Matt. 9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Matt. 9:33-34 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

Today, as I read these verses and one thing really stood out to me. In verse 24 Jesus is about to heal Jairus’s daughter, but first He tells them that the girl isn’t dead, she’s sleeping! This must have been funny to those at the house, because they began to laugh. In fact, they laughed Him to scorn. They mocked Him. A few verses later, we see Jesus has just cast out a demon. Yet, not all the people were willing to see Jesus has a healer and a miracle worker. The Pharisees accused Him of being a cohort of Satan – the prince of devils! Now, that hurts, doesn’t it?
I have not suffered the way our dear Savior did, not by any stretch of the imagination- not even close. But, the persecution and trouble that I have faced has been hard. It’s been very discouraging at times! When I read this, I took comfort that Jesus had been there too, and He was perfect! I noticed what Jesus did after He faced the laughter and the criticism of those who did not believe in Him:
Matt.9:345 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
He continued on! He went on teaching and preaching. He didn’t stop. He didn’t quit. He didn’t have a pity party (as I am prone to do!). He didn’t gripe. He didn’t write a hateful letter to them, or begin slandering them to his followers. What an amazing example Christ is! I’ll never be exactly like Christ, because I can never be perfect. But Jesus certainly gives me something to shoot for! Whether people laugh at me or criticize me, I hope and pray that I will continue working and serving my King. After all, Jesus knows my motives and my heart, and He’s the only one I need be concerned about! He’s the one I need to please- and that will keep me busy for the rest of my days.