I DON'T BELIEVE MY EYES

During this message, I used 3 video clips that can be found (or ones like them) on youtube. One of the things these brought out was that our world is obsessed with the amazing things people put on the internet. Some of them do make us say: WOW! I can't believe it. However, we then get desensitized; and when we read the greater things that Jesus did, we struggle to stay awake. I was challenged to take a fresh look at what amazing things Jesus did 2,000 years ago, and how those things changed people's lives for eternity.

If you would rather listen to the message, you can go to http://www.gbcwestlake.org/choose "listen online" and then choose the message you would like to hear. Normally, the morning message is on there by mid-afternoon each Sunday.

This message was preached on June 8, 2008 at Grace Baptist Church in Westlake, OH

I DON’T BELIEVE MY EYES!
Mark 5

Please turn in your Bible to Mark 5. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 869 or 886.

I’m sure you have seen some things in your lifetime that have amazed you. And now, with the millions of options on the internet, there are many more opportunities to see things that might make you say: “I don’t believe my eyes!”

Video: German Hammer

Steve showed this one to me. It is a man from Germany who likes to juggle hammers; but adds a special twist to it. Do you see what he is doing? He is hammering the nail into the wood above him! Don’t try that at home kids! It may be hard to believe something like this; but what you are about to read is much more amazing. It certainly doesn’t get the hype that feats like the German Hammer does, and yet it is much more important, making a real difference in a life – for eternity!

Keep in mind, as we come to chapter 5 this morning, what had just taken place, recorded at the end of chapter 4.They were traveling across the Sea of Galilee, probably about a 5 mile trip from where they were, and the huge storm came up. The boat was filling with water, and the disciples were filled with fear and wondered if Jesus cared, since he was sleeping. Jesus got up and commanded the storm: Peace Be still…and it was! The disciples were utterly amazed. We were told that this was already late in the evening. So, it is likely that the next event we read about as they reach shore, was happening as darkness approached.

Mark 5:1-5 – “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.”

Jesus and His disciples went over to the East side of the Sea of Galilee and into an area mostly inhabited by Gentiles. As soon as Jesus gets out of the boat, a man meets him who lived among the tombs. It was common, in that time, and in that area, for those considered demented or possessed, to live in rooms that were cut out of rocks in the nearby hills. These were used as tombs for the dead. Who would live there? Can you imagine, in that day, the smell of decomposing bodies?

The word on the street was that this guy was crazy, possessed by evil spirits. In the past, he was contained with chains, and they would just wait for his moments of insanity, as they thought of them, to pass. But, they were no longer able to contain him, even with shackles and chains. This possessed man would take the chains and loosen them. He would take the shackles and break them apart into pieces.

This was the kind of guy, of whom people would say: “He’s insane”. It is the kind of person that parents would warn their children: Stay far away from Him. Who knows what he might do? People saw this man hitting himself with stones, and I’m sure they went away shaking their heads, and feeling there was absolutely no hope for him. People would hear him crying out in the middle of the night, and they just wished that he would shut up.

No doctors could help, no counselors could help; and certainly the religious leaders could no nothing for him and wanted nothing to do with him. Society simply tried to keep him restrained as much as possible, so that he wouldn’t hurt himself; and more importantly, wouldn’t hurt others. But, those restraints no longer held him. Did they have another Samson on their hands – an insane one at that?

But, you know what? He had not yet met Jesus. Believers and non-believers alike were finding out that Jesus was unlike anyone they had ever met before. And many of them found out that once they met Jesus, they would never be the same. That would be the case with this man who had the evil spirit.

Mark 5:6-8 – “And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me. For he was saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

This demon, possessing this man, knew who He was dealing with. He fell on his knees – not to worship, but to show his weakness before the Christ. He used Jesus’ name to ask for mercy; and he used the title Most High God, noting the superior power of that God over all others. He didn’t believe; but he knew he was at Jesus’ mercy.

