There used to be a man named Jairus, he was a synagogue leader. Just in case you’re wondering what that meant, he was the equivalent of the resident pastor in the Christian community today.
However, at the time that this man was a synagogue leader, the entire Jewish nation was practically against the idea of Jesus and what he represented but this man believed. Although he couldn’t make a public proclamation of his faith, he believed.
Suddenly, an event happened that propelled him to show his faith in Jesus and make demands of it; his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. So, he came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house.
While Jesus was getting ready to go to him, someone came from the house of Jairus, with rather unfortunate news. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
Guess what Jesus said in response? Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50). Why was Jesus telling Jarius to believe again? Wait, I thought faith was what propelled him to come to Jesus in the first place? The truth is, when Jarius came to Jesus, it was with the faith that Jesus could heal his daughter, but the new information about the young lady’s death brought that faith to a halt. Knowing this Jesus was saying to him, “Jarius, don’t let this new information replace your faith with fear. Keep on believing”.
Aren’t we like Jarius in many ways? We start in faith, praying and trusting that God will come through but somewhere along the line, a new fact shows up that appears like the truth because of its accurate nature and as you pay attention to it, the ship of your faith begins to hit the iceberg of reality and gradually like the famous titanic, water begins to flow into the ship. Before you know it, the weight of reality gradually obscures you from the God of the universe until he becomes so small and your problem becomes so big. Jesus is saying to you today, don’t be afraid; just believe!
Do not give the devil a chance, stop paying attention to those facts. They may look real but we have a reality that exists deeper than the realm of facts and figures. Why is it so important to stop paying attention? Well, to borrow the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NLT) “… so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes”. Don’t let the devil outsmart you! Don’t be afraid; just believe and you will see the glory of God.
How did it end for Jarius? Well, Jesus followed him home eventually and he raised the dead girl back to life.
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