amazing faith

Heresies are often easy to understand, even as we recognize they’re wrong. Take, for example, the belief that God somehow needs our faith as some sort of energy source to heal or perform a a miracle.

You could easily conclude that from reading Mark 5. That chapter tells of a time Jesus was going to the house of a Jewish religious leader, Jairus, because Jairus’ daughter was critically ill. On the way a woman who had suffered from bleeding touched him in the middle of a huge crowd and was healed. Jesus felt the healing power go out of him and wanted to know who he hand healed. And then we read this, in verses 32-36: 

“But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’

“While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher anymore?’

“Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’”

Jesus says the woman was healed by her faith, and tells Jairus just to believe. It would be easy from that to assume that somehow God’s work is based on our faith, that in some way the strength of our belief contributes to his strength.

I don’t think that’s what Jesus was telling us. Here’s what I get from Jesus words: unless we have faith, unless we believe, we won’t take advantage of the grace and mercy God offers. Had the woman not had faith, she would never have touched Jesus’ robe. Had Jairus not believed, he would had agreed with the people and sent Jesus away.

The faith and belief Jesus refers to here is not a strength of confidence that itself enabled healing and resurrection. Rather, these things enabled these people to trust Jesus, and healing and resurrection came as Jesus fulfilled that trust.

That’s a huge relief, because it means Jesus can work in my life regardless of the power and focus of my own discipleship. In fact, even at my very weakest - which is often when I rely on Jesus most - his power to provide is completely available. I don’t have to solve things myself; I don’t have to have answers. In fact, having questions is often enough provided I ask them of God and not some earthly power.

So today I’m trying to live under the guidance Jesus gave Jairus: don’t be afraid; just believe. Our politicians can’t screw that up, terrorists can’t threaten it, the economy or our wars or bad diagnoses can’t alter the fact that Jesus says if I believe in him I have nothing to fear.

In the end, one of the most amazing graces that God provides is this amazing truth about faith.