Laughing at God

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

LAUGHING AT GOD

Matt 9:23-26

23 When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, 24 he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.

NIV

We recount briefly this man, Jairus, a ruler in the Synagogue had come to Jesus because his daughter was near death, but by the time he was having this conversation with Jesus, news reached him that his daughter had died. There was a moment in which Jesus was headed to his home to see the daughter, that this woman with the issue of blood had touched his garment and was healed. So after that exchange we now are at the home of Jairus. There is much commotion as was and may still be at the death of a person. They are several Old Testament references to this type of behavior.

Jer 9:17-18

"Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come; send for the most skillful of them. 18 Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears and water streams from our eyelids.

NIV

At the death of a family member the women would wail as loud as they could till there was not breath left to wail. They would employ professional wailers, and musicians to play solemn tunes and mourners would wail, cry, and scream for days. In the case of a prominent person this might go on for a month. This was the scene in which Jesus along with Peter, James and John entered, according to Mark. So Jesus and with his three disciples along with the Father arrive to this wailing because it is evident the girl is in fact dead. This is important in that she was not just sleeping or in a coma, but she was dead, gone from her body that lay lifeless upon the bed. Although to hear Jesus she was not dead, but only asleep. They laughed at him. It is interesting this term Jesus used that she was asleep, has been used to reference those who have died in Christ.

1 Thess 4:14-18

14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep . 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

NIV

In the reality of Jesus, being God in the flesh, he had already died, resurrected, ascended and come back for those who are asleep in him. So to him this daughter was simply asleep waiting for him to come and wake her. This is in fact what happened. But, although this gives us a great hope of eternal life, whether Jesus comes for us while we are still alive, or sometime after we have fallen asleep, our lesson is in the laughing of those in the house. How often some laugh, perhaps not out loud, but inwardly at those of us who profess faith in Jesus. There may even be laughter within the church toward some of us who believe in and profess miracles, even actual physical healings, or other miraculous powers of Jesus in our lives. But the proof was in the pudding. The girl was dead and Jesus raised her up in the presence of his three disciples and the girl’s father and mother. There could be no disputing this fact. Jesus has power over death. If he displayed that power over death for this family, he will also display his power over death in our lives. Even if the world laughs at us for believing this power of Jesus, we will continue to believe throughout every day we have breath, and then when we are raised from our slumber, we will experience the same as this girl, raised from the dead. Although we are not told anything more about this girl, it would be interesting to know how she lived out the rest of her days on earth. Had she seen a glimpse of heaven while she was “asleep”? We do not know, and we can be assured we will not just see a glimpse when we fall asleep, but we are assured to be absence from our body is to be present with the lord. As soon as we die, we will step into eternity. But the laughter will continue toward our faith. Many believe only that which the can see or in their own abilities. They laugh at us because we believe in miracles, in life after death, in the need to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior in order to gain entrance to heaven. Many believe good works will give them access to heaven, just being a good person is enough. They laugh at us because we say a person needs to be born again. They laugh at us because we believe the bible is the inspired infallible word of God. They laugh at us because we believe Jesus is God. They laugh at us because we believe the Spirit dwells within us. They laugh because we believe in the gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit and the Armor of God. They snicker because they think us to be fools and they are only but wise in their own eyes for in reality they are the fools and fools laugh at God.