The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

June 30, 2024

Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43

Amazing Truths About Our Amazing God—

Our Living Lord Completely Changes Our View of Death!

21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24So Jesus went with him.

35While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. (NIV1984)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

What is the worst storm that you have ever endured in your life? Do you remember that question from last Sunday’s sermon? Last week as we looked at how Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee by simply speaking the words, “Quiet! Be still!” we emphasized that Jesus not only has the power and the authority to calm all the storms that we encounter as we journey through this world, but He also has the love that prompts Him to promise that He will be with us through all the storms of life. Today the Holy Spirit focuses our attention one of if not the most powerful storm that we face in life— death!

Death as been called the great equalizer. No matter how prosperous and powerful someone might be, no matter how poor and pitiful a person might be each and every person— including each and every one of us! will die— unless Judgment Day comes first. Many people fear death to some degree. Some people fear death because they are afraid that death is “the end.” They are afraid that their entire existence will be simply “snuffed out” like a candle. Other people fear death because their conscience tells them that death isn’t “the end”! They are afraid that what comes next is some sort of reckoning, some sort of accountability that may not go so well for them. Even we as the children of God may have a tinge of fear when we think about death— not because we don’t know what comes next, not because we are afraid of standing before our God, but because while we have seen death we have never experienced death. We don’t know how or when we are going to die.

Today as we conclude our sermon series Amazing Truths about Our Amazing God God the Holy Spirit takes away any and all fear of death by having Mark proclaim to us this amazing truth: Our Living Lord Completely Changes Our View of Death!

The events recorded in our text for today follow the events recorded in last Sunday’s text by just a few days. Jesus had traveled to the east side of the Sea of Galilee. As soon as He arrived He was met by a man who was possessed by a “legion” of demons. He commanded the demons to leave the man and allowed them to enter into a herd of pigs which then rushed down a steep bank into the lake and were drowned. The people became so afraid of Jesus that they asked Him to leave, so He went back to Capernaum. There in Capernaum Jesus healed a paralytic, called Matthew to be one of His disciples and accepted Matthew’s invitation to have dinner at his house— where “many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples” (Matthew 9:10). During the discussions that followed Jesus’ acceptance of this invitation the events recorded here in our text took place. Mark tells us, “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ So Jesus went with him.”

As “one of the synagogue rulers” in Capernaum Jairus had a very important and honored position among God’s people. And yet, since many of the religious leaders of God’s people were not exactly supportive of Jesus and His ministry, how was it that Jairus knew that there was only one person who had the power to help his daughter as she lay dying? Jairus may have been there when Jesus spoke in the synagogue at Capernaum “as one who had authority, and not as the teachers of the law” (Mark 1:22). Perhaps someone shared with Jairus how Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law as she lay sick with a fever. (Mark 1:30-31) Perhaps Jairus watched in amazement as the whole town gathered outside Peter’s house as Jesus “healed many who had various diseases” and “drove out many demons” (Mark 1:32-34). Perhaps people were still talking about how Jesus calmed that “furious squall” on the Sea of Galilee by simply saying, “Quiet! Be still!” While we don’t know exactly how Jairus knew that Jesus had the power and the authority to help his daughter, we can hear his faith as he pleaded with Jesus, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”

Without hesitation Jesus lovingly agreed to go with Jairus. But there were complications and difficulties along the way. The crowd pressed all around Jesus and slowed His progress. Then a woman who had been “subject to bleeding for twelve years” (Matthew 5:25) reached out to touch Jesus’ cloak trusting that by simply touching His cloak she would be healed— and she was! This, however, prompted Jesus to stop and talk to her. While this probably took only a few minutes, Jairus may have been thinking to himself, “Time is of the essence! Clear the way! We must hurry before it is too late!” Then it was “too late.”

Before they reached Jairus’ house Mark tell us, “While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher any more?’” Before those words could even sink in, before Jairus even had a chance to process what he just heard, Mark tells us, “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’”

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” That is the amazing truth that only our amazing God can proclaim to us at a time when we are easily overwhelmed by shock, by grief and by sorrow. Think about it. When we are in a situation where we are talking with someone whose loved one has just died we often times say something like, “I’m so sorry for your loss” or, “I will keep you in my prayers.” Sometimes when we are in a situation like that we don’t know what to say so we quietly just give that person a hug. From our perspective death is so overwhelming, death is so powerful, death is so final that whatever we say or whatever we hear falls so very short of what we need. Jesus, however, changes our view of death by saying to us, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

How could Jesus say those words to a father who had just been told, “Your daughter is dead”? Because as the Son of the Most High God, as the Messiah who came into this world with the goal of dying on the cross (Pointing to the cross) to save us from our sins, as the Lord who knew that He would appear to His fear-filled disciples on Easter Sunday and say to them, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19), as the living Lord Jesus knew the amazing truth that Jairus was about to learn, namely, “The child is not dead but asleep.”

