Sunday School Lesson 4 - Mark 5:21-24, 35-43 - RESTORES
LAST WEEK: In Mk. 3:23-35 we covered the story of Jesus' response to the scribes' accusation that Satan had given Him the power to cast out demons. At the same time, His mother and four half-brothers came to Capernaum from Nazareth to take Him into custody because (based entirely on hearsay) they believed He'd lost his mind. Jesus very calmly and deftly countered the scribe's accusations with parables (comparisons) that proved: (1) If Satan divided his power between himself and his demons, he would destroy himself and (2) that Jesus has authority to cast out demons because His Holy Spirit has the power to overcome Satan, the ruler of the demons. The three points of personal application were: (1) The ultimate and one unforgiveable sin is rejecting the saving work of the Holy Spirit. Any individual who sides with the scribes and ultimately rejects (i.e., blasphemes against) the saving power of God's Holy Spirit will suffer condemnation-the second death-at the final judgment (Rev. 21:8ff). (2) When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by faith, we become members of God's family. In Jesus' day, it was centered on the biological family in His patriarchal Jewish society; in today's western culture, more importance is given to status in our work and careers and accumulating power and wealth. As much today as in Biblical times, Jesus turns the cultural presumptions upside-down. (3) Faith in Jesus Christ is "God's will" for all humans (Jn. 1:12: 3:16; 6:40; and 14:6). This invitation is all-inclusive and universal-extends to every human being.
THIS WEEK: We skip Chapter four and the first 20 verses of Chapter 5, which contain two miracles: (1) Jesus' calming of storm in the Sea of Galilee, demonstrating His power over nature (Mk. 4:35-41) and (2) and the healing of the Gerasene demoniac, showing His power over demons (Mk. 5:1-20). The third and fourth miracles reported in today's text (Mk. 5:21-43) now demonstrate Jesus power over sickness and death-showing His power to bring salvation even to hopeless situations.
Read Mark 5:21-24a - A LITTLE DAUGHTER AT THE POINT OF DEATH
21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and He stayed by the seashore. 22 And one of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, *came, and upon seeing Him, *fell at His feet 23 and *pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live." 24a And He went off with him....
v. 21: "When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and He stayed by the seashore" - The Sea of Galilee has a Gentile eastern shores and a Jewish western shore. Jesus moves between the two, ministering to Jew and Gentile alike, but now returns to the Jewish side.
v. 22: "And one of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, *came, and upon seeing Him" - The man Jairus is a prominent member of the Capernaum community, where he was a leader in the local synagogue. In this role, he would have been responsible for the synagogue facilities, the security of the scrolls, selection and oversight of worship leaders, and administration of the facilities' activities in general. It's worth noting that the last time Jesus visited a synagogue (Mk. 3:1-6, location unknown but possibly Capernaum), the Pharisees and Herodians conspired to kill Him.
vv. 22b-23a: "fell at His feet and *pleaded with Him earnestly" - This action is almost beyond belief because Jairus, as an important local figure, would have been very self-conscious about maintaining a dignified image, especially in the mist of a large crowd. Jesus, on the other hand, is just a itinerant teacher with no official status, whom the religious and secular leaders are plotting to kill (and Jairus probably knew of this). But in seeking Jesus' help, Jairus set all pride aside and visibly debased himself-e.g., "fell before" (physically lowered himself) and "pleaded" (begged)-before this very controversial (and some would say notorious) figure who was wandering around the Galilean countryside. Yet, those of us who are parents know that we would do almost anything to save a dying child, yes? (Note: this is the first of three gospel stories about parents bringing their children to Jesus for help. The other two are the Syrophoenician woman in Mk. 7:25-30 and the father of a son possessed by a spirit in Mk 9:20-29. In each case, the parent experienced obstacles to the child's healing, but didn't give up.
v. 23c: "saying, My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live" - Notice that Jairus doesn't ask Jesus to help but instead, expresses visible faith that Jesus can restore his daughter's health by only laying his hands on her.
v. 24a: "And He went off with him...." - With this huge crowd gathered around Him, Jesus takes the time to leave His audience and go with this anguished father. To Jesus, the crowd is never more important than the need of the individual. And this gives us an important model for ministry in today's church. Because we seldom save people by the busload, we need to be focused primarily on the needs of individuals.
NOTE: We are going to skip vv. 25-34, which occurs in the middle of Jairus' story. While Jesus was threading his way through the crowd en route to Jairus' house, a woman with an incurable bleeding problem, who had heard of Jesus' healing powers, touched His cloak and was immediately healed. Jesus, sensing that the "power" had gone out from Him asked, "Who touched my garments?." When the women fell down before Him and explained what she'd done, Jesus told her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." The point of this story is that the woman, because of her "faith," was not only healed physically but saved spiritually.
