Mark Chapter 5
Jesus Demonstrates His Authority
A. The authority of Jesus in the life of the Gadarene demoniac.
(Mark 5:1-8) The description of the demon-possessed man.
Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”
This is the most detailed description of demon possession found in the Bible, presenting a classic profile of such bondage:
• He had been demon-possessed for a long time (Luke 8:27).
• He wore no clothes, living as a sub-human or like a wild animal (Luke 8:27).
• He dwelt among the dead, violating Jewish law and human instinct by living among tombs.
• He had supernatural strength, pulling chains apart and breaking shackles.
• He was tormented and self-destructive, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
• His behavior was uncontrollable—no one could tame him.
These characteristics show a complete distortion of the image of God in man. Satan and his demons seek to debase, distort, and destroy that image, both in unbelievers through possession and in believers through deception and intimidation.
This man did not begin this way. At some point, he lived in the village among others. His behavior became increasingly irrational and violent until he was recognized as demon-possessed. Chains and shackles could not restrain him, and finally the people drove him from their midst, leaving him to live among the tombs, harming himself as his only remaining outlet for violence.
Notably, when Jesus arrived, the man ran to Him. Jesus did not seek him out; the possessed man confronted Him. Jesus immediately commanded, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” The demon responded with the title, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God,” attempting, according to the superstition of the time, to exert control by speaking His exact name. Demons may know the correct theological facts about Jesus—better than the religious leaders—but such knowledge is not saving faith (James 2:19).
The plea, “What have I to do with You… do not torment me,” came from the demon, not the man. Demonic possession involves a spirit inhabiting a human body, at times overriding the host’s personality and expressing its own will. To the demon, being expelled was torment, for demons desire human bodies as instruments of attack against God. Just as a vandal craves a spray can or a violent man a weapon, so demons crave embodiment to act out their rebellion. They hate the image of God in man, and through possession they corrupt and deface it.
For Christians, demons cannot possess them, for Jesus has disarmed the powers of darkness (Colossians 2:15). However, they can still deceive, tempt, and intimidate believers, binding them in fear or unbelief if given place. The account of the Gadarene demoniac stands as a stark reminder of both the destructive intent of the demonic realm and the absolute authority of Jesus Christ over it.
(Mark 5:9-13) Jesus demonstrates His authority over evil spirits.
Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
a. What is your name? The Lord’s question was not born out of ignorance, for as the omniscient Son of God He knew exactly what He was dealing with. Rather, this question served to reveal to all witnesses the full extent of the man’s bondage. The reply “Legion” spoke not of an exact numerical count but of a massive, organized, and unified demonic occupation. A Roman legion was a military unit of roughly 6,000 soldiers, disciplined, trained, and ready for coordinated warfare. The demons’ intent was to intimidate by implying overwhelming force and an unbreakable hold on their victim.
i. The naming was not an example of Jesus adopting the magical superstitions of the day, in which knowing a spirit’s name was believed to confer authority over it. Jesus’ authority was intrinsic and absolute, not dependent upon ritual formulas. This is why He did not demand “name, rank, and serial number” from every demon present; the power of His word was enough to command an entire army of unclean spirits.
ii. The demons’ evasive response suggests their desire to conceal their true identities and numbers, perhaps in a final attempt to thwart His work. Lane observes that the chosen term may have been selected to project the fear of a mighty force, but in truth, their position before Jesus was one of utter subjugation.
iii. To the onlookers steeped in local superstition, the demons appeared to have the upper hand—they had called Jesus by His full divine title, withheld their precise name, and threatened Him with the magnitude of their number. But the reality was the opposite. Jesus was unshaken, His authority uncontested. The encounter proved that superstition is irrelevant in spiritual warfare; only the presence and command of Christ are decisive.
b. Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country: Luke 8:31 clarifies that the demons specifically pleaded not to be sent into “the abyss,” the place of incarceration for certain demonic beings. Their request reveals that demons desire continual activity in opposition to God. Matthew Henry aptly noted that idleness is itself torment to such beings—they are only “content” when causing destruction.
i. Spurgeon remarked, “Satan would rather vex swine than do no mischief at all.” This twisted compulsion shows that the fallen realm will expend its malice even upon animals when human victims are inaccessible.
