What do you actually need on the worst day of your life?
An explanation.
A nice theory?
What about the question: is there any reason not to give up right now?
That is exactly where Jairus is standing in Mark 5:21-43.
His daughter was dying, Jesus agreed to come, and then there was a delay.
Messengers arrived and told him what we call 'The Worst'.
It's too late (they said): "your daughter's dead, don't bother the teacher anymore."
And Jesus turned to Jairus and said, "Do not fear, only believe."
Jesus doesn't promise everything will be fine.
He gives Jairus a challenge, and He gives it to Jairus immediately after showing Jairus exactly what that kind of trust looks like ... in the woman who'd caused the delay when she reached out to Jesus moments before.
This Super Short Thought is part of Word for the Week's Discovering Mark series, walking verse by verse through Mark's Gospel for farming and rural communities across Wales.
Read the full passage free: live.bible.is/bible/ENGNLH/MRK/1
Watch the other Super Short Thought reels on Mark here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8_nqRcLJvtchcsemJU_0q1aL0wd69SQU
Read the blog to take it further:
... these get posted each weekend so this one will be up in a few days.
And for the theologians out there, you'll find a deeper dive into a much closer reading of the text of these passages in Mark on
Substack:
simonbowkett331045.substack.com
QUIZ
Q: What does Jesus say to Jairus in Mark 5?
A: "Do not fear, only believe."
Q: Who is Jairus in the Bible?
A: A synagogue leader whose twelve year old daughter is dying. He asks Jesus to come and heal her in Mark 5:21-43.
Q: What happens before Jesus reaches Jairus's daughter?
A: A delay. A woman with a twelve year long illness reaches out and touches Jesus's cloak and is healed, interrupting the journey to Jairus's house.
Q: What is the significance of the delay in Mark 5?
A: The interruption is not wasted time. Jairus watches the woman's faith in her own extremity before he is asked to trust in his own.
Q: What does "only believe" mean in Mark 5:36?
A: The underlying word carries the sense of "trust me."
Jesus isn't asking for a feeling, He's asking Jairus to keep trusting him in that moment when everything looks lost.
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