That amazing truth is brought out in verses forty to forty-three of our text. Mark writes, “After he put them all out (that is, the professional mourners who had gathered in Jairus’ house), he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.”

Do not overlook the tenderness that Jesus shows to both this little girl as well as to her parents. Jairus had asked Jesus to lay His hands on his “little daughter.” Instead Jesus reached out to tenderly take her hand in His and speaks those simple yet powerful words, “Talitha koum! Little girl, I say to you, get up!” The impact of Jesus’ words is immediate! In that instant death is conquered! In that instant the fear and the grief and the shock of her parents is conquered! Jesus’ tenderness continues as He tenderly reminds Jairus and his wife after that after having been in bed with her illness their “little daughter” is undoubtedly hungry. That’s why Jesus tenderly says to them, “Give to her something to eat.” Such amazing tenderness coupled together with such amazing power is an amazing reason to praise our amazing Lord and Savior!

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” While this may be the first time that Jesus spoke those words when He came face-to-face with the enemy we call death, this will not be the last time that He put those amazing words into action, is it. Remember when Jesus was entering into the town of Nain and He came face-to-face with a widow who was preparing to bury her only son? Jesus tenderly said to the widow, “Don’t cry.” Then He spoke those powerful words to her son, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And what happened next? Luke tells us, “The man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother” (Luke 7:11ff). Remember when Jesus’ friend Lazarus died? Jesus told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” When Jesus arrived at Bethany He found out that Lazarus had been in his grave for four days. And yet, what did Jesus do? He told them to remove the stone from the entrance to the grave and then He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And what happened next? Lazarus walked out of his tomb! Remember how Jesus told His disciples on more than one occasion that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem where He would suffer many things, be killed and then be raised to life on the third day? (Matthew 16:21ff) And what happened? Jesus was betrayed by His friend. Jesus was beaten and whipped and scourged. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to pay for our sins (Pointing to the cross). And then Jesus physically rose from the dead to guarantee that one day we too shall rise from the dead! Because our Lord is the living Lord He can and does tenderly say to us, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Because our Lord is the living Lord He can and does guarantee to us that physical death is a “sleep”— a “sleep” from which He Himself will one day wake us up!

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” “The child is not dead but asleep.” The words that Jesus tenderly spoke to Jairus so many years ago are words that He continues to tenderly speak to us. Most if not all of us have been to the funeral of someone we love— whether it’s our parent or our spouse, our child or our friend. If the only words that we hear come from someone who is trying to comfort us by saying, “I’m so sorry for your loss,” or, “I will keep you in my prayers,” then it might seem as though the power of death is overwhelming and the finality of death is oppressive.

Praise God that if and when you find yourself in a situation where you are trying to comfort someone whose loved one has died that you can share with them the amazing truth that your living Lord has revealed to you! Point them to the cross on Calvary’s hill. Assure them that as the true Son of God and the true Son of Man Jesus does indeed know exactly what they are going through! Assure them that as the true Son of God and the true Son of Man Jesus does indeed have the power to wake us up from the sleep of death when He returns to this earth— and that is exactly what He will do! “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” “Your loved one is not dead, but asleep.” Be the person through whom Jesus continues to proclaim that amazing truth today!

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” “Death is only a sleep. When you wake up you will be with Jesus in heaven.” That is the amazing truth that we need to say focused on when we come to the end of our journey here on this earth. While we thank the family and the friends who are gathered around us for the love and the joy that they brought into our lives only Jesus has the power to take us by the hand and say, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Do not doubt. Just believe. Realize that this miracle of life over death is not included in the Bible as a message of long ago and far away. This is not a quaint story designed to intrigue Sunday school children. This story is written so that you may know that Jesus Christ has power over death. To you, Jesus says, “Don’t doubt; just believe.” Believe that the same Savior who spent His life perfectly fulfilling the Law so that you might be freed from the curse of the Law, the same Savior who defeated all the temptations of Satan at every turn so that you might live in joy, the same Savior who gave His life on the cross so that you might be saved from death for all of eternity— this same Savior is with you. Do not doubt. Just believe. Turn to Him. Call on Him. Trust in the One who has the power, the authority and the love to say to you, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

Death is indeed the great equalizer. No matter how prosperous and powerful a person might be and no matter how poor and pitiful a person might be, unless Jesus returns to this earth first— we will all die. Physical death is inevitable. Praise God that because of what our living Lord has done for us (Pointing to the cross), praise God that because of what our living Lord gives to us, praise God that we are able to embrace the amazing truth that our living Lord has completely changed our view of death!

To God be the glory!

Amen