Matthew 9: 18-19, 23-26 girl is raised from the dead
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came
and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put
your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus
got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 23 When
Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people
playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.”
But they laughed at him. 25 After the
crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she
got up. 26 News of this spread through
all that region.
Jesus raised a girl from the dead!
This was to be a miracle of all miracles when Jesus brought back life!
How could he do that? Truly a
real miracle. As well as a foreshadowing
of what Christ offers for all of us in the Kingdom of Heaven; a resurrection
like his. For those who Jesus raised
during his ministry on Earth, back to life was the only option; for those after
Jesus’ ascension, being raised has a new meaning in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus uses the word “sleep” here and we see
that as he is telling the crowds that she was but napping but in the Hebrews
belief system upon death you sleep until the day of the Messiah. For Jesus to say she was but sleeping and
then bringing her back truly sets everyone up for the truth of his identity –
Christ. He could have healed her except
for the fact that on his way he was interrupted, just enough that she passed
away and the new life that Christ will offer us is revealed through more than a
healing but a raising.
