It is a tragedy when a young person dies.
There are teenager in our community who have had their lives cut short, some by sickness and some by violence. When a young person is murdered, it makes the newspapers, or even the TV news. It is a tragedy when a life ends sooner than it should.
In the West, there is violence and killing, and teenagers are murdered, it happens in Britain and also in USA… Other countries have death too. Teenagers conscripted into wars, forced to kill or be killed, and teenagers, who contract diseases that end their lives.
Death has a 100% success rate, we know that in our heads, but it seems such a waste to be taken away so quickly, without having a life to live.
Today we have a teenager who is dying of a disease. LUKE 8: 40-56
40Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
51When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
A leader in the synagogue, A Pharisee? Came in a terrible state to seek help from Jesus. He actually got down on the ground at Jesus feet. He grovelled on the floor, because his own daughter was at home dying. The doctors were no good. The religious leaders were no good. Jairus was desperate…. His teenage daughter was about to die, and he was distraught.
We are not given an answer from Jesus. Jesus heard the man, but didn’t hurry quickly to the sick teenager. In fact, Jesus stopped to cure another person who was in that crowd of people that day. He did not hurry. He did not fret. “Do not fret it leads only to evil..” The evil of lack of faith..
Jairus maybe felt impatient and panicky. Jesus would not hurry up…!!
As Jesus spoke to the second person her had just healed, someone, a servant, came from Jairus’ house.. Jairus knew what the message was even before it was said. His heart sank into his sandals. It with the worst possible news. The daughter was dead. He told Jairus to not bother Jesus any more. IT’s too late… We can only imagine the effect of this news on Jairus…
If only Jesus had come when I asked… If only he had hurried up…
Before Jairus could think too much about this catastrophic event, Jesus turned to him and spoke. Jesus knew what he was going to think even before he thought it..!
“Don’t be afraid, just believe. And she will be healed…”
But she can’t be healed, she is dead! It’s all over..! There is no hope..
Jairus does not really know who Jesus is… He is the living word, The living water, The authour of all life.. He alone holds the keys of death and hell at his belt…
JESUS holds our lives in his hands… He decided when we would be born, and when we will die. He knows all about this teenager, and he is in complete control. No one can slip through his control, or escape from the truth that God is in control of everything. We may not want him to be, we want to be in charge, but we cant.! Even today, things have happened to us that we did not choose. Good things and bad things. It live life without the knowledge of a loving and powerful God, is full of fear. We have to try to work everything out so that we stay in control. We have to fight to stay on top…!
To live as God wants us to live, trusting in Him, and depending on is power, is the way of peace. Even if I fight to get to the top, how can I stay there? not everyone in this world can be on top… This is the way of the world.. God’s way is different… to be great in His kingdom means to live a humble and sacrificial life, “at the bottom” of this worlds pile.
So Jesus tells Jairus, that the miracle is dependant on his faith, not on him as a person. It is Jesus who heals and saves the sick soul. Jesus does not have special regard for “important looking people” We all must come to Him in humble faith, looking to Him only. Jesus tells us not to be afraid, when we trust in Him. He is able. But if we are not trusting Him, or we don’t belong to Him, there is a very real fear. And so there should be. To be found without Christ, is to be found without protection and salvation in the face of a God who is angry with sin, and who promises punishment for it.
So it is the same with us. When we need forgiveness, and a resurrection for our souls, we must believe in Him. He will give the new life that we need, because he has bourn the burden of punishment for us.Lingering in fear and trembling, is no good. If we just believe, we will get eternal life.
Jesus went with Jairus to his house. There were people mourning and lamenting the death of this young girl. Jesus tells them to stop wailing..! The girl is only asleep…! They all knew the girl was dead, and they laughed at Jesus, because everyone knows there is no way back from the dead.!
When you are dead, you are dead..! When your heart stops beatingand you are not breathing… you are dead.. Jesus went into the house with Peter, John and James, and Jairus and his wife. Jesus takes the young girl’s hand and says,
“My child, get up”
4 words: not a performance, sprinkling water, endless words from a religious book….
The girls spirit returned to her body, and she got up and stood up… Death is not just about not breathing and no heat beat. These are about our body, but our body is not the main part of us. Our spirit or our soul leaves us and goes to another place. We live on after we die. We go somewhere else out of this world.
This girl came back from the dead. She came back from that place. We are not told much about it, but we must be ready to be there. Jesus says that so often – it is the number one paramount thing we need to do in or lives. This girl died very young – a teenager – her life was just staring out and suddenly it was over. It reminds us that life is a fleeting time..
For us, we must be ready. When we believe, we are brought into a new life. A spiritual life so that we can live in heaven. Without this life, we are dead in our sins, and are insensible to God. We only have physical life, but as we know, that ends. For this teenager, in ended very quickly. This is a word of pleading to us, to come to Jesus while there is still time. Just as he raised the young teen, he will raise you too. He calls the girl “my child..” How great to belong to Him. That girl was never the same again, and she had real food, that would sustain her right into the paths of heaven. The girl and all her family received such a blessing. When God forgives and raises a person, it affects their family too.
Jesus tells the parents to give her something to eat. She has been through quite an ordeal. And now the family can share together again.
Jesus tells the family to keep the events quiet.. but people down through the generations of time have heard this story, as you do today. Listen and obey when JESUS calls you to wake up from your dead soul…
Lettsom Inn 