When You Have Nothing Left To Lose

Mark 5:21-43, tells us that when Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” His disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
He didn’t let anyone follow Him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at Him.
After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with Him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’. Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

I wonder why Jesus strictly forbade them to tell anyone of this event? Heck, how would they explain her raising to the people outside? Maybe that’s why Jesus said she’s only sleeping. No theological point, but to temporarily cover up this great miracle? They bring the girl out, ‘yep, He was right, she was just sleeping. And look, He’s healed her of her sickness!’ (Jesus was already recognized as a healer).

Let’s look at where we are in Mark’s Gospel:

• Jesus began in Capernaum: That’s where the spiritually-dead synagogue was (with the demon).
• They crossed over: storm, legion, pigs, Decapolis.
• Returned: Then Jarius was the leader from the spiritually-dead synagogue.

So Jesus would:

• Go to town, hang out/teach there
• Go by the sea and teach there
• Cross over to the other side
• Return

This is Huge!

So far, all the persecution that Jesus had been receiving from the Pharisees and Teachers of religious law from the synagogue and area, for Jarius to not just approach and ask Jesus for help, but to fall at Jesus’ feet and repeatedly beg Him to come to his house to lay His hands on the daughter so that her life may be saved, is HUGE! Jarius wasn’t just a teacher, but one of the leaders at the Synagogue. Everybody knew who he was. Just asking Jesus could have damaged his reputation among the people, and also his colleagues (The Pharisees, Teachers of Religious Law, Scribes, Sanhedrin, etc.) But look at the way that he reacted towards Jesus here:

• He fell at Jesus’ feet
• Begged Jesus repeatedly (Signs of desperation?)

Also, Jesus knew he and his buddies were planning His destruction, but He went anyway (and immediately). Jarius probably still didn’t know that Jesus is God (heck, Jesus’ own disciples didn’t even recognize it until His resurrection). He also probably still didn’t bother or think to compare Jesus to the Messianic scriptures. But he had heard of Jesus’ healings of all and every kind, and he had a daughter who was dying. So just like the woman with the bleeding, he too was very desperate.

Jesus As Our Last Resort

I’ve noticed often times, we turn to God once we finally realize that there’s nothing we can do about something, like Jesus is our last option, or chance. For example:

• Loved one dying, doctors can’t do any more or the insurance won’t cover the cost, so family (finally) prays for help (Nothing left to lose).
• Relationship is breaking apart and nothing you do seems to help, so you (finally) pray for help. (Nothing left to lose)
• When you’ve lost everything already (Homeless Christians, for example – Nothing left to lose)
• When your life is threatened (Nothing left to lose)
• When there’s nothing left to lose, you (finally) pray for help. (Nothing left to lose)

Jarius’ daughter was dying, and Just as with the bleeding woman, there was nothing anybody could do…he had nowhere else to turn, and nothing else to lose by trying (nothing in comparison to his daughter’s life, anyway). So Jarius chose the importance of his daughter’s life over what others would say or think about him or his reputation. I’m willing to bet that if it had been the Sabbath, he’d still have asked.

Jarius and the woman are 2 perfect examples of people who had nothing left to lose – they were at their last limbs of a chance.

Reflection:

1. Can you think of any examples of just enough faith (as opposed to Jesus’ own apostles’)?
2. Think of some examples of people who had only heard of Jesus, then went to meet Him when they were at rock bottom…who sought Him out in desperation.
3. How can this event also be a good example of many of us when we gave our lives to Christ?
4. Decide that beginning this week, you’ll pray as your first response, not your last resort. Make Jesus a part of your decision and solution, first.

Picture courtesy of Seth Tan, who also posted on this topic