The 12^th Sunday After Trinity

SERMON

Text: Luke 8:40-42a,49-56

So it was, when Jesus returned that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying…. While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Master." But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." When He came to the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping." And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all out, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise." Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And he commanded that she be given something to eat. And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

In Christ Jesus, Who promises to be with us until the end of the age, dear fellow redeemed:

We live in a time when crises are an everyday occurrence. Look at the front page of any newspaper and you will find them. Look inside the paper at local police and fire logs and you will find them as well, unfortunately much closer to home. Consequently, we prepare ourselves and we try to prepare our children to deal with them. We teach our children to call #911 in an emergency. Schools have fire drills. Cities install early weather warning systems. We learn CPR. These efforts all have beneficial results and at times do help to resolve crises. However, such measures do not prevent all crises from happening, nor can they readily address all types of crises.

Many crises, which face our families, go beyond the ability of medical or emergency procedures to resolve. These are crises often of the heart and in relationships. These are crises often caused and complicated by sinful behavior and which lead to the breakdown of the family. These are crises, which may involve issues of life and death and which require more wisdom and power to resolve than human beings are capable of providing. Isn’t it wonderful, therefore, that we can come together and remind ourselves that there is Someone Who is wiser and more powerful than we are and Who is capable of providing the wisdom and power necessary to resolve our family crises. That Someone, my dear friends, is Jesus. This morning I want to remind you that JESUS OFFERS HOPE FOR FAMILIES IN CRISIS!

I.

Knowing that, dear friends, turn to Him! That is what Jairus did when his twelve-year old daughter lay dying. As our text opens, we are told that Jesus had just returned to Capernaum from across the Sea of Galilee where He had healed the demon-possessed man named Legion. By this time in His ministry, Jesus was well known both for His preaching and for His miracles. Jairus, we are told, was a ruler of a synagogue in Capernaum. He no doubt knew Jesus personally, and may even have been among those Jewish men who had earlier approached Jesus on behalf of a Roman centurion, whose servant Jesus healed. While we do not know the exact condition of Jairus’ faith, we do know that He believed Jesus had the power necessary to heal his little girl. Consequently, he came to Jesus, knelt before Him and “begged Him to come to his house.”

My dear friends, we have such a distinct advantage over Jairus. We know who Jesus is, because we have the full account of Jesus’ life and ministry in our Bibles. Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior. He is equal to God the Father and so possesses “all authority in heaven and on earth” (cf. Mt. 28:18). He has invited us, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden” (cf. Mt. 11:28). He has promised us, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (cf. Mt. 7:7). Beyond this Paul assures us, “He (God) who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things” (cf. Rom. 8:32). We can expect and will receive Jesus’ help when we turn to Him. Therefore, when we face family crises, let us not forget to turn to Jesus! He is in a position to offer hope and help! But, you might object, "I’m not so sure we have an advantage. After all, for Jairus Jesus was so real. He could go to Him and see Him physically. He could talk directly to Jesus and Jesus responded directly to Him." Dear friends, we are at no disadvantage. Jesus told Mary Magdalene at His empty tomb on Easter Sunday, that it was necessary for Him to ascend to His Father and to our Father (cf. Jn. 20:17) in order to prepare for our futures. At the same time He assured His earthly disciples, “I am with you always” (cf. Mt. 28:20). Jesus would never do anything to harm us, and in fact would only do that which would enhance and bless us! Consequently, Jesus’ ascension into heaven could not and would not put us at a disadvantage. Therefore, consider this--Jairus had to go and search Jesus out. We don’t have to do that, for Jesus is right by our side. We need only speak to Him in prayer and He will listen, for He will not forsake us, nor will He fail to fulfill His promises. So turn to Him, dear brethren! JESUS OFFERS HOPE FOR FAMILIES IN CRISIS!

II.

Yes, turn to Him and believe Him! After Jesus agreed to go with Jairus to his home to heal his daughter, something devastating happened for Jairus. Jairus had firmly believed that Jesus could heal his sick daughter. As they walked towards Jairus’ home, however, a messenger approached them with the news that his daughter had already died. The messenger then urged Jairus not to trouble Jesus further. Jesus, however, hearing the message responded, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well!” Jesus was calling upon Jairus to respond in faith to His promise in the face of what appeared to be unalterable reality! His daughter was dead. Healing a sick person and raising a dead person are two entirely different things. Yet Jesus through His promise was informing Jairus that there is no such thing as unalterable reality in the face of His overwhelming power! Healing the sick or raising the dead is not different when either condition is faced by the omnipotent power of the Son of God!

