St. Mark 5:21-43
Divine Service
Pentecost 4 (Proper 8) 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

One of mankind’s great fears is the fear of the unknown.  Very often many people get themselves overly excited about the uncertainty of the future.  Many worry about the things that might happen or might not happen.  There are worries about the weather, the harvest, and the economy.  All of these things are often unknown and can easily become a source of concern.  Did you also know that some could worry about that which is known?  Someone once said: The only two things certain in this life are death and taxes.  The reality is that no one really likes to face either one.  "Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come? No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death" (ECCLESIASTES 8:7,8).  We as mere mortals cannot control the wind or the day of their death.  In today’s text we have the very comforting words of Jesus: Do not be afraid; just believe.  As believers, by grace, we are able to do that very thing – not fear the unknown or the known because of faith.

Last week’s Gospel lesson was the disciples’ fear for their own death.  They were traveling across the Sea of Galilee when a large windstorm came up and threatened to swamp the boat and drown them all.  Now, Jesus has returned to the same side of the lake that He left in last weeks lesson, and again we are presented with another fear of death. 

This time the fear is a father for his child.  What a tremendous loss for a parent.  The loss of a child is one the most stressful events in anyone’s life – I have talked to people who said that the traumatic loss of a young child took them ten years to recover from – and there is never a “complete” recovery.  The father in our Gospel lesson is a powerful man, the ruler of the local synagogue, and he comes to Jesus pleading: “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”  The lament of any parent with a sick child: “make her well” – “let her live.” 

Death can be a fearful thing to a sinner.  You and I certainly have a sinful nature.  And that sinful nature is a selfish beast.  It does not want to give up our friends or loved ones to death.  Yet, there is no escape.  Our entire society is fearful of death.  Just look at all the ways advertised to help you stay healthy and live longer.  Anything to avoid death.  We ought not fear death but respect death as a part of life.  It is true that every soul that sins is the soul that will die.  And, there is no escape from physical death.  All of us will face physical death because of the infection of sin that has contaminated every one of us.  "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15).

And when we must deal with the death of one of these loved ones, invariably, while in the middle of this crisis, someone will make the statement: “this is the will of God.”  These people are misled about the will of God!  God rules the universe, but death was never the will of God.  Man was not created to die, but to walk with God.  Adam and Eve were created by the Lord God Almighty and placed into the Garden of Eden, a perfect place.  They could do whatever they wanted with one exception.  Adam and Eve were not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they will surely die.  They did eat.  Through that simple act, sin entered the world, and with it death!  We have inherited this corruption from our first parents.  We are born sinful.  Sin makes certain that we will not live forever on earth.  "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12).

As believers we know that the power of death has been destroyed.  Still, death is very often a sad time in our lives.  Why is that?  Sin has corrupted our perfect and complete knowledge of knowing and doing God’s will.  Sin clouds our minds with deception, doubt and despair.  Our sinful nature can cause us to have a certain fear concerning death.  "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).  On this side of heaven we truly never completely understand God’s will for our lives because of sin.  Do not be afraid; just believe.  There can and might be a certain fear concerning death; BUT, There is a greater certainty of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Jairus’ friends had come and told him that his daughter was dead.  Our lesson says that Jesus was close enough to Jairus to have overheard the news.  Yet, Jesus did not stop going to the house of Jairus.  He comforts Jairus: “Do not fear, only believe.”  He took only a few with Him: “Peter and James and John the brother of James.”  When He gets to the house of Jairus, the paid mourners had already arrived and had begun “weeping and wailing loudly.”  Jesus then limits the group those with him to just the three disciples and Jairus and his wife as they go into the house to see the daughter. 

Jesus calls out to the girl: ‘“Talitha cumi,” which means,  “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”’  As the 12-year old girl rises from her bed and walks around, everyone is amazed!  But Jesus continues His care – He orders food brought to the girl.  This also proves that the girl is not a ghost, just as Jesus was to prove that of Himself after His resurrection.

Sin and our sinful nature can easily cause a certain fear concerning death. As believers, by God’s free and abundant grace Jesus’ words ring true: do not be afraid; just believe – just as Jairus believed.  It is only through death that the believer is able to enter into paradise.  "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life"(John 5:24).  Jesus, by his death and resurrection has conquered death – not for himself – but for us.  Death no longer has any mastery over us.  This is the simple and enduring truth of God’s perfect word.

We cannot and do not come to a saving knowledge by ourselves or on our own. This is vitally important for each and every believer. Salvation and eternity is far too important to be entrusted into the hands or plans of sinful man. Jesus comforts us at the time of death by reminding us of the perfect price he paid for our admission into the perfect place of paradise, heaven. "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"(1 Thessalonians 4:14). Again, the sting of death is softened with the term, asleep

Do not be afraid; just believe.  By God’s grace we do believe.  What is our assurance that death is not to be feared?  The first assurance is God’s own promise.  The Lord Jesus himself promises eternal life to all those who believe.  Jesus’ words of assurance are also backed up his actions of coming back to life.  Our human nature and humanness is quite often saddened by death.  Even Jesus cried at the death of his friend, Lazarus (John 11:35).  Jesus was sad for his friends, Mary and Martha, at their loss.  Even in the midst of sadness and sorrow Jesus comforts us with his promises and assurances.  "Do not be afraid.  I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and Hades" (Revelation 1:17,18).

What a comfort, what a blessing and what an encouragement to hear those words of Jesus, our Savior from eternity and for eternity: Do not be afraid; just believe. As Christians, not only do we hear those words, we also believe them. Because of sin there is a certain fear concerning death. Because of God’s love for us there is a greater certainty of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. It is most amazing to see that we are saved out of God’s great love that offered up his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. It is most amazing to know and believe we are saved for time and eternity purely out of our heavenly Father’s divine grace. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ’Death has been swallowed up in victory’"(1 Corinthians 15:54). Do not be afraid; just believe is our daily comfort for eternity!

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