Day 84 Wednesday 12/10/14 Matthew 9:18, 23-26 Get Rid Of The Crowd.
Matthew 9:18 "While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live."
Matthew 9:23 "And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
9:25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
9:26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land."
This account of a ruler of a particular Synagogue, proves to me that there were folk in the Jewish System that had some kind of idea that Jesus was more than a great Prophet and healer. I'm not sure what they thought He was, but the fact that Jairus, his name,worshiped Jesus, probably kneeling and bowing, and showing great respect, causes me to think that Jairus thought Jesus was more than mortal man, IMO.
The way this is phrased, I think that Jairus being present with his dying 12 year daughter, the thought came to him, probably by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is in the town, I need to go to Him, He will help. During the time it took for him to speak to Jesus, a person from Jairus' home came and told him that his daughter had died. It kind of surprises me that Jairus didn't stay until his daughter died, and then go to get Jesus because for me, I want to be with my loved one right up to their death.
When my first wife died, I was present with her with my Son and Daughter. I knew that she was going home to her Savior of which she loved so very much. My Mother lived 99 years, 79 of those years she loved and followed Jesus as best that she could. She lived with my Daughter in Maine and when I received her call that my Mother wouldn't make it thru the day, I left Massachusetts to be with her. I arrived about 15 minutes too late and that really bothered me. At least I could kiss her cheek and say a little prayer over her. I say all this because I believe that it's important for peace of mind to be present when a close family person dies.
Jesus takes Peter, James and John along with Jairus to his house and once inside He is met by all the mourners. My goodness, the extent that the Jewish folk go to when one of their loved ones dies! The shrieks, wailing, and otherwise demonstration of grief is hard for me to understand. Perhaps one of our Jewish friends can enlighten us. To make the loss of a person who has died seem so great a loss, they even hire professional mourners, IMO, takes away the authenticity of the period of mourning no matter how long it went. Then to hire musicians to play soulful music seems to me goes too far.
At any rate, Jesus and His small group of witnesses to account to the miracle of raising the dead, Jesus clears the house of all the noise and clatter. The fact that some of these people were making fun of and ridiculing Jesus, must have made Peter, James, and the parents of this little daughter rather provoked. Jesus simply went in where the child lay dead, took hold of her had and her life came back to her and probably her Mother prepared something for her to eat. I can only imagine the joy in that household that day and the admiration that they all had for Jesus.
I wish I had been there to see and hear those who were making fun of Jesus, humble pie must have been the meal of the day. It's no wonder that this first miracle of raising someone from the dead was so exciting that news of that spread quickly about.