Jairus’ Daughter Raised

Matthew 9:18-19 - While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

Matthew 9:23-26 - And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 

 

Mark 5:21-24 - And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 

Mark 5:35-43 - While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. 

 

Luke 8:41-42 - And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

Luke 8:49-56 - While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.

 

I.    Introduction.

A.     I will be primarily using Mark for the bulk of this message. 

B.     Jesus had just preached to the people, as he sat in a boat a little away from the land, using parables, then privately explaining to his disciples the meaning of the parables. 

1.       They had then crossed to the other side, where there was a great tempest, which Christ stilled by speaking. 

2.       Then the disciples and Christ were in the country of the Gadarenes, where the two demon possessed men approached them, and Christ cast the legion of demons out of one of the men. 

3.       Christ has now made an uneventful journey back across the Sea of Galilee, where he was very graciously received by the people. 

4.       It is at this point that Jairus approached Christ concerning the healing of his daughter. 

C.     In all likelihood, the daughter of Jairus did not become immediately. 

1.       It is likely Jairus’ daughter was getting sick, perhaps in Mark 4, when Christ was preaching to the people, using parable, and explaining the results to his disciples. 

2.       It likely Jairus’ daughter was getting worse in Mark 4:35 when Christ instructed his disciples to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to the country of the Gadarenes. 

3.       It is likely Jairus was getting more and more concerned for his daughter, calling in the best doctors and nurses, and doing all he could do when Christ was calming the great tempest. 

4.       It is likely Jairus began to think about his little daughter dying when Jesus was healing one of the demon possessed men of Mark 5:1-20, and began to hear of the Great Physical. 

5.       It was not enough for Jairus to send someone to fetch Christ, he would personally leave the bedside of his sick daughter, and seek for Christ to come and heal his little daughter. 

D.     Would Jairus have sought the Lord if his daughter had not been sick? 

1.       More than likely he would have not, because, in his mind, there was no need to seek Christ. 

2.       His trouble, like our troubles, cause us to seek the healing physician. 

E.      It is very important that Jairus went to Christ, beseeching him to heal his sick daughter. 

1.       If Jairus had not come, Jesus would not have come. 

2.       Don’t ever expect an answer to prayers we have not prayed. 

3.       If we don’t come to Christ with our requests, we cannot expect Christ to answer those requests. 

 

II.    The apprehensiveness of Jairus as his daughter lies sick, and drawing nearer and nearer to death, yet Christ cannot be found. 

A.     At this point, Jairus does not know his daughter has already died. 

1.       In Matthew 9:18, Jairus tells Christ that his daughter is …now dead… 

a.       I think the proper interpretation is not that his little daughter is dead, but that she is lying at the point of death. 

b.       As far as Jairus is concerned, his daughter will die, therefore in his mind, she is already dead, if Christ does not intervene. 

c.       There is no hope outside of Christ. 

2.       Jairus has only recently left her bedside, but when he left she was still alive. 

3.       Jairus has convinced Christ to come heal his little daughter, but he doesn’t know it is too late for healing. 

4.       Mark 5:35 is when Jairus receives word that his daughter has died, but he receives encouragement from Christ at the same time. 

B.     The terms “besought him greatly” refer to Jairus begging Christ with all his heart, probably with tears and trembling voice. 

1.       Jairus falls at the feet of Christ, which was probably a great rebuke to the rulers of the Jews, who hated Christ and all he stood for. 

2.       Desperation for his family causes this good man to forsake all his religion, all his livelihood, his reputation, and his standing in the community. 

3.       His words reflect the image in his mind, as he has left her dying side only as a last recourse for a solution. 

4.       His desperation is reflected by the fact that he left his dying daughters side for the Great Physician. 

5.       He can do nothing, but he knows someone who can – therefore he hastens to Christ, and is anxious while Christ is away. 

C.     In verse 23, he calls his daughter “little” indicating her helplessness and submissiveness to her parents. 

1.       The term “little” also shows the helplessness of Jairus to heal his daughter. 

2.       Nothing is more precious to him than his little daughter, who lies at the point of death. 

3.       Quite literally, Jairus probably visualized his little daughter lying in her death bed, barely hanging onto life. 

