Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Contagion of Unbelief
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Matthew 9:25
Not wanting to cast His pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6) or to make a spectacle in front of unbelievers (Matthew 13:58), Jesus expels all but the girl's parents. By clearing the room of an excessively noisy, grieving crowd, He brings privacy, peace, quiet, and stillness to the situation. In addition, these neighbors and curiosity seekers had already seen His mighty works, and He does not want God's gift to be considered mere entertainment. He never meant His miracles to coerce belief or amaze humanity. Nevertheless, He is quick to intervene when misery and suffering need to be relieved and people need to be exposed to God's glory. Jesus resurrects Jairus' daughter in the presence of five appropriate witnesses: the father, mother, and only three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John. To establish the miracle's veracity, He uses two unconverted people and three who were being converted (Deuteronomy 19:15; II Corinthians 13:1).
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Resurrecting Jairus' Daughter
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Luke 22:52-53
This tragic situation shows unbelief to be destructive, ugly, and cruel. Christ possessed all the power to serve—to heal and to bring peace—yet He was seized and bound to suppress His good works. He lived, died, and rose again so that one day He could fulfill His own inspired words from Isaiah 61:1: “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Yet, His captors and eventual slayers, in their ungodly malice, could see His good words and works only as threats and Him only as an enemy, a man to shame, wound, and kill. People are no better today. Christians are prohibited from praying in many government buildings or at public gatherings, and they are sometimes prevented from speaking the truth because man's laws have, in effect, seized and bound such activity. The powers of darkness have influenced this world to hinder and persecute Christians just as Christ was. Finally, Jesus' captors took Him into custody despite being witnesses to the greatest Source of knowledge and truth ever manifested on earth. Foolishly thinking they were superior-minded to Christ and His disciples, these men's actions will forever be a shameful tribute to unbelief (Romans 1:18-22). Had they truly known Him and the truth He brought, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:8).
Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Malchus' Ear (Part One)
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