Faith After Fear

Faith after Fear

Don’t be afraid. Just have faith. Mark 5:36

THE LEADER OF A SYNAGOGUE pleaded with Jesus to come heal his daughter. But before Jesus could arrive, messengers came with word that the girl was already dead. Jesus calmly told Jairus, the father, not to be afraid but to have faith. Then he prohibited the surrounding crowds from following any further. Once at Jairus’s home, he forcefully told hired mourners and skeptical crowds to leave, insisting that the girl was only asleep, not dead (Matthew 9:24-25). Only Peter, James, John, and the girl’s parents were allowed in the room with him, and then Jesus raised the girl back to life.

Why did Jesus leave the first crowd behind and then evict the crowds that were gathered at Jairus’s home? Why did he empty the room of mourners but allow his three closest disciples to go in with him? Did he simply want to work privately—a condition rarely duplicated at any other point in his ministry, when he was used to healing and delivering in front of multitudes? Or was something else at stake in limiting the audience for this particular miracle?

Perhaps Jesus wanted to remove skeptics and hired mourners because they contribute nothing to an atmosphere of faith. Maybe he wanted to work in front of people who could believe, who had seen his wonders before. Perhaps he wanted the girl to open her eyes to love rather than gawking spectators and mourners who now had no reason to keep working. Whatever the case, Jesus considered it important to shape the environment around him as he prayed, believed, and spoke life back into this girl.

Part of shaping that environment involved telling Jairus not to be afraid and sparking a hint of hope. The man had believed in Jesus enough to go find him but then had been disappointed enough to despair. Now he was being invited to see a great miracle and have his fears banished and faith restored. After a crushing loss, such a miracle might restore his hope forever—surely Jesus’ goal for him, and for us, too. In your darkest moments, do not be afraid. Just believe.

Faith given back to us after a night of doubt is a stronger thing, and far more valuable to us than faith that has never been tested.