irrational hope: a father's request
during meditation this morning, i was perusing some snapshots of the life of Jesus- namely a father who approaches Jesus as He is talking to some religious leaders.
Jesus and the religious leaders are discussing their differing viewpoints on the semantics of fasting. this dad comes up to Him, all distraught, telling Jesus his daughter has just died. but then he adds that if Jesus comes to visit her, he knows He can bring her back to life.
can you imagine the desperation of this father? his irrational hope? what a claim to assert here- that this man, this Jesus can make the dead alive again. here his daughter is dead and he would rather choose to believe that she can be healed and brought back to life than believe she has passed from this world entirely. how's that for stepping out on pure, sheer faith?!
i'm not a parent yet, but the grief of losing a child must be tremendous- i've personally seen it firsthand in the death of my 19 year old cousin and the emotional wreckage played out in my aunt and uncle years ago.
but here's the kicker. this father REALLY believed Jesus could heal his daughter. and Jesus cleanly exits the religious dialogue in pursuit of making that a reality. not only does Jesus bring her back to life, or as he says it, wakes her up from her slumber, along the way He heals a hemorraging woman who has been bleeding inexplicably for years.
i think about Jesus and His power- that His person emanates so much life that all He touches is restored and made whole. a child raised from the dead. a woman bleeding with doctors scratching their heads as to the cause- the bleeding stops. how crazy.
but guess what: i too believe.
Jesus and the religious leaders are discussing their differing viewpoints on the semantics of fasting. this dad comes up to Him, all distraught, telling Jesus his daughter has just died. but then he adds that if Jesus comes to visit her, he knows He can bring her back to life.
can you imagine the desperation of this father? his irrational hope? what a claim to assert here- that this man, this Jesus can make the dead alive again. here his daughter is dead and he would rather choose to believe that she can be healed and brought back to life than believe she has passed from this world entirely. how's that for stepping out on pure, sheer faith?!
i'm not a parent yet, but the grief of losing a child must be tremendous- i've personally seen it firsthand in the death of my 19 year old cousin and the emotional wreckage played out in my aunt and uncle years ago.
but here's the kicker. this father REALLY believed Jesus could heal his daughter. and Jesus cleanly exits the religious dialogue in pursuit of making that a reality. not only does Jesus bring her back to life, or as he says it, wakes her up from her slumber, along the way He heals a hemorraging woman who has been bleeding inexplicably for years.
i think about Jesus and His power- that His person emanates so much life that all He touches is restored and made whole. a child raised from the dead. a woman bleeding with doctors scratching their heads as to the cause- the bleeding stops. how crazy.
but guess what: i too believe.
posted by annelies at 9:23 AM
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