Reconciliation

Immediately after Jesus returned from the region of the Gerasenes, Jairus, the synagogue ruler came to Jesus for him to come and heal his daughter. On the way, a woman touched Jesus’ clothes and was healed, because she believed she would be, if she touched his clothes. Jesus felt the power leave, but did not know who touched him until she confessed what she had done. Since according to Jewish law she was unclean, it was unlawful for her to be there, much less to touch anyone, but Jesus declared her healed and to be at peace about what she had done, because her faith had healed her. At this point others from Jairus’ house came to inform him that his daughter had died, but Jesus told him not to be afraid but to believe. Upon entering the house, Jesus sent out the mourners and went into the room where the girl was and took only Peter, James, John, Jairus and the mother with him. He grabbed the girl’s hand and commanded her to get up, which she did. Jesus told them all not to speak of what had happened and to give the girl something to eat. The question is: why did Jesus instruct them not to testify to what had happened?

Jesus reveals here that he is not a fame seeker, because healing people and raising people from the dead were not his main mission; he came to accomplish much more. As amazing and wonderful as healing and raising people are, it is not the main thing, otherwise Jesus wouldn’t have kept such works quiet, or at least tried to. On one hand he knew that his fame would provoke jealousy from the Jewish leaders and the Romans, and precipitate his death, but on the other hand, Jesus came to accomplish more than physical restoration. He came to reconcile mankind to God his Father. We tend to focus on the physical because that is where we live day in and day out and forget the more important piece of reconciliation with God, which Jesus offers to us. The reconciliation with God, Jesus’ Father and our Father will transform our lives and existence much more dramatically than any physical healing or restoration ever can, because we are much more than physical beings, we are both spiritual and physical beings created to live in relationship with God.