Already, Not Yet, and Growing in the Meantime
Jesus resurrects Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5.
In Mark 5, we see two stories bookended by one another. The combination of these stories offers an important lesson for our faith that I’d like to reflect on.
Jairus, His Daughter, and the Bleeding Woman
As Jesus goes about his ministry, a synagogue leader named Jairus approaches, asking Jesus to help his sick and dying daughter. Against this backdrop of angst, dread, and panic, Jesus and his disciples set out to Jairus’ home.
Along the way, they encounter a large crowd pressing Jesus from all sides. A woman with chronic health issues stands among the busy crowd, and in the instant of touching his robe, she experiences healing. But the story does not end there. Jesus feels power go from him, leading to a direct encounter between her and him. Her experience with Jesus is one filled with “fear and trembling,” yet it is also transformative. She is healed not only of her physical illness but also of her shame; she goes from being an outcast because of her sickness to being called “Daughter,” a term of endearment and closeness that she probably had not heard before.
In all this excitement, it’s easy to forget that Jairus’ daughter is still at home, sick and dying. There was no time to waste! Jesus needs to get there as soon as possible to heal this little girl before it’s too late. Still, Jesus slows down to have a personal encounter with the bleeding woman whom he called Daughter.
Meanwhile, Jairus is there, present for the entire experience. Could you imagine what might be going through his mind? “Jesus, What. Are. You. Doing?! My daughter is dying, and you’re stopping to help this woman? We need to go!” Jesus seemingly takes too long as others from Jairus’ house arrive to report that his daughter has died.
Can you imagine what Jairus must have felt? Shock, grief, disappointment, possibly even anger. This moment, after hearing the news and before the group arrives at Jairus’ house, must have been emotionally excruciating.
Of course, we have the privilege of knowing how the story ends—Jesus arrives and raises her from the dead. However, the disciples and Jairus did not know what would happen. In that fact, we learn about the importance Jesus places on developing our faith and trust in him in the midst of slow, painful seasons of life.
A Marker of Emotional and Spiritual Maturity
One marker of emotional and spiritual maturity is the internal perseverance and strength to hold two seemingly contradictory truths at once without having to suppress one at the expense of the other. One example of this is the “already, not yet” narrative arc that we are currently living within according to God. We live in a world that is fraught with daily suffering, yet at the same time, it is being redeemed. So, while we know that God is redeeming and forming us, we can still acknowledge that things don’t always seem to be going that way—without negating that we believe a new creation is being formed and will come.
Do You Feel Like Jairus?
Perhaps you find yourself feeling like Jairus as Jesus stops to help the woman. Tragedy is at hand, and it feels like Jesus is taking his sweet time or maybe too busy helping others. You’re confused, running out of patience and strength, fearing and/or preparing for the worst. Maybe you’re even embittered at the apparent lack of change or care from Jesus to step in at your most critical moment to work a miracle. But perhaps in the middle of the rush of wanting Jesus to work a miracle, we need an encounter similar to the one he had with the bleeding woman.
Sometimes, the unchanging nature of our suffering can cause us to question the care of God. Does he see me? If he does, does he care? And if he cares, why doesn’t he do anything about it? These first two questions we can answer. The third, not as easily. Indeed, Jesus cares for us. He shows this by taking care of the biggest issue in our lives that exceeds even our issue with suffering: our sin. The cross shows us that God would go to whatever lengths necessary to restore us to himself. If he can be trusted to take on death on the cross so we don’t have to, then we have a solid foundation for trust and faith.
Growth in Seasons of Adversity and Pain
Jesus is always interested in matters of the soul, one of those matters being the strength and durability of our faith, which grows in adversity and seasons of pain. If you find yourself in one of these seasons, I encourage you to nurture your faith by sharing your feelings and hurts with the Lord and others whom you trust. Find or reach out to others who can be with you in that season. A favorite song of mine called “Your Burden is Mine” says, “Careful, my brother, there on your own. For it is a fool who suffers alone.”