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F O O D F O R T HO UG HT ••
God uplifts
READ: Mark 5:36-43
REV. WILLIE BOTHA
A SYNAGOGUE COUNCIL MEMBER APPROACHED
JESUS AND FELL DOWN BEFORE HIM. ONE COULD
HEAR THE DESPERATION, FEAR AND URGENCY WHEN
HE SAID: “MY DAUGHTER IS ON HER LAST. PLEASE
LAY YOUR HANDS UPON HER SO THAT SHE CAN BE
HEALED AND LIVE.”
J
esus immediately went with
him. While they were
still on their way, Jairus’ people
arrived with the bad news. His
daughter had just died. The last
bit of hope which he had was
destroyed. Jesus reassured him:
Don’t be upset. Just believe!”
It was chaos at Jairus’ home.
Professional mourners used to
go to houses when someone
died. People were hysterical. The
mourners were playing on flutes
and clapping their hands, emphasising the tragedy of the moment.
When Jesus remarked that the little girl was merely sleeping, people
laughed in His face. Death could,
after all, not be mistaken.
In the inner room He took the
child by the hand and said:
“Talita, koemi!” It means: “Little
girl, I am telling you to get up!”
She got up immediately and
started walking. The fact that she
could walk and that she had to
be given something to eat would
have been a sign to the people that
she had been healed and that she
was alive.
This story teaches us that the
superhuman powers of Jesus are
undeniable. Jesus is able to change
situations which, from a human
point of view, seem to be hopeless.
Situations as hopeless as death.
Raising the little girl from the dead
echoes Mark’s important message:
“The Kingdom of God is close.”
Suffering is part of life. Mark is
realistic when writing the gospel. If
Jesus, the Son of God, had to suffer
so terribly, the followers of Jesus
should know that suffering will
also be part of their lives. However,
the important thing is that Jesus
should be right there in our times
of suffering.
The story also emphasises the role
of faith. We are inclined to tone
down our faith to “Jesus died for
our sins”. Faith also has another
side. In Jairus we see a person at
the end of his human abilities and
solutions and who extends his hand
to Jesus in faith, expecting Him to
help. We are living in a time during
which we place a lot of trust in
expertise and technology. Perhaps
we should rediscover this facet of
faith.
In this story Jesus changes human
desperation, fear and prayer to
amazement - from being laughed
at to being speechless. Jairus’ name
is the Greek version of Jair, which
means God uplifts.
We are not spared the suffering
of this world, but if we no longer
know where to go, this story teaches us that Jesus will never reject our
extended hand of faith.
SENWES Scenario • OCT/NOV 2016
57