Luke 8:53

"And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead" Luke 8:53

Has anyone ever ridiculed or laughed at you? No, not the giggle "you did something silly" laugh. I mean the really big "You are an absolute fool" kind of laugh? Hurts doesn't it? Sure, and you know why? Because you probably did something that they thought was foolish, and you probably thought so yourself.

Jesus said something the people thought was stupid. This girl was dead. If He were the Son of God as He claimed, He would know that. But He said "She sleeps." Some prophet He is.

Does this seem to bother Jesus? If it did, He certainly did not show it. He calmly walks up to the girl and tells her to awake. Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle. "The fool doesn't have a clue...Wait a minute . . . what's that? Did her eyes blink? Was her hand twitching? Who said she was dead? Joanna? Are you the one who called us to mourn for her? How stupid can you be, Joanna? See, she is not dead. She WAS sleeping."

God sometimes asks us to do something the world would call foolish. He might ask us to quit a high paying job and take a job as a missionary. He might call us from a position of power and direct us to work as a minister to homeless people. He might tell us to sell all that we have and give it to the poor. How foolish in the sight of the world. How dumb. What a poor career move. "And you wanted to climb the ladder to success? You can't do it by throwing it all away."

They laugh. It hurts. But you know that it is the right thing to do, so you do it. While the world may never understand "at least on this side of the Heavenly Gates" the last laugh will be on them when they hear the Father say, "Well done. You are a good and faithful servant. Enter into My graces. Sit on the throne with Me." And a few moments later, as they confidently walk up to the Judgment Seat, expecting praise and adulation, the Father says, "I knew you not. I called and you did not answer. I directed and you would not turn. Depart from me, you have worked iniquity."

I doubt that we will laugh. Jesus didn't. But we will rejoice. Doing the will of the Father always has that effect on His servants. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.