8:49-50 Jesus' words of encouragement as well as His recent demonstration of power prepared Jairus for what followed. He had just witnessed Jesus overcome ceremonial defilement and disease. He needed to believe that Jesus could overcome ceremonial defilement and death. Luke stressed the sad finality of the occasion by using the perfect tense Greek verb translated "she has died"and by placing the verb in the emphatic first position in the sentence. The messenger's command also implied that there was no hope, but Jesus immediately fortified Jairus' faith.
"Whereas the woman's faith needed bolstering because it was shy, Jairus's faith needs to be calmed, persistent, and trusting. . . .
"We often struggle to understand God's timing. In fact, much of faith is related to accepting God's timing for events."245
8:51-53 Jairus' faith is evident in his continuing on with Jesus and allowing Him to enter his house. Perhaps Jesus only allowed Peter, John, and James (cf. 9:28; Acts 1:13) to accompany Him and the girl's parents because the girl's room was probably small.246More significantly His command to keep this incident quiet indicates that He did not want the unnecessary publicity that would inevitably accompany a second resuscitation (cf. 7:11-17). By saying euphemistically that the girl was asleep (Gr. katheudei) Jesus was implying that her death was only temporary (cf. John 11:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-14). Jesus was expressing God's view of death, not man's. Obviously she had died because her spirit had departed from her body (v. 55). It is interesting that these mourners who knew of Jesus' prophetic powers and gift of healing refused to allow the possibility that He might be right. This attitude shows their lack of faith.
8:54-56 Jesus called the girl's spirit back to her body (cf. 1 Kings 17:21; Acts 9:41). He evidently extended His hand to offer her assistance in sitting up rather than to transfer divine power to her. Luke wrote that the girl rose up off her deathbed immediately and was able to eat, facts that preclude a gradual or only spiritual restoration (cf. 4:39). Her parents' amazement (Gr. exestesan) also witnessed to the reality of this miracle.
This double miracle brings this section on Jesus' mighty works to a climax. The point Luke was stressing throughout was the identity of Jesus whom he presented as exercising the prerogatives of deity (cf. Ps. 146:7-9).
"The most fundamental lesson in this passage is the combination of characteristics tied to faith. Faith should seize the initiative to act in dependence on God and speak about him, yet sometimes it must be patient. In one sense faith is full speed ahead, while in another it is waiting on the Lord. Our lives require a vibrant faith applied to the affairs of life, but it also requires a patient waiting on the Lord, for the Father does know best."247
