Moments with the Master Series
A TEARFUL MOMENT
Mark 5:21-43
Intro
In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was finally extinguished, the fire had taken over 300 lives and had left some 100,000 homeless. A man by the name of Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. Spafford, a Chicago lawyer, who had invested heavily into the downtown area, lost everything as a result of that fire. More tragically, Spafford had also suffered the loss of his only son just a year earlier. Still, for two years Spafford assisted the homeless, impoverished, grief-stricken and others ruined by the fire.
After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, and then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.
Their ship never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship and sank within 20 minutes. Though Horatio’s wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters were killed. Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "Saved alone."
Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife. When the ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, Spafford penned these precious words to Hymn 410 – It is Well with My Soul
When peace, like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll.
What ever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well; it is well, with my soul.
Of course, there is more to that story and more to that song, but that is an illustration of how God can work in the midst of tragedy.
Now, every one of us has been impacted by tragedy to some degree. Whether it is illness, infirmity, death, or any of the thousands of things that can touch us, we have all experienced pain. Whether it is the pain of a broken body, a broken heart, or a broken spirit, tragedy has touched us all. Whether the pain is physical in nature or spiritual, we have all been affected. Jesus said it would be this way. I want you to remember that when tragedy comes your way, Jesus is more than adequate to take care of the situation.
In this passage, we are confronted with a father who is experiencing tragedy. That day, death showed up at the house of Jairus and it had come for his 12 year old daughter. He heart is broken, and in the midst of his tragedy, he turns to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jairus found out that Jesus is more than enough in the times of our tragedy.
Today, I want to look in on the events of this passage. I want us to look closely at this tragic, tearful time and see how Jesus is able to snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat.
I. A PITIFUL DIALOGUE (vv. 21-23)
A. The Accomplishments of Jairus (v. 22)
• We are told that this man is a “ruler of the synagogue”.
o That is, he is a man of prominence, position, prestige, privilege, prosperity and power in the community.
o He was a man who had it all, but at this moment in time, none of it mattered!
o When Jairus spoke, people listened.
• But, now, he finds himself in a place where none of that matters anymore!
o Sickness and death could care less about whom this man is, what he possesses or the position he holds.
o Here is a man who is religious.
But, his religion is powerless to help him in this situation.
• I guarantee you that Jairus would have traded everything for the power to change his situation.
o You see, life became much defined for Jairus!
He had everything, or so he thought.
In reality, what he had in the world meant nothing!
o You see, death had come to the house of Jairus, and it had come for his real treasure.
o His “little daughter”, was dying and she was his real treasure!
• Some people spend their entire lives amassing power and wealth.
o But, when tragedy comes, those things mean absolutely nothing!
Death doesn’t care if you are a millionaire!
Sickness and sorrow don’t care if you have power, prestige, position, or popularity.
o When tragedy and death comes calling, you better know one greater than yourself.
You better know where to go to get the help you need!
You see, life will come into crystal clear focus when tragedy comes!
What you think matters now will cease to matter then.
o Jairus knew where to go, do you?
B. The Attitude of Jairus (v. 22)
• Somewhere, Jairus had heard about Jesus.
o Somehow, God had opened the eyes of this Jewish official and he saw that Jesus was his only hope.
o And now, at the very moment his daughter is dying Jesus just happens to be passing through town.
o A coincidence, I Think Not!
o It was the divine plan of God that allowed their paths to cross.
o God is always passing by!
• Notice how this man of position and power came before Jesus Christ.
o He came reverently, prayerfully and passionately.
o The Bible says that he “fell at His feet”, v. 22.
o In other words, this big man humbled himself in the presence of the Lord.
• This is a secret many people never learn.
o Before you are ever going to get anywhere with the Lord, you are going to have to humble yourself in His presence.
You are going to have to get small before Him.
You are going to have to come to the place where He is everything and you are nothing.
One of the greatest truths in the Bible is this: The way up is down!
o When we come to the place where we see our own inability and His ability, then we are in a position to receive what we need from Him!
C. The Acknowledgment of Jairus (v. 23)
• When this man comes to Jesus and makes his petition to the Lord, he is saying, “I cannot do this thing, but I believe you can!”
o What a statement of faith!
o Friend that is the place we have got to get to in life!
o Whether it be for the salvation of your own soul, the salvation of a loved one or for help in a time of tragedy, we have got to reach the place where we know that while we can’t, He can!
• There are some in this room and you have been trying to fight your battles in your own power.
o You keep losing.
Friend, you need to get to the altar, and hand it to God and say, "Lord, I can’t fight these battles, but you can! I can’t win the victories I need in my life, but you can!"
o What I am saying is that we need to come to the place of absolute surrender!
To that place where we and all we have are at the feet of God.
To the place where we say, "I can’t Lord, but You can!"
II. A PAINFUL DELAY (vv. 24-35)
A. The Interest of the Savior (v. 24)
• When Jairus shares his story with Jesus, he receives a sympathetic ear.
o Jesus is interested in his need and goes with Jairus to his house.
• What a blessed truth that is!
o When you bring your need to Jesus, He will be on His way to do something about your need.
Satan and others may have told you that Jesus just doesn’t care about you.
Nothing could be farther from the truth!
He cares and He cares deeply.
B. The Intrusion of Sickness (vv. 25-34)
• As Jesus goes with Jairus, they are stopped by the woman with the issue of blood.
o This delay must have gripped the heart of Jairus.
o No doubt, he is impatient and wants the Master to hurry.
o It must have been confused to why Jesus would stop and deal with this issue, when his little daughter was lying at deaths door.
