STUDY THEME: BEING GOD’S AGENT IN CRISIS TIME 5-5-02

“MINISTRY IN PHYSICAL CRISIS.”

MARK 5:21-24, 35-36, 37-40, 41-43.

PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO MARK 5.

As we begin this four lessons study on “Christians’ Ministering in Crisis” we should first define the words “crisis.” It has different meanings for adults. To a young adult it might mean the stress of changing jobs or having a child. Some middle-aged adults experience mid-life crises when life loss meaning and direction. Older adults experience health or aging crises. Today’s lesson treats Jesus ministering to sick and dying people. His raising Jairus’ daughter reminds us to be compassionate to the sick and bereaved.

Let me confess that I struggle to know how to respond to people who are experiencing physical crises. I am uncomfortable with making visits to hospitals and funeral homes because I never know what to say and do. I remember in the 8^th grade three of my classmates were injured. I went to the hospital room to see my friend. He and the other two boys had removed the temporary plug from an abandoned oil well and were dropping things down into the well and listening for them to strike the water. My friend dropped a board that had nails. The spark ignited the gas and the explosion blew away my friends eyes, ears and upper lip. The other boys received less injury.

I walked over to my friend’s bed and just stood there. I was so shocked at his condition I was speechless. He said, “who is there?” I replied, “It is me.” I didn’t know what to say. Finally I told him my name and inquired how he was doing and hurried from the room. I have never been comfortable beside a sick person’s bed since. I was relieved when I became acquainted with my fishing friend shortly after he had bypass surgery. He said “I want to make pact with you. If I go to the hospital you will not visit me, and if you go I will not visit you.” So far we have honored that contract.

Mark 5 contains three miracles Jesus performed that revealed His power over demons, sickness, and death. His actions revealed His compassion that moved Him to minister to persons in need. The actions of Jesus toward the father and his daughter and a sick woman show us how we can minister to others in their times of sickness and death.

1. PLEASE READ MARK 5: 21-24.

The first 20 verses of Mark 5 deal with the healing of the demon-possessed man of Gadara who became the first Gentile missionary. Among all the stories of the ministry of our Lord, none, in certain regards, is more beautiful than this of the two sorrowful souls who found their way to Him, and were comforted. There are all the elements of crisis here.

It is one story. Matthew, Mark and Luke each record it in the same way, each telling how, while Jesus was on His way to the home of Jairus, the woman came to him, and, from the viewpoint of Jairus, hindered Him; but from the standpoint of Jesus, enabled Him to help Jairus as he witnessed the healing of the distressed woman by merely touching the garment of Jesus.

Taken thus, as one story, it is supremely a revelation of the sensitiveness of the Servant of God to human sorrow; and of His ready, almost eager response thereto. In language most simple and most natural, the suffering ones are presented to us. To read this story naturally, is inevitably to be brought into very close sympathy with these two suffering people. Such emotional sympathy prepares us for the appreciation of the tenderness an strength of the attitude and activity of Jesus, as the result of which peace and joy took the place of turmoil and sorrow in the experience of these two people.

Though he was a layman, Jairus, a Ruler of the Synagogue was responsible for the upkeep of the building and the proper conduct of the service and the choice of Torah readings. We may assume that, as the leader of the Synagogue at Capernaum, Jairus shared the views of those religious leaders who were opposed to Jesus. Certainly Jairus knew what Jesus had done in the synagogue and in Capernaum. He had to have some knowledge about Jesus’ reputation as a healer in order to come to Him with his own deep need. If he had held negative attitudes toward Jesus, he laid them aside when he came to Him. He came to Jesus humbly, desperately, and with faith.

Jairus was an important (and thus probably a proud man), but he totally and publicly humbled himself when he came to Jesus. He humbled himself when he fell at his feet. It is also said of Jairus that he pleaded earnestly with Him. What brought this important man to Jesus? Jairus quickly stated his desperate need. He blurted out. “My little daughter lieth at the point of death. Later we learn that his daughter was12 years old. According to the Jewish custom a girl became a woman at 12 years and one day. This girl was just on the threshold of womanhood, and when death comes at such a time it is double tragic.

The Ruler of the Synagogue was one of the most important and the most respected men in the community. But something had happened to him when his daughter fell ill and when he th9ught of Jesus.

1. His prejudices were forgotten. He was a big enough man to abandon his prejudices in his

hour of need.

2. His dignity was forgotten. He the Ruler of the synagogue, came and thre3w himself at the feet of Jesus, the wandering teacher. Not a few times a man has had to forget his dignity to save his life and to save his soul.