ii. This plea also shows that demons can address the Lord in supplication (“begged Him earnestly”) without true surrender. It is possible to acknowledge who Jesus is, to speak to Him, and yet remain in active rebellion against Him (James 2:19).
c. Send us to the swine, that we may enter them: The unclean spirits requested permission to enter the herd because their nature is bent on destruction, and they loathe inactivity. As Poole observed, “The devil is so fond of doing mischief, that he will rather play at a small game than stand out.”
i. This incident underscores divine sovereignty—even the basest demonic act requires the Lord’s permission. Clarke notes, “Since a demon cannot enter even into a swine without being sent by God himself, how little is the power or malice of them to be dreaded by those who have God for their portion and protector!”
d. And at once Jesus gave them permission: The Lord allowed the demons’ request not because He lacked the will to destroy them but because the appointed time for their complete judgment had not yet arrived. That moment would come at the cross, where Colossians 2:15 declares that Christ disarmed principalities and powers, made a public spectacle of them, and triumphed over them. The destruction of the swine provided a visual, temporal judgment, but the eternal defeat of the demonic realm awaited Calvary.
e. The herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea: The immediate frenzy of the swine demonstrated the true intention of the demons—to kill and destroy (John 10:10). Restricted in how they could harm the man made in God’s image, they nevertheless revealed their murderous nature when given unrestrained access to animals.
i. The destruction of the herd served as a living parable to the watching crowd: the demonic forces sought the same end for the man as they accomplished with the swine. The mercy of Christ had prevented the man’s ruin, but it was not for lack of demonic will.
ii. Clarke draws an important lesson from the economic loss: “Yes, and learn from this how small value temporal riches are in the estimation of God. He suffers them to be lost, sometimes to disengage us from them through mercy; sometimes out of justice, to punish us for having acquired or preserved them either by covetousness or injustice.” Material wealth is never so valuable as the deliverance of a human soul.
(Mark 5:14-17) The reaction of the bystanders to the deliverance of the demon-possessed man.
So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
a. And they were afraid: The reaction of the swineherds and the townspeople is revealing. Instead of joy and thanksgiving for the miraculous deliverance of a man long held in torment, they were seized with fear. Ironically, they were more comfortable with a wild, naked, self-mutilating demoniac in the tombs than with a sane, clothed, and restored man sitting at the feet of the Savior. Their fear was not reverent awe leading to worship, but an unsettled dread that compelled them to keep Jesus at a distance.
i. Part of their fear stemmed from the collapse of their spiritual worldview. Their local superstitions had been overturned—superstitions that assumed demonic powers held dominance over such cases and that no man could overcome them. Yet here stood the evidence: the one who had the legion was completely transformed, and the legion itself had been utterly defeated. Such a direct confrontation with the reality of Christ’s authority shattered their expectations and left them unsettled.
ii. This fear also reflects a universal human tendency: the sinful heart is often more at ease with known misery than with transformative holiness. The presence of Christ disrupts the status quo, challenging sinful comforts and exposing spiritual deadness. That disruption can be frightening for those unwilling to surrender.
b. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region: What is striking is that before, the community tolerated the continual threat and disturbance of a possessed man living in the tombs, breaking chains, and terrorizing the area. But the moment Jesus restored him, they could not tolerate the presence of the One who had brought freedom. Their plea was not for Him to stay and heal others, but for Him to leave entirely.
i. This request reveals misplaced priorities. Their economic loss from the destruction of the swine outweighed their gratitude for a restored human life. Their values were inverted—material wealth mattered more to them than spiritual liberation. As in many hearts today, temporal possessions were prized above eternal realities.
ii. It also shows the tragic reality that when people fear the change Jesus will bring more than they fear the ongoing destruction of Satan, they will choose to push Jesus away. This is a sobering lesson for evangelism: some will reject the gospel not because they doubt its power, but because they understand it too well—they know it will mean the end of their old life, and they love their old life more (John 3:19).
iii. True spiritual awakening requires the heart to welcome Christ’s authority, even when it upends life’s patterns, disrupts economic securities, and challenges personal autonomy. The Gadarenes failed this test, valuing swine over the Savior.
