In 1958, Robert Lane had a son and gave him an unusual name.

This Harlem man named his son Winner Lane. Yes, he named his son Winner. Apparently, Mr. Lane had a good feeling about the future of his young boy.

Several years later he had another son. What do you think he named this son?

Champ? Hero? Boss? No. He named this son Loser Lane. 

Robert Lane's two boys were named Winner Lane and Loser Lane. And yes, this is a true story.

So, how did these two boys turn out in life? Did his expectations about his boys prove correct?

Author Steven Levitt describes their lives this way. Writing about Winner Lane, he states, "The most noteworthy achievement of Winner Lane is the sheer lenght of his criminal record: nearly three dozen arrests for burglary, domestic violence, trespassing, resisting arrest, and other mayhem."

In contrast, Loser Lane went to prep school on a scholarship and eventually joined the NYPD. He worked his way up to become a detective and eventually a sergeant. While his brother Winner made a career of going to prison, Loser Lane made his placing people like his brother in prison.

The expectations that Robert Lane had for his two boys were completely wrong. Winner Lane turned into a loser, and Loser Lane was a winner.

Similarly, when you read Mark 5 the expectations of Jesus Christ are completely shattered. Jairus, a synagogue leader, comes to Jesus Christ just hoping that he can heal his sick daughter. He hopes Jesus can help her feel better. But his expectations of Christ change as the circumstances change. His sick daughter becomes his dead daughter - Jesus did not get to her in time and she dies.

Yet, Jairus came for a healing and instead witnesses a resurrection. Jesus Christ tells him to have no fear. Just have faith. 

Jesus Christ crushes the expectations of Jairus. Christ does more than he can imagine and shows that he has power over life and death. Instead of preparing his 12 year-old daughter's funeral, Jairus is told to prepare her a meal!

What are your expectations of Jesus Christ? What do you think he can do in your life?

Instead of coming to Jesus Christ hoping he can fix a problem in your life (like Jairus), come to him knowing that he has power over life and death. Jesus Christ forgives sins, heals broken people, and promises eternal life to those who repent and place their faith in him. 

The message of Easter morning is the message of the Christian faith - that the Triune God has conquered sin and death and graciously offers forgiveness and life to all who follow him. 

Jesus saves.