3. His pride was forgotten. It must have taken a conscious effort of humiliation for this Ruler of the Synagogue to come and ask for help from Jesus of Nazareth.

4. It seems to me that we can say of this man that his friends were forgotten. It may well be that, to the end, they objected to him calling in this Jesus. It is rather strange that he came himself and did not send a messenger. It seems unlikely that he would consent to leave his daughter when she was on the point of death. Maybe he came because no one else would go. It may well be that this ruler defied public opinion and home advice in order to call in Jesus. Many a man is wisest when his worldly-wise friends think that he is acting like a fool.

Here was a man who forgot everything except that he wanted the help of Jesus; and, just because he forgot, he would remember forever after that Jesus is a Savior.

Notice that no word of Jesus to the man is recorded. Instead, we simply are told that Jesus went with him. That action speaks volumes. Jesus, sensing the desperate plight of the girl and the faith of her father, went with Jairus toward his house. Jesus was sensitive to human needs. He often was interrupted in what He was doing by someone with a deep need. Even while He was on His way to Jairus’ house, Jesus was delayed by the desperate woman, who touched His garments, hoping to be healed. Jesus was sensitive to this woman’s need for healing, and He stopped to heal her.

What applications to life do we find in these verses? We see in Jesus’ actions two lessons. First of all, He listened sensitively to Jarius’ words. Second, He went with Jairus to do what He could to help. Jesus set us an example of how to respond when others are sick. For his part, Jairus did the right thing in taking the prayers for his sick child to Jesus. Further, Jairus came to Jesus with humility and faith.

If we are to minister to human needs, we need to have sensitivity to the needs of others. Some people are so intent on maintaining their own schedules and meeting their own needs that they are indifferent to the cries for help all about them. The Spirit of the living Lord leads others on daily missions of help for the needy people they encounter. True sensitivity leads us to act on behalf of those in need. Some people are uncomfortable in the face of the sickness and death of others. I’ve heard people say that they don’t go to the hospital to visit the sick or to funeral homes to comfort the bereaved. They try to find excuses for failing to act. Often the excuse is that there is nothing we can do. We can’t heal the sick or call the dead back to life. They say, “I don’t know what to say.” Sometimes our presence is more important than what we say. This is particularly true in dealing with the bereaved.

2. PLEASE READ MARK 5: 35-36.

Even while Jesus was speaking to the woman who was healed in vs. 25-34, some people came from the home of Jairus. They said two things; both addressed to Jairus. First, they said to Jairus, “Thy daughter is dead.” Delivering such news is never easy. There is no good way to tell a father that his beloved daughter is dead. However, there seems to be a lack of tact and concern in how these messengers bluntly informed Jairus.

The second part of their message was even more negative. Still addressing Jairus, they asked, “Why troublest thou the Master any further?” There is no evidence that these messengers believe Jesus was anything more than a teacher. They certainly did not believe He could do anything for a dead person. And they tried to spread their unbelief to Jairus. Some think that these messengers represented either family or friends of Jairus who had been opposed to his going to Jesus in the first place. The messengers suggested that Jairus would only be annoying Jesus if he still insisted on Jesus going to his house.

How did Jesus respond to this act of throwing cold water into Jairus’ face? The best explanation is that Jesus overheard what the messengers said and accepted the reality of the child’s death but that He refused to accept the finality of death.

We can only imagine how Jairus felt during this message and during Jesus’ response. No doubt he was shocked and deeply grieved by the message that his daughter was dead. He may even have been tempted by their suggestion to send Jesus on His way. These messengers exemplify one of the wrong ways of dealing with the sick and the families of the sick and bereaved. They were callous in their timing and in what they said. Rather than encouraging faith, they discouraged it.

By contrast, Jesus set the positive example by encouraging faith. Before Jairus could respond to the messengers, Jesus spoke directly to him. He told him two things: First, He said, “Be not afraid. Jairus had been living in fear since his daughter became so sick. Second, Jesus said, “Only believe.” Jairus had exercised faith when he came to Jesus. The Lord told him to continue to believe. Jesus did not explain why Jairus should believe nor did He tell Jairus what He intended to do. He simply told him to keep on believing. Jairus knew Jesus had the power to perform miracles, but maybe he did not know Jesus could raise the dead.

To summarize, here’s some of what these verses teach about sickness, dying, and death. The messengers show how not to respond to the death of someone’s loved one. The messengers discouraged faith and acted callously with the bereaved. Jesus by contrast encouraged the shocked and grieving father not to fear but to keep on believing. Jairus listened to Jesus and did what He said.