He said: “I adjure you”, that is, “I plead with you” – do not send me to my final torment. At another time, the demons asked:

Matthew 8:29 – “…Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

The demons knew, that at some point, they would endure harsh judgment.
Jesus had commanded the demon to come out, and he was concerned about himself.

Let’s be clear. Many people may treat demon possession as sickness or insanity. This man was not just sick. This man was not medically insane. He was possessed by the enemies of God, and as Walvoord and Zuck describe it: this was a “desperate satanic attempt to distort and destroy God’s image in man”.

Mark 5:9-13 – “And Jesus asked him, What is your name? He replied, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, Send us to the pigs; let us enter them. So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.”

Legion was a term they were familiar with: a legion of Roman soldiers could be up to 6,000 soldiers. So, this name Legion, probably is referring to the fact that there were many evil spirits involved with this man. The Roman legions were cruel, bringing destruction on those they occupied; and it was the same for the evil spirits who possessed this man. They were destroying him. The man, the Legion within the man, begged Jesus not to send them far away out of that region; but asked to be sent into the pigs right there on the hillside.

Jesus gave them permission and they went into the pigs – 2,000 of them- , rushing down the bank and drowning the pigs in the Sea! Now, although pigs were considered unclean to the Jews, the Gentiles living in this area made their living through the pigs, eventually sending them to the meat market in that 10 city region.

Mark 5:14-17 – “The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon –possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.”

Isn’t this interesting? Those in charge of the sheep ran and told everyone they could find about what took place. And people came from all over to see the pigs for themselves. They came to see the one who did all of this – Jesus – and they came to see the guy who they knew as the insane guy who haunted those hills.

Yep – there were the pigs in the sea – drowned. There was Jesus, talking with people, hanging around. And there, sitting down, was the man who they had never seen sitting down. He always seemed to be lying down, or roaming or running around screaming. Not only that – “look – he’s wearing clothes – we haven’t seen that before!” He was normally naked. And stranger than all of that – he was in his right mind. In other words, he was calm, and he made sense when he talked. He sounded like a regular human being. “We’ve never seen that from him before. He was a raving mad man!” And this was so surprising, it frightened them.

Now, it would make sense to me that they would go to Jesus, give him the key to the city, and praise Him for the wonderful work he had done, in releasing this man from multiple demons; and turning his life around. But no – “we want you out of here – NOW!” That was there response. Because of fear, and because he had cost some of them their livelihood (with the drowning of the pigs), they just wanted Jesus GONE! We don’t have record that Jesus ever returned to that area.

There are people who do not want Jesus messing around with their life. They like the comfort of how they have chosen to live. They like their possessions and the pursuit of more; and Jesus might ask them to give some things up. And many people are very comfortable with their religion; and don’t want an intimate relationship with Jesus to ruin their perceptions of how good, religious works makes them ok before God. Because Jesus demands things to change, and we don’t like change. But, those who have experienced a real life change want to be with Christ.

Mark 5:18,19 – “As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

As Jesus was leaving in the boat, the man who had been possessed with all those demons, now in his right mind, went to Jesus. The word for “begged” is the same word used when the demon begged Jesus not to send them to torment. This man, now demon-free, begged Jesus to let him travel with Him. I can understand why. Jesus had completely, thoroughly changed his life. As far as he was concerned, the only thing he would want to do is spend time with His Savior.

But Jesus said: “No. You can’t come.” But here is what He did tell him he could do: “Go back to your home town and tell everyone how much I, your master (Lord) have done for you; and about the great mercy I showed upon you. You deserved to die; but instead I released you from the control of Satan and his demons; and you are free to live for God the rest of your life.

Jesus said: This is my mission for you – don’t just stay with me and enjoy my company. Go and share this good news with all of your friends. Jesus did not restrict him as he does with others, because this man, a Gentile, would be preaching where Jesus was not known or accepted. It was not time for the main Jewish population centers to know that what Jesus was doing was presenting Himself as the Messiah. That time would come. So, what did the man do? Did he jump into the boat anyway and grab Jesus’ leg, telling him he would never let go? No.

