him, and just stared at her feet waiting for Him to do something. I too sometimes struggle with this; when the Lord shows me what I’ve done, I feel so stupid. Haven’t we all struggled with a problem—be it sickness, or broken relationship, or finances—and we pray to the Lord for Steve’s cancer, for Carol’s strength, for the lost people at the office, yet neglect to ask God for what we really need? Maybe I’m the only one? We push and shove all through the crowd up to Jesus, and then stare at Him and wait for Him to do something. But the woman reached out her hand. By that act she said, “Be merciful to me Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony” (Ps. 6:2).

Come to Jesus, walk with Jesus, then be not afraid but have faith in Jesus. Jesus agreed to go with Jairus to “put [his] hands on her so that she will be healed and live” (Mk. 5:23). Yet following the delay while the woman was healed, the girl died. “While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher any more?’” (Mk. 5:35). Jairus’ heart sank. What happened? “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe’” (Mk. 5:36). The Lord agreed to come and heal her. The promise seemed impossible now. Jairus never imagined that this would happen. Jesus didn’t lie to Jairus; He wasn’t leading him on.