A Place Of Death

I think we know this child-raising story, as the raising of Jairus’ daughter. It is one of the well-loved miracles of Jesus, because it involves a child. We all know that death is part of life, but when a child dies, it seems worse and we think of the child as not having a chance to live fully. In addition, it is a common lament that no parent should have to bury his or her child.

Here’s the Scripture passage. When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep. But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all the region. Matthew 9: 23 – 26

Today, a ruler has found Jesus and tells Him that his daughter has just died, and he wants Jesus, to come and put your hand on her, and she will live. Matthew 9: 18. Jesus hears this distraught father and goes with him. As Jesus enters the house of this father, He is greeted with the noise of the crowd. The scene is perfect, just right, as the flute players and mourners all live out the perfect truth of a, Place Of Death. All who are in that, Place Of Death, and all who are coming, have all come to pay their respects, to mourn, to give condolences, counsel and such like. The noise in the house is indicative of death.

Cast your eyes on the father. He knows that his daughter is dead, for he tells this fact to Jesus. But he tells Jesus, so that Jesus will come and take her from her present state of death and raise her to her previous state of life. Ponder this again! One father has seen his daughter die before his very eyes. He does not remain in that Place Of Death, but leaves all and goes to find the Rabbi, called Jesus, the one Person he knows, is not just able to help, but the one Person who can give her life again. He finds Jesus, not to come and counsel the bereaved, because of this untimely death. He finds Jesus, not to come and comfort and console the people. He finds Jesus, not to come and commiserate with them. No! This father finds Jesus for one specific reason. He finds Jesus to come and give his daughter life again. Jesus hears, makes a detour as it were, and goes with this distraught father, to the Place of Death.

As Jesus enters the father’s house, He does three things.

He Clears the house. Even before Jesus meets the dead body, He has to clear the house. In other words, Jesus first changes the Place of Death to a Place of Life. When He tells the flute players and the noisy crowd to, Go away, Jesus is saying that the very death atmosphere, has to be changed. A Place Of Life is not a Place Of Death. With His own Presence, He brings life.

He Clarifies the situation. Jesus says openly to them all, The girl is not dead. Now, Jesus is not part of the household. He was not there to know any details. All He knows is what the father may have managed to speak in his grief-stricken state. Can you hear the crowd? This Man just walks in and rudely chases us away. Without even seeing the dead child, He takes over, telling us in bold, clear voice that she is not dead. Is this Jewish Rabbi for real? You are clarifying what You have not even seen with Your eyes? The people laugh at Jesus, brushing off what He is saying.

He Claims reason for her present state. The girl is not dead but asleep. Now, they laugh at Jesus to His face. They laugh Him to scorn. Sleeping? The girl is dead and He comes on the scene, not even knowing the details, not even knowing the child. He has not even set foot into the room to see her, but stands here, sending us away, saying there is no dead here, so this is not a Place of Death. If she were just sleeping, would we all be here, mourning and grieving? If she were just sleeping, would we have turned this into the Perfect Place of Mourning? No, we do not believe this Rabbi. He is a joker to be laughed at.

Lord, forgive me please! All I see today, is that Jesus went to a Place of Death with a father, and immediately cleared the entire place from the atmosphere of death. He clarified the reason for the change and made claim to the fact that it was sleep and not death that had befallen the child. You know the outcome of this, how Jesus raised the child and how the news of this raising spread like a Tik Tok piece.

But it is the faith of a father, who saved his dead daughter. It is the hope of a father, who fought death as it were, for his daughter. It is the love of a father, who forgot all his rank, creed and credentials, to find a Jewish Rabbi, called Jesus, to give life to his dear daughter. It took the courage and guts of a father, to defy all others, all the others who came to support, to mourn and sympathise with him and family, to go find this Jesus, to give her life again.

It still sometimes takes one father, one mother, one aunt, one uncle, one believing person, to defy all religious beliefs, all colour, all race, all rank, all creed, to seek the one Physician, of whom you have heard. It is the one Physician, who is able to grant your request of life for some dead.