I started reading a new book last night called King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Timothy Keller. I thought it would be a book that just related the history of the culture surrounding Jesus while he was on earth, but I was thankfully wrong. In the book, Keller is basically going through the book of Mark and explaining how every action and every statement Jesus does and says proves that he is none other than the Son of God. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite books because Keller does a great job at reminding you along the way how much God truly loves you and desires to be in a relationship with you.
Chapter Six walks through the encounter of Jairus and the woman who was healed by touching Jesus’ cloak. (Mark 5:21-42) Jairus was a prominent ruler in the synagogue and had wealth and local fame. Yet he comes to Jesus and falls at his feet to ask him to heal his dying daughter. A large crowd begins to follow them as Jesus is escorted by Jairus to help his daughter and Jesus realizes that power had left him. This is one of my favorite parts in the story: Jesus begins to ask who touched him and the disciples ask, “Are you serious? We are surrounded by people on all sides, everyone is pushing and shoving and bumping into each other, and you are asking who touched you?” (I love how Mark does not forget to show us that there was sarcasm in Jesus’ day too!) The woman who had touched Jesus came forward knowing that it could turn out very badly when he found out who it was. Because she had been sick for so long, she was ceremonially unclean and for her to even touch a rabbi was out of the question; yet she did anyways, even though it was mainly out of superstition.
I can just imagine it now: The woman comes forward, not taking her eyes off the ground, on the verge of tears, and quietly says, “I am sorry, my Lord, it was me.” Expecting the fierce anger and a possible physical blow, she simply hears, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” I can only imagine how her face slowly lit up and she began to relish in the fact that she was now healed and she had been accepted. What a wonderful picture!
Meanwhile Jairus is still escorting Jesus and trying to make sure that they are going at a quick enough pace to make it home in time for Jesus to heal his daughter. Yet Jesus stops to try and figure out who had touched him. Jairus was probably astonished that Jesus would even stop when he knew how dire the situation was. In the book, Keller likens the situation to a modern day ER. “If these two (the woman and the child) were in the same emergency room, any doctor who treated the woman first and let the little girl die would be sued.” (p.62) While Jesus is with the woman, some servants came from the house of Jairus and informed him that his daughter had died and there was no need to bother the teacher any longer. If I was Jairus I would be feeling very frustrated right about now and I would be a little more irked when Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Here, Jesus is telling him to be patient because there is no need to hurry and to trust him. They will get there when they get there and they will be right on time.
In both the situation of the woman and that of Jairus, Jesus uses the delay to give them far more than they even asked for. Keller says, “Be aware that when you go to Jesus for help, you will both give to and get from him far more than you bargained for. Be patient, because the deal often doesn’t work out the way you expected.” (p. 64) The first time I read this statement, I realized that once again God is asking me to trust in his timing.
This is where the story becomes a beautiful story! Jairus and Jesus finally make it to the home and Jesus walks in and begins to ask why everyone is crying when the girl is simply asleep. They begin to laugh at him because they know that the girl is dead, it’s not that difficult to determine when a heart has stopped. Jesus goes in to the room where the daughter was, takes her by the hand, and says , “Talitha koum!” These words are words that ought to make us stop and revel in God’s love for us. Talitha means “little girl” and was a sort of pet name that a mother would most often use. Today it would kind of be like your mom calling you “honey.” Koum means “arise.” Basically Jesus is saying, “Honey, it’s time to get up,” just as if he were her own father. With her hand in his, he declares that death is nothing but sleep and brings her back to life.
Keller states the significance of these words and actions the best:
But Jesus’s words and actions are not just powerful; they are loving too. When you were little, if your parent had you by the hand you felt everything was okay. You were wrong, of course. There are bad parents, and even the best parents are imperfect. Even the best parents can slip up, even the best parents make wrong choices. But Jesus is the ultimate Parent who has you by the hand and will bring you through the darkest night. The Lord of the universe, the One who danced the stars into place, takes you by the hand and says, “Honey, it’s time to get up.”
Why would you want to hurry someone this powerful and loving, who treats us this tenderly? Why would we be impatient with somebody like this? Jesus holds us by the hand and brings us through the greatest darkness. What enables him to do that? In his letter to the church in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 13:4, the apostle Paul says Christ was crucified in weakness so that we can live in God’s power. Christ became weak so that we can be strong. There’s nothing more frightening for a little child than to lose the hand of the parent in a crowd or in the dark, but that is nothing compared with Jesus’s own loss. He lost his Father’s hand on the cross. He went into the tomb so we can be raised out of it. He lost hold of his Father’s hand so we could know that once he has us by the hand, he will never, ever forsake us. (p. 68-69)
Even when we go through those times where we don’t understand why God is delaying or not giving us what we think is best for us, we must remember that he still has us by the hand and that he knows where he is taking us. Praise God that we aren’t going through life alone. I pray that God will continue to remind me of this truth and that he will show me how to become a more patient person. May I begin to trust in God’s delays and know that he will get me where I need to be when he is ready to get there, and that will be the right time to be there. We will get there when we get there and we will be right on time. How wonderful is our God!