My wife and I just emerged from two weeks of battling a flu virus. As we mixed with family and friends over Christmas, we picked up one of the nasty bugs circulating this season. We’re doing better, but it took days to find enough energy just to get out and about.

Contrast our recovery with the way Jesus healed people. A man named Jairus begged Jesus to heal his daughter. By the time they reached the house, the girl had died. Undeterred, Jesus pushed past the mourners and kneeled next to the bed. What he did next was astounding.Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

In another encounter Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Sick in bed with a high fever, Jesus stood over her and rebuked the illness which left her at once. Then she immediately rose and began to serve them.

Jesus brought a little girl back from the dead who got up and started running around the room. He reanimated her organs and muscles so completely she could not stand still. Peter’s mother-in-law felt so much better she jumped up and fixed dinner. Did Jesus tell her to lie down for a few minutes, or not overdo things for a few days? Not at all. He healed her back to vigorous health in an instant. She could no more set still than a kid on Christmas day.

Two weeks and I’m still feeling the results of the flu. Two seconds with Jesus was all that these women needed to hop out of bed and run around, better than ever.

Jesus revealed his absolute mastery over this world when he healed the sick and raised the dead. Notice the word immediately in both accounts. More than a faith healer or an experienced physician, Jesus, the Lord of all Creation, caused the bodily systems he designed in the first place to tremble with delight. Amazing. Truly we serve an astounding God.

Mark 5:41-42; Luke 4:38-40

Photo by Kelly Sikkema