40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians,1 she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter2 said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.
Section Overview
Jesus has demonstrated his lordship over nature by stilling the storm, just as Yahweh stills storms. We have also seen Jesus expel not just one demon but a legion of demons from a man. In the present text Jesus heals an intractable illness and raises the dead—he heals a poor woman on the margins of society and the daughter of a man who is well-off and part of the religious establishment. Jairus, a synagogue ruler, implores Jesus to come to his house for the sake of his dying twelve-year-old daughter. As Jesus makes his way there, an immense crowd surges around him, and a woman suffering from a discharge of blood for twelve years approaches Jesus and touches his clothing. She is healed instantly, and Jesus realizes that healing power has come from him, so he asks who has touched him. Although Peter thinks it impossible to know who has touched him in the midst of the crowds, the woman comes forward and confesses that she did so. Jesus’ power is not magical or arbitrary. In the climax Jesus affirms that her faith has saved her, showing that more than a healing has taken place.
The story of the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage is an intercalation with the account of Jairus’s daughter. “The intercalation fills in time in the narrative and serves to heighten the dramatic tension and the miracle’s magnitude.”111 It comes to light that Jairus’s daughter has died, and thus people say there is no point in bothering Jesus further. But Jesus speaks the key words in the narrative: “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well” (8:50). Peter, James, and John enter the house with Jesus, along with the father and mother. Jesus remarks that she is not dead but asleep, which provokes sarcastic laughter and ridicule. Jesus proceeds to take her by the hand and calls upon her to rise up. She gets up and is given something to eat, and Jesus warns them to keep the healing secret.
Section Outline
Response
We do not fear death, for the word of Jesus is effective. He speaks to the wind and the waves, and they cease blowing and spraying. He commands demons to come out, and they are evicted. No enemy is stronger than Jesus. He rules over the wind and the waves, over demons, over disease, and over death. He is truly the Son of God, the Savior of the World, and the only way to salvation. He says, “Child, arise,” and she arises. The promise for us is not that children and loved ones who die will be raised in this life. The resurrection of Jairus’s daughter looks ahead to the day of the resurrection, when Jesus will say to everyone who believes, “Child, arise”!
What is the lesson in this passage for our daily lives? How do we respond to terrifying storms, ravaging diseases, fearful demons, or the prospect of death? We acknowledge that we are weak and helpless. Like the disciples, we cry out for the Lord to save us. We ask the Lord to help us to believe and to trust in the midst of our fears. When Jairus’s daughter dies, his friends tell him to give up. It is too late now. But Jesus says, “Do not fear; only believe.” Whatever is happening in our lives today, here is the word of the Lord for us. We must not be afraid, but only believe. Whatever storms we face, we must not be afraid, but only believe. When we think of what frightens us, we remember how great our God is, and we say to our souls: Do not be afraid, but only believe. We remember Jesus’ word to the woman with the hemorrhage. “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”