The other day, I was thinking about the time when Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue in the town where Jesus lived, came to Jesus for his daughter to be healed. However, the woman with the issue of blood delayed Jesus going to lay hands on her. I got to thinking about how Jairus handled the whole thing and what might have happened if he had done things differently.

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:22-34 (KJV)

Jairus was the ruler of the local synagogue and had every right to administer disciplinary action regarding the keeping of the law. This woman was in clear violation of the law, which prohibited a woman who was bleeding to be in public. Legally speaking, Jairus had every right to have her stoned to death. On top of that, her actions caused a significant delay in Jesus going to Jairus’ house to minister to his daughter, and so he received word that the girl had died.

While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. Mark 5:35-36 (KJV)

In the natural, it appeared to be too late for Jairus’ daughter to be made well. And if he chose to listen to the emotions that were certainly circulating through him, he would likely take out his anguish on the woman who by her direct disobedience to the law prevented his daughter’s healing. Legally, Jairus could have ignored Jesus’ words and ordered the woman’s death. Technically, he had the authority to do so. But instead, he listened to Jesus, said nothing to condemn the woman, and as a result saw his daughter miraculously raised. He showed mercy to the woman and received mercy from God. He sowed mercy and reaped a harvest of mercy in return.

What if Jairus had chosen to “do his duty” to enforce the letter of the law? What if he had ordered the woman to be executed? What if he had chosen to follow the legalistic course of action and mete out the justice she deserved for breaking the law? What if he had given in to emotions and reacted in anger and grief? Would his daughter have been raised up from the dead? Would there have been a happy ending? I seriously doubt it. Instead of two restored lives, there likely would have been two funerals.

What we sow, we really do reap. At times we may be puzzled at some of the things that happen to us. Maybe someone treats us badly, maybe even tries to ruin our reputation. Perhaps we have experienced unkind and unloving people in the church. While I will say that not every negative thing that happens is our fault, I can state without hesitation that how we treat others will come back to us in some way. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “what goes around, comes around.” It’s just a generic way of expressing the law of sowing and reaping. While we may not see an immediate result of treating someone with disrespect or irritation, the harvest will eventually come. We may not recognize a negative event as being the harvest of our own actions, but it may very well be just that.

That is why we are commanded to love everyone- even our enemies. What we sow will bring a harvest. If we want a good harvest, we must sow good seed: seeds of love, grace, patience, and mercy. If we do this consistently, we will experience a harvest of those things in our own lives.