D.     Does it often seem that Christ is away when we need him most? 

1.       Even though it seems that way, Christ is right on time, as recorded John 11:6 where Christ waited two days after hearing that Lazarus was sick, then went to him after he was dead. 

2.       The purpose of all this is to raise Lazarus from the dead, not to cause anxiety to the family, who waits. 

3.       It is good for us to remember God often has a higher plan and purpose for things that come upon us. 

 

III.    Jairus made specific requests concerning the healing of his daughter. 

A.     Perhaps he visualized the scene in his mind, and that scene is so fixed he can see it no other way. 

1.       Jairus is not like the Centurion of Matthew 8:5-13 who only wanted Christ to give the word and his servant would be healed. 

2.       Christ did not rebuke Jairus for making specific request concerning how his daughter was to be healed, but complied. 

3.       Jairus was in a completely different station of life than the Centurion. 

4.       He probably knew the wickedness of the rules of the Jews and how they were already conspiring against Christ, but the Centurion knew nothing of that evil plot. 

B.     Jairus is a ruler of the synagogue. 

1.       John 3:1 records that Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night, was also a ruler of the Jews, yet he was a believer. 

2.       Many of the rulers of the Jews were not believers, but consistently fought Jesus Christ. 

3.       The fact that many of the Jews were secret disciples of Christ was hidden from these unruly rulers, because they would be cast out of the synagogue if their faith in Christ was revealed. 

a.       John 7:45-52 reveals that some of the rulers of the synagogue believed those that trusted in Christ were deceived, and that they did not know how many were believers, but lived in a world aside from the truth. 

b.       John 19:38 reveals that Joseph of Arimathaea was a secret disciple for fear of the Jews.  Verse 39 reveals that Nicodemus also made his faith in Christ known at this point. 

c.       John 9:22 relates the parents of the man who was born blind and Jesus healed were afraid of the Jews because if anybody confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, they would be cast out of the synagogue. 

1.)    In verse 28, the Jews accuse the healed blind man of being a disciple of Christ, although he was simply asking question, but did not at this point believe in Christ. 

2.)    Verse 35-38 relates his conversion.

3.)    In verse 34, the healed blind man is cast out of the synagogue for asking question the rulers of the Jews could not answer!  [1]

 

IV.    Jesus followed Jairus to his house, where he intended to heal his daughter. 

A.     Just when Jairus was undoubtedly feeling some relief that Jesus had been found, and was finally on the way to his house, the woman with the issue of blood interrupted the possession. 

1.       There is no record of how Jairus felt about this interruption, as it probably happened very quickly, just a small stop along the way. 

2.       Then, almost before anybody had time to think about the woman with the issue of blood and was healed, there were other voices that came upon the scene, informing Jairus that his daughter had died while he was away. 

B.     God purposely planned for the woman with the issue of blood to interrupt the trip to Jairus’ house. 

1.       Her intrusion and healing might seem an interruption to Jairus, but God gave him this interruption to build his faith in Christ. 

2.       God knew Jairus’ daughter had already died, but Jairus did not know it. 

3.       God knew the messenger from Jairus’ house was on the way with the bad news and knew Jairus would be devastated by the news. 

4.       God caused the woman with the issue of blood to be healed before the very eyes of Jairus so he would know Jesus had power to take care of whatever happened next. 

5.       Because the healing of the woman and the bad news came at the same time, Jairus was able to hear the comforting words of Christ, …be not afraid, only believe. 

C.     God uses circumstances, and the emotion of those circumstances, to drive us to Christ, when, without those circumstances and those emotions, we would continue on our merry way, never thinking of Christ, or the eternal consequences of our decisions. 

1.       Jairus would probably never have sought Christ if his little daughter had not gotten sick. 

a.       This is not intended as a rebuke against Jairus, but a commentary on the condition of all of us. 

b.       None of us would seek Christ and his healing if we thought it was not necessary. 

c.       We all think we are doing okay without Christ, so why seek him? 

d.       It is only when things “get out of our control” that we are inclined to seek Christ and his healing. 

e.       That is sad, but true. 

