Jairus A Hero Father – A father is a hero when he realizes there are some things in life he can’t fix except he includes Jesus in those things. Jairus was not too stubborn, proud, or anti-Jesus to worship Jesus and plead/pray for his children no matter what his friends and religion said. That characteristic made Jairus supernatural and a hero. The mightiest men I know are men who found Jesus and made certain Jesus came to their homes to touch their children.

HEROES OF THE BIBLE
By Pastor Delbert Young

Jairus A Hero Father

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FATHER’S DAY – JAIRUS A Hero Father

Mark 5:22-24; Mark 5:35-37; Luke 8:52-53; Luke 8:54-56

Today is Father’s Day. When all of life shakes down and a man can look back, smile in his heart knowing he was a successful father, then he’s had a successful life. When his children honor him because he’s been a real father to them, he’s a successful man. When he can add to his resume’ how his grandchildren adore him, he’s in the top percentile of humanity. When a man accomplishes those things, he has the satisfaction of accomplishment in his heart that no other accomplishment can touch. He’s a successful man. He’s a good man. He’s a righteous man.

We hear so much about how the greatest attack we face in the 21st century is the attack on our homes and how men need to stand up and fight for their families, etc. That’s true, Satan desires to, and will, destroy your home. That doesn’t surprise anyone. The way the world expresses it is as if finding a wonderful home with a great dad is next to impossible. That’s exactly what the enemy wants you to think. He wants you to think few if any marriages work, no home is truly happy, and the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Perhaps, someone else can make you happy. That’s not true. The grass on the other side of the fence needs mowing too.

The enemy wants you to think that way so when you get upset, you will throw in the towel and forfeit the fight. No. That’s when you fight harder. The truth of the matter is I know far more good and great homes than I know of bad ones. I know far more wonderful fathers than I know of sorry ones. I know of many more fathers committed to their children, spouse, and home than I know who are not. Certainly, we all go through our unhappy times, but we all also know the sun is shining on the other side of the storm no matter how huge the storm is. I know Dads who love their children with amazing love and will do anything for their children and grandchildren.

This might surprise you, but I’ve had more husbands and dads call me, or show up at my study, crying over, and fighting for their homes than I have had wives and moms. I get a little aggravated when I hear about how sorry men are when the truth of the matter is it’s just as much the husbands and fathers who make the home work as it is the wives and moms. (You ladies had Mother’s Day and I told you how wonderful you are, and you are. But, “THIS ONE’S FOR THE DADS.”)

Nothing touches my heart more, and I believe the heart of God more than a man determined to suck it up and make his marriage and his home work.

FAITHFUL LOVE IS A CHOICE GIFT. The Lord easily relates to a man who faithfully loves his wife and children. The man who can suck it up holds a special place in the heart of the Lord God. That man is blessed.

A father in the scriptures who faced a huge storm was Jairus. Jairus is a Hero of the Bible to me because he was a great father. I believe every father should be a hero. It was years and years ago. Lance, my son, was eight to ten years old. He had a school project. He was to mold an image of his hero. We thought he would do Superman. He made a sculptured bust with eyes, nose, and mouth. We asked him who it was and he said, “It’s Daddy. He’s my hero.” I still have that bust from over 30 years ago.

Jairus was a ruler at the local synagogue. We would say he was the senior pastor at a church in town. He was Jewish, believed in God, and surely heard all the buzz about the hands of a man from Nazareth called Jesus. Some of the buzz was exciting and positive. Some of it was religious and negative. Most of the Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t like Jesus and Jairus had to be either a Pharisee or a Sadducee. Jairus probably would have never met Jesus and become a hero had it not been for a very huge storm in his life concerning his child. Jairus’ daughter was sick and dying. With that emergency, Jairus went himself to find Jesus. He didn’t send his wife. He didn’t send an employee or a parishioner. It was the dad’s responsibility to bring Jesus home to touch his child. With a crowd of people around, we read…

Mark 5:22-24 Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 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.” SO JESUS WENT WITH HIM. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.

I want us dads to put ourselves in Jairus’ situation. Imagine the intenseness of the situation. Your child is dying. Doctors were not successful. Your daughter was close to death. What would you do Dad? Would you go looking for Jesus? “Can you tell me where I can find Jesus?” Jairus didn’t know Jesus. He was religious, and didn’t have a relationship with Jesus.

People say, “He or she only went to church because something bad was happening.” Yes, and your point is? I am so happy we serve that kind of God. Any one of us can go find and see Jesus. We are not required to sacrifice a bull, or a goat, or sprinkle the ashes of a heifer to get to the hands of our merciful God. Our God loves that we find him when we are in trouble and life’s storms rage, no matter if we know him or not. He knows us. A father is a hero when he finds Jesus.

A father is a hero when he realizes there are some things in life he can’t fix except he includes Jesus in those things. Jairus was not too stubborn, proud, or anti-Jesus to worship Jesus and plead/pray for his children no matter what his friends and religion said. That characteristic made Jairus supernatural and a hero. The mightiest men I know are men who found Jesus and made certain Jesus came to their homes to touch their children. Sometimes we dads want to show how strong we are and use our natural abilities – find the best doctor, get the best care, etc. That’s great. Do all you can, but don’t exclude Jesus. Find Jesus and bring him home with you.

“Paul Faulkner, in his book Achieving Success Without Failing Your Family, reports that if both father and mother go to church, seventy-two percent of the children will go when they are grown. If only the father goes, that figure drops slightly to 55 percent. But if only the mother goes to church, only 15 percent of those children will go when they are grown. Is it any wonder that the Lord said, Fathers, raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?“

Mom, when you have a husband who will go find Jesus, you have a true prize. When you have a man that not only loves you but will find Jesus, you have a supernatural man. Be good to him. He is a hero and he will be a hero for your children.

