5. JAIRUS' RAISED Mark 5:35-43 (Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:41-56) 35 While he yet spake, they come from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying, Thy daughter is dead:--Here was a new trial and test of Jairus' faith. While Jesus stopped to heal this woman and was talking to her, the messengers came to inform Jairus of the death of his daughter. People back home knew where he was and for what purpose he had gone. It seems that Jairus had come with the full knowledge and consent of his family. The crisis has come. They had faith in his power to heal. Capernaum was full of illustrations. But, to raise from the dead, ah, that was too much to expect. Why take his time for no purpose? Why interrupt his teaching for an impossibility? why troublest thou the Teacher any further?--The last ray of hopeful light seemed gone. The blackness of despair seemed settling down over the heart of the ruler. Jesus saw the change in his countenance, and hastened to comfort him. They thought it useless to trouble Christ to come any further on the way. [They thought he might prevent the sick from dying, but did not think he could raise the dead to life. That was Martha's condition. She said: "If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died," but could not take it in that Jesus could raise him from the dead. So, when she died, they concluded that all hope was gone, and sent to the ruler to trouble not the Master.] 36 But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe.--Believe that I have power to raise your daughter from the dead. Jesus encouraged Jairus and told him not to fear. Luke (Luke 8:50) adds, "And she shall be made whole." Notice, the sublime confidence of Jesus in his own power, in the face of the assurance that he will be called upon to grapple with Satan in the extreme manifestation of his malignant power. There was no limit to Christ's power; the only danger was Jairus' faith should fail, and he not be worthy to receive the earthly blessing. By "only believe," Jesus does not mean passive faith. The faith of jairus was very active. He had sought Jesus, leaving his dying daughter at home; had prostrated himself in reverence before him; had besought him to go, and was now returning with him. He could do no more, and Jesus assured him that his daughter should be made whole. 37 And he suffered no man to follow with him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.--Luke (Luke 8:51) says: "When he came to the house, he suffered not any man to enter in with him," save these three. There were doubtless good reasons for Jesus to select these three brethren but we may never be able to know what they were. Jesus advanced to higher studies those who, by faithfulness in the lower, had made it possible for them to understand and use the higher. Without doubt these brethren were the most advanced in the knowledge of him and of his kingdom, so that they were best able to receive new light, new visions of truth. This may be the reason of their selection. If so, all their faithfulness, love, and consecration to their master had prepared them for these higher experiences. 38 And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue;and he beholdeth a tumult,--An uproar, a noise of loud lamentation, such as usually attended a funeral in that country. The confusion and weeping of the assembled people. There was always a horrible clamor at Eastern funerals; and the preparations had begun, for early burial was usual among the Jews. and many weeping and wailing greatly.--Including professional mourners. The "weeping" was a dolorous rather than tearful series of ejaculations, and the "wailing" was beating of the breast, rending the outer garment, tearing out the hair, with outcries, in which the neighbors joined. The Greeks, Romans and Jews alike were in the habit of engaging bands of professional mourners, who practiced the art of making the most agonizing sounds as expressions of the grief of the real mourners. Part of them also used instruments. Matthew (Matthew 9:23) mentions the flute players. 39 And when he was entered in, he saith unto them, Why make ye a tumult, and weep?--Luke (Luke 8:52) says: "Weep not." His first words are words of comfort, and calculated to arouse expectation. Matthew gives what was probably the preface to this, "Give place," and Mark, in his vivid way, supplies, "Why make ye a tumult, and weep?" A natural introduction to Luke's words. "Weep not," this house is not what you take it for, no funeral procession is to issue from its doors at this time. the child is not dead, but sleepeth.--Not finally dead. She shall be aroused as one asleep. These words are given substantially by all the synoptics, except that Matthew substitutes "damsel," and Mark "child," for the pronoun. It seems hardly credible that these words of Jesus have been made ground by many for the assertion that she was not dead at all, and that this is a case of healing, not of raising from the dead. We do not wonder at those who are possessed of a horror of miracles and desire to get rid of all possible. Jesus used substantially the same words in regard to Lazarus, and did not explain them until the disciples showed they had misunderstood them; then he said, "Lazarus is dead." Jesus and his apostles and evangelists often speak of death as a sleep. (John 11:11-14; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:13.) This is doubtless in view of the certainty of the resurrection or living again, which was clearly a part of the faith once delivered to the saints. If the child was not literally dead and if Jesus had intended to practice a fraud in pretending to raise her from the dead, when he really did not, he would not have said she "is not dead," but he would have done all in his power to induce them to believe that she was dead. His declaration that she "sleepeth" emphasized the fact in the minds of all present that she was really dead. He did not mean, either, to deny the fact that she was dead, but to emphasize the truth that death is a sleep. The meaning of this passage, then, is the child has not ceased to exist; but though her body is dead, yet her spirit lives, and she sleeps in the hope of resurrection. 