49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”
50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
-Luke 8:49- 56 NKJV
It struck me as I read through this this morning that Jesus knew that unbelief was going to be an issue and only permitted Peter, James, and John and the parents to be in the house while he roused the girl. Peter, James, and John: His Inner Circle. The ones that had had the most interaction with Jesus and had been with Him the longest. The ones that knew the power that Jesus commanded, had seen the demon-possessed man from the Gadarenes be healed and clothed and in his right mind, had witnessed Jesus calm the sea, heard the wise parables, watched him multiply the bread and fish handed out by their own hands. And the parents, possibly new to the faith but wanting life breathed into their child with all of their being, would understandably be allowed in the room— their desire being exactly the same as Jesus’s. But strangely, when Jesus told them the girl was only sleeping, the text says they mocked Him. They knew she was dead, and despite seeing miracles manifest regularly, they not only didn’t believe Jesus, they laughed at Him. Some other translations show it to be the crowds around and inside the house that He had dismissed that laughed Him to scorn. But what if it really was these five people? Am I capable of laughing Him to scorn, even with my heart so in love with Him? I’d like to say no, but…
The text goes on to say that Jesus, ‘put them all outside,’ and went on to resurrect the child. He patiently told someone to give her meat and the parents were ordered to tell no one of the miracle. That phrase, ‘put them all outside,’ can be skipped over as we read through this, but I think it is one of the more important parts of the story. I don’t want to be the one that has to be ‘put outside’ so Jesus can concentrate on the task at hand.
Jesus can do wonderful and incredible things without our faith, but wouldn’t it be nice if He could do them with it? It doesn’t change His power or heart, but it certainly changes ours. I will be the first one to admit don’t have all this figured out, but my desire is to try to be a disciple that says, ‘Yes, Lord. I believe.’
-A