Just Believe

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

JUST BELIEVE

Luke 8:49-56

49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more." 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."  51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."  53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"  55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

NIV

If we leave out all the narrative except the words of Jesus we have all the truth we will ever need. Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed, stop wailing, she is not dead but asleep. My child, get up!” Words that can apply to our own lives. What victory does death hold over us? None, for we too will hear those words spoken directly to us, you are not dead my child, you are only asleep, get up! We need not be afraid, we only need to just believe and we will be healed. There is no need to wail, to mourn about death, to even concern ourselves with it, as we will receive the ultimate healing, eternal life. Why then do we cling so strongly to this natural life? Although we know the truth of eternal life, it still is somewhat of an unknown entity. No one that we know has actually experienced eternal life and returned to verify its existence. True, some say they have died and gone to heaven and come back to write books about it. But then we have also seen some of these are nothing but a hoax. Who can we believe about heaven and eternal life? Certainly no person, but definitely Jesus. He did not tell us to just believe in some story from another man, but he told us to believe in him. So why do so many believe in a story of a person rather than just accept what Jesus said? Why are some so inclined to believe what another person said about heaven and eternal life? Somehow we want proof of it being real. We want to know heaven is for real, but we cannot, it is not for us to know, but to believe the words of Jesus. “Don’t be afraid; just believe”.  We do notice that after Jesus raised her from the dead, he told them to feed her. There is no doubt about the providence of God, and the provision of God. He cares for us and provides us with our source of life, but we also need to labor for our wages, and eat to sustain our life. Jesus may have given her natural life back to her, but she needed to eat to sustain it. There is a partnership in a sense between God and us, a covenant, an agreement. Of course all the terms are his, and we need to agree. Why the parents were told not to tell anyone what he did, can only be explained in that Jesus did not want the crowd to know that much about him at this time. His time had not come, and he needed to keep this act of mercy, this miracle under wraps. But then of course we now know about it. But the greatest truth here is in those words of Jesus. “Just believe”.