The Desperation that Drives Us to Jesus

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying (Luke 8:40-42a).

Jesus returned to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. There was a great crowd waiting for Him. The witness of His miracles in their communities was still fresh in their minds… “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them” (Luke 7:22). They longed for more of His special teaching that transformed their hearts… “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:10). Perhaps they would see a demonstration of His delivering power as they had heard about His victorious encounter with the Gerasene Demoniac… “They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35). Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, directs our attention to one in the crowd that had a different motivation for seeking the Lord. His daughter was dying. Casting aside all pretense, this “ruler of the synagogue” fell down before Jesus’s feet and begged Him to come into his home. In this incredible scene, truth seekers get a glimpse of the desperation that drives us to Jesus.

We all desperately need the help only Christ can give. Jairus was a man of authority. But he was facing a threat that exceeded his jurisdiction. The impending loss of his only daughter was beyond his power and his desperate need drove him to seek the help of Jesus. True disciples recognize and rely on the power of Christ in our witnessing… “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8), and ministry efforts… “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Like Jairus, the world needs to see the power of Christ reflected in and through disciples that trust and offer His help to a desperate world.

We all desperately need the humility only Christ can give. Jairus was a man of position. When he stood in the synagogue people were silenced and they bowed in respect. But the looming loss of his only daughter brought him to his knees at the feet of a greater authority. His desperate need drove him in humility to Jesus. True disciples acknowledge and affirm the sovereignty of Christ in everyday living… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17), and kingdom-building work… “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18). Like Jairus, the world needs to see the sovereignty of Christ reflected in and through disciples that live in humility before Him in a proud and desperate world.

We all desperately need the hope only Christ can give. Jairus was a man of faith. He diligently searched and taught the scriptures to promote the faith of others. But the approaching death of his only daughter drove him to hope for her life in Jesus. True disciples are protected and preserved by the certainty of Christ’s promises here on earth… “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13), and as we look forward to our resurrected lives in Heaven… “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Like Jairus, the world needs to see the certainty of eternal life reflected in and through disciples that hope in Him in the midst of an uncertain and desperate world.

As we grow up into Christ with a growing spirit of humility, we learn to hold onto…

The Desperation that Drives Us to Jesus.