It’s interesting watching this story roll out. On the way to Jairus’ house, Jesus experienced interruptions. A woman in the crowd with a bleeding problem for years touched Jesus’ garment receiving healing. Jesus stopped in his tracks. He would not go on until he found who touched him. You have to get the picture. Again, be Jairus for a minute. (One day, you may really be.) Your child is dying. Jesus is your last hope, but because some unknown/unnamed woman touched his garment, he stopped for who knows how long to talk with her. I mean, Jesus got her history for the past twelve years, all the doctors she tried, all the money she spent, etc. Jesus would not stop talking to her.

Have you ever gotten upset with God? It seemed everyone else was being blessed, but you couldn’t get your blessing. What would you be thinking here? I would be going insane saying, “What is this! My daughter is dying and you are having a long conversation with this woman.” However, the Bible says nothing about Jairus getting upset. Obviously, he was a man under self-control, but then…

Mark 5:35 While Jesus was STILL SPEAKING, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “YOUR DAUGHTER IS DEAD,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”

Never stop bothering Jesus concerning your children. While Jesus “was STILL speaking” to that woman, Jairus’ daughter died. Jairus did not lose it. He remained in control. My point is Jairus was able to control himself even in the extreme of emotions.

I was third in a cashier’s line one day. The cashier began having a conversation with the woman she was waiting on. A man in front of me with a young boy and girl in his buggy became upset. He turned to me and said a few things in frustration loudly enough for the cashier to hear, but it didn’t hurry her. She kept talking and he got angrier. He got himself all worked up. He glared at the cashier finally saying loudly something like, “Can you check me out while you talk to her?” That’s not exactly what he said, but maybe you get the idea. The woman finally stopped talking and the man moved up blasting the cashier. We fathers need to be more in control of our buttons. We allow the least little thing to set us off. I checked out, apologized for the man, and left the store. I saw the upset man changing a flat tire on his truck in the parking lot. God has a sense of humor. We guys need to keep the lid on and not blow a gasket even when something or someone interrupts the most serious of plans. God has not forgotten about you. He was doing something inside Jairus.

Mark 5:36-37 IGNORING WHAT THEY SAID, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “DON’T BE AFRAID; JUST BELIEVE.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.

I love it! Jesus IGNORES negative reports. We should too, especially when believing God for a miracle. Think about Jairus. “Don’t be afraid. Just believe?!!!” Excuse me! My baby is dead. You’ve been talking to this woman. My whole world is falling apart and you say, “Don’t be afraid; just believe”? That’s what most of us dads would be saying. Jairus had a supernatural ability to do exactly what Jesus said. He joined in with Jesus and ignored what they said. Jairus did not allow fear to take his faith.

So, why did Jesus take so much time with that woman with the issue of blood when Jairus’ daughter was dying? Jairus needed faith. Jesus forced Jairus to see the woman healed making his faith for his own daughter high. They would have met those bringing the bad news anyway. The difference now is Jairus’ faith was pumped and ready for his daughter. Dad, there will be a time when you will need to believe for your children. They will not be capable at that moment and you are DAD. You have to step up to the plate of faith, fight off fear, and believe for your child. God is working on you even when it seems he’s blessing someone else. Your blessing will come. Just stay in the faith. Don’t leave Jesus, church, prayer, praise, etc.

Luke 8:52-53 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

When they finally arrived at Jairus’ house, the mourners were working hard. Never give up on your children no matter how bad it looks. Never stop bothering Jesus. It might look bad. People may be wailing and mourning for them and you, but it’s not over until God says it’s over. People will ridicule you and laugh at your hope for your children. People know what they see, but they don’t know God’s plans for your child. You don’t even know what God is going to do. How can they? All you know is he said, “Ignore, don’t be afraid, and believe.”

We’ve all heard about how a mother or grandmother prays for their children and how eventually those prayers happen. How about a father or grandfather who will ignore the negative, fight off fear, and believe for their child? That’s where dads are supernatural and strong. We don’t hear about Dad’s faith and prayers too much. My children know their mom will pray for them and support them through thick and thin. But, they know as long as I’m around, they don’t have to fear anything. I will help them ignore the meaningless and believe God will bless them. My children want to know, “What does Dad say? What does Dad think?” A mom’s prayers are powerful, but a dad’s supernatural fearlessness, security, and ability to believe are heroic. Dad, you bring something to the table Mom can’t bring. The mourners will mourn, the wailers will wail, and the mockers will laugh, but you can say with Jesus, “She is not dead but asleep. God’s going to touch her/him and they will have a great life.” Speak those things that are not as though they were.

Luke 8:54-56 But he took her by the hand and said, “MY CHILD, GET UP!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished…

God will do something in your children that will astonish even you. All your child needs is for Jesus to take their hand. A new spirit will come into them. They will stand as never before. They will eat from the tree of life and even you will be astonished. Credit Daddy. Jairus was the hero here. Yes, Jesus raised her, Daddy found Jesus and brought him to their home. That’s what we need to do Dads. It would have never happened had it not been for Daddy. If we will move past our pride, past our religious beliefs and religious friends, past our impatience, past our bad news and mourner friends, we will watch God do some amazing things with our homes and children. If you will, you will move past death and bring life to your home.

How did Jairus’ daughter perceive her dad now? He’s her hero. How did his wife perceive her amazing husband? He’s her hero. How did the Pharisees, Sadducees, bad news, and mourner friends perceive Jairus now? Dad, there’s a hero inside of you. You’re special. You’re a father. YOU ARE A HERO FATHER.