Only Believe

"But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’"—Mark 5:36

Faith and fact may collide much in life, but in Christ, faith and fact coalesce. Since Christ is truth Himself, then whatever He tells us is true and will be true. In the face of great tragedy and unspeakable pain Jesus comes face to face with a heart-broken man, Jairus, the ruler of the local synagogue. Jairus was desperate and at the end of himself. His daughter was sick and near death, with her condition worsening by the minute. He didn’t know where else to turn for help, until, that is, he heard about Jesus. Jesus was coming, and maybe He could do what no one else could do—heal his daughter. Jesus had just arrived by boat when a great crowd gathered around him. Jesus had already achieved a measure of fame in the community, but that was not why Jairus was there. His reason for seeking Jesus was not theological, but intensely personal and practical. He simply wanted Jesus to heal his daughter. Social customs fail in the face of human suffering, and Jairus, though a ruler of the synagogue, strikingly demonstrates this. He made his way through the throng of Jesus-seekers to Jesus Himself. Seeing Him, he fell at His feet. Social custom flees in the face of desperation, and so with reservations unbridled, the contents of his heart came out like a flood. His daughter was sick and near death. There was no other hope of salvation except through Jesus. Jesus had the capacity to heal, the synagogue ruler knew that, and if only Jesus would lay His hands on her, she would be made alive and well.

Moved by such an entreaty, Jesus agrees to go with him. The two attempt to move, but the crowd is dense and difficult to navigate, not to mention that there were other desperate souls in attendance who also had a divine appointment with the great Physician. A woman who had been suffering with a medical condition that left her in great distress and ostracized from society took it upon herself to simply touch Jesus’ garment. As Jesus was attempting to navigate the crowd, she reached for Him, an attempt at physical healing, yes, but also an attempt to be brought back into society itself. Her labor was rewarded, and she too was healed. Undoubtedly appreciative and inspired by the woman’s healing, Jairus nevertheless knew that this pause in his mission had not helped his daughter’s condition. Desirous to get Jesus to her before it was too late, he comes face to face with friends who had been at his daughter’s bedside—their faces grave, their brows furrowed, and their disposition calm, the antithesis of Jairus’ urgency. Then came their words, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” Faith came face to face with fact, and fact had won. The door of death had slammed shut in the face of hope, leaving pain and a gnawing ache of bewilderment and sorrow. But hope is not lost when Jesus is present. Overhearing their conversation, Jesus said to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” What words! What truth! The author of life Himself gave hope! There was no need to fear in the presence of Him who is life and truth Himself (cf. John 14:6)! Believe! Faith overcomes all fear when united with the fact of Christ! Jairus need not fear, but only believe!

What do we believe? We believe in Christ! And our belief is transformative. It is not stagnant with no bearing on life! Our belief in Christ is what tugs at the garment of Him who is God Himself! May we cling to the hope found in Christ, because it is only through Him that death itself flees away!

Jesus stops the crowd in its tracks, grabs Peter, James and John, and along with Jairus, makes His way to Jairus’ home. The house was packed, and friends and relatives were standing around grief-stricken, weeping, wailing and consoling one another at the tragedy of their friend and family member.

Jesus enters the house and says what appears to be one of the most incredibly ill-timed, crazy, and confusing statements, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” The response from the incredulous group was equally strange, “And they laughed at Him.” Whether they laughed at His apparent ignorance or naïveté we will never know, but we do know that Jesus put them all outside the house. He then grabbed Jairus and his wife and went to the dead girl. He takes her by the hand and says, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” In the face of death such words are futile, unless, that is, you are in the presence of the Lord of life. Death has no power over Christ, and at His command life returns to the body of the girl. She gets up and starts walking, overwhelming her parents with amazement at God’s power and His ability to bring their daughter back to them.

When faced with the grim realities of life, our faith may appear futile. But faith married to the reality of Christ’s person and power trumps fear. The belief we have in Christ is not stagnant, but active and life-changing. We are not called to change the world, but we are called to “only believe.” Our belief in Christ is like blood pumping through our body, bringing life to each of its members. The belief we have in Christ transforms all aspects of our life. I pray that our faith in Christ might be strengthened and we might encounter the fears and facts of life with faith in the fact of Christ. It is only when we truly see faith in the fact of Christ that our fears fall away and we are able to soar with Christ. Amen.