Ignored by Jesus

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

“I’m not hard of hearing, I’m ignoring you!” So says a plaque hanging in my mother’s kitchen.

I can think of times when fortunately my comments have been ignored. I remember comments made in a classroom. They were ignored by the professor for the benefit of all. Can you recall words you blurted out and then later you said, “Please ignore that earlier statement”? I can.

In Mark 5 Jesus ignores people. He ignores the skeptics who tell him to give up his mission to save a little girl.

Skeptics? Read the text. The girl was now dead. It’s hard to have a positive for your patient once she is dead. That is the point of no return.

Is your situation hopeless? Are you too far gone? Too addicted? Too slow? Too poor? Too dull? Too dead?

Too dead sums it up. In Ephesians 2 that describes the spiritual condition of us all. Hopelessly gone. Unless, of course, Jesus ignores our despair and unbelief and moves on. The 12 year old girl was not “too sick”, in fact she was not “too dead” for the power of Christ. He would say, “Little girl, arise!”

Like Jesus, we need to ignore the expressions of unbelief. “Don’t be afraid”, says Jesus. “Just believe.” He heals the hopeless. He raises the dead. He sets us free from bondage.

Is there any hope for this church? For this pastor? For these people? Our certain hope is in Christ.

See you at 10:00.