Jump Start # 1122

Mark 5:35 “While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, ‘Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore.”

  Faith—it’s easy to talk about it. Faith—it’s fine on a sunny day. But faith when everything about you says give up, quit, throw in the towel, it’s over—that’s something else. Many can talk a good story, but faith is much harder than it seems. It was in the first century world and it is today.

Our verse comes from that action packed, event layered Mark 5, where we find a miracle within a miracle. Jesus had just calmed a storm on the sea that was so serve that the disciples thought they were going to die. The chapter begins with a demon possessed man rushing toward Jesus, screaming. He’s naked, bloody and feared by most. Jesus sends the demons into pigs that race off a cliff and drown. Two thousand hogs. Jesus is escorted out of town. He crosses the sea, the same one He had just calmed. Upon reaching the shore, a synagogue official makes his way through the throng of people to find Jesus. He has a 9-1-1 crisis. His twelve year old daughter is dying. This is not supposed to happen. He throws away all prejudice, protocol and pride for his little girl. Who cares what fellow Jews say. His little girl is dying. He reaches out to the one person who can save her. He didn’t go to the temple. He didn’t go to his rabbi. He’s not in his synagogue. It’s Jesus he wants. No one but Jesus. Will you come, Jesus. He falls at Jesus’ feet. He begs. He pleads. Come lay your hands upon her. He believes. He knows she will get well if Jesus will come. This is a most urgent situation. It’s time to drop everything and go.

Jesus does. There is a ton of people. It’s crowded. I can just see the panic in this father. As they push through the crowd, a woman touches Jesus. She too needs Him. She’s had a problem for twelve years, the exact age of the dying girl. Embarrassed and quiet, she touches Jesus from behind. Instantly, immediately, she is cured. Jesus knows. He turns to question her. A conversation takes place. She tells her story. No longer is she in the shadows. Jesus wants her to realize that it wasn’t His garments, but the power of God that healed her. While this is going on, the frantic father must have tried to pull Jesus away. There is an emergency here. We must go, NOW.

Then our verse. Word comes. It’s too late. The little girl has died. The father must have collapsed in anguish. Hope gone. We took too long. I have seen this grief too many times. I know what it looks like. It’s a very sad scene. The messengers add a word of “disbelief.” They say, ‘why trouble the teacher anymore.’ The girl is dead. It’s too late. Even Jesus can’t do anything now.

I wonder if Jesus smiled. This is similar to what happened with Lazarus in John 11. His dear friend was dying. Word was sent. They wanted Jesus to come. He waited. He waited two days. He waited on purpose. On the fourth day He showed up. Sisters, Mary and Martha, say the same thing. Had you been here…The thoughts of this father in our story today. Had you been here. But you weren’t.

Here we see faith with limitations. They believed there was a ceiling to what even Jesus could do. Too late. Death, the ultimate enemy, claimed more victims. Death, it was believed, could not be conquered, not even by Jesus. Faith is hard. Faith comes up to obstacles and too often it ends. We no longer believe or, possibly worse, we set limitations upon what God can do. Don’t trouble Jesus anymore. He can’t do anything now. We’re too late.

The death of a parent…a disaster…feeling abandoned—is all it takes for some to give up on God. Their faith has run it’s course and came to a dead end. God let them down. God wasn’t there. Jesus allowed the little girl to die. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die. He did that so faith would ignite again. He wanted people to see that God can do all things. There is nothing too great for God. God has no ceilings. There are no limitations to God.

What a surprise to the synagogue official when Jesus still wanted to go to his home. Why? The girl is dead. He went. He talked to her, just as He talked to Lazarus. The dead hear Jesus. The dead obey Jesus. He has all authority—even in the spirit world. She came back. Rejoicing replaced tears. Faith overcame doubt. Love triumphs. What a great lesson.

