And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue, and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought Him that He would come into his house, for he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. Luke 8:41,42
The picture I was looking at was of a pretty baby girl, about eight months of age, who was standing at one of her toys, dressed in a pink and white outfit. Kneeling beside her and helping to support her was a big middle-aged man with a smile of delight and pride on his face. The child was his great-granddaughter, and he was obviously enjoying her company. In fact, he had posted the picture to Facebook so others could see how much he loved that little girl. He was a man who had known the rigours of intense military training and service, and had even served on dangerous missions, and he looked like he could still handle himself well in any kind of a physical encounter. But there was nothing but tenderness on his rugged features as he knelt beside that little girl. Children have a way of taking the most firm grip on our hearts. And when the child is sick, as in our text, the impact on those who love her is incredible.
As a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus would have been more interested in preserving the traditions and doctrines of his religion than in hearing from the travelling Preacher Who had arrived in town. But the ruler of the synagogue is now a concerned father, a man overwhelmed by worry about his beloved daughter, a man brought face to face with something far more important than his traditions and religion. The girl who lay dying in his home was all that was on his mind, and he would do anything to see her well again. If the visiting Preacher could heal her, he would not be too proud to ask. In fact, he would not be too proud to beg on his knees for the Preacher to come and heal his darling daughter. Whatever it took, Jairus was prepared to do, and the situation was getting desperate. It is little wonder that the Lord Jesus was so fond of the little children, because it was through them that He could reach their parents.
After Jairus’ daughter was healed – raised from the dead, even – there is little doubt that Jairus and his wife would be devoted followers of the Lord Jesus. If He could raise up their daughter, He was surely the Son of God. The traditions of his religion were no longer important. The Messiah that he had been praying for had arrived, and Jairus would serve Him instead. How glad he would be that he had rushed to seek the help of the Preacher; he had not only regained his daughter but had discovered the Saviour of the world. If we treasure our children as Jairus did, we will do everything possible to have them come to know the Lord Jesus. And we will allow our love for our children to bring us into our own close relationship with the Lord.
The children are precious. And the Lord can use them to do a great work in our own souls. – Jim MacIntosh