But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
Mark 5:40-41
For Jarius, it must have seemed like a dream unfolding in slow motion. He had come to Jesus urgently asking help for his twelve-year-old daughter.
But the procession through the crowd took “forever.” They were stopped by a woman with a twelve-year illness. Next, word came to Jairus that it was too late. But Jesus resumed the walk with Jairus—now, not to a dying but a dead daughter.
Upon the Lord’s arrival, He declared her sleeping. That provoked laughter from the same people who had just been weeping and wailing. It’s the only time in Jesus’ recorded ministry when people laughed at Him. So distinct is the memory of the derision that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all take note of it.
Jesus put them all out of the house except the mom and dad, and Peter, James, and John. Jesus will not operate in a home or a life filled with cynicism, derision, despair, disrespect, or ridicule. He functions in an atmosphere of hospitality, trust, and faith. Unbelief will always put us outside the door of His presence. We must remain inside the room that unfolds His delivering power.
A short time earlier, Jesus had been ritually defiled by the bleeding woman who had touched Him. Now He ritually defiled Himself by touching a dead body, by taking the little girl’s hand.
Of the three recorded resurrections done by Jesus for others (this one, the Nain widow’s son, and Lazarus), this is the only one in which He touched the dead body. Unlike the other resurrections, this one was in the privacy of a bedroom. You can sense the family intimacy and the tender pastoral care and compassion of Jesus as He takes the daughter’s hand.
This is one of only two times in Mark that the Aramaic of Jesus comes straight across into the text—Talitha, koum. The other time is on the cross—Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani (15:34). It’s as though these words to the little girl made such a powerful impression on the disciples that in telling the story years later they recorded the mother tongue of Jesus before translating the words.
In fact, Peter must be hearing echoes of Talitha koum when several years later he says almost exactly the same Aramaic words to the dead Dorcas—Tabitha, koum (Acts 9:40). I suspect that in the raising of Dorcas, Peter’s faith flowed out of the memory of the healing of Jairus’ daughter, because Peter not only used practically the same words but he also put all the mourners out of the room.
These verses teach us at least two things: (1) Cynicism will never get you close to Jesus. If you want to draw near Him, you must come with an open and honest heart. (2) We learn from Peter’s raising of Dorcas that the past acts of the Lord influence our present approach to any impossibility. What the Lord did for us yesterday is meant to fill us with faith in the challenges we face today.
A Prayer: Lord Jesus, never put me outside the door because of my unbelief. Let me always remain in the room with You. And, what You did for Jairus’ little girl You will also one day do for all of us who trust in You. You will raise us to eternal life.
Excerpted from Dr. Wood’s book, Fearless: How Jesus Changes Everything, available from Vital Resources.
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