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The Gospel of Mark records the moment.  Jarius has a young, twelve year old daughter who is sick unto death.  He is desperate to bring Jesus back home with him for the sake of her healing, but in transit Jesus is deterred.  By the time they arrive to the house, Jarius’ daughter is dead.  The mourners are already there, weeping over her lifeless body.  Jesus declares that the girl is not dead, but sleeping and yet the people present know that she is dead.  They’ve seen death before; they’ve taken her pulse and because of their assumption they laugh at Jesus. The next line contains these pivotal words;  “and when He had put them all out…”

It’s difficult to imagine, but that the greatest of miracles could not occur when the doubter was present.  Jesus did not simply come to prove that He was powerful.  He came to restore and redeem.   There are times when faith has to stand alone without any interference by the unbeliever.

Jesus was not willing to coexist. 

He did not make room for a different point of view. He was not into their opinions and thus, “He put them all out.”  Paul wrote that Light hath no fellowship with darkness.  Light reproves the darkness. Faith and doubt cannot co-mingle.  Truth and a lie are in such opposition that before “The Work” can be accomplished, there has to be a cleansing.

When we allow others to speak into our lives we must make sure that they are faith-builders and not doubt-destroyers. The skeptic will always be present, asking questions that present more confusion than clarity.  The accuser lurks even among the brethren as Paul often wrote.  Yet if the miracle is to occur, we must remove the scorner from our ears.  A friend who discourages your faith is not your friend at all.  If faith is to prevail, then let there be faith.  If truth is to succeed, then let it stand alone.

Pastor Jeffrey Harpole