Authority Over Death
by Paul George
The good news is, Jesus has conquered death. The writer
of Hebrews tells us that Jesus came to destroy the one that
had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them
who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject
to bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15). In other words, he says that
men live their entire lives subject to the fear of death,
but Jesus has come to deliver them from that fear. Yet, for
most of the world does not know Jesus has conquered death,
therefore they fear death.
Jesus' power over death is an essential message, for we are
living in a dying world where all of us face the
inevitability of death. It never was God's plan for sin to
mar His creation. All things in the world were created for
the good of man, but man sinned, allowing sin to enter
creation and run its course. However, the prophets said a
Messiah would come and would have the power to bring back
wholeness to life. The miracles of Jesus verified His power
to reverse the curse and establish the Kingdom. If He
claimed to be the Son of man who would execute judgment upon
all and raise the dead (John 5:25-29), then He would have to
demonstrate that He had the power to do that.
Jesus' power over death is clearly demonstrated in Matthew 9
with the raising of a girl who had died. However, prior to
that miracle, He healed a woman with an issue of blood. That
healing is really part of the resurrection miracle, for it
provided the delay that was necessary for the death to
occur.
The accounts of Mark and Luke fill in more details, telling
us that when the ruler initially spoke to Jesus, his
daughter was in the process of dying. However, Matthew
condenses it all, reporting that she had died. Do you know
why Jairus came to Jesus? He did not care about the social
pressure of the religious establishment, his daughter was
dead and there were no resources within his system to deal
with that. He knew that when Jesus touched his daughter, she
would live. He swallowed his pride, turned his back on
social pressure, and said good-bye to the religious
establishment, as he fell flat on his face before Jesus.
There are two reasons why the synagogue official fell flat
on his face before Jesus.
First, from a deep need.
That is why people come to Christ. If you do not recognize
your need for Him, you are not going to come. It is apparent
that the man probably believed in the power of Jesus, but he
probably was hesitant to express that belief. However, now
that his daughter was dying, he came in desperation.
Evidently, his motive was not very pure, he did not come
because of his love for Jesus; he came because he was
hurting deeply from emotional pain. His heart was crushed
with grief. The people with a need come to Christ. That is
why the poor, the sick, the weak, and the prisoners so often
receive the gospel.
Second, from a determined faith
Even though his faith was inadequate and his motive was a
little bit selfish, Jesus was still available to him. He
really did believe that Jesus had the power to heal her and
even raise her from the dead. That is a marvelous expression
of faith rarely surpassed in the gospels.
The synagogue official’s faith compared to the centurion
The centurion had enough faith to believe that Jesus could
heal his servant with a word. If that was the greatest
example of faith that Jesus had seen in Israel, then what
kind of faith was that which believed Jesus could raise a
dead person to life? The faith of the synagogue official may
have even surpassed that of the centurion.
Jesus’ response, He got up and began to follow Jairus.
By the time Jesus had arrived at the house, the girl was
dead and a funeral service was in progress. The noisy racket
was quite different from what we are used to in a funeral
home within our culture. Three basic things went on at a
Jewish funeral:
1. The Rending of Garments
Ripping one's clothes was symbolic of one's grief. The
Talmud contained thirty-nine different rules and regulations
on how to rip your clothes. For example, a person had to do
it while he was standing up, and over or near his heart. The
rip had to be big enough to stick a fist through, and it had
to be left seven days. For the next thirty days, it could be
loosely stitched and then afterwards, sewn permanently. In
order that women not expose themselves in an indiscreet
manner, they would rip their undergarment, wear it
backwards, and then rip their outer garments in public.
2. The Wailing for the Dead
3. The Playing of Flutes
The third element in Jewish mourning was the use of
musicians. The Talmud specifically called for flutes: “"The
husband is bound to bury his dead wife and to make
lamentations and mourning for her according to the custom of
all countries. And also the very poorest among the
Israelites will not allow her less than two flutes and one
wailing woman; but, if he be rich, let all things be done
according to his qualities.”
Jairus was probably well off and his house would be filled
with flutes, people ripping their clothes, and mourners
wailing incessantly.
Flute playing also accompanied mourning in the Roman world.
Seneca wrote that there were so many flute players at the
funeral of the Emperor Claudius that Claudius himself
probably heard them.
When Jesus saw the musicians and heard the people making all
that noise, He said, “Leave for the girl has not died, but
is asleep” (Matthew 9:24). The implication was that Jesus
would raise her from the dead, and that brought scornful
laughter. Such abrupt laughter shows you that those wailing
were paid mourners. They could cry for the child or laugh at
Jesus in an instant. Their laughter was the hard laughter of
mockery, as when a person laughs at someone they consider
inferior. It is the kind of scornful laughter reserved for
mocking a fool. In their eyes, only a fool would think he
could raise her from the dead.
The Resurrection – But when the crowd had been sent out, He
entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up”
(Matthew 9:25).
Luke tells us – “And her spirit returned, and she got up
immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given
her to eat” (Luke 8:55), proof that she was once dead and
that Jesus had brought her back to life. Jesus did not have
to touch the little girl with His hand. He could have just
said a word to heal her, but it is the way of God to be
tender and loving.
“This news spread throughout all that land” (Matthew 9:26).
"And the fame of this went abroad into all that land."
You can imagine what people said about Him: "He has power
over disease and sickness, and death.
The good news, Jesus Christ is the One who holds the keys of
hell and death (Revelation 1:18). For that reason, we have
no need to fear death. We should rejoice in death because
Jesus has conquered it for us. He gives us hope. We should
rejoice in death because Christ has conquered it for us.
Two things that will bring you to Jesus, one is a deep need,
a sense of desperation over your condition; and the second
is great faith. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Have you
looked at your life and seen that it is less than what it
ought to be? Is there a sense of desperation in your life
because of a physical, emotional, or spiritual problem? If
you have recognized your deep need, do you believe that
Jesus Christ can meet it? Are you willing to fall into the
loving arms of Jesus in spite of the often skeptical and
ridiculing eyes of the world? If so, your faith will be
rewarded, according to 1 Peter 5:6-7.
The Authority of Jesus Series
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