A messenger came to deliver the tragic news that Jairus’ daughter had just died. Imagine how Jairus must have felt. It was too late now. If only Jesus had not stopped to restore the sick woman. In this moment of deep sorrow and despair, Jesus speaks to Jairus. He comforts this grieving father, telling Jairus not to fear but believe.
They arrive at Jairus’ home and there are mourners weeping. This means they are preparing for the daughter’s burial. There is no hope in this situation where death has already come. No matter how sick, as long as she was alive, there might have been hope for healing. But death is understood as final. Yet Jesus is the indisputable Deliver and He will prove He is the Lord of Lords and King of kings. That not even death can withstand Jesus’ saving power.
Like the mourners, many doubt Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible as Word of God. They test and challenge the Scriptures for the sake of philosophy and science. They might acknowledge a historical Jesus who was a good teacher but they deny the Biblical Jesus. Yet the Bible is true and God’s Word will never be broken. It is only through the Bible we know who Jesus is, the indisputable Deliverer who has conquered sin and death.
Only Jesus has overcome death. He has raised people from the dead and He raised from death Himself. Jairus’ situation is similar to what happened with Lazarus. Lazarus was very sick yet Jesus didn’t rush to his side to heal him. Only after Lazarus died, did Jesus go. Martha said if only Jesus had come sooner, her brother might not have died. However, Jesus’ intention was, ‘This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it’ (John 11:4).
The girl died after being very sick. We must realize, sickness and the frailty of life is ultimately the result of sin. Sin brought sickness and death to all the world. We all share in our depravity which is also why we will all die one day. However Jesus is the sinless one (Hebrews 4:15). Being without sin, Jesus can deal with sickness and death. Jairus most likely had spent a lot of money to try to heal his daughter but none of them worked. Money cannot overcome sin and depravity. Nothing in this world can stop sin’s ruin and destruction.
Jesus took her by the hand.(Luke 8:54) He acts with love and power by taking her by the hand. (Exodus 6:6) Jesus then spoke ‘Child, arise’. The dead cannot hear or do anything. Yet by His word, Jesus creates the life of this little girl. Jesus is God in the flesh, equal in power and authority (Colossians 1:16). By taking her lifeless hand and speaking to her, Jesus resurrects Jairus’ back to life.
In Luke 8:55, it says her spirit returned. This means she’s alive again! A person cannot live without their spirit. No spirit means no life. (Luke 23:46) When Jesus spoke, the spirit returned immediately. (Mark 5:41,42) Every time Jesus raised the dead, they were made alive immediately. The same is for our conversion. Whoever is touched by Jesus is made alive immediately. Our dead spirits are made alive (Ephesians 2:1). Can you imagine how joyful Jairus was to see his daughter alive again? That is our joy as well when we are saved.
Why don’t we appreciate God’s salvation fully?
- We take salvation for granted. God makes salvation seem so easy. It is a free gift, so people don’t think it is precious. But salvation comes from an unsearchable and infinite God who gives wonderful and incomprehensible salvation. The truth is, we are all sinners who continually hated God yet God saves us. Even angels are not offered the gospel, yet it is given to us (1 Peter 1:12). The saving work of Jesus is worth more than anything in this world. Nothing can satisfy except for the gospel (Philippians 3:7-8). It is truly the most precious and amazing gift. I pray our appreciation for the gospel grows every day.
- We misunderstand success. Do not be confused as to what true success is. Success is to know God, to have our souls saved and receive eternal life (John 17:3, Matthew 16:26). To put it another way, failure is God’s judgment and eternal punishment in hell. Yet, foolishly, many receive the gospel and then put it aside to pursue earthly success. It is foolish to pursue money or fame to satisfy God’s judgment and our own desires. Only Jesus can fulfill both. That is why the primary blessing of salvation is the full forgiveness of our sins. Every single sin is completely justified through Jesus’ death from the beginning and forever. Since we are now made righteous, we also enjoy a restored relationship with God. God is with us. What more do we need? We must realize this great blessing as we live our lives.
- We don’t conquer our sins. We are still plagued by the sins we had from our former lives. Once we are saved, we have Jesus and we are able to conquer sin through Him. We cannot be perfect but we have the promise of sanctification. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can mortify our sins.
- We forget our past. We were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). Our past was not a pleasant past. We act like the Israelites who thought it was better as slaves in Egypt than free in the wilderness heading towards the promised land. Do not yearn for your past. There is nothing good in our hearts there. It was our salvation that gave us hope and a new life. Why would we want to die again?
Therefore, live your life by faith. By faith, we taste the goodness of Jesus’ salvation. Jesus defeated death, conquered sin and rescued us. Abide in Him and your joy will be complete.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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