Mark 5:35-43
This is a very touching story. It begins in verse 22 when a ruler of the Jewish synagogue named Jairus desparately asks Jesus to come to his house because his daughter was dying. She was so ill that she would most likely be dead before Jesus even got there. Then in verse 35 the news came that his daughter had indeed died. There was advice from among his friends not to bother Jesus any longer. Jairus may have been listening to his friends and about to do just that when he hears Jesus’ intervening words, “Do not be afraid, only believe!” By the way, does fear sometimes interfere with our trusting God? Fear is usually a sign of a lack of faith.
Jesus now walks on toward Jairus’ house. When He gets there, Peter, James and John are the only ones to go with Him into the inner house where the dead girl was. There were those who were professional mourners outside weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus tells them, “The child is not dead but only sleeping.” They ridiculed Him. In an parallel passage in Matthew, it says they laughed Him to scorn. Jesus tells these mourners to leave. He doesn’t need these faithless people around. We may not have the power to do what Jesus can do, but we don’t need a bunch of people with no faith to hinder us. Now Jesus goes into the house with only the mother and father and Peter, James and John. Then Jesus says, “maid arise” and in the earlier passage He commands them to give her something to eat, probably to prove that she was indeed alive and well. I’m not completely sure why Jesus told them that except that He was not here to be made king right now. He also was on the way to Calvary and this was just another day in that journey to the cross. I believe Jesus’ time was laid out for him and nothing would hinder him from arriving at God’s perfect timing.
Jesus now walks on toward Jairus’ house. When He gets there, Peter, James and John are the only ones to go with Him into the inner house where the dead girl was. There were those who were professional mourners outside weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus tells them, “The child is not dead but only sleeping.” They ridiculed Him. In an parallel passage in Matthew, it says they laughed Him to scorn. Jesus tells these mourners to leave. He doesn’t need these faithless people around. We may not have the power to do what Jesus can do, but we don’t need a bunch of people with no faith to hinder us. Now Jesus goes into the house with only the mother and father and Peter, James and John. Then Jesus says, “maid arise” and in the earlier passage He commands them to give her something to eat, probably to prove that she was indeed alive and well. I’m not completely sure why Jesus told them that except that He was not here to be made king right now. He also was on the way to Calvary and this was just another day in that journey to the cross. I believe Jesus’ time was laid out for him and nothing would hinder him from arriving at God’s perfect timing.
