God's Time is the Best Time (Mark 5:21-43)

Jairus was desperate. His 12 year old daughter was deathly ill. As a synagogue ruler, he’d heard of Jesus, the controversial Rabbi who was said to have healing powers.

So putting aside his pride, and whatever doubts he had, he fell at Jesus’ feet and “implored him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her….’”

Imagine his relief when Jesus agreed to go to his home. He would heal his daughter! A crowd was following them when suddenly Jesus stopped. “Who touched me?” he asked. After some confusion, a woman cautiously crept forward and said, “It was me.”

What must Jairus have been thinking at this moment? His daughter is at the point of death, and Jesus stops to talk to a woman with a chronic illness! Can’t it wait?

By the time Jesus finished with the woman whom he had healed, bad news came from the ruler’s home. It was too late; his daughter was dead.

Of course, you’ve read the story, so you know how it turns out. Jesus brought the little girl back from death to life and “strictly charged them” to secrecy.

It’s a beautiful story with many lovely lessons, but I’ll just mention one:

God’s Time is the Best Time.
If it was my daughter at death’s door I’m sure I would have been frustrated when Jesus stopped to help that hurting woman. But Jesus knew what he was doing. He had a greater miracle in mind than the one for which Jairus prayed. Jesus was going to raise his daughter from the dead. For that, he would just have to wait.

And the woman, the one who had superstitiously touched his garment? She needed to know that it was her faith, not magic, which brought about healing. In addition, in light of her previous uncleanness, by calling her out in the crowd, he restored her to fellowship in the community, thus healing her relationally as well as physically.

Jairus could not have known these things at the time, and neither can we when heaven seems to be silent.

In truth, most of us struggle with accepting God’s timing in our lives. Unanswered prayers, unresolved conflicts, unclear direction — when this happens, we struggle with frustration, anger, and fear.

In these moments, we must remind ourselves that while God’s timing is not our timing, God’s timing is always perfect. As the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “He makes everything beautiful in its time” (3:11). We must choose to trust God even when we don’t understand God.

After all, as we’ve already seen in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is master over the wind and the waves. He calms the sea with a word: 

“Peace, be still”

Jesus is master over demons and evil itself. He casts them out with a stern command: 

“Come out”

Jesus is master over life and death. He raises the dead with a simple request: 

“Little girl, get up”

So when we find ourselves in moments of frustration, anger and fear, let us hear the personal word which Jesus spoke to Jairus: 

“Do not fear; only believe”