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He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha
koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The
girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At
that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one
should know this and said that she should be given something to
eat. Mark 5:41–43
Jairus was the leader of the synagogue in Capernaum. In that
position, he would have been pressured to be in opposition to
Jesus. But his daughter was ill, and his daughter was more
important to him than the opinions of the other religious leaders
of the time. So he humbly came to Jesus by himself, fell at Jesus’
feet and pleaded with Him to heal his daughter.
Jairus makes two acts of faith in Jesus. The first was his request
that Jesus heal his infirmed daughter. But the second took even
more faith. On the journey with Jesus to see his daughter, he
received the sorrowful news that his daughter had died. Jesus’
response to this was to turn to Jairus and say, “Do not be afraid;
just have faith.” Clearly, Jairus responded to this command of love
with faith and trusted that Jesus could even raise his daughter
from the dead.
As you ponder the faith of Jairus, consider this interior tension
he must have been experiencing. He was tempted by the political and
peer pressure of the scribes and Pharisees who opposed Jesus. He
was tempted to despair while his daughter’s illness became
increasingly worse. And when he heard she had died, he would have
been tempted even more to despair when faced with the apparent fact
that Jesus was too late. But he didn’t give in to these
temptations. He remained in hope and trust.
When Jesus arrived at Jairus’ home, He saw many people who were
“weeping and wailing loudly.” When Jesus questioned their acts of
despair, He said to them, “The child is not dead but asleep.” But
upon hearing this, they ridiculed Him. Clearly, the other people
present did not have the hope and the faith that Jairus had.
Therefore, it is also helpful to prayerfully meditate upon the
contrast of Jairus and the others present.
The story concludes with Jesus raising the girl from the dead. He
then told those present to keep this miracle quiet. Jesus did not
heal her to gain fame. He did not heal her to prove to the people
who were despairing and without faith that they were wrong.
Instead, He primarily healed her on account of the faith manifested
by the girl's father.
Finally, Jesus’ divine love shining through His humanity is clearly
seen when He says that “she should be given something to eat.”
Jesus did not stand there expecting praise from those present.
Rather, His loving compassion shone through as He expressed His
concern that this little girl must have been hungry. His love led
Him to address this minor detail.
Reflect, today, upon how you would have acted were you Jairus. What
would you have done in the face of spiritual and moral opposition?
Would you have turned to our Lord in trust and confidence? And when
all human hope seemed lost, would you have maintained your trust in
our Lord? Pray that the faith and hope of Jairus will inspire you,
and commit yourself to follow his holy example.
My compassionate Lord, You responded to the faith of this loving
father, Jairus, with mercy and compassion. You encouraged Him to
trust and were attentive to every detail. Please give me a similar
faith so that I will never despair in life but always keep my hope
in You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured images above: The Raising of Jairus' Daughter By
Gabriel von Max, via Wikimedia Commons
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