Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 163

June 13;    Matthew 9:19;    9/260(III);    ‘Jesus Follows Faith’

Matthew 9:19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

Who did Jesus follow and why?  Jairus, a ruler of the local synagogue had a very sick daughter, who was near death.  He came to Jesus and begged Jesus to come and heal his little girl.  This is an amazing story for several reasons and there is much to be learned from this one incident.  Almost all of the religious leaders hated the Lord Jesus because they were jealous of Him.  They knew He could heal and this probably made them even more envious of the Lord.  The Bible does not tell us how Jairus felt about Jesus.  This religious leader, because of the condition of his daughter, came to the One that Jairus knew could heal her.  When there is a crisis, if a person has any sense and Jairus did, they will humble their pride and go where help is.  Again, the religious leaders hated Jesus, but the Lord did not let that stop Him from being willing to help.  The Bible tells us in verse 18 that Jairus said to Jesus that he believed that if Jesus would come to his house and lay hands on his daughter, the daughter would be healed.   Here is an incredibly important truth that will help you.  Jesus follows faith.  We are taught in the Word that we cannot please the Lord without faith (Hebrews 11:6).  This verse goes on to say that the Lord rewards (in this cases heals) those who diligently seek Him.  The little girls died, but Jesus told Jairus not to fear, but believe and He raised her from the dead.  The Lord wants us to believe His Word.  We then receive the Word’s blessings.