“It is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God’s salvation nearer. The night is over, the day has almost dawned.” (Rom 13:11b, Phillips)
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (John 1:9, NLT)
“What good is the light to you if you are asleep? Awake to God!”*
Eugene Peterson.
This past week, I heard an orchestra play Bach’s “Sleepers Awake.” I encourage you to Google the song and listen to it yourself. It will probably sound familiar. As I listened to the orchestra, I awoke. That is what we are invited to do during Advent—awaken.
The following day, I noticed a gorgeous pink sky out my window as the sun rose, and the phrase came to me; “Sleeper awake.” A little while later, I saw a woman in the cold with a sign asking for help - “Sleeper awake.” Later, I heard some children laughing - “Sleeper awake.” Awakening to the world around us in all its splendor and need is a great first step, but that is not really what Advent is about. We need to awaken to something else.
Then I remembered Jairus. The gospel writers tell us about him. He is not sleeping. He is troubled. His situation is urgent. His daughter is at the point of death. Then, Jesus comes to town. Crowds gather around Jesus, and Jairus is among the first to seek him out. Now, Jairus is the ruler of the synagogue. He is the one who is in charge of worship, and he knows who Jesus is.
He would have known Psalm 33:
“From heaven, the Lord looks down and sees all humankind; from his dwelling place, he watches all who live on earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do…the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”
Jairus needed hope, and Jesus' presence gave it. He believed Jesus could heal his daughter. Jairus spoke to Jesus and asked if he would come right away to his daughter. Jesus said he would come.
However, along the way, Jesus is interrupted by a woman who is also desperate for help. Crowds have gathered around Jesus as he walks to Jairus’ house. This woman sees him. She has been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She has spent all she had on physicians, but nothing has helped; now, things are worse. At that moment, when she sees Jesus, she awakens. With Jesus, suddenly, there is hope. He could heal her. If only she could get close enough to touch the hem of his garment, she knew she would be healed.
The woman made her way through the crowd, which was no small feat as she was untouchable due to her condition. People did not want to be around her. Somehow, she made her way to Jesus and touched his cloak. Jesus felt power going forth from him and asked, “Who touched me?” Jesus then engages in conversation with this woman. She is not quite “awake”. She needed more than a touch to be healed. Jesus told her,” Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be free from your suffering.”
Now, all the while, Jairus is waiting there. Imagine it! It takes a while to walk to a destination. Now, there is a long exchange with this woman. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like for Jairus. Then suddenly, some people from his house came running to him and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher, Jesus, anymore.” But Jesus overhears them. And tells Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Another amazing part of this story is that they continue to Jairus's house. As far as we know, Jairus did not make a fuss. He must have looked at Jesus’ face and remembered what started this all. When Jesus comes, everything is different.
Not everyone has received the message, though. Back at Jairus' house, the scene is imaginable. Mourners are there wailing. The child is dead. Once again, Jesus is calm and steady with yet another interruption. With Jairus by his side, he says, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”
Then Jesus took Peter, James, John, the girl's parents, Jairus, and his wife and went into the room with the little girl. He asked everyone else to leave the room. Then, He took the girl by the hand and told her lovingly, “Little girl, I say to you arise.” And she did. Sleeper awake. She was more alive than she had ever been.
I suspect the same could be said for Jairus and the others there that day because when they were with Jesus, they awakened, too. They experienced a new way of being and knowing, and living with Jesus. With Jesus, there is a hope that will not disappoint.
I don’t know how Jairus remembers it. He may remember the long journey to his house that day and waiting for what seemed like forever as Jesus helped the other woman. He may remember the day his daughter died. That would be hard to forget. But my guess is that what he would want us to know is that the waiting was worth it. As one teacher said, “But precisely because of the delay, both Jairus and the women, young and old, get far more than they asked for.” (1) Jesus came and changed everything.
Now is the time to remember what it means that Jesus comes to us. Christ came. Christ comes. Christ will come again. We are his destination! (2) Jesus comes to be with us, and this changes everything.
So what about you? What are you waiting for? What do you want to ask Jesus?
He wants to be with you.
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1. Timothy Keller, Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God.
2. ”We are his destination,” Eugene Peterson, “Awake!”, Lights A Lovely Mile.