Why Trouble the Master Any Further

Mark 5:35 (BBE) And while he was still talking, they came from the ruler of the Synagogue’s house, saying, Your daughter is dead: why are you still troubling the Master?

The responsibility of raising a child is a most grave and serious responsibility. It changes people. There are very few things sadder than a parent watching helplessly a child suffer. In fact, someone once posited that so sad is the reality of a parent losing a child that the English word has no fitting expression for it.

Jarius, a leader in the synagogue, was in such a situation, his daughter lay dying of an illness, and nothing he had done had worked, instead, the situation was getting worse. He must have been plagued with fear and a great dread of the possibility of losing her. He came and fell at the feet of Jesus and prayed him to intervene; to heal his daughter. And Jesus had mercy on him and was going to go with him to the house to heal his daughter.

However, while they were still en route, the child died. Then came messengers from the house saying to Jesus, “Why trouble the Master any further?” What they were really saying was, ‘the situation has become hopeless, therefore don’t put Jesus through the stress of still coming to your house’. The reaction and response of Jesus is quite instructive.

Firstly, when Jesus (over)heard them saying this, he turned to Jarius and spoke to him immediately. Notice how Jesus quickly reacted to the report of these messengers regardless of the fact that they were not addressing him. This is because Jesus understood the potential effect of such report to the heart of Jarius and how that could ultimately shape the events of the day.

Secondly, take note of the response of Jesus, he said, “have no fear, only have faith”. At the end of that day’s event, Jarius had his daughter raised from the dead.

What lessons can we learn from this?

We must learn to respond to circumstances from the viewpoint of faith and nothing else. Faith here would mean believing what God says about himself and acting on the strength of that. While it might sound commonsensical to conclude that a situation had become hopeless because it has gone beyond what the intervention of men can address, however, has God placed a limitation on his ability by the boundaries of men’s capabilities?

For example, what does God call ‘hopeless’? What does the Lord count as ‘troubling’? Knowing, believing and acting on this is what practical faith is. When next you hear “It is done, trouble the Master no more”, be diligent enough to ask, “Says who?”

Go into today refusing to accept voices that put a limitation on the power of God. Pray without ceasing, and if that be trouble, then trouble the Master on.

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