"And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was."
Mark 5:40 (NRSVUE)
One day I arrived at the house with groceries in the car, once I parked, I told Josh to come help with the groceries. As I began to move the groceries to the rear driver’s side for easy convenience, I turned around and not only was Josh standing there but also his friends ready to assist. In my head I am thinking all of them are not going into my house (childhood upbringing), I kindly said I appreciate the offer but me and Josh can handle it. My mother did not believe in everybody coming into her home as a result that mindset still resonates. How often have we been offered help by unnecessary people? People who just want to see the house but do not genuinely desire to help or people who want to just be present so they can say I was there.
In our verse for the day, Jairus a leader of the synagogue came to Jesus once off the boat with a request to lay hands on his daughter who’s at that the point of death. While on the way to see his daughter Jesus encounters a woman with an issue of blood, after that encounter Jairus receives word, his daughter is dead. Jesus tells Jairus “don’t be afraid; only believe. When Jesus got to the house he put people out except the father, mother, Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Jesus removed the unnecessary people from the house. Unnecessary people are those doubters, space fillers, those who don’t believe, etc. This verse raises an interesting question to each of us, who are the unnecessary people in our life? Who are the people that are around but don’t believe in our dreams, abilities, change, development or hopes? Why is it that we consistently allow unnecessary people to consume space knowing that they make no contributions? What makes it so difficult to ask people to leave the room, house, or our life when we know they don’t believe in us? Jesus had no issue asking those to leave the house, if our loving and merciful Savior could excuse people from places then we to have that ability.
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