One of the most poignant scenes in the movie is when Tinkerbell the fairy, remorseful over her jealous act against Wendy, flies straight into the heat of the battle between Peter and Captain Hook. She is injured in the fray, and lies near death, her little fairy glow growing dimmer and dimmer.
Peter rallies the children all over the word to chant, "I DO believe in fairies. I DO. I DO believe in fairies. I DO! I DO!" The collective force of their belief infuses life into little Tinkerbell, and she rises from near death to live again.
Some in our world equate the Christian faith with believing in fairies. They believe it to be a warm fuzzy hope with little basis.
I beg to differ.
The fifth chapter of Mark gives us an example of the power of true faith. Jairus is a religious man. One of the rulers of the synagogue, he was part of the establishment that was opposing Jesus. But his young daughter lay near death, and he was desperately seeking Jesus' help. Falling at Jesus' feet, he begged him earnestly, "Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."
The Master responded immediately, but on the way to Jairus' home, servants brought word that the child had died. "Your daughter is dead," his servants reported, "Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
"As soon as Jesus heard the words that were spoken, he said, 'Do not be afraid; only believe.'" We know the glorious end of this story -- that Jesus entered the home, took the child by the hand, spoke her name, and raised her from the dead.
Unlike believing in the fairies of Peter Pan's Neverland, though, the faith that Jairus exercised was vastly different. Instead of hoping in something that had no basis, Jairus placed his faith in God Himself.
Unike Jairus, who had a limited understanding of Christ, we have the whole canon of scripture and the proof of history on which to base our faith.
The resurrection of Christ, which is the validation of His claim to be God in the flesh, is one of the most historically attested facts of our age.The authenticity of the Bible cannot be disproved, and has been affirmed over and over by discoveries of science and archaeology. Whenever there is a "new" discovery that skeptics believe will discount scripture, it instead serves to confirm the biblical account. Josh McDowell's books Evidence that Demands a Verdict and More than a Carpenter and Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ catalog many of the indisputable proofs of the truth of Christ.
Jairus based his faith not on warm fuzzy sentiment, but on cold hard facts. Jesus Christ had the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, and save souls. We know that Jairus' faith was rewarded. He received his child back from the dead.
Unlike believing in fairies, we pray to the same God Who raised Jairus' daughter. Like the account of long ago, Jesus hears our prayers, cares about our struggles, and wants to work in our lives. Most importantly, he has the power to glorify himself in your situation. If you're struggling in your faith walk today, allow the words of Jesus to speak to your heart.
"Do not be afraid; only believe."
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