35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. – Mark 5:35-43 ESV
While reading Mark’s narrative about the woman’s miraculous healing, it is easy to forget about Jairus. This poor man was forced to bide his time and wait for Jesus to finish His conversation with the woman. Witnessing her miraculous healing must have bolstered his faith in Jesus, but it was probably hard for him to hide his frustration at the unexpected delay. As a concerned father, he would have seen his daughter’s circumstance as more pressing and immediate. The woman had lived with her chronic condition for 12 years, and she could have waited a bit longer. After all, his daughter was dying.
But the chronology of these two events is critical. The woman’s decision to touch Jesus’ garment caused what appeared to be an unexpected delay that seems to have compromised Jesus’ plans and placed Him in a difficult situation. While He had been dealing with the woman, the young girl had died. Mark records that the news of her death came abruptly and bluntly.
While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”– Mark 5:35 NLT
The delay had been costly. Yes, the woman received healing from her debilitating medical condition, but it had been at the expense of the young girl’s life. It seems Mark wanted his readers to wrestle with the conflicting emotions this sad scene stirred up. Immediately, one is forced to ask what would have happened if the woman had not touched the edge of Jesus’ garment. What if she hadn't been able to force her way through the crowd and touch Jesus? There would have been no delay, and the young girl might still be alive. What thoughts must have been running through Jairus' mind as he was forced to process this devastating news? Was he angry with Jesus? Did he blame the woman?
Mark gives no answers; he simply mentions that Jesus overheard the messengers delivering the fateful news to Jairus. But rather than expressing His sorrow over Jairus’ loss or apologizing for the untimely delay, Jesus told the grieving father, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36 ESV).
Let the weight of this statement sink in. Jairus has just heard that his 12-year-old daughter is dead, and the one man whom he believed could heal her is telling him not to believe. In a sense, Jesus encouraged Jairus not to allow this news to frighten or upset him, but to replace his fear with faith.
But Jairus had believed. He came to Jesus, knelt at His feet, and begged Him to help his dying daughter.
“My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” – Mark 5:23 NLT
He had believed that Jesus could do something about her condition, but now, it was too late. She was dead, and Jairus must have struggled to control his frustration and anger at this callous-sounding comment from Jesus. The time for believing was gone.
This scene is similar to one John records in his gospel. He tells of another delay that resulted in death. Jesus had been called to the home of His dear friend Lazarus. Mary and Martha, Lazarus's sisters, sent Jesus a message saying Lazarus was ill. But upon hearing this news, Jesus delayed His departure for two days, then informed His disciples, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him” (John 11:14-15 ESV).
When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, He was told that Lazarus's body had been in the tomb for four days. Martha, Lazarus’ sister, expressed her disappointment and frustration with Jesus.
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:21 ESV
Mary echoed her feelings.
Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:32 ESV
But what did Jesus tell His disciples when He heard the news of Lazarus’ passing?
“…for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” – John 11:15 ESV
Jesus delayed His departure on purpose; two days had been more than enough time for Lazarus to die and be buried. Jesus deliberately created an apparently hopeless scenario that even His disciples would have viewed as beyond His power to remedy. But Jesus had delayed so that they might believe. He wasn’t surprised by the news of Lazarus’ death, and He wasn’t concerned that, after four days, the body of Lazarus would have already begun to decay. He stepped up to the tomb, commanded the stone to be rolled away, and confidently shouted, “Lazarus, come out” (John 11:43 ESV), and John records, “the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth” (John 11:44 NLT). The words Jesus spoke to Martha just before this incredible event must have been ringing in her ears.
“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” – John 11:40 NLT
So, when Jesus told Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe,” He meant it, because He knew what He was about to do. If Jairus continued to believe despite the circumstances, he too would see God's glory.
Amazingly, the grieving father faithfully accompanied Jesus and three of His disciples to his home. When they arrived, they found a scene of great sorrow with “people weeping and wailing loudly” (Mark 5:38 ESV). The mourning process had already begun, and the funeral preparations were already well underway. But Jesus interrupted the proceedings with a question and a comment: “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep” (Mark 5:39 ESV).
His words must have come across as either painfully callous and insensitive or simply misinformed. Either way, the people responded with derisive laughter. But Jesus ignored their reaction and had them removed. Then, accompanied by the deceased girl’s parents and His three disciples, Jesus entered her room. As Jairus and his wife wept and the disciples watched in disbelief, Jesus took the little girl's hand and spoke to her. “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” (Mark 5:41 NLT).
And according to Mark’s account, the transformation was instantaneous.
And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. – Mark 5:42 NLT
She went from being fully dead to being fully alive — in an instant. And her amazing transformation was as if she had simply been awakened from sleep. For Jesus, restoring the dead girl to life had been no more difficult than waking someone up. It’s no coincidence that Jesus used the waking-sleeping analogy in both of these death-to-life scenarios. Even though Jesus knew Lazarus had died, He told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him” (John 11:11 ESV).
For Jesus, death was no obstacle. As John wrote in his gospel account, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4 ESV). Jesus would later refer to Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 NLT). As the Son of God, Jesus was the author of all life. He was the Creator-God who gave life to all things, and He would soon prove Himself to be the conqueror of death.
These two events were meant to encourage His disciples to believe that He was who He claimed to be. As impressed as they were by His calming of the storm and His exorcism of the demons, this miracle must have left them completely shocked. Mark simply says they were overcome with amazement.
They couldn’t believe their eyes because they had just witnessed Jesus do the impossible. Peter, James, and John must have been eager to tell their companions what they had just seen. But before they could rush out the door and spread the news of this amazing miracle, Jesus cooled their enthusiasm. He commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen, and this prohibition applied to the parents as well.
Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat. – Mark 5:43 NLT
Jesus operated on a divine timeline, and His mission followed a tightly orchestrated schedule that was part of God’s preordained plan. As a student of human nature, Jesus knew that if news of this miracle got out, people would attempt to make Him their king. It would prove He was the long-awaited Messiah who possessed the power to raise the dead to life and would have no problem defeating the Romans. But Jesus’ hour had not yet come. He had more ministry to accomplish and much more training to complete with His disciples.
This incredible miracle was meant to give His disciples undeniable proof of His power and authority, and to clarify the nature of His mission. He had not come to be their King, at least, not yet. He had not come to destroy the Romans or restore Israel's political fortunes. No, He came to restore the spiritually dead to new life, and that was the message He communicated to Martha just before restoring her brother to life.
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26 ESV
Thanks to Jesus, the young girl and Lazarus were alive. But their new lives were temporary and not permanent. They would both face death again, which meant that they needed to experience the new birth Jesus described to Nicodemus.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3 ESV
The real resurrection from death to life was yet to come. But it would require Jesus to sacrifice His life as payment for men's sins. Jesus didn’t want news of this miracle to spread because He was on a mission to provide resurrection life, not just restoration from death. Both the young girl and Lazarus received new life from Jesus, but it wasn’t the kind of life He came to provide. Because of their sins, they were still under the condemnation of eternal separation from God. But Jesus changed that when He willfully went to the cross as the sinless sacrifice that satisfied the just demands of His Holy Father. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). But the apostle Paul explained, “Sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 14:56-57 NLT).
Jesus came not just to provide new life, but eternal life — a never-ending, uninterrupted existence with God the Father and His Son. This new existence would not become available until Jesus completed His mission by giving His life as atonement for mankind's sins. His death, burial, and resurrection would be the means by which sinful men and women could be restored to new life, but it would require belief, just as Jesus had told Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26 NLT). But the question that needs to be answered is, “Do you believe this?”
“For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” – John 6:40 NLT
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
