“Sleeping?”
In the Name of Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, dear fellow redeemed,
You
know the darkness that into in this text. Here we see Jesus reaching into two
of the darkest, most terrifying places we can be. On the one hand, we have Jairus and his wife, parents with a sick child and on the other, a woman with a chronic disease.
Parents,
you know how this is. Even if the illness isn’t necessarily serious (but
especially if it is) you feel completely powerless when your kids are sick and
nothing is helping. You would move heaven and earth to help your kid but you
simply can’t. Watching your child suffer can actually feel worse than suffering
yourself.
For
kids, being sick can also be scary. For those of us who are grown up, remember
what it was like to be sick as a kid. You don’t know what’s going on. All you
know is that you’re feeling bad and it’s a little scary—or a lot scary. No
doubt that’s how this little girl must have felt as well in what was perhaps
days leading up to her death.
Many
of you also know about the woman’s situation. Here she’s been bleeding for
years. She’s tried doctor after doctor and not a single one of them have
actually been able to help. If anything things have just gotten worse for her.
Besides getting worse, she was now broke.
Two thousand years, and
not much has changed! We still have people who go from doctor to doctor and
can’t get any relief. And of course, medical bills pile up and the person is
left drowning in pain, sorrow, and debt.
With such a diverse
group of people in our reading today, we should be able to identify with them.
We have also felt the effects of our own sin in our lives. We all sin and we’re
all going to die. Every sickness, every pain, every bill from the doctor is a
reminder that death is coming for us. It’s coming for everyone, no matter our
differences, because we all have sinned.
And
just look how different these two people are! Jairus is the ruler of the
synagogue—in our congregation we’d call in an elder. She, by virtue of her
bleeding, is unclean according to the law. He is settled in the home with a
family, she is an outcast who has lost everything.
But,
two things draw them together. They are utterly helpless. Jairus can do nothing
to save his daughter. This woman can do nothing to stop the bleeding and she’s
tried everything.
But both of them are
drawn together by one thing—even more than their helplessness. They are drawn
together by faith in Christ. Both of them, when they finally meet Jesus can do
nothing but fall at His feet and beg for mercy. Mercy that He is willing and
ready to give.
When our world is
shattered let us remember that these two things also draw us together. We are
utterly helpless. We can do nothing to save ourselves from this dying world. We
must also fall at Jesus’ feet like Jairus and this bleeding woman and find
mercy in Him.
This Jesus has come to
this broken world to put everything right. His miracles show just a glimpse of
what the last day is going to be like when all sin and death are put away.
Did
you notice how Jesus completely disregards everything that anyone has to say
about death in this reading? Jairus begs Jesus to come and heal his daughter
who is near death, but is delayed by the bleeding woman.
Look
at verse 35. Mark captures the vividness and the quick pace of Jesus’ work.
While He’s still speaking words of comfort to the woman, He’s interrupted by
those who bring the bad news—Jairus’s daughter is dead—his entire world just
collapsed around him. What good will it do bother Jesus anymore?
Jesus
overhears what they whisper in Jairus’ ear and complete ignores them. He
doesn’t even give Jairus a chance to doubt or say anything but responds with
these beautiful words, “Do no fear, only believe.” He leaves everyone else
there except the parents and three disciples, and begins His assault on death.
Have you noticed that Jesus had the worst
funeral etiquette in the history of the world? He always says or does the wrong
thing. Three times in the gospels, we hear about Jesus raising the dead. Each
times He does things that are absolutely inappropriate.
The
first time this happened was in Luke 7 where Jesus goes to a town called Nain.
There they met a procession—a widowed mother going out to bury her only son. It
was a sad day indeed.
What
do you do when a funeral procession goes by? You stand on the side of the road,
take off your cap, put your hand over your heart and pay your respects to the
deceased. But not Jesus. Jesus stops the whole horrible procession in its
tracks, touches the bier and says, “Young man, I say to you arise.” If anyone
else did this, he’d probably get arrested! But of course, since its Jesus, the
dead guys, gets up, starts talking, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
The
same thing happens when Lazarus dies in John 11. This time Jesus doesn’t even
make it to the funeral, but shows up late! Lazarus has been dead for four days
by the time Jesus gets there. Jesus makes a startling request—open the tomb!
