Waiting in the Aftermath of the Storm

Mark 5:21-23 (ESV)

²¹ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. ²² Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet²³ and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.⁴³ And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

My intent today was to write about Jesus' unconditional love for the Samaritan woman from John 4. However, in the dark aftermath of the storms which leveled parts of Oklahoma yesterday, I sense the Lord would have us look back at the passage from Sunday's blog. On Sunday, we focused on the woman with the issue of blood.  Today, I am reminded of Jairus' story which is told in part before Jesus' encounter with the woman and finished afterward. When Jairus left his young daughter sick and almost at the point of death, he had no idea how he would find her when he returned home. His only hope was to go and seek out Jesus. His story seems almost interrupted as Jesus stops to take time to interact with the woman who had been afflicted for  12 years. When Jairus' story continues, some people arrived from his home with news that his daughter had passed away. Jesus insisted they go to Jairus' house anyway. The Lord passed through the mourning crowd and made his way to the child's room where He privately restored her life.
We could ask the same questions concerning Jairus' daughter as we have asked the past few days regarding Jesus' unconditional love for the women in the other passages? I suggest we do that on our own, but for now, let's consider Jairus in relationship to the parents who have waited through the long night to hear about their children. The last these mothers and fathers knew, their children were in harm's way almost at the point of death. As they wait to hear of their fate, their only hope is to call out to Jesus. Regardless of the outcome, Jesus intends to make His way to their homes and offer healing either to the children or to the grieving hearts of the parents. Jesus is not delayed for He cannot be delayed. He is not late for He refuses to be late. May their hope be in Jesus as they wait. May they trust His sovereignty, feel His love, and be comforted by His Holy Spirit.