There is a very narrow gap between life and death; the difference between the two is so small. The Bible says that we walk through the valley of the shadow of death: in life we walk through death, in death we experience life. How do we experience this life? Jesus said He is the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in Him, though he is dead, yet shall he live.
Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So, Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. (Mark 5:21-24)
This story is like so much of life: Jesus got interrupted on His way to Jairus’ house. For a moment, the whole attention of Jesus is diverted to a woman who has an immediate urgent problem. She was bleeding; she had been ill for 12 years, and there wasn’t a doctor who could heal her. But Jesus could and did. While Jesus was still delayed by this woman’s miracle, the family of the ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter was so ill, came to him.
In verse 35 they said,
“Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” (Mark 5:38-39)
And not for the first time in His life, they all laughed at Jesus. They weren’t laughing out of joy and happiness; they were laughing at the impossibility of the task. The people laughed because Jesus said this girl is not dead. They all knew she was dead. They all knew that hope was gone. The people laughed in scorn and derision because they did not believe; maybe for some, they did not dare to believe. Jesus put all of the people out of the room. The Bible says that Jesus went into the room and took the girl’s hand and said “Get up!” The dead girl heard the voice of Jesus and she got up and walked. She was 12 years old. The people who laughed were more astonished than anybody else!
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:21:26)
This is one of the interesting things about Jesus: how few people really believed Him. They didn’t trust Him. Consequently, in the crisis - and it was a major crisis; if Jesus had not delayed, the girl would still have been alive - in this crisis, the mourners did not believe that Jesus had power to work the miracle. There is a very narrow gap between life and death. The difference between life and death is so small. The Bible says that while we are alive we in are in the middle of death; while we are in death we can experience life. For me, the difference between death and life is the power of God; that is the difference between life and death, a miracle!
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. (Romans 6:8)
‘All will be well’ used by kind permission of www.vinesong.com