40 And they laughed him to scorn.--The idea that she was not dead was absurd to them. They knew she was dead, and so they scorned and ridiculed his assertion. They did not understand him. While he said she was not dead, he meant she was as one asleep for a time, and he would awake her. What are we here for? Why this flute playing, why this wailing, if she is not dead? Jesus had not yet seen the damsel, and it seemed to them utterly absurd for him to pronounce judgment against theirs, who had been in contact with the body. But he, having put them all forth, taketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with him,--The crowd of noisy mourners and deriders are put out of the house. None were left besides the apostles, the father, the mother, Jesus, and the girl. Peter, James, and John were those with him. (Verse 37.) and goeth in where the child was.--Jesus had entered the house (verse 39), now he enters the room where the child was. Today, after eighteen hundred years, we hear the echo of that laugh. Still do the mad votaries of the world laugh to scorn him who talks of the resurrection and the future. 41 And taking the child by the hand,--This was not necessary to the miracle, but for the good of those present. Their impression was thus deepened, and the faith of the parents strengthened. he saith unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise.--Our historian gives the interpretation of Talitha cumi. These are words from the language of the people of Palestine, and Mark tells us what they mean. This was the form of Hebrew then used by the common people. She heard and obeyed. Thus shall he with equal ease call forth myriads of his, who now seem perished in the dust: and it may be said with regard to them also, in reference to that day, they are not dead but sleep. The maiden of whom we here read arose only toadying life; a life which needed the support of food, and was in no respect more noble, or more secure, than that of other mortals: hut we look for a better resurrection, in which all the infirmities of the body shall be left behind in the grave; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying. 42 And straightway the damsel rose up, and walked;--Points out the fact that she was alive and in perfect health. It shows the completeness of the cure, without a long period of convalescence. Luke (Luake 8:55) says: "Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately." The spirit that had left the body a lifeless corpse returned, warmed the body, animation was restored, and she lived again. At death, "the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7.) The spirit--the soul--the inner man--the better part comes from God at the beginning of life and returns to him at death. The word "returneth" shows the spirit had come from God at the beginning of her existence. She died and the spirit went back to the giver. When she was made alive, her spirit came back from God and entered into her body again. for she was twelve years old. And they were amazed straightway with a great amazement.--Reason why, on being made alive, she immediately rose and walked. She was of suitable age. The great amazement of the witnesses shows that they regarded the child as really raised from the dead. The people were filled with astonishment now more than they were with ridicule a short while ago. 43 And he charged them much that no man should know this:--[Her parents were astonished at what had been done, but he commanded that they should not tell what he had done to the damsel. Why Jesus prohibited this being told on several occasions is by no means certain, but it is probable it was that the crowd might not be induced to follow him through idle curiosity to see the wonders he performed. Jesus is recorded as having raised this damsel, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus, who had already been four days in the grave.] and he commanded that something should be given her to eat.--Jesus had raised her by extraordinary power, but he willed that she should be sustained by ordinary means. He also in this gave full evidence that she was really restored to life and health. The changes were great, sudden, and certain. There could be no illusion. So when our Savior had risen from the dead, he gave evidence of his own resurrection, by eating with his disciples. The wonder-working power of Jesus has no limitations. The quickening to life again in itself could not, of course, be kept back secret (see on the contrary Matthew 9:26), but probably the more detailed circumstances of the way of its accomplishment might. There is nothing said of the good spiritual results which accrued to this ruler and his family from the death and resurrection of his daughter, but it all would be well calculated to produce for them a rich harvest of good. The simplest and most natural use of sorrow is to lead us to the God of all comfort. Jairus came to Christ because of trouble. Pleasures brighten as they vanish. The only daughter doubly dear as her spirit was departing. We are not conscious of the strength of our attachments until they are about to be severed. An open chasm must yawn before us ere we can realize our need. To Christ we should come at all times; to him only can we go for solid comfort in times of deep distress. Our Lord here, and in the other restorations of the dead to life, gives us examples of the soul's existence after the death of the body, and apart from the body. He proves that the soul does not die with the body by facts, not merely assertions. These miracles prepare us to accept the fact of his resurrection, on which depends the truth of the gospel and the proof of his messiahship. If Jesus can raise others from the dead, there is nothing incredible in his own resurrection, and the immortal life it proves. Jesus is still the resurrection and the life. Our dear ones are raised again by him to a life as much more than the life here, as a plant in full bloom is more glorious than the seed from which it sprang.