2.       Notice the range of emotions Jairus was enduring. 

a.       First, the apprehension of seeing his daughter get worse and worse. 

b.       Then the decision to leave her and search for Christ. 

c.       Then the thinking about what to say to Christ so he would come and heal his little daughter. 

d.       Then not being able to find Christ, searching high and low for him. 

e.       Perhaps making plans to travel to the Gadarenes. 

f.        Now finding Christ, and being able to humbly ask him to come and heal his little daughter, finally getting under way to return to his house, then hearing the unthinkable – his daughter is dead. 

3.       Think – wouldn’t it have been much better for Jairus if he had the faith of the Centurion who believed Christ could heal without being present? 

a.       Jairus would not have heard the terrible words, …Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 

1.)    It is remarkable that one from Jairus’ house used the word “Master” (meaning teacher, or leader) to describe Christ. 

2.)    Note the capital “M”, which means a major teacher of the Jewish religion. 

b.       The result would be the same, but there would be a remarkable difference in the emotions of Jairus. 

1.)    It is always much better to immediately turn everything over to Christ, instead of trying to work things out our own way. 

2.)    It is always much better to trust Christ instead of trying to understand why certain things happen the way they happen. 

c.       Think what a privilege it is to be able to pray to God and receive an answer without having to look for him. 

1.)    This is the doctrine of the Priesthood of the Believer. 

2.)    I think we take prayer for granted, not realizing what a privilege it is to pray to him at any time – day or night; from any place – church, home, work, driving, a hospital bed. 

d.       Then as soon as those terrible words were said, Jairus heard the master say, ...Be not afraid, only believe, and the entourage continues to Jairus’ house. 

1.)    It is hard to believe when there is no evidence. 

2.)    But that is exactly what Christ demanded of Jairus, and exactly what he demands of us.

3.)    We must live by faith, not by sight. 

e.       There is no actual difference in Jairus believing Jesus could heal his daughter and that he could raise her from the dead. 

1.)    The principle of believing is the same. 

2.)    There is no principle difference in believing the immutability of Christ concerning his temptation than believing his resurrection from the dead. 

a.)    Jesus physically suffered temptation, just as he suffered death on the cross for our sins. 

b.)    His temptation was as real as his thirst in John 4 when he spoke to the woman at the well. 

c.)    There are those who erroneously believe the temptations of Christ was somehow different from our temptations, or that the temptations were not real. 

d.)    His death was as real as the pain he suffered during the beating with the “cat of nine tails”. 

 

V.    Verse 37 - The separation of Jesus from the crowd. 

A.     At this point, Jesus would not allow the throng of people to continue with them, dispersing the crowd and allowing only Peter, James and John to continue with them. 

1.       It seems apparent the people obeyed because Jesus had the authority to command them.

a.       They respected the authority of Christ, just as they should respect all authority. 

b.       It is doubtful any followed Christ without him knowing it. 

2.       Why did Christ allow no man to follow them except the “inner circle” (Peter, James and John)? 

a.       The other disciples were not allowed to follow either. 

b.       There are some things some folks see, but others do not. 

3.       Do not be discouraged if God does not allow you to be on the “inner circle”, but be faithful where God puts you. 

a.       Everybody cannot be on the “inner circle”, but all must obey Christ and be and do what and where he wants them to be. 

b.       Whatever, and wherever that is. 

4.       Only the “inner circle” being allow to continue with Christ is tied directly to verse 43 – tell no man. 

a.       This Jesus did for the protection of Jairus and his family. 

5.       People should believe without seeing a miracle. 

a.       Many people are anxious to see some sort of miracle, and erroneously conclude they will believe when they see, but they are wrong. 

b.       The Bible states in Ecclesiastes 1:8, …the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 

c.       Jesus would never produce enough miracles for people to see and believe. 

6.       Miracles do not make for strong Christians.

a.       The first miracle by God was by Moses, and that generation of Israelites who witnessed the 10 miracles in Egypt were never strong Christians. 

b.       They saw the destruction of Egypt’s army in the Red Sea, believed that day and the day following, but 30 days later, did not believe. 

7.       People that hear the Word of God are much stronger Christians. 

a.       God will teach us principles from his word that we cannot ever understand by seeing miracles. 

b.       Remember the miracle of the demon possessed man being healed in Luke 8:35, Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 

c.       Remember Mary and Martha, and Mary had chosen the good part in Luke 10:42, But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. 

d.       Martha was busy serving, but Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching. 

B.     Verse 38 – Jesus comes to the house and on the outside of the house, there is much mourning because of the death of the child. 

1.       Jesus said nothing at all to them, but went directly into the house where, no doubt, the mother was waiting. 

2.       There are also others with the mother, trying to console her, whom Jesus soon dismisses. 

C.     Verse 39 – There was, no doubt, people inside the house who were also mourning, and Christ spoke directly to them, asking them, …Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 

1.       Christ here makes a distinction between being dead and sleeping. 

a.       He knows the difference, but we do not. 

b.       It is not good to tell children a person is sleeping when they have died. 

c.       Children need to know the difference between sleeping and dying, as there is a great difference. 

d.       If children do not know the difference, they will be afraid of falling asleep, as they might think they are dying. 

2.       The damsel had died, and was not “soul sleeping”, as some believe. 

a.       Christ said she was sleeping because he would soon raise her from the dead. 

b.       Christ said the same thing about Lazarus in John 11-14, clarifying to the disciples that the death of Lazarus and this damsel was real, but temporary. 

D.     Verse 40 – those that laugh at Christ do not stop his works. 

1.       Genesis 18:9-13, 15 – Sarah laughed when she overheard she would bear the promised seed. 

a.       Many today do not believe Christ, even mocking those that believe, but that will not stop the work of God from coming to its final conclusion. 

b.       Many times even true believers laugh or mock at Christ because they doubt the promises of God, or do not understand how God will do what he said he would do. 

2.       If my calculations are correct, there was only six people with him into the room where the damsel lay: (1) Jesus, (2) the mother, (3) the dad (Jairus), (4) Peter, (5) James and (6) John. 

a.       Again, there are some things only for chosen eyes. 

b.       Do not be dismayed if you are not included in this group. 

c.       You are still instructed to believe because of right words, not right images. 

d.       Never think you must see in order to believe. 

e.       Always believe what Jesus instructs you to believe. 

 

VI.    The healing of Jairus’ daughter.

A.     Verse 41 – Jesus did not heal the damsel according to the directions of Jairus, but according to his own desires. 

1.       Jesus did not lay hands on her, but took her by the hand. 

2.       I doubt Jairus would argue about the method, but was very happy about the results. 

3.       We should not argue about the methods Christ would use in his works, but be very contended with his wondrous results. 

B.     Verse 41 – Why do the words …Talitha cumi… appear in our English Bible? 

1.       Why are the words Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani used in Matthew 27:46? 

2.       Full Mathew Henry Commentary -   2. How he complained of it (#Mt 27:46); About the ninth hour,  when it began to clear up, after a long and silent conflict. Jesus cried,  Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? The words are related in the Syriac tongue, in which they were spoken, because worthy of double remark, and for the sake of the perverse construction which his enemies put upon them, in putting Elias for Eli. Now observe here…

C.     Verse 42 – immediately the damsel came to life and walked, apparently without saying anything at all, or recognizing anything else. 

1.       It seems Christ had hold of her hand, and directed her to walk, therefore she walked. 

2.       Who can tell the great astonishment of those present? 

a.       The girl who was once dead, now lives, and the Master has caused it. 

b.       There is no physician that could ever do such a thing. 

c.       She not only lives, but walks, revealing that her illness is now cured. 

D.     Verse 43 – Jesus instructed that no man should know it – that is that the little daughter was risen from the dead. 

1.       Jesus probably gave this instruction to save Jairus from the Jews. 

2.       Jairus would be in enough trouble with the Jews for asking Christ to come heal his little daughter, how much trouble would he be in if the rules of the Jews knew the daughter had died, and Christ has raised her from the dead? 

3.       Matthew 16:20 – Christ told his early church to tell no man he was the Christ because the oracles of God was with the Jews at that time. 

4.       Matthew 17:9 – At the Mount of Transfiguration, Christ instructed Peter, James and John to tell no man of the vision until his resurrection. 

5.       Acts 1 and 2 – When God made known the oracles of God was transferred from the Jewish nation to the early church, the people were free to confess Jesus as the Messiah.  [2]



[1] Preached to here 08/19/2007 IBC Sunday morning. 

[2] Preached to here 08/19/07 IBC Sunday Evening