Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Mark 5:22-24,35-43

Dear God, so much happens in this story. That’s the pretty incredible thing about the Bible overall. It has some of the tightest, best editing ever. In this case, it takes just 12 verses to say so much. It paints quite a picture.

Here are the key phrases that communicate so much:

• “Leader of the local synagogue”– This wasn’t just anyone. This was someone with some community standing and pride. He should be able to handle something like this on his own. Why would he need to go to a traveling rabbi and get his help?
• “My little girl is dying”– When one becomes a parent…well, there’s just a mystery there that you and I have discussed before. Imprinting. Bonding. Call it whatever you want, but there is something powerful about your child.
• “Heal her so she can live”– It’s not like healing was common in those days. Jairus wasn’t making a common request. He was making a desperate request. He wanted his daughter to live. He wanted it for his own sake. I’m sure he wanted it for his wife as well.
• “There’s no use troubling the Teacher now”–It’s one thing to heal. It’s another thing to resurrect. We were now beyond healing, and resurrection was too much to expect.
• “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith”– Faith in what? That you’re going to raise her from the dead? Really? There’s no way.
• “The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep”– What? Was Jesus being intentionally deceptive here in order to prevent a furor after the resurrection about to take place? Did he try to protect the little girl from being the one who was raised from the dead as opposed to simply being someone who was healed? Was he protecting Jairus and his wife from that kind of attention as well? I’ve always seen this as being…well, I’ll call it a misleading. I’ve always seen this as a misleading that would protect Jesus from unwanted acclaim, but maybe it was for Jairus’s family’s benefit as well.
• “They were overwhelmed and totally amazed”– Yeah, I would imagine so. Despair to elation. Hope. I wonder where Jairus was the week of Jesus’s crucifixion. It’s too bad we don’t have any further information about him or his family. I’d like to know if he became like Nicodemus. It’d be nice if we had that follow up.
• “Jesus game them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened”– Back to the…misleading. Obfuscation? This is the part that must have struck Don Francisco in the song I liked to above: “I’ve Got to Tell Somebody“
• “Give her something to eat”– She’s been sick a while. It’s probably been days since she has eaten, but she isn’t only alive. She isn’t sick anymore. Give that girl something to eat.

Father, I wish I knew more about Jairus. What I do know is pretty great. And I’m about to go through some stories about more fathers like him. I don’t have too many parents left really, but there are several who bring their children to Jesus for healing. I was going to bunch them together, but my wife encouraged me to break them out separately to see if there is anything unique about this. In this case, I would say that Jairus being the local synagogue leader is significant. The implications of what this would mean to his position in the community is significant. And that fact that he had to keep it quiet and participate in the obfuscation is unique as well. Thank you for his example of a father who really loved his daughter beyond what it would cost him personally and professionally.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen