50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
Believe it or not, there have been more acts of violence committed against children these past two years then I have ever seen in my life. Children are committing acts of violence against children. Parents are committing acts of violence against children. The Hip Hop culture is committing acts of violence against children. Reality TV shows are committing acts of violence against children. Uncontrolled police officials are committing acts of violence against children. School administrators are committing acts of violence against children. Even churches are committing acts of violence against children. And the children are in trouble.
You may not agree, but if you are a parent and you leave your child in the bathtub while shopping online and they are injured, you are committing an act of violence against a child. If you have a little brother or sister and you lock them in the closet, pull their hair, hide their toys or tell them lies, you are committing an act of violence against them. If you are a parent and you leave your child with nasty neighbors, cursing cousins, bad babysitters, dead-beat dads or an under-aged adolescent, you are committing an act of violence. The children are in trouble.
If you are a representative of the Hip Hop culture and you sell your albums instructing young people to commit acts of violence against themselves and others, you are committing an act of violence. If you solicit sex in a club and don’t care who’s watching, you are committing an act of violence. If you call yourself, Black Entertainment Television (BET), and your hottest shows display little girls half-naked, brothers costumed with bling and you teach children to “Walk it Out” rather than to spell correctly, you are committing an act of violence. If you are a network that teaches young people mindless behavior, to become a Chief Keef (17-year-old) or Soulja Boy or Girl but not to become a student of higher education, you are committing an act of violence. If 106 & Park (one-O-six and Park) is the best representation of African American culture you have to offer, you are committing an act of violence. If you promote, “lick it like a lollipop, as you hear the beat drop,” you are committing an act of violence. If you are a police officer that man-handles teenage girls as if they are men because they missed curfew, you are committing an act of violence.
When you force pretty princesses, who have yet to reach puberty, to be married, mastered and eternally mutilated by portraying yourself as a prophetic, polygamist (patriarch), you are committing an act of violence. If you ride up and down neighborhood streets in your Jaguar, scoping out little girls to be your next victim, you are committing an act of violence. And the children are in trouble.
If you are a school administrator or a substitute teacher that chases and tackles a student in the hall, you are committing an act of violence. If you are a school system run over by gang violence, perpetuating bully activity like you don’t see it or you are allowing the TV’s to teach and not the teachers, you are committing an act of violence. The children are in trouble.
If you are a church and you don’t make room for the children to express themselves or teach them how to live an authentic life that pleases God, but instead force them to sing, usher, and come to youth revivals, you are committing an act of violence. And the children are in trouble.
If you distract a child while I preach with your new cell phone, I-pod, I-pad, PS2, MP3, text messaging or pass funny notes, checking out the girl across the way, or even attempt to calculate when service will be over, you are committing an act of violence. And the children are in trouble.
In our text, Luke invites us to the story of a child in trouble. Not only is this child in trouble, but the text lets us know that she is near death.
This 12-year-old little girl is a powerful religious leader’s daughter. She has been raised up around the temple, watching her father handle church responsibilities and has walked with the great teachers of the law. She is used to being around people with prestige, power and promise. However, right before she has the opportunity to fulfill her God-given destiny, her plan to move out and ahead or her dreams of womanhood and beginning family life, her life is snatched from her by an illness that leaves her at the point of death. Have you ever encountered something so traumatic that it’s almost killed you? Have you ever been so close to something so good that you could smell it only to have something come along and knock you off track like never before? Have you ever been so close to moving on and moving forward only to have a situation knock you off your focus, your passion and your vision? Have you ever been so close to reaching a breakthrough to your future, or to your deliverance, only to have something happens that almost takes you out? This little girl was in trouble. She was at the point of death, at the point of no return, at the place between time and eternity. She was in trouble. And not only did she know she was in trouble, her father knew she was in trouble. Her father saw that opportunity was being snatched from her and had to find a revival for his child. He had to find somebody who could help her, somebody who could reverse this curse, and remove the thing that was taking his child. He needed a child’s revival.
Have you ever been in a place where you saw somebody in trouble and could not help them? Nothing hurts a mother like a son slipping into harms way and she can’t help him. Nothing hurts a father like a daughter distracted from destiny and he can’t save her. He saw his daughter, he saw her situation and he saw death knocking at her door. He saw her helplessness. He needed revival for his child.
In order to revive a child I would like to suggest that you need a concerned parent. You need somebody that is concerned about you. You need somebody that can lead and guide you. You need somebody that can do more than pay child support. Even if they are not your real parents, you need a guardian. You need somebody to watch over you, and show you the warning signs and someone to be the example for you. TI is not concerned, Nelly is not concerned, Lil Wayne is not concerned, 50 cent can’t buy anything and he is not concerned. You need a concerned parent. Shawty Lo and all of his Baby Momma’s kids need a parent. Kim Kardashian needs a parent. Foxy Brown needs a parent. Snoop Doggy Dog, Cherish, Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross all need somebody. Even Olivia Pope, from Scandal, called out, “Dad,” during a recent show.
You need somebody that is concerned. You might think you are grown, feel like you are grown and look like you are grown, but you still need somebody. You need somebody that can see your future and know that life for you is not over. You need somebody that has sense enough to find you some help rather than support your habit. We all need a concerned parent.
Secondly, I suggest in order to revive a child you need a sympathetic Savior. When Jesus hears about the situation, His heart immediately reroutes its agenda and moves toward the cry of the concerned parent of a child that is near death. Even though interrupted by the healing of a woman who had issues for 12 years, and receiving word that the child is dead, Jesus still came to the child’s rescue. You need a Savior, somebody that will be interrupted but will still keep coming. You need a sympathetic Savior who will tell the concerned parent, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” You better ask God to save your parents.
You need a Savior that can hear the cry of a parent and still keep coming to your rescue. Momma, don’t buy me stuff, pray for me. Daddy don’t ignore the signs, talk to Jesus about me. You need a sympathetic Savior, a Savior that comes on the scene and smells death but still sees life. A Savior who will not listen to what everyone else is saying about your condition, but will help you. A sympathetic Savior that will dismiss the crowd, take your momma and daddy, the power of Peter and the compassion and wisdom of John and shut the door and deal with you. You need a sympathetic Savior that will ignore the laughs and see the joy that is about to come back into your life.
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