Jesus Christ has power over death

0:00Thanks for tuning in to Mana, a short daily meditation to feed hungry souls with God's Word. These episodes were prepared by our day ministers for a radio broadcast called Voice of the Church, and are now republished by the Reform Perspective Foundation, a Canadian charity that applies biblical truth to the issues of our time, here's today serving. Good day to sinners, welcome to today's broadcast. Today we are confronted by the reality of sickness and death. Sometimes it also hits us close to home when we ourselves are personally affected by sickness or when it concerns those who are very close to us, our spouse or parents or children, or when it concerns those in our community. It is a difficulty which is ongoing, and it shows the frailty of our human condition and the painful result of our fallen to sin. In some cases, the illness is so serious that death seems to be approaching.

1:01So what do we do? And where do we go in such circumstances when confronted with such trials in our life? In this fallen world, someone special has come, someone who has power and authority over sickness and death, and this special someone is the Lord Jesus Christ. In our story, the Lord Jesus has just crossed over from the other side of the lake, from the region of the decapolis where he drove the demons of the man who lived among the tombs, and at that moment he sets foot on his other side, the crowds of people surrounding him once again. In the crowd is a ruler of the local synagogue, a man named Jairus. He comes to Jesus because his only daughter is very seriously ill, and is on the point of death. He is confident that only Jesus can make her well. He trusts that Jesus will be able to help his daughter in this very grave situation. He believed in the reports of the healings which Jesus had already done in the region.

2:06The Lord Jesus is willing to help this synagogue ruler. He goes with him to the house where the daughter is, in verse 24. Not only tells us that Jesus went with the synagogue ruler, but also that a large crowd followed him and pressed against him. And this detail is important because it prepares us for what happens next, and shows part of the way in which Jesus reveals his power over sickness and death. When Jesus went with Jairus to his home, he did not isolate himself from the people, but instead he allowed the people to come with him and even press around him. What was above to happen was important for everyone to see and understand. And as the large crowd of people is pressing around Jesus, there is also a woman among them who is suffering from a sickness which has caused her to bleed and lose a lot of blood for a period of 12 years. She was in a very serious predicament. Many doctors have been socks and were unable to help her, and she had spent all the money

3:08that she had and was still getting worse. And despite all these efforts to get better, her health only deteriorated some more. There was a woman who was suffering greatly. The nature of her illness also met that she was ritually unclean, and therefore was not able to come into God's presence and worship him in his temple, and so she was isolated from her family and her friends as well. Clearly, it was very important to this woman that she be healed. She had tried everything that had given up all her possessions in order to get well again, and yet nothing had worked and she continued to suffer a great deal. But now here with Jesus, the man from Nazareth, undoubtedly she had heard the stories and reports which had come from surrounding countryside. Here was a man who could give healing. He had healed so many already, and surely he would be able to help her as well. She was convinced that the power of Jesus Christ would override her ailment and cure her

4:10for good, and as the crowd pressed around Jesus, she went to Jesus and simply touched his clothes, believing that that would be enough to heal her. Her faith in Christ was certainly not misplaced, but it was immediately rewarded for we read in verse 29, immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. The healing was complete and total right away. There was no multi-stage process, no enquiries by Christ's first or demand that she demonstrate her faith. No! The healing happened as soon as she reached out and touched the clothes of Christ, and at that moment she was completely restored. But now at this moment Jesus insists that the person who had touched him be made known so that the crowd could benefit from the faith, which the woman had shown him. After the woman speaks to him Jesus says to the woman, daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace and be freed from your suffering.

5:13What the entire crowd and also Jairus needed to know was the effect of the woman's faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be able to heal her. This woman trusted that Christ could heal her, and her hope and trust in him was not disappointed. She simply believed with a simple and trusting faith that she would be healed when she went to Jesus. That was all that she had to do to be cured of her sickness and delivered from her suffering. In this episode Jesus is also testing the faith of Jairus. Jesus does not keep moving as fast as possible to the house of Jairus in order to heal the daughter of Jairus. No, he waits and takes his time getting to Jairus' house. He does this to test the faith of Jairus to its very limits. For even while Jesus was speaking to the woman, messengers come from Jairus' house who informed Jairus that his daughter has died.

6:14They recommended Jairus that Jesus not be bothered anymore after all it's now too late. There's no longer anything that Jesus can do to help and heal his daughter because she's now dead. But Jesus ignores what they say, and he commands Jairus, don't be afraid, just believe. These words of Jesus are very striking and also encouraging for Jairus. This ruler of the synagogue had come to Jesus because he was convinced that Jesus could help his daughter who was deathly ill. His daughter had now died, but Jesus tells him not to be afraid. He seems to have every reason to despair and have no more hope. After all, his daughter is now dead. Yet Christ does not let go of him. He encourages Jairus to take his faith to the next level. Even though Jairus' daughter had now died, he should not think that his faith has now been in vain, not at all. Jesus tells Jairus that he should not be afraid, but instead that he should just believe.

7:16He must hold fast to his faith in Jesus in all circumstances. Even though the situation has become even worse, Jairus must not lose hope and be given over to despair and hopelessness. He must continue on the road of faith in Jesus Christ. For when someone has faith in Christ, he will never be disappointed. Jairus must now not only believe that Jesus could have healed his daughter, but also that he could raise her from the dead. For Jesus does not abandon him and his daughter, but continues with him into the house. And so Jesus accompanies Jairus back to his home. In all quietness, Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead. Jesus takes her by the hand and calls her to get up. The girl does so immediately starts walking around. And Jesus orders them to give her something to eat. He also orders them not to tell anyone what has now happened. It is the girl herself who will give the testimony of this resurrection by her very presence.

8:23Jesus Christ is the only solution to all of our problems and difficulties. So our health difficulties and trials of life that we face. It is only in Christ that we will find to help and to true cure for whatever ails us. He has shown that he holds the keys of health and of sickness, of life and of death. Go to Him and trust in Him alone, and you will not be disappointed either in this life or in the life to come. Does this mean that we will always be cured now as well of all of our ailments? No, that is not necessarily what it means. When Christ was on earth, He was ushering in the new age, the new kingdom of God. He was showing the power of this new beginning in the work of God. He was showing to everyone that He was the Messiah. The one who would conquer Satan and achieve the victory over Satan, sin and death. Believe in this Messiah, Jesus Christ. He was showing that faith in Jesus Christ has never misplaced a worthless.

9:25God has a different plan for each one of us. God has enrolled us in the School of Faith, and for some the lessons are more difficult than for others. One thing is absolutely certain, God never neglects or abandones His children who have faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. While He was still on earth, Jesus said in John 11, after the death of Lazarus, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though He dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 11, verses 25-26. That is the gospel message. That is the message of certain and sheer hope, which comes to this fallen world, this world in which many struggle against deadly illnesses of many kinds and against sins of many kinds, but with Christ there is life on ending. Even though we and our loved ones must all face physical death, this is not actually

10:25the end, but only the entrance to eternal life. He who believes in Christ Jesus will live, even though He dies, whoever believes in Christ will never truly die and enter oblivion, but instead He will remain in communion with His God and Creator always. For nothing at all in all creation, neither cancer or commas or Alzheimer's or blindness or death or anything else can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Savior. Do you believe this message? Do you have faith in Christ alone? Do you believe that He is the only solution in this world of sickness and death? How blessed are all those who believe in Him. They may look forward to life everlasting in all its fullness with God Himself. Thank you for listening until next time.