A grieving father named Jairus came to Jesus to ask for the healing of his dying daughter: “There cometh . . . one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him” (Mark 5:22-24).
This man Jairus represents most of Christianity. We know Christ is our only hope, and in our crisis we run to Him, fall at His feet and seek His mercy and help. Jairus had a good measure of faith. He asked Jesus to “come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live” (verse 23). This was an affirmation of true faith: “Lord, all she needs is You. You have all power! You can keep her from dying!”
Responding to this man's faith, “Jesus went with him” (verse 24). Jesus permitted time to run out because He wanted His followers to have faith in His resurrection power—faith that goes beyond hopelessness, beyond even death! The nominal believers who stood at the little girl’s bedside had this limited faith: As long as there was a little life left, a little hope, Jesus was wanted and needed.
Most likely, these people said to themselves, “Yes, Jesus, we believe You are the great physician, the great healer. Nothing is impossible with You. We know You have all power. But please hurry—because she may die at any minute! Then we won’t need You!”
What kind of faith is this? It is faith only to the point of death, only to the grave. When circumstances look as if all is lost, this faith dies.
As it turned out, the little girl did die. I can see the people taking her pulse and pronouncing her dead. What little faith they had possessed was now gone. Their first order of funeral business was to notify the healer that He no longer was needed. They sent a messenger saying, “Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further?” (Mark 5:35).
These words seemed so final: “Thy daughter is dead!” These words may be ringing in your ears: “Your marriage is dead—don’t bother Jesus!” “Your ministry is dead—don’t bother the Lord!” “Your child is dead in sin!” “Your relationship to that loved one is dead!”
These dreaded words meant absolutely nothing to Jesus. He never gives up on the dead because He is resurrection life! In Greek, the best rendition of verse 36 is, “Jesus, as if He did not hear what was spoken, said to the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”