Leaving the Door Open for Repentance
[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 feet [23] 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.” [24] And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. (ESV) Mark 5:21–24 ESV Read More
Jesus comes back from the land of the Gerasenes and nobody knows what went on over there except for the disciples. It would take a few more days for word to spread around the lake about the pigs and the crazy man. In the meantime, word has been spreading without Him and everyone wants Him to continue where He left off.
Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. This would be super controversial to see. He would be a very honored and high official in there city. People would typically fawn all over him to get help from the synagogue. This would be like the mayor or a pastor falling down at Jesus’ feet and begging for help.
So far, Jesus has been reaching out to the Jewish leaders even though they have been trying to get Him in a trap. He has been reasoning with them and even showing off in front of them while asking them questions to really make them consider His Messiahship.
If Jesus had been rude or coarse with these guys, it would be a lot harder for them to turn around and come to believe in Him. Jesus shows us a way to disagree with people and leave a door open for them to easily come over to our side. Jesus is trying to win people over to faith in Him, not just win an argument.
Jairus knew that Jesus had the power to heal his daughter. Even more, he knew that he could go ask Jesus for that help. Whatever controversy or politics were going on with the Scribes, Pharisees and Jesus, Jairus daughter’s life was more important than that.
Eventually, everyone comes into a situation where they need help from Jesus, even if they’ve been resistant to Him up until that point. The big task for us, as His followers, is to show His welcoming and merciful spirit while we wait for them to come.
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