Mark 5:20 – “And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”

Decapolis meant a “10 city area.” His friends saw the difference. Imagine him coming into a city, back to his relatives, when someone sees him, and tells everyone that the crazy man is back. People scatter into their homes, leaving the streets vacant, locking their doors and closing the windows. But then, someone notices how different this man looks. One by one, the people began to come out of their houses to see this man, who once had been naked and dirty and crazy. Something had happened to him. Something had changed.

So, this man shared his incredible story; and as you can imagine, everyone was listening. Because, they knew exactly what this man was like before. And now, he had definitely changed. So, he shared with them what Jesus had done for him, and what happened to the pigs and that the people basically kicked His personal healer out of the area. And he told them that he wanted to travel with Jesus from then on, but that Jesus sent him back to them, to tell them what Jesus had done – that is to explain that Jesus was who he said he was, proven by his actions.

And what was the response of the people who heard his story? They “marveled.” The word means to “wonder”; by implication “to admire”, to “hold in admiration”. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing from this man they knew as insane. And they couldn’t believe what they were hearing about what Jesus did for Him. They were captivated by this story – this real life change story.

SO WHAT ABOUT JESUS?
He changed a life by casting out demons.

Here was a man without hope. Nothing was able to restrain or help him any longer. And then Jesus came into His life. Jesus didn’t do these things so people would see it on the internet and say – “wow – that’s amazing!” He did them to show that He was, in deed, God in the flesh, and that he was here to change people’s lives for eternity.

SO WHAT ABOUT ME?
I should marvel at what God has done and then tell others about it.

Listen to the stories of those whose lives have been dramatically changed by God; and marvel at how great God is. But, don’t forget, that even if you don’t think your story is worth marveling at, it is. If God changed your heart, your life…if you have seen Him at work in your life – then you have something, not only to marvel at, but to talk about.

This is called a personal testimony. That is what Jesus told this former demoniac to do. Go home and tell your friends what I have done for you. It begins that simply. When the time is right, and God’s Spirit seems to lead you, talk to others about the amazing things God has done in your life.

In our world, we are amazed by things that don’t really matter too much. But we get captivated by them and talk about them. Here is an example of something that seems pretty unbelievable.

Video: Rubik’s cube boy

Have you ever played with a Rubik’s cube? If you have, then you know it is quite a challenge. In fact, if you are like me, it’s not that fun to play with, because I just can’t figure it out. So, this young boy does a pretty amazing thing: in less than 40 seconds!

But, what if you saw someone, with the ability to heal diseases, do it without a word, and without touching anyone? If you were there with Jesus in the First Century, you wouldn’t have believed your eyes.

Like always, with this gospel writer Mark, he quickly moves to more action:

Mark 5:21 – “And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.”

So, they crossed back across to the West side of the Sea of Galilee, and right away, he is again surrounded by a huge crowd of people on the sea shore.

Mark 5:22-24 – “Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live. And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.”

As a synagogue ruler, Jairus was responsible for taking care of the building and ordering its worship services. He would have been highly respected. His young daughter was dead or going to be dead by the time they would get to her. In his mind, as Matthew reports it in his gospel, she was already dead. She was at the very point of death, as her dad explains it here. Imagine being a parent with a young child who is going to die. How desperate would you be to grasp on to any hope? What would you do if you had heard there was someone who might be able to save her life?

Jairus came to Jesus, fell down before Him and pleaded with him: Please, just touch my daughter and I know she will live. We don’t know what Jairus thought of Jesus before; but with his little girl’s life on the line, perhaps he had heard all Jesus had been doing, in healing others. He may have even heard Him teach in the synagogues and cast out demons. Jesus was His only hope. He demonstrated great faith in what he did and in what he said. And Jesus decided to go with him; and as you can imagine, the crowd followed. They wanted to see what was going to happen.

