Mark 5:21-24 “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 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." 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.”
Talk about a busy day! Consider this, Take a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee, rebuke a raging storm with such authority that your disciples sit there in terror and amazement. Then land on the opposite shore where you encounter a severely demonized man filled with so many demons that they identify themselves as legion. After casting out the demons and watching them drive a herd of thousands of pigs into such a frenzy that they rush into the waters where they are all killed and this act of power and wonder causes the people who see it to be moved with such gratitude for the man’s freedom that they immediately ask Him to take His disciples and leave. How do “you” say thank you?
I don’t know about you but I am already tired and Jesus is just getting started. It is no wonder that Jesus is asleep in the boat. This story brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “power nap”! So… Jesus loads up His team and heads back for the other side of the sea. When they arrive it is not a well deserved rest that is waiting there for them. Instead, before He can even make His way inland away from the sea, we are told that another large crowd gathers around Him. As they are pressing in on Him a regional leader whose daughter is dying comes in such anguish of heart that he falls at Jesus feet, (something that the synagogue ruler would not do under normal circumstances,) and begs for Jesus to come and heal his daughter… no pressure!
Can you imagine the intensity of just this short portion of one day in the life of Jesus? This is not even the end of the day, because as we will see in the next devotional even this story is interrupted by another crisis and power encounter before it can even be completed! These events are not simply a demonstration of the supernatural miracle working power that moved through Jesus. These images are the images of a man who possesses an amazing amount of emotional strength and physical endurance. In such a short period of time Jesus encounters a life threatening situation complete with all of its emotion in the lives of His disciples as the giant storm sweeps over the boat, the most intense demonic manifestation recording in the scriptures and all of its inherent sense of evil as well as the human compassion involved in seeing such brokenness. His emotions are then stirred by the reality of seeing this man restored to health at the same time as watching the destruction of 2,000 animals. (What were those Jewish farmers doing with a herd of pigs anyway? Could the fact that Jesus allowed the demons to destroy the pigs been a statement and a judgment as well?) Jesus then endures the fearful rejection of an entire community that should have loved and welcomed Him with gratitude for His compassionate ministry to the demonized man. Then He takes another exhausting journey across the sea where He now is faced with another demanding crowd and the desperate cries of a father who is fearful that his daughter is dying!
This entire story is such a picture of what the power of the Holy Spirit adds to a life. In Eph 3:15-16 Paul prays for the church. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” This prayer identifies the nature of this reserve of strength that filled the life of Jesus. He was… “strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” When Jesus received the Spirit on the day He was baptized He received a lot more than miracle working power. There is a strength available to every believer through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. It is a power that resides in our inner man that can be cultivated through building our relationship with God. And it is a power that makes us strong to do the work of living the Christian life. It is not merely power to bring good to others. It is a divine power to live supernaturally, to live sensitive to God and able to joyfully endure the demands of a life lived for God, whatever they may be. We have been promised in I Co. 10:13 that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. For everything that you will face today there is strength available to express Christ in the midst of it. There is power available to remain in His peace no matter what comes your way. Pray this prayer of Paul today and ask the Lord to strengthen you with power in your inner most being!
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