Transcript:
Most Christians are aware that faith is an important component of Christianity. They understand the value of faith and the need to have it. They are familiar with the verse that says it is impossible to please God without faith.
However, many Christians do not understand what faith actually is. There is a misconception that faith is something acquired via an unknown, somewhat mystical process. According to this concept, faith is something you either have or don’t have. This view treats faith as something irrational, and not based on facts.
True biblical faith is actually the opposite. Faith is very rational. It is based on truth and reality. The 5th chapter of Mark illustrates this for us.
The first chapter of Mark tells us huge numbers of people followed Jesus because of His miracles and ability to heal people. The crowd became so large that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city. He had to stay out in desolate areas.
Chapter two records that Jesus went back to Capernaum after a couple days, but as soon as His presence became known, a large crowd gathered around Him again. Jesus healed a paralytic. Then He healed a man’s withered hand.
In the third chapter we read about Jesus going to the sea and being followed by a large multitude from Galilee, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. Jesus healed many people. Jesus also exercised authority over unclean spirits.
Chapter four records some parables. Then Jesus and His disciples entered a boat so they could travel to the other side of the sea. While on the boat, Jesus calmed a raging storm.
In the fifth chapter we learn about Jesus exercising power over demons. He cast them out of a man and into a herd of swine. A crowd gathered and asked Jesus to leave their region.
Mark 5:21 ¶ And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.
Once again a large crowd gathered around Jesus. The crowd was large because it was known that Jesus could heal people. There were many in the crowd who needed healing or had a relative who needed help.
Mark 5:22 And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet
Mark 5:23 and pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come, that by coming, You may lay Your hands on her, so that she will be saved and live.”
Jairus was convinced Jesus could heal his daughter. His conviction was not the result of random, irrational hope. It was the result of knowing about all the other people Jesus had healed. Jairus had facts that led him to believe Jesus could heal his daughter.
Mark 5:24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.
Mark 5:25 ¶ And a woman—who had a hemorrhage for twelve years
Mark 5:26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse—
Mark 5:27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His garment.
The woman had spent all her money on physicians, but they were not able to help.
This also happens today. Some people spend massive sums of money visiting doctors and undergoing surgeries and other treatments in order to treat cancer or other ailments, but without success. It is hard to watch people suffer and die from cancer and other incurable diseases. However, the fact that some illnesses cannot be cured is a reminder that humans are not all-powerful. There is a limit to our abilities.
Mark 5:28 For she was saying, “If I just touch His garments, I will be saved from this.”
The woman was convinced Jesus could hear her. Her belief was not an irrational wish. The woman knew Jesus could heal her because she knew about all the other healings Jesus had performed that resulted in the huge crowds who gathered around Jesus.
Mark 5:29 And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she knew within her body that she had been healed of her affliction.
Mark 5:30 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched My garments?”
Mark 5:31 And His disciples were saying to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
Mark 5:32 And He was looking around to see the woman who had done this.
Mark 5:33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”
Jesus credited the woman with faith. The woman’s faith was not the result of some unknown, mystical process. She did not just randomly happen to have faith. Instead, she had faith because Jesus was well-known for healing people, and based on those facts, the woman was convinced Jesus could heal her, also.
Mark 5:35 ¶ While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”
The messenger from Jairus’ house no longer had hope the girl would live. He did not have faith.
Mark 5:36 But Jesus, overhearing what had been spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”
Jesus told Jairus to believe.
Mark 5:37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
Mark 5:38 And they came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly crying and wailing.
Mark 5:39 And entering in, He said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and crying? The child has not died, but is asleep.”
Mark 5:40 And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was.
Think about the contrast. Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage knew about everything Jesus had been doing and believed Jesus could heal anything. They had faith. The people in Jairus’ house were in the same town and had access to the same knowledge, but they laughed at Jesus. They did not have faith.
Mark 5:41 And taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”).
Mark 5:42 And immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.
Mark 5:43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that some food should be given to her to eat.
Jairus’ faith was rewarded. His daughter was healed.
Most Christians are aware that faith is an important component of Christianity, and that it is impossible to please God without faith. However, many Christians have a misconception that faith is something acquired via an unknown, somewhat mystical or irrational process. However, true faith is actually the opposite.
According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is the conviction of things not seen. The reference to things not seen is not saying faith is based on things not seen. It is saying faith is believing that something still unseen can happen in the future. The faith in the future is based on the reality of what happened in the past.
The woman with the hemorrhage believed Jesus could heal her. Her belief was not an irrational hope. Her belief was based on the fact that Jesus had healed many other people. She knew Jesus had the power to heal her ailment.
Likewise, Jairus, the synagogue official, believed Jesus could save his daughter from death. He believed because Jesus had demonstrated His power. Jairus’ request of Jesus was not an illogical, random wish. It was a request based on fact.
All Christians need to have faith in God. When we pray, we should believe Jesus can do what we ask. That belief is not some wild, random hope. Instead, our belief in God’s ability to do what we ask is based on the facts recorded in the Bible that teach us God can do anything.
Christians have faith we will spend eternity in heaven. Our faith regarding our eternal destiny is not a mere pipe dream. Instead, it is a conviction based on statements in the Bible. There is evidence that we can and should believe what the Bible tells us.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”
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