Bible Study from Matthew 9:18-26

This Bible Study comes from Matthew 9:18-26. This is the story of Jarius, a ruler of the synagogue. Jarius' daughter was sick and had just died. He comes to Jesus and asks Him to bring his daughter back to life. We can learn many things from this story.

The first thing that we need to notice is that Jarius is a ruler of the synagogue. He was in a high position. It took a lot of courage for him to come to Jesus. The Jews would probably kick him out of his position for doing this. He needed to make a choice here. He needed to decide whether his position was more important than his daughter's life. There are going to be times in our lives where God calls us to make tough decisions. We are going to have to denounce our own ways and beliefs. He wants us to go to Him and call out to Him for help just as Jarius did.

The next thing that we need to notice is that Jarius knelt down in front of Jesus. Jarius was not used to kneeling down to others. Others knelt down to him. In essence he was saying to Jesus, "I am your servant, you are the King". This had to have been very difficult for Jarius. He had to be going through many emotions at this time. The biggest emotion of course was sorrow. He must have felt hopeless too. He does not know what else to do but to take a chance that Jesus could bring his daughter back to life. What can we learn from this? I believe that we need to call out to Jesus right away. We cannot let pride or position come in the way of calling out to Him. We cannot think that we know best. It is obvious that this did not do Jarius any good. The only thing that waiting did for Jarius is that it made him feel guilty. He waited too long and his daughter died because of it. This is a wonderful example of God's grace in action. He came to remove our guilt and shame. He would also bring new life out of this situation. This is an example of what He has done for all of us. He has given us new life.

We need to notice that Jarius tells Jesus to come and lay His hand on his daughter and that she would live. Jarius has made a decision at this point. He is willing to even go as far as to have Jesus come to his home. He does not care what the Pharisees will say to him about this. His daughter needs saving. Jesus went with Jarius. Jesus could have told Jarius to be on his way. He could have told him that his daughter would come back to life. He could have told him to just go home and that he would find his daughter alive. I believe that Jesus went with him for a reason. People would see Jarius with Jesus. He would have to be accountable for his decision. People would question him about it. God does not want us to hide our relationship with Him. He wants us to be willing to show that we believe in Him.

God does not want us to walk on the fence as to whether or not we are going to follow Him. He wants us to make a decision. Jarius was pushed into making a decision. He could no longer stay on the sideline and watch from a distance. He had to act. Whether we believe it or not, it is God's grace that pushes us into these situations. He wants us to be with Him. He wants to bring new life to us. Are you walking on the fence right now and not making a total decision as to whether or not you are going to follow Jesus?