(Mark 5:18-20) The reaction of the man who had been delivered from demons.
And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
a. He who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him: The desire of the delivered man is evidence of genuine conversion. He did not merely want more blessings from Jesus—he wanted Jesus Himself. His longing was not for further miracles, protection, or provision, but for fellowship with the One who had given him new life. True salvation produces this Christ-centered longing; as the psalmist wrote, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
i. “He who had been demon-possessed” is a striking title for a man’s testimony. As Spurgeon noted, it would follow him all his days, and in every telling of his story it would serve as a “standing sermon.” People would want to know: How did such a man go from bondage to liberty, from the tombs to sanity? Every retelling would exalt the grace of Christ, and the more dreadful the man’s past, the more glorious his deliverance appeared.
b. Jesus did not permit him: This “no” from Jesus is instructive. The city’s people had made a sinful request—that Jesus depart—and He granted it. The man made a godly request—that he might remain with Jesus—and the Lord refused it. God’s wisdom in answering prayer does not always align with our desires, even when our desires are holy. The Lord saw a greater mission for this man, one that would glorify Him and advance the gospel in a way even the disciples could not achieve.
i. This man, now clothed and in his right mind, could penetrate the Gentile communities of the Decapolis without the immediate suspicion that would have met a Jewish rabbi. By leaving him there, Jesus was planting a witness who would shine in a place He Himself would not remain.
ii. There may also have been an element of pastoral care in Christ’s refusal. The man might have feared that the demons could return if he left Jesus’ physical presence. Spurgeon suggests that by sending him home, Jesus was reassuring him: “You do not need to be near Me physically. I have so healed you that you will never be in bondage again.” This demonstrated that Christ’s deliverance was complete and not dependent upon proximity to His earthly body.
c. Go home to your friends… tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you: The commission was personal and relational. The man’s first mission field was among those who knew him best and had seen his former misery. His testimony was to emphasize both the mighty works of God and the tender compassion of Christ—a combination that reflects the heart of the gospel.
i. He departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him: The Decapolis (“Ten Cities”) was a league of Hellenistic cities east of the Jordan, mostly Gentile in population, including Scythopolis, Pella, Dion, Gerasa, Philadelphia, Gadara, Raphana, Kanatha, Hippos, and Damascus. This was a strategic location for spreading the gospel into Gentile territory. Archaeological remains of Scythopolis reveal its grandeur and its cultural distinctiveness from Jewish towns, highlighting the radical nature of this man’s mission.
ii. His obedience was immediate, and his message was Christ-centered. He told of “what great things Jesus had done for him,” and Mark deliberately records this as identical to the Lord’s command to speak of “what great things the Lord had done.” This is a direct affirmation of the deity of Christ—Jesus is the Lord, and the works of God are His works. To proclaim Jesus as the doer of God’s deeds is to proclaim Him as God.
iii. The result was that “all marveled.” His transformed life was itself the proof of the gospel’s power. His testimony would have carried extraordinary weight in the Decapolis, for the man once feared as a madman was now a herald of grace. This account shows that one life redeemed by Christ is worth crossing the sea for, and it teaches that with Jesus, no case is beyond hope.
B. Jesus demonstrates His authority over sickness and death.
(Mark 5:21-24) A father asks Jesus to heal his daughter.
Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
a. A great multitude gathered to Him: Having left the predominantly Gentile territory where He had delivered the Gadarene demoniac, Jesus returned to the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee. Immediately the crowds once again surrounded Him. This contrast between His reception on either side of the lake is telling—on the Gentile side, the people asked Him to leave; on the Jewish side, they pressed in upon Him for ministry. Yet, as the following narrative reveals, not all in this multitude came with saving faith.
b. One of the rulers of the synagogue came: Jairus was a man of high standing in the religious life of his community. The ruler of the synagogue was responsible for the administration of the synagogue building, the maintenance of order in the services, and the selection of Scripture readers and teachers. Though not a rabbi by office, he held significant influence and respect in Jewish society.
i. Jairus’ coming to Jesus “fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly” is striking because it shows desperation overcoming pride and position. Publicly approaching Jesus could have risked his reputation among other Jewish leaders, many of whom opposed Christ. But his daughter’s condition—“at the point of death”—compelled him to humble himself in open dependence upon Jesus.