• None of the Gospel writers ever record anything that Jairus said during this delaying time.
o He isn’t seen impatiently pulling on the robes of Jesus to hurry Him along.
o He doesn’t interrupt our Lord’s dialog with this poor woman.
• He merely waits until Jesus is free and can continue on with him.
o This is the response of faith!
o Here is a man who has come to the place where he knows that he cannot solve his problem.
o He has placed that problem in the hand of Jesus and he has left it there.
o What a lesson for you and me!
o Regardless of the issue, when we bring it to God, learn to leave it with Him and see what He will do with it!
C. The Invasion of Sorrow (v. 35)
• During the time of delay, a servant of Jairus comes with tragic word: “Your daughter is dead!”
o Can you imagine how Jairus must have felt at that moment?
o His world must have fallen apart around him.
o All of his dreams and hopes were in an instant shattered and broken.
o I wonder if he said within his heart: “If it hadn’t been for the crowd, we would have gotten there in time and my daughter would have been alive. If that woman had not interrupted Jesus, we would have been home now and everything would be fine. If Jesus had not stopped to help that woman, my daughter would still be alive!”
o Surely, this man could not understand the reasons for his tragedy!
• How many times has a similar word come to our hearts?
o My how we are shaken by such news!
How we look back at the times we prayed about a matter and wonder why the Lord delayed and allowed this to happen.
o Friend, you aren’t the first to question God’s timing.
Mary and Martha questioned the Lord in His timing concerning the death of Lazarus.
The disciples in that storm must have questioned Jesus.
o But, did you know that our Lord’s delays are part of His eternal plan?
You see, in the end, Mary and Martha saw Jesus raise the dead and the disciples saw Him walk on water.
Neither would have had either experience had he not delayed His coming to them.
Sometimes, He tarries just because He loves us.
o So, when it seems that God is moving slow, don’t give up, because while God is seldom early, He is never late!
o Of course, what we see as a delay is really God moving at the right time!
III. A POWERFUL DELIVERANCE (vv. 36-43)
This tragic situation has transformed itself into an impossible situation. The little girl is no longer sick, now she is dead! Even at this tragic moment, it is interesting to see how faith reacts. Jairus has placed his faith in Jesus, and even in the face of death, his faith does not waiver! Notice how his faith in Jesus produced a great victory.
A. The Exclamation of Faith (v. 36)
• Jesus says to Jairus, “Be not afraid, only believe!”
o What a word of faith!
o Jesus is saying to him, “Don’t believe what you hear.
o Don’t believe what you see. Just trust Me!”
• That is what faith says to you today!
o Every instinct and every indicator may say, “It is hopeless!”
o But, faith looks to a God Who is greater than anything we can hear, know or see!
• All I am saying is, bring your need to Jesus.
o You trust your need to Jesus and you leave your need with Jesus!
Everything about the situation may say, “It’s not going to work out!”
But, you leave it in His hand by faith and trust Him with it.
He will work it out in His time and in His way.
o By the way, He may not work it out that way you want Him to!
Are you content to let Him do it His way?
• My friends, whether it is your own salvation, the salvation of another or any problem you want to name, He is more than adequate for the task.
o Get that problem into His hands and leave it there!
B. The Exclusions of Faith (vv. 37-40)
• Notice that Jesus put out everyone who did not believe Him.
o Those who lacked faith in Him were excluded from seeing Him move and work in power.
• Things haven’t changed!
o You see, faith believes the incredible, sees the invisible and receives the impossible.
• Unbelief receives nothing from the hand of God!
C. The Exhibition of Faith (vv. 40-43)
• When Jesus entered the room where that dead girl was lying, He took her by the hand and told her to rise and she did!
o When live came in death had to flee!
o How do we know she was alive?
o She had all the signs.
o She was living, she was walking and she was eating.
• By the way, these are signs of new spiritual life in Jesus!
o When those in the room saw what Jesus had dome, the Bible says they were “astonished with a great astonishment”.
o Those two words come from a word that means “to throw out of position; to be out of one’s mind.”
o Literally, when they saw Jesus do what He did, it blew their minds and left them with their chins hanging on their chests in amazement!
• Friend, He is waiting to do that same thing in your life today.
o He is waiting for you to bring your impossible situation to Him, leave it with Him by faith, and trust Him to deal with it in His time.
o Some of you need to bring your soul to Jesus today.
You need to be saved.
You need not fear that He won’t save you.
He will and He will fix that which is broken in your life.
o Some of you need to bring a lost spouse, a lost child or some other special person to Jesus today.
Put them in His hand and leave them to Him.
o Some need to bring a situation that is causing you fear and worry today.
Bring it to Jesus, give it to Him and watch Him change it for His glory!
o I don’t know what you need, but I know He has it for you.
Why not get the peace, comfort and help you need today?
Closing
A Methodist preacher by the name of Luther Bridges, was born in 1884, he married Sarah Veatch and three lovely sons were born. Pastor Bridges accepted an invitation to minister at a conference in Kentucky in the year 1910, so he left his family in the care of his father-in-law and made the trip to Kentucky. There, two wonderful weeks of ministry resulted. The last service closed with great joy and he was excited to be called to the telephone. He couldn’t wait to tell his wife about all the blessings.
But it wasn’t her voice on that long distance line. He listened in silence to the news that a fire had burned down the house of his father-in-law and his wife and all three of his sons had died in the blaze. That distraught father leaned heavily on His Savior and expressed his faith in God during a tearful moment by penning these words to Hymn 425: He Keeps Me Singing
There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
In all of life’s ebb and flow.
You see, the supply for our need will only be found in Jesus Christ. I invite you to do what Jairus did so long ago. Get up, come to Jesus, fall at His feet and tell Him what you need.
