Step 15

Mark 5:35-43 Gracious Power

About Mark: This is the first incident where the inner three - Peter, James, and John - witness something unseen by others. We may assume we have Peter's recollections here, indicated by the quotation of the words that Jesus spoke to the girl, "Talitha cum!" These words in Aramaic, the everyday language of Palestinian Jews at the time, seem forever engraved in Peter's memory, recalled every time he told this story. 

Mark wrote to his Roman readers in koine (common or marketplace) Greek, the universal trading language of the Mediterranean world, and gives a translation for their benefit. But even he still retains the exact words that Peter recalls, thereby reinforcing the authenticity of the most astounding event so far reported.

Bible: Mark 5:35-43, Daughter of Jairus raised to life 

35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. Then 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 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Comment: GRACIOUS POWER
There is no despair at the news that the child has died. The unspoken feelings were likely those of the similar circumstances inJohn’s Gospel (reported in John 11:21), "Lord, if you had been there - instead of delaying with this other stuff - the girl would not have died." But the delay showed Jairus, a leader of a synagogue that suppressed women, what was Jesus' attitude towards women, and about faith as well. These insights would perhaps stand him in good stead as a husband, and as father of a girl on the brink of womanhood, for Mark tells us she was twelve years of age. 

What an opportunity for a public display of miracle power Jesus faced at the house. Especially when the hired mourners laughed at him for saying the girl was asleep. A public miracle would shut them up. But this is not Jesus' way. He puts them all out, and enters with the three disciples, and her mother (which Mark takes pains to mention though Matthew omits it) and Jairus. Jesus took her hand, and spoke. And she instantly arose, to their overwhelming amazement.  

As if this was an ordinary occurrence, Jesus commanded them to give the girl something to eat,  again omitted in Matthew's account. It shows Jesus' practical concern for the normal human needs we all share. Jesus was like this. But we only learn this because Peter and Mark his scribe notice such things, and include them throughout their stories of Jesus.

Discipleship today: I can imagine Peter feeling uncomfortable standing alongside Jesus at Jairus' house. When Jesus suggests the girl is sleeping rather than dead, the professional weepers and wailers so quickly turn to scornful laughter (40). It is often an uneasy position, to take the side of Christ against the cry of the crowd.