This is one of the sections of Mark's Gospel that has a chiastic structure (cf. 3:22-30; 6:14-29; 11:15-19).
A The appeal of Jairus for his daughter 5:21-24
B The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage 5:25-34
A' The raising of Jairus' daughter to life 5:35-43
In this case the delay caused by the healing of the woman created a greater problem that Jesus overcame easily. This account of a double miracle further revealed Jesus' identity to His disciples.
"The healing of Jairus's daughter shows that Jesus is the Lord of life, and the healing of the woman with the problem of persistent bleeding shows that He is the Lord of health."127
Some commentators believed that Mark did not follow a chronological order of events but rearranged them to make his theological points.128However all three synoptic evangelists recorded the events in the same order, so probably they occurred in this sequence.129Mark's account is the fullest of the three.
5:21 Having withdrawn from Galilee to the southeastern Decapolis region (4:35-5:20), Jesus and His disciples now returned to the northwestern side of the lake and to Galilee. Immediately a multitude of Jews gathered around Him again.
5:22-24 Synagogue rulers were not priests but lay leaders who were responsible for the worship services and the synagogue's physical facilities. As such, Jairus (the Greek form of the Hebrew Jair, "he will give light or awaken;"cf. Num. 32:41; Judg. 10:3) undoubtedly enjoyed much respect in his community. Laying hands on a sick person for healing associated the power of the healer with the person needing deliverance (cf. 6:5; 7:32; 8:23, 25).
Upon returning to Galilee, Jesus immediately began to serve in response to this urgent emotional plea, but the thronging crowd slowed His progress.
5:25-28 Mark stressed the desperate condition of the woman by recording details of her history that the other evangelists passed over. She was incurable. She had faith in Jesus' ability to heal her and a belief that she could obtain healing by touching His clothing (cf. 3:10; 6:56). She tried to remain unobtrusive since her condition rendered her ritually unclean (Lev. 15:25-27). Perhaps she had come from some distance since no one in the crowd apparently recognized her or objected to her being there.
5:29 As soon as (Gr. euthys, "immediately") she touched Jesus' garment she knew that she was whole. The healing was instantaneous, but it happened without Jesus' conscious participation. Such was the power He had.
5:30-32 Just as quickly (Gr. euthys) Jesus perceived that power had gone from Him. The harshness of the disciples' reply is unique to Mark. Luke wrote that Peter voiced it (Luke 8:45). Probably the disciples were eager to get Jesus to Jairus' house before it was too late. Yet Jesus wanted to speak to the woman and to assure her that it was her faith in Him that had resulted in her healing, not merely her touch. He "looked around"searching the faces in the crowd to discover the person of faith.
"His healing power did not work automatically, like a battery discharging its power when accidentally short-circuited. Jesus perceived in Himself, without any external suggestion, the significance of the woman's touch, and, actively willing to honor her faith, He was immediately conscious of His healing power going toward her. His power, the inherent ability to perform, was always under the control of His conscious volition. His consciousness of that power going forth from Him suggests that His healing ministries cost Jesus much spiritual energy. It would explain why He found it necessary at times to escape the crowds to find time for refreshing through fellowship with the Father."130
5:33-34 Jesus did not rebuke her. His words were full of spiritual sensitivity and compassion. She had nothing to fear from Him. Perhaps the woman was afraid because she had obtained Jesus' power surreptitiously. Still, we have seen that a typical response to the revelation of Jesus' power was fear (cf. 4:41; 5:15).
This is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus called someone "daughter."The woman's faith in Jesus had brought her into His spiritual family (cf. Isa. 53:10; Mark 3:35; 7:26; 10:52). Her faith was the means whereby she obtained Jesus' help. It expressed belief that Jesus couldheal her and hope that He would.
The phrase "Go in peace"(Heb. shalom) was a common way of saying "good-bye"among the Jews (cf. Judg. 18:6; 1 Sam. 1:17).
Shalom ". . . means not just freedom from inward anxiety, but that wholenessor completenessof life that comes from being brought into a right relationship with God."131
It was God's will for this woman to experience healing. Jesus assured her that her healing was complete and permanent with these words. She could now enjoy social interaction and participation in public worship, as well as physical health, since she was clean.
