Jairus
Jairus we find out was a synagogue leader in Capernaum, Mark does not label him with the Pharisees or Sadducees. Who was Jairus?
Luke is the only other Gospel writer to include the name Jairus.
“Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and pleaded with Him to come to his house,”
Matthew tells the story without using the name Jairus.
“As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”
There is not much out on the web about Jairus. Jairus comes to Jesus because of a need. I want to include a few others who had come to Jesus because of a need; Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and a Capernaum centurion.
“There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”
Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came to Jesus at night with some questions.
“There was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, who had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God.”
Luke 23:50-51 HCSB
Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin who began to follow Jesus despite going against the ruling power of the rest of the Sanhedrin and Pharisees.
“Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word and my servant will be cured.”
This gentile centurion understood the hierarchy of command. He knew Jesus had the authority to command a healing to go without Jesus going.
All four of these men are leaders in their own right but they all recognize their weaknesses. There was a situation where their hands were tied and could do nothing further. We may look down upon Nicodemus because he came to Jesus at night. We may look down upon Joseph because he quietly became Jesus’ disciple, but in both cases, they still came to Jesus! Jairus and the Centurion both came to Jesus in a public way asking for healing for someone special in their lives, the only daughter and a loyal servant.
What about us? Are we willing to come to Jesus for our needs? We may come to Jesus in our beds while it is still night! We may come to Jesus at the altar at church! We may come to Jesus while we are in the woods enjoying His creation! But the most important thing is that we come to Jesus and let him be enough to answer our needs!
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