The Man Whose Daughter Died

"Don't be afraid; just believe," said Jesus to a man who had just heard his daughter was dead.

Not exactly what I would want to hear if my daughter just died. Seriously, grief has begun to cloud my mind.  "Just believe?"  Who the heck wants to hear that?

And yet, that is exactly what this man needed to hear!

This man's name was Jairus, and was a Synagogue Ruler.  He had found Jesus and asked him to come and heal his daughter at his house.  She was very sick, but Jairus believed that if Jesus put his hand on her, she would be healed.

Jesus, Jairus, and a large crowd were on their way to get this little girl healed, when some men from Jairus's house told him that his daughter was dead; that it was usless to bring Jesus over anymore. 

That's when Jesus said his line: "Don't be afraid; just believe."

The man continued to believe.

How do I know this?  Because when Jesus got to Jairus's house, he healed the little girl.  Without Jairus's faith, that could not have happened, but it did.  Faith was certainly there.

The moral of the story?  Yes, faith can do anything;, Jesus can do anything, but I believe there is more.  Jesus knew that when Jairus heard his daughter was dead, he would plunge into the depths of despair.  His mind would cloud; grief would take over.  Tears were going to flow, and hope would flee.  Jesus understood what those words would mean to Jairus.

So, instead of declaring "Well, you obviously don't have enough faith, so I'm gonna jet," Jesus said "What a second; don't panic.  I've got this.  Just believe in me like you did before.  Nothing has really changed, I can still do this."

Jesus had grace for the poor Jairus. Grace grace grace.  Whenever our faith is fleeting, whenever we are ready to despair, Jesus has grace.

P.S. This story can be found in Mark 5:21-43