So, get this in your mind now. They are all going to go with Jesus to see what he would do. The text says that there was a huge crowd gathered around him. And Mark jumps right in to another event that would make people say: I don’t believe my eyes!
Mark 5:25,26 – “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.”

On his way to Jairus’ daughter, we are introduced to a woman who also had a huge problem. She had blood being discharged from her body for the past 12 years! Walvoord and Zuck wrote: “This may have been a chronic menstrual disorder or a uterine hemorrhage.” According to commentator Vines: The word used for her disease, here, “has the connotation of whip. As a whip, this disease drove away her strength as it sapped her life’s blood. It deprived her of motherhood. It was embarrassing socially. It ostracized her from other people. It barred her from worship in the temple.”

She had gone to all the doctors. Anytime she heard that someone might be able to have an answer for her medical problem, she was there. She had tried surgery, drugs, and acupuncture. Whatever was able in that day with the doctors, she had tried it.

According to Barclay: “The Talmud itself gives no fewer than 11 cures for such a trouble [that this woman was dealing with]. Some of them are tonics…and some are sheer superstitions like carrying the ashes of an ostrich-egg in a linen rag in summer and a cotton rag in winter; or carrying a barley corn which had been found in the dung of a white, female, donkey.”

Nothing worked…for 12 years. She had spent all of her money trying to find a cure. Not only did she not get cured, we read that she got worse. She was out of options. Until…

Mark 5:27-29 – “She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, If I touch even his garments, I will be made well. And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”

She demonstrated faith, by acting on what she had heard, even though she had not yet seen it personally. She had heard others talk about what Jesus could do, what he had done. Hope had risen again. She evidently believed that what she had heard was true: Jesus could heal her. And we are told what she was thinking: If I can just get through this crowd, and touch his outer garment, I will be made well. That is an incredible statement. For someone who had gone to all the doctors and spent all her money for cures, this is a pretty big statement. I guess she could have thought this was another miracle cure; but it seems to me to be a statement of faith. She believed if she could just touch him, her 12 year battle would be over.

So, she waded through the crowd, got close enough behind him, and touched his outer cloak. And as Mark likes to say: “Immediately, the flow of blood dried up; (and she could feel it) – she knew she was healed of her disease.” Jesus hadn’t done anything or said anything; but she was healed.

Mark 5:30-32 – “And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, Who touched my garments? And his disciples said to him, you see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, Who touched me? And he looked around to see who had done it.”

There were people touching him all over the place, because of the crowds; but Jesus noticed that some of His power had left Him. This was the power that healed this woman. So, he turned around and asked: Who touched me? His disciples, who were clueless once again, said: “What are you talking about Jesus? Everybody touched you. The crowds are pressing on you as you are walking. How can you ask: “Who touched me?” But Jesus turned around and wanted to know who he healed. He wanted a personal contact, face to face.

Mark 5:33 – “But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.”

There was only one person who understood why Jesus turned around and was asking this question: “Who touched Me?” This healed woman, knowing that this man had indeed healed her, approached Jesus once again. She came with humility and the kind of fear that is all about awe and reverence; not fear that she would be hurt or that Jesus would be angry or that He would give her back her disease. She was trembling in the presence of the one who had the power to heal her, without a word or a touch from him. She came and said: It was me; and she told him and those around him the whole story. What a testimony, especially to who Jesus truly was.

Mark 5:34 – “And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Jesus, the only time that it is recorded in Scripture, used this affectionate title for someone personally: He called her “Daughter”. He welcomed her into the family of God. Why could he call her daughter, as though she were a part of His family? Remember what he said:

Mark 3:34,35 – “And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

So, Jesus said: “Daughter, your faith has made you well”. This wasn’t about magic cloth. This was about faith…faith in who Jesus Christ was, and in what He could do. Because she believed He could heal her, he did, even through her touch of his clothing.

