Mark 5:35-43 / Against all Odds

Let’s take a poll. Raise your hand if you love going to football games. Raise your hand if you’d rather skip and spend the night on the couch.

I like going football games on one condition: I want to be a part of a crowd that has passion. Even if we’re loosing, if we believe that we can win against all odds, it’s still fun.

One of the ways to keep the game fun and keep belief high is crowd chants. What are you favorite? (and I know some may be inappropriate.

One that I found amusing was a crowd that re-enacted moses parting the red sea.

My all time favorite is: I believe that we will win. It keeps the faith high.

In tonight’s story, Jesus convinces a character that they will see victory. But unlike this fun crowd chant, Jesus tells others to believe when it seems as though the game is already lost.

Even when hope is lost, believe.

35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead.

Last week we witnessed a humble religious ruler (Jairus) ask Jesus to save his daughter who was dying. In route to save her, Jesus paused the rescue mission to heal an outcast woman.

In the midst of his conversation, the news that Jairus most dread reached his ears. His 12 year old daughter was dead. The mission was pointless. The game was lost. Hope was pointless.

Put yourself in Jairus’ shoes. How would you have felt toward Jesus. I would have been asking, “Jesus, why didn’t you have greater urgency to reach my daughter? Don’t you care?”

This is not theoretical. We have all felt the sting of disappointment. We have felt the confusion of unanswered prayers.

God if you care, why did my grandma die when I asked for her to be healed?

God if you care, why have I not heard back from college applications? I applied months ago.

God if you’re able to heal, why do some live while others die young?

These feelings can lead us to echo the words of the messengers,

Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

Dad guitar story.: when I was young, I once asked my dad to teach me a few chords on guitar while sitting in his office. He said he didn’t have time, but he’d teach me when he did. So I thought what any kid would think, “surely the youth pastor has time.” I asked him the same question, he happily taught me a few chords. Being a good friend, he later approached my dad and confronted him about his priorities. My dad, being the humble man that he is, changed.

Our heavenly father always has time for us. But he does not always answer our prayers in the way that we want him to. This can cause us to think lies, “Maybe I’m bothering God.” “Perhaps he doesn’t have time for people like me.”

Jesus will show us that the opposite is true...

36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”

It’s one thing to believe near the end of the game. It is entirely another to believe when you lost and the game is over.

Jesus is about the teach Jairus, that through his power, the game is never over. Hope is never lost. He can turn losses into victories.

But there is something that will keep us from experiencing the victory: fear.

As I was preparing for this message, I heard pastor HB Charles describe faith as the opposite of paranoia.

To be paranoid is to be obsessively suspicious despite reasonable evidence to have peace.

If faith is the opposite, then faith is to have constant reasonable trust despite circumstances that may cause doubt.

Don’t get me wrong, there were many reasons for Jairus to doubt:

The reporters were honest

His daughters body can’t raise itself

He is unable to raise the dead

But Jairus had already proven a small amount of faith:

He came to Jesus

He asked for help

He got to witness the woman be healed

There was a spark of faith in him. Jesus tells him to keep believing.

Perhaps Jesus is telling you tonight to keep believing!

But as you continue to have faith, one of the greatest obstacles will be when you feel alone in your faith. That is why Jesus will encourage us to...

Even when others doubt, believe.

37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.

During this ancient culture, mourning at funerals was a profession. Families would hire people to cry, play sad music, and show visible signs of sadness. The thought was if people publically mourned, then it would provide the family a cover to aggressively grieve their loss.

39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him.

To the crowd, Jesus’ statement was insensitive at best and stupid at worst. They knew she was dead. After all, that is why they were hired.

But they revealed their lack of faith and care by laughing at Jesus’ statement. This was not the laugh of friends around the dinner table. This was the stinging laugh of mockery.

Sadly, some of you know this laugh. Some of you are mocked for your faith in God. You say that you believe, but others view your faith as wishful thinking. You express trust in God, but when your life has problems, they mock you by saying, “Where is your God now.”

Even when others mock you, and your God, keep believing.

Rather than entertaining these actors, Jesus get’s them out of the way. He isn’t interested in creating commotion, he is interested in saving this daughter.

But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

Jesus doesn’t need to do a chant. He doesn’t need magic words. All that she needed to overcome death was the lift of Jesus’ arm.

Waking her up from death was easier for Jesus to do than waking you up for school is for your parents.

42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

You’d be amazed too. Don’t you want to be amazed? Don’t you want to see Gods hand heal the broken areas of your life? It takes faith.

But what does belief look like? Action.

After raising her from the dead, this is what Jesus does next.

43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Imagine if you witnessed a paralytic be healed, get out of their wheelchair, and ask you for a piece of toast.

Seems kinda anti-climatic right? But this is how the story ends, Jesus wants this girl to have a good meal.

I fear that some of you may think that faith = miracles with no action.

For example, Jesus tells us to believe that God will provide for us. As an example he tells us to look at how God provides food for the birds. Every juicy worm that enters the beak of a bird is a gift from God. But when have you seen birds standing in a field with open mouths waiting for worms to fall from heaven. No, they express their trust by digging in the dirt.

Though faith is invisible, true faith will express itself through visible action.

Jairus had faith in Jesus so he fell at his feat.

The woman had faith in Jesus so she reached for his garment.

Faith and action are not opposed. Action is the evidence of where your faith is placed.

Believe in God and your actions will stand on the foundation of love and peace.