Who would demand that? Martha objects because now Lazarus stinks—not to mention
the indignity of unearthing a corpse!
But
Jesus knows what He’s doing. He calls out, “Lazarus, come out.” Of course, the
dead guy comes out and is restored to life. In John 12 we hear about the dinner
that Martha served for Jesus and Lazarus—the world’s first “welcome back from
the dead” party. There is no etiquette for parties like this. Do you “unread”
the will and give everything back to the guy who died? Do you give back the
memorial money? Would you ask the newspaper to print a retraction for the
obituary? Do you ask for a refund from the undertaker? Jesus shatters the
rituals and etiquette we have surrounding death.
Look at what Jesus does
here. As was their custom, people are weeping and wailing. He walks in the door
and says, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead
but sleeping.” The laugh at Him because, “silly Jesus, we know better!” Jesus
kicks them out. (In fact the word is the same word used when Jesus casts out
demons.)
He goes into the room
with the disciples and parents. Jesus takes her by the hand. Mark gives us the
actual Aramaic words that Jesus used, “Talitha
cumi,” which means, “little girl, get up!” And she does!
So what would happen if
Jesus would come to one of our funerals here? If He came to the visitation I
don’t think He’d wait in line to view the body and greet the family. He
wouldn’t exchange the pleasantries we use, “Oh, he had a good life,” “She’s in
a better place.” Those are the things we say to take the edge off of death.
No, instead Jesus would
cut to the front of the line. Comfort the family, with a sentence or two, throw
open the casket, grab the corpse by the hand and raise it from the dead! The
whole reason for gathering in sadness and fear would be gone!
Here’s the beautiful
truth, the Son of God, the Author of Life, cannot stand to see death win. He
can’t watch idly by as people hurt and struggle with pain and sickness as they
slip towards the grave. He has to do something. He has to break in. He has to
help.
That’s just what He’s
done. The Son of God has come to be with us. His arrival marked the beginning
of God’s reign here on earth and the beginning of the end for death. By raising
this little girl from the dead, Jesus showed that He had power over death and
the grave—even before He Himself would die.
By His death, He has
taken the sting of death away from you. He has gone to the grave, where we must
go and has defeated it—bringing not only life but forgiveness and restoration.
That’s what Jesus gave
to this family. You have to love these little details that Mark throws in as
he’s telling you about Jesus. Here he ends the reading by saying, “[Jesus] told
them to give her something to eat.” Why? Certainly seeing her eat would prove
that she was not only alive again, but also that she was no longer sick.
Remember that Jesus also asked for something to eat to prove to His disciples
that He had risen from the dead.
There’s another reason.
For this family, life could go back to normal. They wouldn’t have a single meal
with their daughter’s empty place at the table. Jesus had restored her
completely.
That is what Jesus does
and promises to do for our families. He restores what sin breaks. Where there
is sin, He brings forgiveness. Where there is despair He brings hope. Where
there is death He brings resurrection.
Walk through our
cemetery and you will find a number of tomb stones which read, “Asleep in
Jesus” or in German “Hier ruht in Gott” (which means “here rests in God”). Sleep
is truly one of the most beautiful ways to talk about death. If you are asleep
in Jesus, then what happens to you? You’re going to wake up, just like the
little girl did.
Jesus takes the most
terrifying thing that will ever happen to us and talks about it like it’s just
an afternoon nap. He can do that because He’s been there. We’re with Him and
He’s going to bring us through it. Actually, by virtue of your baptism and
faith, you’ve already made the transition from death to life!
This little girl was
dead for just a very short time—maybe less than a few hours. We’re just going
to have to wait a little longer before Jesus comes to our dead body to call us
from the sleep of death to live with Him forever. Amen.