ii. Lane notes, “As synagogue-ruler he was a lay official responsible for supervision of the building and arranging the service.” Such a man would have been steeped in the traditions of the Law and acquainted with the controversies surrounding Jesus, making his public appeal all the more remarkable.
c. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live: This statement reveals genuine confidence in Jesus’ healing power but also reveals a limitation in Jairus’ understanding. His request presumes that Jesus’ healing power must be exercised by physical presence and touch.
i. This belief may have arisen from custom rather than deliberate theological conviction. In the Jewish tradition, healers often performed their work by physical contact, and Jairus had perhaps never conceived of healing apart from such contact. The Roman centurion in Luke 7:1-10 displayed greater understanding, trusting Jesus to heal at a distance, but Jesus does not rebuke Jairus for lesser faith. Instead, He meets Jairus at the level of faith he has and agrees to go with him.
ii. This is an important pastoral insight—Jesus does not always require us to demonstrate the highest possible degree of faith before He will act. He takes the faith we have, even if imperfect, and works with it. This principle is evident in Matthew 17:20, where even faith “as a mustard seed” is sufficient to move mountains because the object of that faith is the all-powerful Christ.
iii. Trapp points out the irony: “This was weakness of faith, far short of that of the centurion, who yet was a Roman soldier; whereas Jairus was a learned Jew. Knowledge is therefore one thing, faith another; and the greatest scholars are not always the holiest men.” This distinction reminds us that intellectual acquaintance with Scripture does not necessarily translate into practical trust in God.
d. Principles for answered prayer: Adam Clarke observed that Jairus’ approach contains four elements vital to effective petition:
We must put ourselves in the presence of Jesus: “One of the rulers of the synagogue came.” Proximity to Christ—through prayer, worship, and deliberate seeking—is the starting point for all true intercession.
We must humble ourselves sincerely before Jesus: “He fell at His feet.” Genuine prayer begins with the recognition of our unworthiness and His supreme authority.
We must lay open our request with a holy earnestness: He “begged Him earnestly.” This is the fervency James 5:16 speaks of in “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man.”
We must have total confidence in the power and goodness of Jesus: “Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” Jairus’ certainty that Jesus could heal was correct, even if his method assumption was unnecessary.
(Mark 5:25-34) A woman is healed of a hemorrhage.
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
a. A flow of blood for twelve years: This was not only a serious medical condition, but it carried crushing social and religious consequences under the Law of Moses. According to Leviticus 15:19-31, any woman with such a flow was ceremonially unclean. Whoever touched her would be unclean until evening. She could not enter the synagogue or temple worship, and anyone she touched would also be ceremonially unclean.
i. Morgan paints the bleak reality: “By the very law of her people, she was divorced from her husband, could not live in her home, was ostracized from all society, could not come into contact with her old friends, and was barred from the women’s courts in the temple.”
b. Had suffered many things from many physicians: Luke, himself a physician, records that she had spent all her livelihood on doctors and “could not be healed by any” (Luke 8:43). Instead of improving, she worsened—physically, emotionally, and financially. Ancient medical remedies for such conditions ranged from the mildly helpful to the outright superstitious, such as drinking concoctions of Persian onions boiled in wine or being startled while holding a cup of wine in a crossroad (Clarke).
i. This is a picture of the soul that tries every human cure for sin and spiritual emptiness—turning to “Doctor Entertainment,” “Doctor Self-Help,” “Doctor Pleasure,” or even “Doctor Religion”—but finding no real remedy until coming to Christ.
c. If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well: The woman came secretly, partly from embarrassment, partly from fear of public condemnation. There is no biblical record of Jesus healing in this manner before, suggesting that her act was influenced by superstition as well as faith. Yet Jesus honored her faith because it was directed toward Him.
i. The “hem of His garment” (Matthew 9:20) refers to the tassels (Numbers 15:38-40) that every devout Jew wore as a reminder of God’s commandments. Barclay notes that these tassels identified the wearer as part of God’s covenant people.
ii. Robertson remarks: “There was no magic in the garments of Jesus. Perhaps there was superstition in the woman’s mind, but Jesus honoured her darkened faith.”
d. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up: In Jewish thinking, her touch should have made Jesus unclean. But the opposite happened—His holiness and power cleansed her. This is a gospel picture: when we bring our sin to Christ, it does not contaminate Him; instead, His righteousness cleanses us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
e. Immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him: This unique statement suggests that Jesus experienced an awareness of divine power proceeding from Him in response to genuine faith. While Scripture does not teach that healing required such a “transfer” in every case, this moment illustrates the personal nature of His miracles—He was not a passive conduit but an active, compassionate Savior.
f. Who touched My clothes? The question was for her sake, not His. He knew exactly who touched Him. The disciples, seeing the press of the crowd, misunderstood, failing to distinguish between casual contact and a deliberate act of faith.
i. Augustine captured the difference: “Flesh presses, faith touches.” Spurgeon adds, “It is not every contact with Christ that saves, but the determined, personal, believing touch.”
g. The woman, fearing and trembling… told Him the whole truth: Jesus drew her into the open not to shame her, but to affirm her healing, remove her fears, and bear public witness to God’s power.
i. He did this so she would know she was healed beyond doubt. Public testimony strengthened her assurance.
ii. He did it so others would know she was clean and restored to society.
iii. He did it so she would understand it was her faith in Him—not the garment—that healed her.
iv. He did it to show Jairus, who was anxiously waiting, an example of faith and divine power that would encourage him about his daughter.
v. He did it to bless her uniquely—calling her “Daughter,” a term of tender endearment He used for no one else in Scripture.
h. Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction: The emphasis is not on the physical act of touching, but on the faith that reached out to Christ. The Greek for “made you well” (sozo) is often used for salvation, showing that her faith brought both physical and spiritual restoration.
i. This delay in the journey to Jairus’ house would test his faith severely, as news of his daughter’s death would soon arrive. But God’s timing is always perfect; this “interruption” was in fact part of His plan to glorify His Son in an even greater miracle.
Jesus Calls Jairus to an Extreme Faith with an Extreme Promise (Mark 5:35-36)
While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
This scene comes at a critical moment. Jesus has just finished ministering to the woman with the hemorrhage, and during that delay, the worst news imaginable reaches Jairus. Messengers from his own household bring the devastating announcement: “Your daughter is dead.” Humanly speaking, this is final. Death, in the eyes of all present, is the ultimate barrier—no physician can help, and no religious leader can reverse it. The messengers essentially say, “Why continue to trouble the Teacher? It’s too late.” This reveals not only their despair but also their limited view of who Jesus is. They regarded Him merely as a great healer, not as the One who has authority over life and death itself.
For Jairus, the words must have landed like a crushing blow. He had already endured the tension of watching Jesus pause for another person’s need while his own daughter lay dying. Now the report seems to confirm his worst fears: the delay has cost her life. In the human mind, the window of opportunity has closed. Yet it is precisely in this moment of hopelessness that Jesus turns to Jairus with a command and a promise: “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
Notes and Exposition
Your daughter is dead: This is more than just a statement of fact—it is the full weight of human impossibility. Jairus likely thought, “I knew this was taking too long. I knew Jesus shouldn’t have wasted His time on this woman. Now it is beyond all hope.” The temptation in such moments is to surrender entirely to despair because the circumstances shout louder than faith.
Do not be afraid: Jesus issues this as an imperative. While it may sound insensitive to tell a grieving father not to fear, the Lord knew that fear and faith cannot coexist in the same heart. Fear grips the soul and chokes out trust in God’s power and promises. Before Jairus could exercise real faith, he had to confront and reject the natural fear that was surging within him.
Only believe: The call is not to a vague optimism but to a singular trust in Christ’s word. Jesus is not asking Jairus to believe blindly, but to trust the reliability of His presence and His authority. Faith here means refusing to mix belief with doubt, worry, or the need to control the outcome. Jesus does not say, “Believe and try to figure it out” or “Believe and brace yourself for the worst.” He says, “Only believe”—faith unmixed, faith that rests solely on Him.
