The goodness of God was manifested abundantly upon earth during the busy, exciting days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In Mark Chapter 7 is the account of Jesus’ healing a deaf man with a speech impediment. After our Lord opened the ears of the deaf man, the multitude was “astonished beyond measure.” The crowds spread the news of the miracle, saying, “He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak” (Mark 7:37).
A well-known hymn by the blind hymnist Fanny Crosby contains these memorable lines:
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
Do you really believe that Jesus does all things well—no matter what may befall you? The Greek word translated here as “well” comes from the Greek root word καλός (kalos) meaning “good.” This same root can be rendered as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb, depending on its grammatical ending and usage. Jesus possesses the eternal attribute of goodness (noun). He is inherently good (adjective). And everything He does, He does well (adverb).
Of course, it is easy to rest in His goodness when Jesus is giving us exactly what we want! When the deaf man was made to hear and the dumb was made to speak, it was easy to proclaim with amazement that Jesus did all things well. But when Fanny Crosby was blinded as a very young child due to an improper application of a mustard poultice to her eyes, how much more difficult it must have been for her to write “Jesus doeth all things well”! Yet, seeing by faith beyond her circumstances, she was able to proclaim the truth of God’s goodness in doing all things well.
It requires great faith to trust that Jesus is doing all things well when our prayers are not answered as we might desire. Recorded in the Gospels are several times where Jesus did not act as we might have expected or as His followers certainly requested. Let’s examine just one of those important examples.
Jairus and his ill young daughter
Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum. Many of the mighty works of our Lord were done in this village and in this very synagogue. During these dramatic days of the early Galilean ministry, Jairus’s only daughter became very sick. Even in his Gospel account, Luke the physician did not give a name for the illness; he only stated that “she lay a dying” (Luke 8:42).
Jairus, as ruler of the synagogue, was a very highly respected member of the community. He would have been of the class of Jewish leaders who had a growing distrust of Jesus. Already, the Pharisees in the local community were seeking occasion to entrap Jesus.
But when sickness came to Jairus’s home, his concern was not with what the Pharisees in his congregation might think. Jairus went to find the Lord Jesus, although he apparently delayed until the situation was quite desperate. How true of us too! We often think that we can handle a problem ourselves and try to solve it ourselves until the situation becomes so dire that we are driven to the feet of Jesus.
On the way to Jairus’s town
This account about Jairus occurred on a particular day that is often called by Bible scholars the “busy day” of our Lord Jesus. Earlier that same day, Jesus had rebuked a storm that had suddenly arisen on the Sea of Galilee. Then, He had met the wild demoniac in the country of the Gadarenes on the eastern side. As Jairus’s daughter grew sicker and sicker, in the providence of God, Jesus was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, ministering to the demon-possessed man. After freeing the man of his demons, Jesus returned to the northwest shore of Galilee, near Capernaum. As the fishing boat drew near to the village, throngs of people were waiting for Jesus; among them was the desperate father Jairus.
Do you ever think that Jesus may be too busy for you? On that particular day, Jairus may have thought so too. According to Luke 8:41, Jairus “fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought [urgently begged] him that he would come into his house.”
Jesus delayed going to the house of Jairus
In Mark’s Gospel account, the disciple described how Jesus responded to Jairus’s urgent request: “And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him” (Mark 5:24). In that dense crowd of needy humanity, one unnoticed woman determinedly pressed forward with a special need. She had suffered for twelve long years from an “issue of blood” that the doctors could not cure.
On the walk to Jairus’s house, Jesus paused. He took the time to notice and hear the desperate woman’s plea and resolve her problem.
Often, in our study of this passage, we usually focus upon the faith of this ailing woman. However, place yourself in the sandals of Jairus for a moment. Consider how he may have felt during this agonizing delay.
The synagogue ruler could very well have reasoned with himself that this woman’s problem was minor compared to his own. She was ceremonially unclean and could not lawfully enter the synagogue. Possibly he hoped that Jesus would instead prioritize him and his desperate need! This poor woman had a chronic, humiliating condition, but it was not particularly dangerous. Meanwhile, his daughter was dying!
As Jesus was almost done speaking with the woman, a dreadful message arrived from Jairus’s house. “Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master” (Luke 8:49).
“Be not afraid. Only believe.”
Surely the father’s heart despaired as he heard that it was too late for his daughter! Jesus had delayed. The Master had allowed his daughter to die while he was helping an unclean woman.
The words of Jesus to Jairus should echo in the heart of everyone who, like Jairus, doubts the goodness of God. “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36).
Can you believe that Jesus does all things well, even when He has allowed your only child to die? Jairus had not even been present at his daughter’s side to whisper a final word of farewell, to kiss her cheek, or to hold her hand as she slipped from this world and into the next.
“Be not afraid. Only believe.” According to Mark 5:40–41, Jesus dismissed the wailing mourners who scornfully laughed at Him when He asked them why all the commotion. Then, over the course of the next few minutes, Jairus was witness to the moment when Jesus, the Lord of life, entered the chamber of death.
Entering the room where the young girl was, Jesus took her hand into His own and spoke words of calm confidence: “Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.” Immediately, the lifeless eyes fluttered open again, this time seeing the face of Jesus, the One Who does all things well—even when we do not understand.
Have you ever doubted the goodness of our Lord? Have you ever felt that Jesus was attending to others’ needs while neglecting your own? Have you ever been frustrated that your prayers are not being heard? Have you ever received devastating news where you felt like saying (as did Mary of her brother Lazarus’s death), “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21)?
If so, take to heart the words of our Lord, “Be not afraid, only believe.” Believe what? Believe that our Lord Jesus is good and does good. You may not understand right away, but you will eventually discover, as did Jairus, that Jesus has a purpose grander than you can imagine, and His goodness is greater than your limited understanding. Truly, He does all things well!