5:35 If the disciples had been impatient (v. 31), how much more so must Jairus have been. How his heart must have broken when word reached him that his daughter had died. The people who reported the death of Jairus' daughter regarded Jesus as simply a teacher or rabbi. They believed He could only help the living.
"There is no hint of anyone taking it amiss that Jesus did not proceed as fast as He could to Jairus' house; or that He could have dealt with the haemorrhage [sic] after the more serious case of the child at death's door. . . . It is quite Palestinian still to do the things that need doing at the psychological juncture."132
5:36 Jairus had believed that Jesus could heal his daughter, and He had just observed the result of believing in Jesus (vv. 25-34). His faith, with Jesus' encouragement, enabled him to believe that Jesus could still help his daughter. Literally Jesus said, "Stop fearing; continue believing."
5:37 Jesus allowed only His inner circle of disciples to accompany Him to witness this miracle (cf. Deut. 17:6; Mark 9:2; 14:33). He probably did so to limit popular reaction to it. If the multitudes thronged to Jesus because He healed them, how much more would they seek His physical help if they knew He could raise the dead.
5:38 Jesus dismissed one crowd but found another one waiting for Him at Jairus' house.133As was customary, paid mourners were already at work weeping, wailing, singing, playing flutes, and clapping their hands (cf. Jer. 9:17; Amos 5:16).134The Mishnah specified that even the poorest husband had to hire at least two flute players and one female to wail when his wife died.135Evidently the little girl's death was so expected that mourners were ready the moment she died.
5:39-40 Jesus meant that she was asleep in death. He used the word "sleep"figuratively (cf. Matt. 9:24; John 11:11-14). The observers present, however, took Jesus' words literally and mocked the Great Physician for His superficial diagnosis. Their reaction proves that she was dead. Jesus excluded them and allowed only those whom He wanted to witness the miracle to stay.
5:41 Apparently Jesus took the hand of the dead girl to associate His power with her healing in the witnesses' minds. He did not need to touch her to raise her. Elijah (1 Kings 17) and Elisha (2 Kings 4) had both raised children to life, but they had to exert considerably more effort and spend more time doing so than Jesus did. Touching a dead person resulted in ceremonial defilement, but Jesus overcame this with His power.
Mark alone recorded Jesus' command in Aramaic and translated it for his Roman readers.
"Mark gives the translation as a contrast with magical formulas so esoteric and nonsensical that they mock would-be translators . . ."136
In every instance of Jesus raising the dead in the Gospels, He addressed the dead person directly (cf. Luke 7:14; John 11:43).
"It has been suggested that His very words were those used by the mother each morning to arouse her daughter from sleep."137
There is only one letter difference between Jesus' command here and the one Peter uttered when he restored Dorcas to life (Acts 9:40). Peter said, "Tabitha kum!"This shows that Jesus continued to exercise His power through Peter after His ascension (cf. Acts 1:1-2).
5:42 When Jesus restored life, recovery was instantaneous (Gr. euthys, twice in this verse), not gradual, as was true with former prophets (cf. 1 Kings 17:19-20; 2 Kings 4:33). Perhaps Mark mentioned the girl's age because she was 12 and the woman whom Jesus had just healed had suffered with her affliction for 12 years (v. 25). The woman had begun living when she should have died from her incurable condition. The girl had died just when she should have begun living as a young woman. Jesus could and did deliver from both deaths. Everyone present expressed extreme amazement at Jesus' power. The Greek word, from existemi, literally means they were "out of their minds with great amazement."138
5:43 Jesus gave the observers two commands. First, He told them not to tell anyone about the miracle who did not need to know about it.139Obviously many people outside the house would have discovered what had happened, but Jesus wanted to avoid all unnecessary publicity so He could continue His ministry with maximum freedom of movement (cf. 1:43-45).
His second command revealed His continuing compassion for the girl in her need. It also clarified that He had restored her to physical life that needed sustaining. He had not resurrected her to a new form of life with an immortal body (cf. 1 Cor. 15:35-57).
This double miracle taught the disciples that Jesus not only had the power to control nature (4:35-41) and demonic spirits (5:1-20) but also death. These were important revelations to those who had exercised some faith in Him. They learned that Jesus was more than a man and even more than the greatest of the prophets. Undoubtedly God used these revelations to enable the disciples to see that Jesus was the divine Messiah (8:29).
