Mark 5:21-23 — In Front of the Crowd

A Day of Hope, Humbling, Healing, and Happiness

Mark 5:21
"And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.”

Comments:

Wherever Jesus went, a crowd (like Mary's little lamb) was sure to gather and sure to go. What kind of person must he have been for people to be so attracted? Certainly, it was not his looks (Isa 53:2), nor any advertising, perhaps it was due to the Holy Spirit drawing people. In thinking on this for a while I compiled this partial list:

One of the pictures I grew up with.
Jesus and the Children
by Richard Hook (1914-1975)

·       He certainly worked miracles of healing and deliverance.

·       He showed compassion for hurting people (speaking to a Samaritan woman at a well, touching a leper, etc.).

·       He taught vividly and simply with an authority and wisdom that couldn't be refuted.

·       He loved children—and their parents and blessed many.

·       He confronted sin (especially that which was in the self-righteous religious leaders) yet was not quarrelsome.

·       He forgave sin but did not condone it.

·       He didn't seek a crowd like other messianic candidates of the day but worked from the margins among the marginalized.

·       He took time to pray and seek his Father's will.

·       He didn't serve himself but gave himself freely for others.

I think I would follow him too!

[On an entirely different note, do you see the dry humor in v. 21, or is it just me?]

v. 22-23 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”

Comments:

Jairus' daughter was gravely ill and dying so he came to Jesus for help. To do so would have been a humbling thing. He was one of the rulers of the synagogue, certainly a Pharisee (which makes me wonder how he would have felt about his daughter being healed if it was on the Sabbath), and for him to go to Jesus would have been a pretty major step—motivated by a hope that Jesus could heal his little girl and in fact, it was likely his only hope.

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Did you notice that he didn't come and ask, man to man, teacher to teacher, for Jesus to do him a favor among equals? No, he came and threw himself on the ground at Jesus' feet and "earnestly begged" Jesus to come—all this in front of the multitude. It seems that Jairus was not at all concerned about his own pride or position at this point. Why? He must have loved his daughter more. He also must have believed that Jesus could, for certain, do something about her illness. "...And she will live" is definitely a statement of confident faith on Jairus’ part. He had no question that she would be healed if only Jesus would come. He was right. Jesus' touch always makes things right— whether it was 2000 years ago or whether it is today. However, his timing may not be the same in every case.

Will we acknowledge Jesus as our only hope for our spiritual healing before the crowd of family, employees, neighbors, coworkers, and customers who observe our lives?

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8-9)

I am reminded that my hope should not be in anything or anyone else. Jesus loves me and he loves you. He wants to share with us his goodness when we seek him (Heb. 11:6). Yet, I must not deny my faith in him and his part in my life in the face of public pressure.

"Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8).