How can you help to encourage the bereaved to keep on believing? First, know that your presence with them can help. Second, avoid any trite sayings. Third, if you speak, tell them you love and care about them. Read the Scriptures with them, and pray with and for them.

3. PLEASE READ MARK 5: 37-40.

Jesus identified with Jairus’ suffering, and He knew the situation was not hopeless. He went on to Jairus’ house with three of His disciples. Peter, James and John often are called Jesus’ inner circle. On several key occasions, Jesus invited these three disciples to be with Him. This is the first time Mark has given special status to these three. Scripture never explains why these men were allowed to witness things that the other disciples were excluded from. These three were with Jesus when He was transfigured and when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter was one of Jesus’ first followers. Although we picture him as impulsive, he apparently did not speak up during the account of Jesus’ raising Jairus’ daughter. James and John were brothers, sons of Zebedee. John wrote a Gospel, three letters, and Revelation. James was a leader in the early church until Herod killed him.

When Jesus, Jairus, and the others arrived at Jairus’ home, they found a commotion. Many were crying and wailing. Each culture has its own ways of dealing with death. Jewish mourning customs were very vivid and very detailed, and practically all of them were designed to stress the desolation and the final separation of death. A grieving family was to hire professional mourners. Because Jairus was the Synagogue Ruler, his family might have enlisted many mourners since his daughter had died. A large crowd, including the professional mourners, would have gathered while Jesus and Jairus walked to the house. The triumphant victorious hope of the Christian faith was totally absent from them. These people must have been expecting the child to die because they had come so soon after her death. Perhaps they were already there when she died.

Immediately after death had taken place a loud wailing was set up so that all might know that death had struck. The wailing was repeated at the graveside. The mourners hung over the dead body, begging for a response from the silent lips. They beat their breasts; they tore their hair; and they rent their garments. The rending of garments was done according to certain rules and regulations. For fathers and mothers the rent was on the left side, over the heart; for others it was on the right side. Throughout most of the ancient world, in Rome, in Greece, in Phoenicia, in Assyria and in Palestine, the wailing of the flute was inseparably connected with death and tragedy. It was laid down that, however poor a man was, he must have a least two flute-players at his wife’s funeral.

The wails of the flutes, the screams of the mourners, the passionate appeals to the dead, the rent garments, the torn hair, must have made a Jewish house a pathetic place on the day of mourning.

When Jesus came into Jairus’ house he asked why they were making this commotion and weeping. Then He announced that the child was not dead but sleeping.

Some people think that Jesus used the word “sleepeth” literally, meaning that she was only in a coma from which she would recover: however, the biblical account leaves no doubt that she was dead. Jesus used the word to point to the fact that she would be awakened from the sleep of death.

The supposed mourners showed how false their own motives were by their response to Jesus’ words. And Jesus showed the same thing by what He did with them. They laughed him to scorn. This showed not only their lack of faith in Jesus but also their insincerity as mourners. This is understandable if they were paid to weep and wail. They were good at doing this, no mater who had died. They apparently felt little concern for Jarus and his grieving wife. That indifference was in sharp contrast to Jesus’ compassion. The professional mourners exemplify one of the wrong ways to deal with bereaved people—intruding on their sorrow to make money for themselves. There is nothing wrong with mourning and with weeping in times of sorrow. In fact Paul wrote in Rom. 12:15 that believers ought to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

When they laughed Jesus to scorn Jesus kicked the mourners out of Jairus’ house! He then took Jairus, Jairus’ wife and His three disciples with Him to the room where the dead girl was. The large crowd may have lingered outside to see what Jesus would do.

Jesus is not interested in a grand spectacle of healing. Rather, He is concerned for the suffering of the girl, the faith of the parents, and the ultimate good of His mission.

5. PLEASE READ MARK 5: 41-43.

Aramaic was the popular language spoken in Palestine. Note that Mark was careful to give the translation for the command “Little girl, I say to you, get up,” in order to clarify His narrative for those not familiar with the Aramaic language. Immediately the girl arose and walked. This is where we are told that she was 12 years of age. Those in the room with Jesus were astonished with a great astonishment. This included the three disciples. Jesus told them not to tell this to others, although the people who knew she had died must have realized something wonderful had happened. Jesus did not want to be known primarily as a miracle worker. This could lead to many followers who went with Him only for what He could do for them.

During His public ministry Jesus would raise only three people from the dead: Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Lazarus. Although Elijah and Elisha had performed similar miracles, people still were astounded at this display of God’s power. Jesus’ instructions after this miracle may surprise some readers. Jesus gave strict orders to avoid talking about this miracle. Earlier Jesus had given similar instructions to others. Perhaps Jesus wanted the miracle of bringing Jairus’ daughter back to life kept secret so He could move about more easily.