What a surprise it is to us to learn that we are not too dirty for God to cleanse. We are not too broken for God to fix. We are not too far gone for God to reach. We are not too guilty for God to forgive. We are not too worthless for God to love. Sometimes we doubt that. Sometimes we give up on ourselves and on God. Our faith quits. We allow death to win. The death of a relationship. Death in the form of guilt, anger, brokenness to prevail. We believe that even Jesus can’t do anything. Like the messengers, we say, “Why trouble the Teacher anymore?” Why? He won’t care. He can’t do anything. He doesn’t want a mess like me. Oh, the sad and mournful tune we sing. The problem is faith. Just as the messengers didn’t believe, sometimes we don’t. We sit in church houses mumbling words to hymns but leaving with hearts filled with worry, fear and guilt. It’s too late, we believe. A younger me, possibly, but not now. It’s too late. Even Jesus can’t. Why trouble Him?

I’m finding more and more folks who are like this. We feel our past, our baggage, our issues, our sins are just too much for Jesus. Even Jesus can’t help us. I don’t believe that for a moment. That’s the gospel of Satan. He wants you to sink back into the bottle, the self-pity, the lifeless, going no where life. He wants you to be conquered. He wants you to be defeated. He wants you to believe that Jesus can’t.

Nothing is impossible with God. Jesus showed Mary and Martha. Jesus showed Jairus. Jesus shows you through the gospel.

Don’t give up on God because He certainly hasn’t given up on you. He can cleanse you. He can forgive you. He can fix you. He can reach you. He does love you. He always has.

Faith is hard…

Roger

Jump Start # 469

Mark 5:35 “While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, ‘Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher anymore?’”

  Mark five is one of my favorite chapters in the Gospels. It’s a favorite of mine to read, teach and think about. It would be hard to squeeze anymore action, drama or “wow” in this chapter. It begins as Jesus and the apostles had crossed the turbulent sea of Galilee. The storm was severe. Jesus calmed the sea and the hearts that were with Him in the boat. As they reach the shore, chapter five begins. A demon possessed man, who was naked, bloodied, and known to live in the cemetery and scream at night, came rushing toward Jesus. He loudly declares who Jesus is. At the request of the demons, they are sent into a herd of swine and the pigs rush off the cliff and drown in the sea below. Over 2,000 dead pigs fill the beach below. What a horrific sight that must have been. The townspeople ask Jesus to leave. Back into the boat. Over those same waters they go. At the other side, Jairus, a synagogue official is waiting for Jesus. His twelve year old daughter is dying. It’s a 911 call. Hurry! The crowd is massive. Everyone wants to see Jesus. In the process of moving on, a sick woman, with an issue of blood, touches Jesus from behind. She is healed. Jesus, stops, talks with her. Don’t forget the 911 call, Jesus. Our verse says, “While He was still speaking…” word came that the little girl died. Too late. The battle’s over. Death wins. You took too much time, Jesus.

  The messengers from the house state what many felt, “Why trouble the teacher anymore?” They felt that even Jesus couldn’t do anything now. Even Jesus has limits. If only He had come. If only He had not stopped and talked to that woman and healed her. The woman with the issue of blood wasn’t dying. She could have waited. This was more important.

  Mary and Martha felt that way when their brother Lazarus died. They both said, “If only you had been here…” But it’s too late now. Even you can’t do anything now.

 Jesus showed that it wasn’t too late. He showed that He bows to no one, especially death. Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jairus’ daughter was raised from the dead. Jesus showed that He was Lord of all. Death stops us, but not Him. Death is a closed door to us, but not to Him. In both stories, Jesus talked to the dead and they obeyed Him. What power! What compassion! And, embarrassingly, what display of doubt by those surrounding their loved ones.

  Don’t limit Jesus. Don’t give up on Jesus. We sometimes see a person who’s life is a mess with addictions, dysfunction and turmoil. They’ve been in and out of clinics, counselors all of their life. We feel that there is no hope. They’ll just die that. Many do. Some come to Christ. Don’t limit Jesus. If He can crush death, He certainly can crush addictions, dysfunction, sorry attitudes, selfishness and broken marriages. He can do that. Now we have to listen to Him. We have to do it His way—completely. We have to turn the keys of our heart over to Him. We must trust Him. We have to jump in with both feet. Going to church now and then won’t cut it. You have to give God your all. You must find a church that is serious about God. Forget the rock concerts, the carnival atmosphere of the mega churches, find one that teaches the Bible, seriously! Get into a Bible study, seriously. Pray. Commit your heart to Jesus. Obey the Lord.

