Mark 5:40-42 “After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.”

Jesus wasn’t a First Century version of David Copperfield, Criss Angel, Penn and Teller, or your personal favorite stage magician. His power allowed him to control the weather and quiet storms. We would be happy if we could just predict it. He made paralyzed people walk, without surgeries, stem cell treatments, or physical therapy. He made blind people, who had never been able to see their whole lives, not only see, but know what to do with all these images that suddenly came flooding into their minds, as if they had been seeing their entire lives. And at least three times, including here, he made people with no pulse, no breath, no brain activity live again.

That’s not to say that when someone we love dies, we should expect Jesus to wake them back up to more of what this sad, broken world has to offer. The cases when that serves a good purpose are rare.

But still today he is speaking a word of power and life that wakes the spiritually dead to a new life of faith. “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:25-26).

And he promises a day is coming when he will speak a similar word of power and life. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out,” he promises. “Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” Jesus’ powerful word will give us life from the dead. So his promise confirms our faith, and we are no longer afraid.

Jesus speaks, dead hearts beat with faith, and dead bodies come to life. Hear that word, and you will live.