Just Believe

Mark 5:36 New International Version (NIV)

36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

A father cries out over the loss of his child. Fear for the future and the pain of the present can overwhelm the soul. Those of us that have faced this situation will never forget the depth of loss and pain. Our worlds were shaken, our futures were uncertain, and our minds were overwhelmed. What should we do next? How could we consider taking the next step?

Jesus provides us an answer in the fifth chapter of Mark. In Mark, we find a father who comes to Jesus because his daughter is dying. Men come to the father and tell him that his daughter has died and not to bother Jesus. Jesus overheard what they said and he told the father,”Don’t be afraid; just believe.” The J.B. Phillips translation says it this way:

Mark 5:36 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

36 But when Jesus heard this, he said, “Now don’t be afraid, just go on believing!”

Just go on believing. The father came to Jesus in faith. Jesus reminds him that even after the death of his child the next step is not to be afraid, but just go on believing. Those around the father thought this was the end. The daughter had died. It was over. But faith tells a different story. Jesus walked through the door. Death was defeated when he told the girl to rise and a lost child returned to the arms of her loving father.

This Sunday is Easter. It is a day in which we celebrate the defeat of death. Just as death was defeated when Jesus walked through the door of the home of a mourning family, death was defeated once and for all when the stone was rolled away and Jesus walked out of the grave. This is our hope. Someday Jesus will provide a way for our child to run back into our arms. Death has been defeated, indeed. As we wait for our reunion, remember the words of Jesus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.”