GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 5:43
Shrines
Running pretty much north to south down the middle of Oahu, Hawaii, is the Ko’olau mountain range. The Pali Highway (Hwy 61) runs up a valley through the Nu’uanu Pali Pass to the Windward (eastern) side of the island. In 1795, King Kamehameha I’s forces drove Oahu’s forces up the valley to the top of the cliff, and hundreds of warriors were driven off the cliff to their deaths during his campaign to unify the Hawaiian Islands. The Pali Pass is now a national shrine.
Alice and I live in Franklin Springs, Georgia, next door to Royston, the home of Tyrus Raymond “Ty” Cobb (1886—1961), the baseball player widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history. In front of the Royston Library is a famous bronze Ty Cobb statue, and a short distance away is the Ty Cobb Museum. On the side of a building at the major intersection in Royston is a large mural of Ty Cobb. The statue, museum, and mural are historical markers for baseball aficionados.
Just outside Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, is the 3,500-acre Valley Forge National Historical Park, where General George Washington and the Continental Army took refuge in the winter of 1777—78 during the American Revolution. Markers designate the location of each colony’s troops. A life-size bronze statue of General von Steuben stands imperiously, peering over the ground where he exercised and trained the troops during that long winter—one of many monuments in the park, reminding visitors of the price paid for American independence.
On the West Bank in Bethlehem, Israel, is the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. All year long, but especially during the Christmas season, visitors spend time meditating at the shrine.
In Jerusalem, visitors can tour the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic churches share the site, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year, reminding them of the suffering that wrought their salvation.
After Jesus prayed for the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus, the synagogue ruler in Capernaum, she rose from her deathbed: “And he earnestly commanded them that no one should know this; and he said that something should be given to her to eat.” (Mark 5:43) Writers often interpret Jesus’ command to avoid publicizing the girl’s healing as a sign that Jesus was concerned that the news would add to his growing notoriety and create more problems with the religious and secular authorities. Matthew did report that, “News of this spread through all the region.” (9:26) Perhaps. It is equally possible that Jesus was concerned that Jairus’ house would become a shrine to which people would gather, seeking their own healing rather than seeking the healer.
Historical markers, plaques, artifacts, commemorative pins, and sacred places, while valuable for refreshing memories, should not stand between the believer and Jesus. Maybe that was the essence of Jesus’ command to the small audience in Jairus’ house on that monumental day.
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