RECEIVING BAD NEWS
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We have all received those phone calls or messages, perhaps a knock on the door or a conversation that relayed the news. Someone we loved was gone. Whatever we were planning to do that day—perhaps even some major aspect of our lives—was changed irreversibly in that single tragic moment when we received the news.
Our lives would afterward be measured from that moment—before and after we received that news. Whether we expected their death or not, whether they were old or young, whether we had the chance to say goodbye or not, every death is heartbreaking, and every time we lose someone we love, our humanity is shaken. In a world with so much death and uncertainty, and with death’s apparent inevitability, it seems we could come to see death as less of an outrage, less of a shuddering, bone-jarring jolt. But it hits us every time, and each of our losses has a cumulative weight upon us. We feel instantly dislocated and disoriented. Our world tilts on its axis, and at that moment, it feels like there can be no normal beyond.
In Jairus’ story, the news came while he was desperately seeking Jesus’ help. His frustration with the delay caused by the healing of the woman turned to despair, perhaps anger. As the messenger from his home whispered those words in his ear, his worst fears came true, and his whole body went cold. He didn’t want to accept it, but he knew the messenger’s advice was right: “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” But Jesus noticed.
Jairus did not get the chance to simply turn away and head home with his broken heart. Because Jesus noticed, his story would have a different ending.
