The Gospel of Mark 5:35-43
While He was still speaking, they came from the house of
the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the
Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what had been spoken, said to the
synagogue official, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” And He allowed no one to
accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
And they came to the house of the synagogue official; and
He saw a commotion, and people loudly crying and wailing. And entering in, He
said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and crying? The child has not
died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all out,
He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered
the room where the child was.
And taking the child by the hand, He said to her,
“Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”).
And immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk, for she was twelve
years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them
strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that some food
should be given to her to eat.”
To recap, Jairus had approached Jesus because his daughter
was dying, and when Jesus went with him a woman who suffered from chronic
bleeding snuck up upon Jesus in the crowd and stole a blessing from Him by
touching the hem of His garment. Jesus knew this happened as He noticed the use
of His power being exerted to heal the woman and He blessed her for her faith
saying, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of
your affliction.”
“While He was still speaking, they came from the house of
the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the
Teacher anymore?” They were the household of Jairus. For in the time of Jesus working a miracle,
Jairus’s daughter had died, and his household went to inform him not to bother
the teacher. They even go so far as to say, “Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
This is the doubt that arises when there is a seeming finality. Why bother God
when the thing you wanted doesn’t happen? Why continue to bother Yahweh? It’s
over and done and thus that which you wanted, which may have even been in the
will of the Lord, didn’t come to be.
It may be because you don’t know the power of God, or the
scriptures. Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you
will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9, Matthew 7:7) “If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!?”
(Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:13) James writes in his epistle, “You do not have because
you do not ask.” (James 4:2)
Like the household of Jairus, you have given up because you
do not believe God will do a mighty work. But Jesus overheard them and “said to
the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” What an encouragement
from God, Himself, who commands, do not fear for with God there is nothing to
fear. We have seen Jesus calm a storm, free a man from demonic oppression, and heal
a woman and now this next task is to raise a girl from the dead!
In the Gospel of John, Martha came to Jesus while he was at
the grave of Lazarus, her brother, who had been dead for four days and said, “Lord,
if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that
whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” For she believed and had no
fear. She had seen what Jesus had done in her past and she had hope for the
future when Jesus replied, “Your brother will rise again.” she responded
with, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the
life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives
and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?” and in her
humility and belief “She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You
are the Christ, the Son of God, the One who comes into the world.” And this
is what Jesus means when he encourages Jairus to not be afraid and believe.
And Jesus only brought Peter, John, and James and no one
else into Jairus’ house. And when they entered saw a commotion, and people loudly
crying and wailing. It was a custom in those times to hire professional
mourners. “The mourners were almost exclusively women and were commonly
referred to in the Bible as “wailing women,’ in reference to their loud
screams.” And Jesus said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and
crying? The child has not died, but is asleep.” As with Lazarus, the girl
is asleep, not dead. Those who die are only dead for a little and will rise in
the presence of the Lord for final judgment. But still, Jesus is the
resurrection and the life, He can raise the girl from the dead, so in a sense,
is she dead? No, She is asleep.
And because of their unbelief, they began laughing at Him,
so Jesus put them all out except for the child’s father and mother and His
companions and entered the room. It was quiet, those who were wailing were
outside the house and it was just a few people and Jesus. “And taking the
child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means,
“Little girl, I say to you, arise!”). “And immediately
the little girl stood up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And
immediately they were completely astounded.”
Before the very eyes of the girl’s parents, Peter, John, and
James, Jesus raised this 12-year-old girl back to life. She had no power in
herself, it was the power of God. “In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth.” He spoke and light came into the world, then came the waters
and heavens, then he bound the waters to bring forth dry land, then He brought
forth plants and trees, fish, sea monsters, living creatures on the dry land,
and birds of the air.”
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and
seasons, days and years; and for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give
light on the earth” it was so. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness and God created man in His image, in the image of God
He created him; male and female He created them.”
This is the power of God, He has the authority of life and
death for He has created all, and this 12-year-old girl was raised to life so
that those who saw would not just be astounded but believe that Jesus is God.
And Jesus, having compassion commanded them to not tell anyone what happened,
for it would be possible, like Lazarus, that some might want to put them to
death, and commanded them to give their daughter some food for she may have
been hungry after being asleep for a time.
And this is the truth, that Jesus is the resurrection and
the life; he who believes in Him will live even if he dies, and everyone who
lives and believes in Jesus will never die—ever.” Do you believe this?
Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners suppress the truth and
hide in their darkness because they love darkness. They are unbelieving, vile,
foolish, rebellious, and haters of God who have adopted the ideologies of this
world and the doctrines of men. They have become slaves to their sexual
desires, perverting the flesh and mind, and rebelling against the created order
of God. They are doomed to condemnation and will be judged by Jesus and sent to
Hell where they will burn for eternity in the lake of fire.
However, God so loved His creation, mankind, that He sent
His Son Jesus, who can forgive you of your sins and redeem you because He has
the authority and power. Jesus brings eternal life to all who repent and
believe. For Jesus bore all our sins; He bore all the sins of all who believe
in Him. Jesus was born and lived a perfect life of obedience to God as a man.
Jesus was condemned to be executed and die in the sinner's place. He suffered
the totality of God's wrath upon Himself on the Cross, which every sinner
deserves, so that those who believe in Jesus may have peace with God. Jesus
rose from the dead, conquering death, and lives, and ascended to the right hand
of God the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and He is in your
midst with us offering you salvation. Come out of the darkness and enter the
light of His salvation.
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