What Jairus’ daughter experienced differed from Jesus’ resurrection. When God raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus was transformed permanently. Jesus experienced a bodily resurrection in a glorified body. When Jairus’ daughter was raised, she had the same body she had when she died. She would die again. This is the first notice of a resurrection from the dead in the N.T. and the only (apart from the resurrection of Jesus) which Mark records.

The word compassion is not used in the report of the miracle, but Jesus’ miracles were motivated in part by His compassion for people with physical needs. For example, when He met a leper He was filled with compassion for him. Jesus touched the man and healed him. Compassion is the ability to identify with another person’s pain or predicament. Jesus’ compassion for physical needs should motivate us to reach out to people in physical crises around us. Paul urged believers to “clothe” themselves “with compassion,” suggesting that we can cultivate the ability to understand what other people are experiencing.

I have an easier time being compassionate with someone when I have had a similar experience. I can identify with a grieving person because many close friends and relatives of mine have died. When someone suffers from drug or alcohol addiction, I have a harder time identifying with them because I have no direct experience with those problems.

Jesus’ compassion for the dead girl and her family motivated Him to raise her from the dead. Although I believe God still can perform miracles, we should not create false hopes for suffering people. If a friend has a terminal illness, I hope he gets the best medical care available. I also pray for him to recover. God might heal him, but he also might die. God grants grace to help sufferers cope, and He assures believers of life after death with Him. Even if God does not miraculously heal a sick person, we can minister to that person.

We can also minister to grieving people. Jairus and his wife must have begun to grieve when they realized their daughter was dying. When the messengers announced that she was dead, the parents could have lost all hope. The way to minister to a grieving person may depend on how the family member or friend died. If the dying person lingered for some time, the grieving person might already have worked through some of the grief process. A sudden death is more shocking. The grief process may go on for a long time. We should not assume that grieving is done in a few days or weeks. Sometimes it lasts for years.

The story closes with Jesus commanding that something should be given her to eat. This practical touch shows that Jesus was sensitive to the health and well-being of the girl who had been sick. It suggests another way that many people help others who have sick loved ones or who have lost loved ones. Taking food to a family at such a time is a practical form of Christian ministry.

Lucile’s father, Mr. Magruder told how, during WW II the flue epidemic was so rampant in Seminole County that many were dying from the disease. The doctors were so overworked that some refused to make home visits to the ill. Friends and neighbors quit calling for fear of contracting the disease. Mr. Magruder would kill and stew chickens, then take the broth to those who were too sick to prepare food. This gave the sick ones strength enough to recover from the flue’

As we have suffered the loss of loved ones people have always brought in more food than we could eat. Such expressions of kindness are certainly appreciated. I am so thankful that our church’s benevolent committee is careful to look after such needs in the families of our church.

NEXT WEEK FROM ACTS 27-28 WE LEARN TO MINISTER IN TIMES OF NATURAL DISASTERS: FIRE, FLOODS, TORNADOES, HURRICANES AND EARTHQUAKES.

A.V. DAUGHERTY 5-05-02

Mark’s Jewish name was John and his adopted Roman surname was Marcus. He was the son of Mary, a leading Christian woman in Jerusalem; the cousin of Barnabas, a comfort to Paul in prison and a useful assistant. He was the spiritual son of Peter, before and after his attendance on Peter in Rome. Though a Jew he worked for the church among the Gentiles. His gospel has been called “a Gospel for Martyrs” although Mark calls it in Vs. 1 A gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

It seems that Mark’s Gospel was the first published account of the life, work, and death of Jesus—forming the basis for both Matthew and Luke, and was also know to the writer of the Gospel of John. As a result, of the 660 verses in Mark’s Gospel 600 are found in Matthew’s Gospel, and 350 in Luke’s Gospel, and only 60 verses in neither.

Whereas Matthew’s Gospel was written to a Jewish audience, Mark seems to have targeted Roman believers, particularly Gentiles. He recapped time according to the Roman system and carefully explained Jewish customs. Mark presents Jesus as the suffering servant of the Lord. His focus is on the deeds of Jesus more than His teachings, particularly emphasizing service and sacrifice. He demonstrates the humanity of Christ more clearly than any of the other evangelists; emphasizing Christ’s human emotions and His human limitations.

Mark was called “the disciple and interpreter of Peter and his Gospel consists of what Peter preached about Christ. Justin Martyr referred to the Gospel of Mark as “The Memoirs of Peter.” His Gospel in Mark 1:1 is called “The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

A.V. D. 5-5-02