“Do not fear, only believe.” – Mark 5:36b
A Tale of Two
In his classic book, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens opens with the famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” If we could roll back the clock twelve years from the events recorded in Mark 5:21-43, this line couldn’t have been more descriptive of the two households represented.
In one home lived an aging woman whose body was beginning the long plague of a blood disorder. In the other home a cry was heard, the first sound of a new born girl testing her lungs and announcing her arrival.
With each passing day, the first lady would exhaust her wealth and energy seeking the help of various physicians and hoping for a cure from her malady. With each promising day the baby girl would grow and blossom to become a flower in her father’s home.
For the first lady each day was a reminder of her frailty as her disease relentlessly tormented her. Body and soul. For the young girl, each day was a promise waiting to be opened. A reminder of the vitality and hope of youth.
And then the clock struck twelve
Two Desperate
Who could be more desperate than the lady who suffered for twelve agonizing years with the discharge of blood? Not only was her suffering protracted but it was intense. Instead of finding relief with the aid of her physicians her suffering actually grew worse.
Day after day she battled her disease and day after day she felt defeated. Experience had proven that she could not buy her health back and now she is financially broke. As if she needed to add insult to injury.
Although not explicitly stated, it appears that this woman may have been facing her battles alone. If so, she had no one to provide for her or protect her. Worse yet, she may have had very little emotional support.
Her situation was dire. Her health was poor; her wealth was spent; and her hope, if any, was fading.
Who could be more desperate? A father named Jairus.
Often times, the only thing more difficult and helpless feeling than suffering, is watching our loved ones go through it. Especially our children.
Such was the plight of Jairus.
For twelve years, the woman with the blood disorder slowly felt her life ebbing from her as death slowly advanced. Her desperation hung over her like a steady, relentless storm. For Jairus, it appears, it came in the form of a lightening bolt.
One day his daughter is healthy; the next she is on death’s doorstep.
Who could be more desperate?
One Touch
Although, their tales were different, their desperation led them on the same path. Both the diseased woman and Jairus would make their way to Jesus for help. With no other recourse, He was now their only hope.
For Jairus, time is of the essence. He must get Jesus and take Him to his daughter immediately. Accordingly, Jairus came before the face of Jesus and instantly fell prostrate at His feet imploring His help.
The diseased woman takes a different approach. She is content to remain a lost face in the crowd and simply touch the garment of Jesus from behind. She has suffered in silence for so long why seek attention now? If she is going to suffer another disappointment why make it public?
But Jesus isn’t just any other physician. He will not disappoint. With a simple touch of His garment the woman was cured. Instantly and completely. Her bleeding stopped and her suffering ended. Her bondage to her disease was ended.
Now it was time for her to “come clean”. Accordingly she had to face Jesus. Although her approach was in stealth, Jesus made sure her testimony was done publicly. At the feet of Jesus she was healed of her spiritual disease. Sin.
Her desperation had met the Divine and and she was forever changed. Body and soul. Her disease gave way to His peace.
Delayed
What must have gone through the mind of Jairus as he watched this exchange? His daughter is near death and time is of the essence. Fighting the throng must have tested his patience. With each delayed step he must have sensed another grain falling through the hourglass. He couldn’t lead Jesus to his home fast enough.
As Jairus was leading Jesus through the crowd did he even notice their faces? Did he even care about the diseased woman or any of his other desperate fellow humans reaching out for help? Certainly none were as desperate as he!
Those lungs that twelve short years ago announced their arrival were now slowly taking their last breaths. Jairus knew this too well.
Imagine his disdain when Jesus stopped to call out the diseased widow. Doesn’t Jesus understand his urgency?
Desperation and delay are a difficult tandem to cope with.
Too Late
“Your daughter is dead.”
As Jesus is dismissing the healed woman in peace, word comes to Jairus that his daughter is dead. The hourglass is empty. The urgency is gone.
When he receives the dreaded news he not only feared but raced against, desperation gives way to despondency. Death has won.
There is no more need to bother the Master. Jesus can return to the faces in the crowd and Jairus can return to his wife and bury his daughter.
He tried his best, what more could he do. If only the crowd had not been so great. If only Jesus had recognized the urgency.
Life is too full of what if’s! But his time for reflection and second guessing is cut short. The same lips that just spoke to his “sister” in despair, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:34), now speak to him, “Do not fear, only believe.”
Do Not Fear
How do we NOT fear when our beloved child is on the precipice of death? The prospect of burying our loved ones can strike fear in the strongest of men. How do we NOT fear when our bodies are tormented by an incurable disease and the suffering only grows worse? The prospect of a future full of pain and suffering can weaken the sturdiest of souls.
Do not fear?
How do we NOT fear when the money is dwindling and the bills are mounting? A lot of noble people have crumbled under the weight of debt. How do we NOT fear at the prospect of being alone? A lot of noble hearts have been pierced by the arrows of loss and abandonment.
Do not fear?
Maybe you are feeling desperate. Perhaps like the diseased woman you have endured suffering for a long period of time. The constant stress has worn you down and fear has taken up residence in your soul.
Possibly you can relate more with Jairus. One minute everything is going fine and then lightening strikes. Immediately your life is turned upside down and you are desperate. Your once seemingly autonomous life is now characterized by panic and fear.
Regardless of the source, Jesus simply commands, “Do not fear, only believe.”
Follow The Leader
How does our fear give way to belief?
Jesus gives no magic formula. Nor does He give a simple “incantation”. He simply joins us in our storms and when we are most desperate He takes the lead and asks us to follow (Mark 5:37 & 40).
“Only believe.”
After speaking these words to Jairus, Jesus had the crowd held back and then led his inner circle to the home of Jairus and the bedside of his deceased daughter.
How somber that walk must have been. How heavy Jairus’ heart must have been. The faces in the crowd have given way to the haunting face of his daughter in his troubled mind. A flower wilted before it fully blossomed.
What did Jairus expect from Jesus now? Was his confidence in Him shaken? Not only was Jesus “distracted” by the diseased woman, but upon arrival at the home of Jairus He rebuked the mourners and contradicted the doctors by stating the dead child was merely sleeping?
“Only believe.”
What comfort was it to Jairus and his wife to have Jesus lead them into the presence of their deceased daughter? As her still body laid there on the bed, Jesus took her cold hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
With a touch of His garment the diseased woman had her flow of blood stopped. With the touch of His hand and the command of His voice the young girls flow of blood was restored.
As Mark records, desperation gave way to amazement (Mark 5:42). More importantly, their fear gave way to belief.
Such is the case when we follow Jesus. As we spend time with Him and put our faith in His character our fear melts away. Certainly this is what David had in mind when he wrote the twenty-third Psalm.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” – Psalm 23:4