My dear friends, there are times when we are confronted as well by what appears to our eyes and minds to be unalterable reality! We may be confronted by life-threatening and seemingly irreversible illnesses. Yet, there was and is no illness that Jesus cannot cure. It is only a matter of whether or not He is willing. There are reports regularly of individuals whose life-threatening illnesses suddenly disappear or are resolved in ways inexplicable to those in the medical profession. We may find ourselves confronted by a marriage relationship or a parent/child relationship so tattered by sinful words and actions that we feel nothing can resolve the issues. Yet, I am sure we would all agree that even the worst of relationships is not as serious or as difficult for Jesus to resolve as raising someone from the dead. Is your marriage dead? Is your relationship with your parents, or your relationship with your children on the rocks? Turn to Jesus and believe Him when He promises, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:23-24). This promise recorded by John, no doubt was in mind when he later reminds us in his first epistle, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 Jn. 5:14). Is a godly marital relationship in accordance with Jesus’ will? Is a proper parent/child relationship in accordance with God’s will? Of course they are! So, dear friends, when we face such crises, let us turn to Jesus and believe Him! JESUS OFFERS HOPE FOR FAMILIES IN CRISIS!

III.

As we place our absolute faith in Jesus and trust Him, let us also listen to Him! The challenges to Jairus’ faith did not end with the message of his daughter’s death. When Jairus, Jesus, and Jesus’ disciples entered Jairus’ home, they were greeted by the sights and sounds of funeral preparations. In Palestine of Jesus’ day, funerals were generally held the same day as the death or on the morning after. Professional mourners, who either played flutes or wailed, were hired to openly demonstrate the family’s sorrow. Jairus, Jesus, and His disciples were greeted by the noise of mourning, to which Jesus responded by telling the mourners, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” The response of the professional mourners was to “laugh Him to scorn!” Imagine the state of Jairus’ mind and faith! He had originally approached Jesus in frantic hope. He then had that hope dashed by a message of his daughter’s death, only to have Jesus lift him out of despair with His encouragement to faith. Now, he was confronted once again by the facts, and those who ridiculed any thought of hope coming from anywhere including this Jesus. But Jesus simply ordered all of them out of the house. Only Jairus, his wife, and Jesus’ three closest disciples were permitted to remain. Jairus, no doubt in great spiritual and emotional turmoil, simply listened to Jesus!

My dear friends, when our families are in the midst of crisis, there will be many voices out there offering us their opinions. Some of them may prove quite practical. Some may even prove to be quite spiritual. However, others will without doubt prove deadly, for they will point us away from our Savior and the teachings of His Word. Jesus speaks to us today through His Word. We need not fear that the Bible is out of date, for God’s Word “endures forever” (cf. 1 Pet. 1:25). Jesus, in His high priestly prayer in John 17, prayed for us with these words, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). The world ridicules the Word of God and those who listen to it. The world will challenge Jesus’ words with what they believe to be the irrefutable evidence of man’s mind. But let us not allow our faith to be subverted by the false and changing opinions of unbelieving man. Rather, let us listen closely to what our Savior says! Our Savior God promises, “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool…for all these things My hand has made…on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Is. 66:2). Is your family facing a crisis right now? Do you want the Lord of heaven and earth to look with favor upon you and bless your family? Then, dear friends, shut your ears to the mocking voices of this world and listen to Jesus, for JESUS OFFERS HOPE TO FAMILIES IN CRISIS!

IV.

Finally, dear friends, not only do we want to turn to Jesus, believe Him, and listen to Him. We want also to follow Him! This is exactly what Jairus did. He and his wife followed Jesus into their home to the place where their daughter lay dead. They watched as Jesus took the young girl by the hands and said to her, “Little girl, arise!” They witnessed a most incredible miracle, for their daughter opened her eyes and immediately got up! She, who had been dead, was now once again living! It is difficult for any of us to imagine what these two parents must have felt like as they hugged their only child who once again could breathe and laugh and sing and play. But this was only a beginning for Jairus and his family. Jesus now instructed them to give the little girl something to eat and to say nothing of what had happened. This miracle was not for public consumption, but rather was a witness for Jairus’ family of the truth of Jesus’ message. Can anyone imagine that Jairus, his wife, or daughter would not have followed Jesus’ commands? Can anyone imagine that they would not have continued to follow Jesus, trusting in Him and fulfilling all of His commandments as both their Lord and Savior? After all, Jesus once said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15). Surely these three individuals, having experienced the grace and power of their Savior, would willingly follow His every word and command!

Dear friends, may we too follow Jesus! The temptation when facing family crises is to follow your own will and desires even though they may be at odds with what our Savior tells us in His Word. May we each possess the strength to resist such temptations and rather follow our Savior’s advice and commands. After all, Jesus, Who raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, can surely renew a relationship where love appears to be dead, if both partners are determined to follow their Savior. Surely Jesus can restore a relationship between a parent and a child even though in the eyes of the world reconciliation appears impossible. Truly JESUS OFFERS HOPE FOR FAMILIES IN CRISIS! Let us turn to Him, trust Him, listen to Him, and follow Him for He promises us His distinct blessings when we do so! Amen!

— Pastor Paul D. Nolting