Jesus said: “Go in peace and be healed of your disease.” This was an assurance for her – that Jesus had completely healed her and that it would never return.

True faith brings true peace. It has always been that way. It was true of this woman, and the Scriptures tell us that it is true of all who trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation:

Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

SO WHAT ABOUT JESUS?
He changed a life by healing a disease in response to faith

Jesus was all about caring for people and healing people. But, He wasn’t healing just for healings sake, to try to keep people healthy. He healed in the midst of teaching the truth about who He was and leading people to God. He changed this woman’s life forever by taking away this blood issue. But, it was her faith that brought His healing and her faith would bring her to God for eternity.

SO WHAT ABOUT ME?
I must move toward Jesus in faith

This is true if you have not yet trusted in Christ alone for your salvation. The only way for you to get to Heaven and to God for eternity is through Jesus Christ – not your good works or any religious efforts. You must place all of that aside and trust only in Christ, committing your life to Him.

But, even for those of us who have already made this decision, we still must keep moving toward Christ in faith. That is what is acceptable to Him. That is what pleases Him. That is what causes Him to respond. Each day, you and I are challenged, given our circumstances, to move toward Him with the faith that believes He is in control, and He will do what is best for us…spiritually.

The USA TODAY story began this way: “They leap across buildings in a single bound, scale walls with bare hands and fly down staircases without touching ground. They flip, spin and glide through the air like trapeze artists without nets. Check out their online videos, and your jaw will drop.”

Video: Parkour

We wouldn’t recommend that you try this at home either; or anywhere else for that matter – without parental permission. It seems pretty dangerous, doesn’t it? It looks crazy. It is something people look at, and they might say: “I don’t believe my eyes! Did you see that?”

Our society thrives on things just like this. We like to see people take risks (especially if it is other people and not us!); and we might say we don’t want to see it; but when we do, it is really incredible. However, if you compare these feats to the ones we are viewing from Mark’s perspective with Jesus in the First Century, there is no comparison. Ok – so we’ve seen juggling hammers hit a nail, a boy wonder work the cube and people moving in ways we are not used to seeing.

But, with Jesus, we have seen Him cast demons out of a man and change his life forever. We have seen Him heal a woman with a 12 year blood issue, just from the power contained in his body, that went out through His clothing. And once again, a life was forever changed – by faith. Let’s keep in mind what is really amazing, and what truly deserves our attention, that should make us say as we read these accounts: “I Don’t believe my eyes!”

And just when you are ready to take a break from all the action in this passage, we are reminded that this woman was healed while they were on their way to deal with this daughter who was dying.

Mark 5:35 – “While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

Jesus is finishing his talk with this woman, and he was interrupted by some men from Jairus’ household. I don’t know what was going through Jairus’ mind while Jesus was supposed to be coming to help his daughter, and then had to deal with this woman who touched Him. We are not told. But, if it was me, I might have been a little impatient.

Those from his household gave the somber news: “Your daughter is dead. Now, don’t bother the Teacher (Jesus) anymore. There is no reason for him to come the rest of the way.” It would be like someone continuing to do mouth to mouth on someone when they have already been declared dead: Don’t bother. He’s gone.

There could have been criticism against Christ, for delaying. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, and he arrived “too late”, Lazarus’ sister Martha rebuked Jesus: “If you would have been here earlier, our brother would not have died.” But, we have no record that anyone did that here. Instead, as soon as these guys shared this bad news, Jesus responded.

Mark 5:36 – “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not fear, only believe.”

Knowing this man had just received the worst news, experiencing the worst nightmare any parent could experience, Jesus looked Jairus directly in the eyes and said: “Do not fear, only believe.” These had to be encouraging, comforting words. He had come to Jesus in the first place because he believed Jesus could heal his daughter. He had just seen him heal this woman with the blood flow problem.

