WHEN QUITTING MAKES YOU A BETTER PARENT - LUKE 8 STUDY

Of the many miracles Jesus performed, only a few are recognized by their proper names,
most of the time they are described by the illness they possessed: lepers, blind, lame,
paralyzed, etc.

But there is the case of a man named Jairus of whom we know that he was a father
willing to do anything for the healing of his daughter. In Luke 8:40 we have the story of
Jairus, which is not only unique for having a proper name in the gospels but also because
the miraculous work that Jesus did was not for him but for his daughter, so who was
Jairus to be remembered in such detail?

Well, the Bible tells us that Jairus was the leader of the synagogue, which was like a local
church leader of that community. In other words, Jairus belonged to the organized
religion of that time... the same ones who tried to trap and kill Jesus, so the situation
changes radically.

Looking at it from that point, Jairus had to give up his position, his reputation, and his
own pride as a man at the moment he fell at the feet of the Messiah to ask him to come
to his house to heal his daughter.

As a father, what are you giving up for your children? I'm sure it's many things, but how
many of them are you putting at the feet of the Master?

Jairus had many reasons not to give in to the crowd following Jesus, but it only took one
for him to be surrendered at the feet of Christ... the need of his daughter.

Does the need of your children move you enough to approach Jesus, even with
reservations about who He is?

There is nothing that bothers us more than the well-being of our children. Jairus was
bothered to the point of giving up everything, falling at Jesus' feet. As a son, I understand
this, because I have had a father who has been bothered to the impossible for my well-
being and that of my siblings...

And as a father, it confronts me, am I uncomfortable enough to bother God for my

daughter's sake? And if anyone knows about discomfort for children, it's God. Do you
think it's comfortable to receive lashes, wear a crown of thorns, carry a wooden cross,
nails in your hands, and be hung on a cross?

Well, if He was willing to be uncomfortable for us as His children, He will also be willing
for you in your discomfort as a parent. The Bible continues to say that while Jairus was
speaking with Jesus, they came to tell him that the girl had died, that there was nothing
more to be done, that he should leave the teacher alone. Jairus' nightmare had become a
reality.
And at that, at the worst moment, Jesus said to him the following words, to Jairus as a
father at that time and to you and me as parents today:

"Do not be afraid; just believe, and your children will be healed."

The story ends with the wonderful resurrection of Jairus' daughter, the leader of the
synagogue who was now a follower of Christ as a father.

I am Marlon Ávila, someone with something to say.

God bless you.