And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house.
for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.
Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,
came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng You and press You, and you say, 'Who touched Me?"
But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."
Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher."
But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."
When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, John, and the father and mother of the girl.
Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."
And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
But He put them all out, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."
Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.
And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened. Luke 8:40-56
Today's message is about a moment that we all experience. It is the moment where we come face to face with a choice that only we can make. It is the moment where we make the choice about, "Whose report will we believe?" (Isaiah 53:1, Romans 10:16) In the above account we see the moment when Jairus was faced with his moment of decision. We know that he was 'a ruler of the synagogue' which means that he was fully aware of all the talk/debates of the religious leaders about who Jesus was and what he had doing. He may even have known about some of their attempts to 'trap' Him into saying or doing the 'wrong' thing. Truth is we don't really know what he had seen, heard, or believed about Jesus up until this moment. What we do know is that when it came to the welfare of his only daughter Jesus was the One he had come to with at least a measure of hope that Jesus would be able to help her. It says that he came 'And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house,' which gives the impression that by begging Jesus to come he is feeling that Jesus represents the last bit of hope that his daughter has. So, at this point he has seen or heard enough to feel that Jesus represent 'a chance' of life for his daughter.
Next comes the whole delay as Jesus deals with the woman with the issue of blood. He sees the healing that she receives just by touching Jesus, which must have sparked an increase in his anticipation for what Jesus could do for his daughter. At the same time he must have been feeling a certain amount of fear and anxiety caused by the delay. On the heals of this universal struggle (fear for his daughter, hope at the woman's healing represents as he sees it happen right there in front of him) the news he fears most comes. "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher." In and instant he receives the worst report possible! Hope dies.
This is that moment for Jairus. This is the moment when he lets hope die or he chooses to believe the words that Jesus speaks? Jesus had already agreed to go with him. The outcome was already decided the moment Jairus had believed in Him enough to ask Him to come and Jesus had started along the way. It says that, 'when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." Jesus is always going to let you know that ... It is never too much trouble! Over and over and over and over He was always telling people to believe and that believing is what gets it done. Believing will move mountains! Jesus had already told him He would come and it doesn't matter what report comes after that! His is the report we need to believe! His report tells us that 'by His stripes we are healed.' Isaiah 53:5 His report tells us that 'signs and wonders follow those that believe,' Mark 16:17 etc. His report tells us that it really is just this simple. Believe His report! His report tells us ...He always wins!
Remember this; the next time a bad report tells you to not to bother or that you are faced with the struggle of which will in win your situation, fear verses hope. Remember that His report to you is, "Do not be afraid; only believe."
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