Jesus is now telling him: “Keep believing.” The command “do not fear” could be translated: Stop fearing. So,he may have, and understandably so, begun to fear in unbelief. Perhaps, he wondered why it was taking Jesus so long to get to his daughter. Maybe, when he heard his daughter had died, his heart sank; and perhaps for a moment, he wondered if Jesus could heal his daughter. Jesus let him know that He was still in control.

Mark 5:37,38 – “And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.”

Beside Jairus, Jesus took 3 of his disciples with Him. They have been seen as Jesus’ inner circle because they were the 3 invited to be a part of some of the major things in Jesus’ ministry. They served as witnesses here, at His transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. When they came upon Jairus’ home, Jesus saw the norm: the mourners had gathered, weeping for the loss of life for this young girl.

Traditionally, as soon as death had taken place, the wailing would begin. It would continue at the grave side. According to Barclay: “The mourners hung over the dead body, begging for a response from the silent lips. They beat their breasts; they tore their hair; and they rent their garments.” But once again, when Jesus enters a hopeless situation, everything changes.

Mark 5:39,40 – “And when he had entered, he said to them, Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed at him. 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.”

Jesus rebuked the mourners and asked: “Why are you making so much noise? Why are you fussing over this girl? Her life is not over. It is as though she were sleeping.” Their response? Not quite one of faith. They laughed at him. And it was the kind of mocking laugh you might do when someone boasts of something that sounds too incredible. It wasn’t that they didn’t want this girl to rise from the dead; but there was no way in the world that she was just sleeping. They confirmed her death. “What are you talking about Jesus?” But this didn’t stop him.

He kicked everybody out; and took his 3 disciples and this girl’s mom and dad and went in to see the girl. It was time to find out if Jesus could do something that would be considered greater and more incredible than any other miracle he had performed. Could he raise this girl from the dead?

Mark 5:41,42 – “Taking her by the hand he said to her, Talitha cumi (koom), which means, Little girl, I say to you, arise. And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.”

Jesus had authority over death. He took this 12 year old girls hand and commanded her to get up. She immediately wakes up, gets up and walks around! And those that saw it were overcome with amazement, the text says. This phrase means that they were “out of their minds” with amazement. “I don’t believe my eyes!”

Mark 5:43 – “And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.”

He first told them to be quiet about this as he didn’t want attention for the wrong reasons. You can imagine what would happen once it got out that he could raise people from the dead! Certainly all the family and friends would know as soon as this girl walked out. I wish I could have seen their faces! The second thing Jesus said was to give her something to eat. He demonstrated care for this girl, beyond just raising her from the dead, and by telling them to give her food, it showed that she was back to good health.

SO WHAT ABOUT JESUS?
He changed a life, showing power over death.

Everyone knows they are going to die and they cannot do anything about it. Only God has the power to raise the dead; and in this case, it was God in the flesh, Jesus, who was demonstrating who He was by what He was doing. It was not His goal to keep everyone from dying; or to raise everyone from the dead. I suppose He could have done that, but He didn’t. His goal was to show that He was who He claimed to be; and that what we are required to do, as we wait to die, is demonstrate faith.

SO WHAT ABOUT ME?
I must keep believing, even when hope seems lost

That is what he told Jairus, remember? When he heard that his daughter had died, he began to fear and doubt; and Jesus looked at Him and said: Do not fear. Keep believing. There are times, because of my circumstances, that I fall into doubt, that I think that there is no hope for something that is important to me. But, I am reminded, from Christ’s example and words here: When all others would doubt, the people of God are to rise up and say: I still believe. I trust God with my life, all I am and have; and everyone I love.

You see: its not about hope that everything goes well for us or that no one we love dies. That is not the application here. It is the sure hope that once we die (if we have trusted Christ) we will be with God forever. And it is the sure hope, that in the midst of our difficult circumstances, whatever a day may bring, God is at work, for our spiritual good; and He knows what He is doing. Keep believing that!