Lent 2026 Day 16: Sat 7 Mar
Mark 5:21-24a
21 When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea. 22 A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet 23 and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him,…
Back and forth across the lake went Jesus. What happens here is a wonderful event that is bookended by another – two stories in one. As we have come to expect, a crowd gathers around Jesus. Remember that news travels faster than you might think in those days, but also that time moves in a more relaxed way. It may have taken hours for the crowd to gather, but Mark will simply report that a large crowd gathered.
Despite there being a large audience of people desiring to see and hear Jesus, he abandons the preaching and teaching opportunity to go with a synagogue leader to his house to attend to his sick daughter. Of course, the crowds tag along and follow Jesus. They have a passive role to play in the next event in this story.
Would you not be moved by the stalwart faith of this man Jairus? Synagogue leaders were not always the best friends of Jesus! He prostrates himself before the rabbi and pleads with him for his child. He knows that if Jesus comes with him to his house, and places his hands on the girl, she will be healed – she will live! Jairus knew that only Jesus could heal his dying daughter. He was not desperate, for desperation/despair signifies a lost hope, and therefore lost faith, which was certainly not the case here. He, a synagogue leader, a respectable person in his community, was prepared to fall before Jesus’ feet in front of everybody for the sake of his daughter.
Jesus could have told Jairus that he had important work to do with the hundreds of people standing there expecting words and actions from him. I wonder if Jesus is a big sucker for people who display faith – after all, he hasn’t seen much of that from his specially chosen disciples recently.
Have you ever fallen on your knees before Jesus? What would cause you to do that?
Have you recently tested out my thoughts on faith in the paragraph above?
Father God, in this encounter with Jesus we see a dignified man humble himself at Jesus’ feet. Overwhelm me with love and cause me to bow my knee before the throne of the Lamb. Amen.
Paul