He Who Laughs Last…
Matthew 9:23-26 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, (24) He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. (25) But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. (26) And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
It’s always easy to be a Monday Morning Quarterback. Would YOU laugh at Jesus? Absolutely NEVER! But of course, we have the perspective of hindsight and the Inspired Word of God to help us with our confidence.
In our text today, we are told that Jesus was ‘laughed to scorn’. That wording seems significant. It indicates a particular motive. They didn’t just laugh because they found something humorous, but instead they laughed for the purpose of showing their contempt. What did Jesus do or say that would cause them to laugh at him to show distain?
Jesus comes onto the scene and quickly and SEEMINGLY without all of the knowledge that others have, and declares that this DEAD young girl that he came to heal was NOT in fact dead. He declared her to be only sleeping. It would seem on face value that Jesus did not “read the room”. The laughter by the crowd was due because they KNEW beyond the shadow of any doubt that the young girl WAS indeed dead. The context proves this fact.
During this time in history, when someone died, the family would come and wail outside the home to draw attention to the fact that the family is now in mourning. Rich families, such as this one, could hire professional mourners and musicians to perform this task. Obviously, it would take a bit of time to arrange this gathering, so the girl would have to have been dead long enough for this gathering to happen. Certainly plenty of time to truly confirm the girl’s actual death. So when Jesus makes this seemingly careless and possibly disrespectful statement, it was not careless! It was not an accident. He did not fail to read the room. He knew what he was doing and chose that that path to take.
So why did Jesus make this controversial statement that led to him being made fun of? We are not specifically told but here are a couple of theories:
1. He was Highlighting his Power over Death
What seems impossible for man, is a simple task for Jesus. There was no experience in these people’s lives that would have prepared them for the POSSIBILITY of this girl ever being resurrected from the dead. But just because it was out of the realm of possibility for them, it was not impossible for Jesus. It was not even difficult! With a simple voice command, Jesus speaks life into her lifeless body. With his mere voice, Jesus stilled perilous storms, healed the lame, healed the blind and yes, even caused the dead to live once again.
2. He was Making a Contrast between Physical Death and Spiritual Death
From a human perspective, death seems like forever. But from the view of eternity, death is not any more permanent than life itself. The total history of this planet is but a spec of time in the perspective of Eternity. Jesus was able to demonstrate that by giving this young girl a preview to the resurrection. Some day we will all be resurrected like was Jesus.
Death is temporary…But Jesus is forever!
Even though Jesus was laughed at, Jesus got the last laugh by showing his power over life and death. And due to this event, his fame spread throughout the land and through all time.
Do you want Jesus to raise you from the dead some day so that you may be able to live Forever with Him? If we fail to live with him after resurrection, we will die for all eternity! If you want to live, you Must be a Seeker and Follower of Jesus!
Reflecting the SON,
Dennis Hogan
Questions, comments or further explanation? Contact me at: dennis.hogan@icloud.com
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