Theological Implication: This command is a call to an “extreme faith.” Jairus must now believe not only that Jesus can heal but that He can conquer death itself. The situation has moved from difficult to humanly impossible, and yet faith in Jesus thrives precisely in the realm where human resources are exhausted.
Practical Application: This passage confronts the believer with a choice in crisis: Will we interpret God’s delays as neglect, or will we see them as a stage for a greater display of His power? Jesus’ words to Jairus remind us that the promises of God are not nullified by worsening circumstances. His delays are never denials, and His power is not diminished by the finality of death.
Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter from the Dead (Mark 5:37-43)
And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
When Jesus reached the house of Jairus, He restricted the company to Peter, James, and John—those who often witnessed His most intimate demonstrations of divine power. The limitation of witnesses may have been for the sake of focus and reverence, ensuring that what was about to occur would not be tainted by skepticism or spectacle. Upon arrival, Jesus encountered “a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly,” a scene intensified by the presence of professional mourners. In Jewish culture, public expressions of grief were expected and even amplified by hired individuals. Yet their grief proved superficial, for when Jesus declared, “The child is not dead, but sleeping,” their wailing turned instantly to ridicule. Their mockery revealed unbelief and a complete misunderstanding of Jesus’ authority over life and death.
Jesus’ statement was not a denial of physical death but a declaration of divine perspective. For Him, physical death is as temporary as sleep, and He speaks from the standpoint of the One who holds power over both life and the grave. In 1 Corinthians 15:55, Paul will later echo this reality, saying, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” Here in Jairus’ home, Jesus demonstrates that death does not have the final word when He is present.
Notes and Exposition
He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John: These three disciples formed what is often called the “inner circle.” They were present at the raising of Jairus’ daughter, at the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2), and in Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). Whether this was due to their spiritual readiness or because they needed more personal oversight from Jesus, they were allowed front-row access to His greatest demonstrations of authority.
The child is not dead, but sleeping: Jesus was not speaking figuratively in the sense of mere denial, but in divine truth. Physical death, from God’s perspective, is a state from which He can awaken the person at will. Sleep here speaks of the temporary nature of death for those whom God will raise. This is consistent with biblical language elsewhere, such as in John 11:11 when Jesus says of Lazarus, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
They ridiculed Him: The imperfect tense in the Greek suggests they continued mocking Him, showing persistence in unbelief. Their hearts were closed to the possibility that God might do something supernatural. Jesus therefore “put them all outside,” removing the atmosphere of unbelief so that faith could flourish within the room. This also serves as a principle for ministry: environments of scoffing and hardened disbelief often must be cleared before God’s work is revealed.
Talitha, cumi: Mark preserves the Aramaic phrase Jesus used, perhaps because Peter—an eyewitness—remembered it vividly. The tenderness of the expression is remarkable; “Talitha” means “little girl” or even “little lamb,” and “cumi” means “arise.” The Lord’s touch and command carried divine creative power, just as in Romans 4:17, where it says God “gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”
Immediately the girl arose and walked: The completeness of the miracle is evident. She not only regained life but also full health and strength, walking at once. The mention of her age—twelve years—links her story with the woman who suffered twelve years of bleeding, showing that Jesus’ ministry spans both the years of suffering and the years of joy interrupted by tragedy.
They were overcome with great amazement: This phrase suggests a combination of awe, reverence, and stunned disbelief at what they had witnessed. The people who just moments earlier had ridiculed Him now stood confronted with undeniable evidence of His authority over death.
Commanded that something should be given her to eat: Jesus’ practical instruction underscores the reality of the miracle. She was truly alive, and life requires nourishment. It also shows His compassion for the girl’s well-being beyond the dramatic moment of resurrection.
Parallel Lessons Between Jairus and the Woman Healed of Bleeding:
Jairus had twelve years of joy now overshadowed by impending loss; the woman had twelve years of unrelenting suffering.
Jairus was a respected leader; the woman was socially invisible.
Jairus approached publicly; the woman approached secretly.
Jairus thought Jesus had to be physically present; the woman believed a mere touch would suffice.
The woman’s healing was immediate; Jairus’ deliverance came after a delay.
The woman’s miracle was public; Jairus’ was private.
Both experienced the compassion and perfect timing of the Lord, but each was required to exercise faith in different ways.
