Mark 5:38-42 (NRSV) 38They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39And entering in, He said to them, "Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep." 40They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child's father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, "Talitha kum!" (which translated means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old.
Romans 10:8b-11 (NRSV) 8bTHE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED
Sometimes we give the impression that being a Christian means we agree that certain statements are true. This impression is not all wrong, but it is only half true. When Christianity is reduced to agreement on certain ideas, a distortion has taken place. Before Christianity is an agreement, it is a commitment. Mostly Christianity is accepting the open invitation of Jesus to only believe.
It is a straightforward kind of invitation, and whenever and however Jesus issues the invitation He is asking us to place our confidence in Him. Only believe. Try out some trust. Experiment with some obedience and see for yourself what will happen. Only believe…confess with your lips. We are called to a confidence in Jesus Christ inwardly and outwardly. It is a confidence that must constantly confront the appearance of things. It is a confidence that must move steadily through the storm of emotion and the tempest of changing circumstance when Jesus does not appear to be LORD at all.
Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died but is asleep. Things are not as they appear, and at no time have things appeared to be so wrong, so lost, so devastated, so destroyed as when Jesus died on the Cross. We maintain our confidence against the appearance of things because we have a reason to. We have evidence that contradicts the present appearance of things. Our confidence is not wishful thinking. We do not have to muster up confidence in ourselves because we are by nature optimistic people. Our confidence is based on evidence that we believe is truer and stronger than the present appearance of things.
Jesus is LORD…God raised Him for the dead. True or false? The question cannot be answered with our minds alone. It can be answered only by a decision of the will and the wager of our lives to live only believing.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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