DID YOU SEE THAT?!?!?

Two questions:

1. When was the last time you laughed in disbelief at something?

2. When was the last time you were astonished by something?

Is there a difference between those two questions?  It seems so – at least on the surface.  Those were the reactions of the group of people who were at the man’s house where Jesus raised a little girl from the dead.

Before he did it, he told them she was only sleeping.
…and they laughed at him.

Then he raised her from the dead with two words, “Talitha Koum!” (which is actually eight words when translated so we can understand: “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”

To which they were completely astonished.

It seems to me that there are two responses to Jesus – hopeful disbelief and actual, “DID YOU JUST SEE THAT!?!?!?” belief.

The first one contains people, locking away their dreams, their lives, and their loved ones.  The second holds freedom.