Pleading

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

PLEADING

Mark 5:21-24

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24 So Jesus went with him.

NIV

This is faith in action. Although we are supposed to intercede for the needs of others, and this story is somewhat about a father interceding for the life of his daughter, it is also a story about the needs of Jairus. This was his little girl who was the apple of his eye. What dad does not love his daughter so much he would not plead for her life. Even in those days when having a son was everything, passing the family name on, being the first born son to inherit all the father has, this father was pleading for his daughter. He was even one of the synagogue rulers who was supposed to be against this Jesus who was upsetting their way of life, yet he was pleading for his daughter. What father would sit idle while his daughter was dying? How could he just do nothing? Surely whatever kind of doctors there were in those days had tried some form of cure, but it was no helping, she was still dying. Maybe Jesus was his last hope, his last chance to try to save his little daughter. Jarius had to love his little girl with all his heart to take the chance of losing his reputation as a leader to go and plead with Jesus. Do we plead with Jesus for our needs? Do we ask to be saved from an illness leading to death? Sure we offer prayer requests for our aunts friend who has a daughter whose son is sick, but do we come to Jesus pleading for our own needs? Jarius did not want to lose his little girl, he was pleading Jesus as much for himself as he was asking for his little girl to be healed, so she would not die. How much do we plead with Jesus for our own needs? Do we just casually ask, or do we fall at the feet of Jesus and greatly implore, exhorting, invoking, pleading for him to help us? It is obvious although he may not have every met Jesus before, he had heard about him and had such faith that Jesus could heal his little girl; he put that faith in action and fell at the feet of Jesus. Maybe we need more falling at the feet of Jesus. Maybe there should be more time spent at the altar, then worshipping in music. Maybe there should be more time spent on our knees then on our sits. We see the results of the kind of faith Jarius put to action, Jesus went with him. Maybe if we put our faith into action, falling at the feet of Jesus, pleading for our need, he come with us, he will heal. Are we too sophisticated to plead? Are we too reserved to fall at his feet? Are we too afraid of what others would think, if we actually fell at the feet of Jesus and pleaded for him to meet our need? If we want Jesus to come, plead.