  About now, most folks will drop out. They want Jesus to fix them, but not that way, not at that cost. They want a band-aid when they actually need heart surgery. So they go to a neighborhood church, not having a clue what they are about or what is going on. One Sunday. It’s not a good fit. So they don’t return. They tried, they say. Jesus doesn’t help. Jesus isn’t the answer. Back to the addictions…back to the dysfunction…back to the broken and sorry life. Even, Jesus can’t fix them is the common thought.

  Jesus is there. He’s willing to help. You must do it His way, it’s the only way. He’s done it thousands of times. Saul had killed Christians. He was changed. The Corinthians were drunks, thieves, idol worshippers, immoral and homosexual. Most would think, “there’s no changing those kind of people.” Wrong. Jesus did. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Maybe you see yourself in that list. Don’t give up. Don’t limit Jesus.

Roger

Jump start # 440 

Mark 5:35 “While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official saying, ‘Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”

  Jesus was on the way to the home of this synagogue official. He had been summoned. A twelve year old girl was gravely ill. In the process of getting there, the woman with the issue of blood touches Jesus and is healed. Jesus stops and talks with her. Now word comes that the little girl has died. These are the worst words any parent could hear, ‘Your daughter has died.’ Too late.

  A similar situation is found in John 11. There Jesus’ friend Lazarus is dying. He delays, on purpose. Lazarus dies and is buried. When Jesus shows up, Martha, Mary and many who have assembled proclaimed had Jesus been there, Lazarus would have been healed. Again, too late.

  In both stories, Jesus brings the dead back to life. But there is a lesson to be learned about being too late. Now, I’m not talking about how some are late to everything. Their kids are late to school, they are always late to church—that just seems to be how some families operate—late. Being diligent fixes that.

  There is a much more serious lesson here—being too late to apologize, to say you love someone, to simply be there. Some don’t get it until it’s too late. A mate walks out of the marriage and the other now, too late, wants to begin working on things. This has been wanted for a long time. The other simply gave up. It’s too late.

  I’ve seen the bitter sorry at the funeral home—it was more than feeling the loss of a loved one, it’s the regrets that come from being too late to say what needed and ought to have been said for a long time. Pride, fear, and other things kept the relationship distant and shallow. Now a death has ended the opportunity and it’s too late.

  How does a person deal with such regrets? Death often causes a person to blame themselves. “If only I had not let them go to the party…” or, “If only I had been there…” and the misery of death is magnified with the regret and guilt that one feels. This is natural. This is common. Many go there. It doesn’t change things. It doesn’t bring the person back. It is our “sack cloth and ashes.” In the OT, with the announcement of bad news, men would put on sackcloth, which was like burlap and pour ashes upon their heads. This was about as bad as it sounds. They felt terrible on the inside and so they were making themselves feel terrible on the outside and everyone around them could see that they were in extreme mourning. Guilt and regret are the modern sackcloth and ashes. We tend to heap it upon us. It doesn’t change things and it only makes us feel worse.

  What do we do? We pray to the Lord of Heaven and Earth who forgives. We apologize if we have done wrong but more than anything else we understand death happens and separations and loss are a part of life. We don’t like it and we want to avoid it, delay it, and put it off, but we can’t. We need to live each day as if it were our last. Things, especially relationships, do not just fix themselves. Get rid of the pride, God doesn’t like it anyway. Make each day the best that you can.

  Too late. Sad words and sad thoughts. It will eat you up. Don’t live that way. Don’t live as if there will always be another day. Some day there won’t. Pick up the phone, write the email, make the trip, but patch things up to the best of your ability. It takes two with relationships. The other side may not budge. You’ve tried. You can live with that.

  I hope these thoughts help. 

Roger