In the gospel of Mark there is the story of a synagogue ruler, Jairus, whose daughter was dying. (Mark 5:21-43) It is the story of a loving father desperate to save his baby girl. Mark describes his encounter with Jesus: “He saw Jesus, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly.” He’s on his knees, begging Jesus to heal his baby girl. It is the story of a Daddy’s love. Most of us can relate. I can relate on a much smaller level. My wife Julie and I had four boys, then we adopted two girls. And this generality proved true — there is something about daddies and their little girls. One thing I always knew for certain, we would never own horses. But then Christa came along and we ended up with several horses. Daddies and their little girls ... .
Jairus, as I picture him, had this kind of relationship with his little girl. His sweet baby lay dying so he sought every avenue to save her. This synagogue leader got so desperate he sought out public enemy number one, Jesus. When it comes to our babies there is no stone a loving father won’t turn over looking for help.
And then Mark tells us, they tarried too long, the child has died. We aren’t told how Jairus reacted, but we can imagine he was devastated; see him dropping to his knees, his head in his hands, inconsolable.
But we are told how Jesus reacted. “Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’” Good advice for us when we face sorrow or troubles or fears. And it is not that things will always work out as they did for Jairus, (Jesus does bring his daughter back to life.) We are not to fear because we trust that God’s love is stronger than any evil that may befall us. This story is a picture of God’s love. I’m using Jairus’ love for his little girl as a picture of God’s love for each of us.
What did God do when we were lost in our sin and our trespasses, when we were dying, with no hope of salvation? God came to earth as a human being and showed his love by walking with us, teaching us, healing us and saving us. With Jairus as our example again, we see that God was willing to do anything, go anywhere to save his beloved children. This is a picture of God’s love. God will do anything to save us from death. Even dying on the cross for us.
A daddy’s love can be very special. Jairus gave us a picture of that kind of love. God’s love is like that, but infinitely greater. We are precious gems in God’s sight.
As Mark Lowry says, “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.” Relish that love. Acknowledge that love. Respond to that love by entering the presence of the Father, spending time with your dad.
