When Faith Trumps Fact

Luke 8:40-56
Those who mourned the death of Jairus’s daughter openly ridiculed Jesus when he came to heal the girl. “And they laughed at him,” Luke tells us, “knowing that she was dead” (Luke 8:53). But Jesus did heal the girl, and in doing so he demonstrated that even when we are faced by that which is factual, faith allows us to move beyond, to a deeper level of truth, one that opens up possibilities we might otherwise not consider. It’s hard to fault those who had come offering comfort to Jairus and his wife. The crowd had no reason to expect the girl to recover. Jesus’ assertion that she was only sleeping sounded foolish at best. So they laughed. Considering that up until then they had been “weeping and wailing for her” (v. 52) this was quite a turnaround. What they did not appreciate was the power of God to transform mere fact into a greater truth. A little girl who is dead according to human standards may, by the will of God, rise up and live.

Are there situations in our lives where, based on “the facts,” we make certain assumptions only to find that God still has something new to reveal? Are there those who we dismiss as worthless, of redeeming value, unworthy of our consideration who, by God’s grace, can be raised to a new lives of purpose? Are there circumstances where all the data tells us to walk away, to cut our losses, to move along but where God still has a word to speak? Too often the answer is yes, we have accepted “facts” where God was offering “truth.” But new days bring new challenges and new opportunities. By learning to trust God to be at work in our lives we will find ourselves living in ways we did not imagine possible, sometimes in the face of “facts” that might have led others to write us off.

Even when we “know” something to be factual there is still room for God to work, and at those moments may our laughter be caused by joy and not by derision.

Prayer: Lord, give us faith to see all that you are doing in our world and in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Difference Between a Smirk and a Smile

Mark 5:21-43

As we read in Mark today a leader of a synagogue named Jairus sought Jesus’ help in curing his ailing daughter. Jesus readily agreed and was not deterred when the girl was reported to have died. As they arrived at Jairus’s house a crowd stood about literally wailing. But, “When [Jesus] had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him” (Mark 5:39-40a).

They laughed at Jesus? Really? To go from sincere grief to derisive laughter in an instant seems very strange, but when you are dealing with deep and powerful emotions I suppose anything is possible. But what this account really helps us to see is the depth of faith Jairus has in Jesus. Jairus trusted. The crowd laughed, doubting to the point of derision. Of course the little girl was healed and restored to her family. And though Mark doesn’t say we can imagine that the laughter of the crowd soon became a more joyous type.

There are a lot of ways for us to respond to God’s presence in our lives. We can smirk at the “absurdities” that faith often claims, or we can smile with the joy that comes in trusting God’s grace and mercy, even in the most difficult of times. The crowd at Jairus’s house smirked at first, but in the end joy abounded. Given the choice, I’d prefer a smile over a smirk.

Prayer: Gracious God, give us eyes of faith that we may see your work and respond with joy and praise. Amen.