FAITH–TESTED OR CONTAMINATED?
We have all heard that knowledge is power. This idea was popularized by French philosopher, Michel Foucault, and has become a fact in today’s knowledge-driven societies. In fact, the human need for knowledge often surpasses the need for God because people have the impression that with greater knowledge, there’s greater certainty and control than waiting on God to change things. Humanly speaking, we all prefer certainty over the unexpected. Yet, greater access to knowledge has not made human life more predictable or certain. Bad news still dominate headlines and knock on the doors of our lives.
How should Christians respond to unfavourable health reports, or to the news of a beloved’s premature demise, or when our emotions feel like they are unraveling and spinning out of control? Is it natural to wonder why God does not turn things around, make the pain go away, or why He does not give us the breakthroughs and benefits we want? In keeping our relationship with God honest, these questions should not be left out of our conversations with Him. However, depending on the voices around us, they can also either kindle or kill our faith in Him.
In Luke 8 (verses 40-42, 49-45), we read the account of a well-respected religious leader called Jairus whose twelve-year-old daughter was dying. Jesus was making His way through a thick and crushing crowd when Jairus approached the Lord and asked Him to head to his home and help his daughter. It would have been a simple plan of action but as soon as he finished speaking with the Lord, what happened next was a series of antipodal events that challenged his faith in Jesus.
First, he faced an instant disruption to his plans. While he was still speaking with Jesus about his daughter’s medical emergency, a woman who had an incurable hemorrhage that she had suffered for the past twelve years had snuck up behind Jesus and furtively touched His cloak. With throngs of people pressing up against the Lord, it would have been a non-event. But instead of letting it go, Jesus stopped to look around the crowd for her.
Did it make sense to Jairus that, in a time of medical emergency, Jesus intentionally let Himself be slowed down? Did Jesus seem insensitive to his need? Did the Lord drop the ball? Jairus could have let himself burn with anger and turn away from relying on the Lord.
Instead, Jairus stayed with Jesus even when he had to wait while there was an emergency at home.
Secondly, Jairus received a bad report while he was still waiting for Jesus to finish speaking with the sick woman. He received an update that his daughter had passed away. In fact, the messenger even said, “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” At this point, he likely felt that his mission to bring Jesus home had failed: it was game over.
Yet, immediately on hearing the bad report, Jesus assured Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
Who was he to listen to? The evidence of death that was reported, or the power of faith to believe in Jesus? Similarly, in your own crises, you have to decide whether to let Jesus define your life story, or you will let the lab reports, the rejection letters, the bank notices, or the court verdict hand you a life sentence of broken dreams. Perhaps like the messenger from Jairus’ household who said, “Don’t bother the teacher anymore”, you have stopped talking to God about your disappointments and desires. You have given up on expecting new realities and started living by ‘fate’ (or what circumstances throw at you) rather than by faith.
We can argue that surely a delay in emergency care can lead to mortality. But here, we see that the delay Jairus experienced was not God’s denial of help. In fact, when God heals, it does not matter at which stage of the illness He does it - the healing is complete. When He intervenes, it does not matter if the problem has reached finality and there are no more options ahead. This means that God can deliver His solutions at any point of your circumstances.
Lastly, Jesus separated Jairus from the negative noises in his home. Luke 8: 51-53 shows us that He kept out “all the people (who) were wailing and mourning for her”. He kept his time with Jairus and his daughter private and away from commentators and bystanders.
Today, we have the same people in our lives. They are the people in your Whatsapp chat groups: they may not make audible negative noises, but they send noisy and negative text messages. Why don’t you try this or that? You should do this or that! I heard about a new diet that heals! Call it noisy and negative Christian chatter - they contaminate your faith all the same by acting as though knowing more and knowing better alone will solve all your problems!
Let’s not forget that although Jesus died and was buried in a tomb guarded by soldiers, nothing could stop His resurrection after three days. That same resurrection power of the Holy Spirit is in us today. It is a power that surpasses human solutions!
Some of you need a miracle for yourself or a loved one. Some have been rattled because other people’s decisions have taken away the financial security that they expected. Here’s a message for you: don’t let anxieties and fear ruin your chance of receiving your miracles from the Lord. Don’t let bad reports from your employer, doctors, the media, family, and friends tell you that these are the only realities! Your faith may be tested – but do not let your faith be contaminated by the disruptions, the bad reports or the negative noises.
Don’t be afraid – just believe.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 11 November 2022.
