Reading: Mark chapter 5 verses 22-24; 35-43
Over 1.5 million people in the UK have died from covid-19 and millions of others in the world are living with the fear of death hanging over them. Death is no respecter of persons – none of us is immune from either the prospect, or the reality, of death! Mark, Luke and John recorded four miracles in their Gospels, when Jesus raised the dead. Let us consider three of them this week and gain encouragement from them.
In today’s meditation we meet a ruler of the synagogue, whose twelve-year old daughter has died. Jesus reached his house and was confronted with great fear and many tears from the numerous mourners; indeed, a scene that has been replicated throughout the world in recent months. Jesus’s sympathetic response was, ‘Do not be afraid, only believe’. He encouraged the father and mother to view death as ‘sleep’. In contrast, He dismissed the sceptics and the cynics from the house; therefore, they missed the miracle of new life being given. It is mystifying today to come across the sceptics, who turn down the possibility of life-saving vaccinations to defeat a killer virus. However, it is even more sad to meet those who are rejecting the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ!
It is interesting to note that, in our meditations this week, Jesus spoke of death as ‘sleeping’, which reminds us that death is not the end of all things. The moment we die, we wake and pass on to the other side. The Bible teaches that this will be in one of two places – heaven or hell. Which one it will be for each one of us will depend on our spiritual, not our physical, condition at death. Spiritually speaking, we were born ‘dead in trespasses and sins’, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 and destined for a lost eternity in hell. But the same verse tells us that we can be ‘made alive’ through faith in Christ and destined for heaven!
Read the words of Jesus for yourself. We will gladly send you a Bible and help answer any questions you may have. We will pray for you. Come back again for another Message of Hope.