A Parent's Grief Turned to Joy

In the last few chapters of Mark, Jesus’ display of power heightens as His enemies grow. From the raging sea, demon possession of Legion, and a woman hemorrhaging for over a decade, we see that nature, demonic forces, and disease bow to the Messiah’s authority. Now Jesus will face His greatest enemy: death.

Mark loves using a literary device where he sandwiches one story in between another to make a comparative point between the two. The healing of Jairus’ daughter serves as the bread surrounding the healing of the bleeding woman. The comparisons between the two stories jump off the page. The woman bled for twelve years; the girl died at twelve years old. Both received the title “Daughter.” Likewise, the contrasts stand out. The woman was poor; Jairus was rich. The woman had low social standing; Jairus was very important. The woman came in private; Jairus publicly approached Jesus. These similarities and differences allow Mark to communicate timeless principles. Jesus cares about all people—rich and poor, important and insignificant, powerful and weak, your daughters and everyone else’s daughters.

Jairus painfully learns this lesson as he watches Jesus care for another’s daughter, knowing that with each passing minute his daughter nears death. His stature could not rush Jesus. His money could not hurry up the Messiah. His power could not press Jesus. He, like everyone else, had to wait on the mercy and timing of Jesus.

Jairus’ worst nightmare comes to fruition as the envoy learns that his daughter died while waiting for his return. In that moment, one can imagine the thoughts swirling through Jairus’ head. Why did we have to stop for that woman? If only we had arrived earlier. All hope is lost. Jesus cuts through the chaos and asks Jairus to trust.

Jesus asked Jairus to trust Him to do something seemingly impossible: defeat death. Sure, Jesus can calm storms, drive out demons, and heal sickness, but can Jesus actually bring someone back from the dead? Jairus chooses faith, and he witnesses the resurrection of his daughter. Even death bows before Jesus because nothing is impossible with God.

Today’s lesson brings us to the crescendo of Jesus’ miracles before He heads to the cross. He defeated His greatest enemy and proved that His power supersedes that of whatever foe you might face. Jesus is greater than nature, demons, disease, and even death. A simple math equation might help us drive home this lesson. On one side of the equation write “Jesus,” on the other draw a blank line that you can fill in with any trial you face, and in between place the greater-than sign facing Jesus.