MAR - "Just Trust Me Bro" - Jesus
35 While he was still talking, some people came from the leader’s house and told him, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”
36 Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, “Don’t listen to them; just trust me.”
37-40 He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. They entered the leader’s house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: “Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn’t dead; she’s sleeping.” Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn’t know what he was talking about.
Mark 5:35-40 MSG
39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
Mark 5:39-40 ESV
I’m writing this two weeks after the invasion of Russia into the Ukraine. I’m not sure what that situation looks like now, but I’m anticipating people are still worried, inflation is still going up and innocent people are being bombed and killed in the Ukraine.
The world is giving us so many reasons to worry. Worry about invasion, worry about countries going to war, worry about stabbings in NY, the amber alerts you’re getting on your phone, worry about it all!
Jesus was with a minister in a village, he had just healed a woman that had a flowing blood problem. He had performed a lot of miracles, healings, restorations, etc. But they laughed at him for saying the girl was sleeping.
We seem to think we can tell God how miracles work.
To us, dead is dead. To God, dead is nothing. It’s as simple as sleeping. It could be considered that Jesus is joking and even mocking death. So he didn’t grieve with the people, he didn’t gossip with the nosy people. He rebuked them for making death a bigger deal than the God that was standing in front of them.
His only command to the father who just lost a daughter was:
“Don’t listen to them; just trust me.”
That seems impossible. We’re human, we’re hard-wired control freaks. WE CAN’T JUST TRUST!
But that’s what he needs, when countries are invading countries - don’t listen, just trust.
When the people you look up to fall away from the Lord - don’t listen, just trust.
When you can’t take the stress people are putting you through - don’t listen, just trust.
Let them laugh at Jesus, and then let me see what Jesus is capable of.
Don’t fight it, don’t control it. Don’t listen, just trust.
How often are you trusting God?
Do you feel like you do things yourself?
Is there a reason why trusting God is so difficult?