Holy Boldness

These are the Aramaic words for, “Little girl, (or little lamb) get up.” The fact that Mark records the original Aramaic words of Jesus gives us a profound rare look at the original words of Jesus as they were actually spoken by him in his native tongue. The simplicity and beauty of the actual words of Jesus reveal once again His utter command of the situation. Simple, short, tender, sweet… and profoundly effective. They remind one of the prophetic words of Isaiah, “A dimly burning wick he will not quench, a bruised reed He will not break…” . (Isaiah 42:3). Immediately, the little girl woke up and Jesus told her parents to get her something to eat. As Jesus finished the miracle of the little girl and was leaving town a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. After casting out the demon the man spoke and crowds of people stood amazed saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” (Matthew 9:33). The awe and wonder of the people once again provoked the ire and jealousy of the Pharisees and they concluded that He must be casting out demons “… by the ruler of the demons.” (Matt. 9:34) It is typical for people to attack what they do not understand. When leaders are more concerned about their reputations than the well-being of the people they lead, the people get neglected and the need for true leadership grows. Too often leaders become critical of what others are doing. Significantly, Jesus assessed the condition of the people as being “…like sheep without a shepherd.” Many religious leaders in Israel did not provide a safe atmosphere there. When a city is filled with many separate non-cooperating churches, it’s a tell-tell sign of a broken commu nity. Jesus saw that the situation in Israel was like a plentiful harvest that only lacked workers enough to bring it in. He exhorted His disci ples to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send workers. What kind of workers did He mean? Well, it stands to reason that it would be workers who cared about the people, who were true shepherds, and who were committed to serving rather than exploiting the people. Equally import- By What Authority The Lord of the Harvest

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