Chapter # 5 Paragraph # 2 Study # 4
March 1, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(Download Audio)
(209)
Thesis: Jairus' view of Jesus was undeveloped, but it had certain legitimate and critical foundations.
Introduction: In our consideration last week of Jairus' desperation regarding his "little daughter", we saw that this historical narrative is a fairly precise illustration of Paul's principle that often times a person
must be subjected to "godly sorrow" so that "repentance unto salvation" might occur (
2 Corinthians 7:9-10). In Jairus' case, this "puffed up" ruler of an apostate synagogue was subjected to a great "godly sorrow" in the form of the impending death of his "little daughter" so that he might be humbled to a "repentance" that led to his "salvation" (the outcome of the forgiveness that is given to those who repent) as evidenced by Jesus' exhortation to him to "keep on believing" when all hope seemed lost.
This record is the strong, opening presentation by Mark of the disciples' need to embrace "faith" as the non-negotiable with God because 4:40 declares the reality that they had not yet done that and 4:41 makes it indisputable that they had not yet done that. Jesus was not going around subjecting The Twelve to their experiences with Him just for the fun of it: He was pressing them to become His representatives to others, and there are two pre-qualifications for that: a knowledge of the content of the message; and a clear-eyed understanding that God will not accept anything less than faith in that content if "life" is to be experienced.
Now, this evening's study will focus upon Jairus' words as revelation as to his view of Jesus. His words focus upon the need for Jesus to both "come" and "lay His hands upon his little daughter" so that his "little daughter" might be "saved" and might "live". So, let's look into those words.
- I. The First Reality.
- A. This record is of a man who was steeped in the theology of Israel, such as it was in the first century: he was a "ruler of a synagogue".
- 1. This meant that he had a very strong fixation upon the "lesser" issues of "theology": physical health and life.
- a. In spite of the fact that the testimony of legitimate theological history is heavily invested with "eternal things", the Jews had pretty much reduced it to a false investment in the highly insignificant issue of "temporal things" (health, wealth, status in the eyes of men).
- b. This dominated Jairus' perspective of the situation with his "little daughter".
- 2. But it also, however, meant that he could not completely banish the greater issues of "theology": there is always a lurking awareness of eternal things that creates a dominating terror (men are kept in bondage their entire lives by the fear of death: Hebrews 2:15).
- a. Thus, though Jairus was consumed by the impending physical death of his "little daughter", there had to have been at least a question in his mind about her future (though it may well have been an unfocused, lurking of Truth, in his mind/heart in spite of the physical reality).
- b. No one escapes the pressure of this awareness (why does everyone "go to heaven" when it is time for the funeral??).
- B. This record is of a man who realizes that "salvation" and "living" are the critical issues: those are the words he chose to use, though "salvation" probably had been reduced to "deliverance from the causes of the impending death" and "living" had been reduced from "Life" to "life".
- II. The Second Reality.
- A. It can be no accident that Mark's record is focused upon the view of Jesus that Jairus had...the overtones of the words used cannot be dismissed.
- B. In Jairus' "attendant participle" there is the awareness of the necessity of the "coming".
- 1. The NASB translates the request in terms of "please come" and "lay Your hands upon her".
- 2. But Mark's Greek reveals that Jairus was focused upon the "lay Your hands upon her" part of his request.
- 3. But, this "lay Your hands upon her" automatically meant He had to "come" in order to be in a close enough proximity as to be able to do that.
- a. This "automatic" necessity is both admitted and recorded in the form of what we call "an attendant participle".
- b. Jairus could have easily simply said, "My little daughter is about to die, but if you will lay Your hands on her, she will live", but he didn't: he included the necessity of "coming" (a necessity, by the way, that the centurion did not believe was necessary, being out of the loop theologically, but heavily in the loop in respect to "faith").
- c. This "coming" is of primary interest to Mark in his record.
- 1) The first use of "coming" is in John's announcement of the "coming" of the Mighty Yahweh in 1:7 on the heels of 1:3.
- 2) It is an integral part of John's/Mark's message that one's "repentance" and "faith" must be rooted in Jesus of Nazareth AS the "One Who Must Come" if "Life" is to be had.
- a) The centurion had it right when he focused upon the issue of Jesus as "authoritative", but he did not understand the need for the "coming".
- b) Jairus had it right when he insisted, by attendant participle, that Jesus "must come", even though his grasp was distorted by his fixation on the outer realities. [It is a huge mistake for men to let the outer realities dismiss the real ones rather than to let the outer realities become mirrors of the real ones: God created the physical to provide understanding of the spiritual.]
- c) The first use of "coming" identifies the necessity of the "Mighty One's" coming; the second use (1:9) identifies Jesus as that "Mighty One Who Has Come".
- d. The issue of "close proximity" is fundamental to the Gospel: Jesus had to "become flesh and dwell among men" so that by divesting Himself of Himself, he might be made a legitimate sacrifice at the cross for the sins of humanity.
- e. In all of this, Jairus is like unto Caiaphas in John 11:50-51: an illustration beyond his own direct perceptions.
- 4. The point: Jesus had to come.
- C. In Jairus' request, Jesus had to "lay His hands upon" his "little daughter".
- 1. This is a heavily Jewish notion that has its roots in "significant linkage".
- a. Paul warned Timothy about "laying his hands on someone for ministry purposes" because the one who lays hands on another becomes partially responsible for the outcomes (1 Timothy 5:22).
- b. The "laying of hands upon someone" was for the purpose of communicating "blessing" (Mark 1:31; an opening "salvo").
- 2. Jairus wished for his "little daughter" to be "saved" and "given life".
- a. The "salvation" in Jairus' mind was most likely mostly "deliverance from her illness", but there were those "lurking realities beyond the physical".
- b. The "life" in Jairus' mind was also most likely "life", but "Life" is always lurking in the background.
