A Frustrated Dad

Mar 5:21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 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. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, had a little 12 year old girl lying at death's door. As God's will would have it, Jesus was in town to do something about that. But a lot transpired that would frustrate any parent.

What was the source of his frustration?

1. His daughter was just a little girl. There is something special about a tender-aged child. It is most difficult to accept that a young child is in grave danger of death.

2. While on the way to his house, the procession was detained by the event surrounding the woman with the issue of blood and her subsequent healing. I am sure that in Jairus' mind, there was no time for other people to be dealt with.

3. The throng. All these people, this "press" as the passage calls the crowd, was a distraction from Jairus' agenda, get the Healer to my daughter's bedside.

4. The whole "who touched me" delay. Perhaps he joined in with those who said, "Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?" "We don't have time for this!"

5. The announcement of one of Jairus' acquaintances, "Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?"

6. All the people in and surrounding his house weeping and wailing, again, in the way. Then, upon Jesus' word that the little girl is only sleeping and is not dead, they laughed Jesus to scorn. This disrespect to a guest would have been extremely embarrassing to the host in that culture.

But two words from Jesus changed all that frustration in to amazed rejoicing.
"Talitha cumi!" "Damsel, arise."

The lesson we can learn is found back in verse 36, when in the midst of Jairus' frustration, Jesus says to him, "Be not afraid, only believe."

No doubt you and I will suffer frustration today now and again. Generally, it will be due to delays and departures from our agenda. We must realize though, that God's agenda trumps ours for good reason. Timing and results are in His control. Our job is to fear not and just trust. There is no sense in getting all out of sorts during the process of God's work.

So, be patient today, allow God to do His thing. In the end, you will be rejoicing in amazement as a result of His miraculous work.