Mark 5: 35-43 (NLT)
While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Day after day now, we read, study, and ponder this Gospel and these devotionals. But I wonder, do we believe what we’re reading? I mean really believe. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Believe that His mission to the world was to reconcile us to a loving God by dying a disgraceful death? Believe that he healed people of physical, emotional, and spiritual issues? Believe that he shrugged off evil and calmed storms? Believe that He makes mad men become “clothed and in their right mind”? Believe, as in today’s reading, that He gives life where there is none to be found?
Those of you who have been in and around church may have heard these stories so much we grow desensitized to the awe-inspiring miracle here. Those of you newer to the Christian life may find this story unbelievable or even scary. But if you take some stories from the Gospel and discount others, you’re robbing the Gospel and nullifying your life-change. When we come to believe that Jesus is capable of anything - and I mean ANYTHING - we can begin to truly understand the power of the Gospel. When we open our eyes not to the physical world of the impossible, but to the spiritual world of the possible, we witness Jesus in a new light. A light which displays his eternal radiance. A light which brings life where there is none.
A light which makes the impossible, possible.