Read Mark 5:35-38 - YOUR DAUGHTER HAS DIED
35 While He was still speaking, people *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; why bother the Teacher further?" 36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid, only believe." 37 And He allowed no one to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 They *came to the house of the synagogue official, and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing.
v. 35: "While He was still speaking, people *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; why bother the Teacher further?" - This story has some parallels to the raising of Lazarus reported in John 11:1-44: If Jesus had come earlier, He could have prevented Lazarus' death, and once dead, both Martha and Mary lost hope in Jesus' power to help. Mark does not tell us about Jairus' reaction when he sees the mourners in front of his house, but we can certainly imagine his devastation at arriving home to find out that death rituals have already begun!(Whoever said "why bother the Teacher further," made the most insensitive remark I've ever heard.)
v. 36: "But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid, only believe" - By making this statement, Jesus defines faith-"only believe"-as the answer to Jairus' fear. In Jesus' ministry, faith is the agent that allows the power of God to act. The faith of the woman with the blood issue mentioned above was so great that she was healed without Jesus taking an active part. Now, confronted with the report of his daughter's death, Jairus is facing the supreme test of the faith that he previously showed Jesus in v. 23.
v. 37: "And He allowed no one to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James - These men are three of Jesus' first four disciples. They comprise an inner circle that will be invited to accompany Him at the Transfiguration and pray with Him at the Garden of Gethsemane. Now, they are to be the audience for what He's getting ready to show them.
v. 38: "They *came to the house of the synagogue official, and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing" - Bible scholars believe these were most likely professional mourners, who would honesty wail and cry, beat their breasts, tear their hair, and rip-up their clothing. They would be accompanied by flutes playing a funereal dirge. Part of their purpose was to alert the community to the death and signify grief. We need to see that there is no hope shown here-nothing to stand as a counterpoint to the grief that accompanies death.
Read Mark 5:39-43 - I SAY TO YOU, GET UP!
39 And after entering, He *said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child has not died, but is asleep." 40 And they began laughing at Him. But putting them all outside, He *took along the child's father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was in bed. 41 And taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, "Talitha, kum!" (which translated means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astonished. 43 And He gave them strict orders that no one was to know about this, and He told them to have something given her to eat.
v. 39: "And after entering, He *said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child has not died, but is asleep.'" - This verse can be easily misunderstood and must be seen in the context of who Jesus is and the powers He has at His command. Although NT speakers often use the word "sleep" as a euphemism for the death of a believer, the word used here by Jesus here for "asleep" (Gk katheudo) literally means to be asleep, not dead. Jesus isn't lying but is simply saying that He considers the girl's death to be a temporary, as opposed to a final condition, because of what He intends to do. With His innate powers as Creator, He isn't constrained by the ordinary laws of nature, what Paul would later refer to as the "elementary principles of the world" (Gal. 4:3).
v. 40a: "And they began laughing at Him" - The people who ridicule Jesus aren't identified, but they clearly believe the girl to be beyond help, which just adds weight to what Jesus is preparing to do.
v. 40b: "But putting them all outside, He *took along the child's father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was in bed." - The phrase "putting them all outside" suggests that these scornful mourners were forcefully evicted from the house. Jesus threw them out because of their faithless attitude and the effect it had on others. He now limits the audience in the room to Jairus, his wife, and the three disciples.
v. 41: "And taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, "Talitha, kum!" (which translated means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!")" - Mark translates the exact words used by Jesus into Greek for Gentile believers in the early church who didn't understand Aramaic. Mark included this to show that Jesus used ordinary language, not some kind of hocus-pocus magic expression. The point here is that our faith isn't defined by standard prayers, liturgical readings, or magic words, but by God's grace and Jesus' work. The inclusion of this Aramaic phrase is still relevant to us 2,000 years later. Jesus didn't raise the girl by His words but because He is the Word (John 1:1), which means in thought and deed He has the mind of God. Words have power and authority when they express the intent of God, not when they repeat particular phrases. The point we take from this is that our faith isn't defined by standard prayers, liturgical readings, or magic words, but by God's grace and Jesus' work.
v. 42: "And immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astonished" - "Immediately" Mark again twice uses one of his favorite expressions, which tells us that the girl's recovery was instantaneous and complete. The reaction of those who saw this is exactly what we would expect: surprise and utter amazement.
v. 43: "And He gave them strict orders that no one was to know about this, and He told them to have something given her to eat" - Why does Jesus order them to keep this miracle a secret? Scholars suggest that it was a matter of timing: While Jesus would more fully disclose the meaning of His Messianic mission (Mk. 8:30-33; 9:30-32; 10:32-34), He is being careful to reveal to the corwds only what they are prepared to understand (Mk. 8:34-9:1). Jesus tells the parents to give the girl something "to eat" because the act of eating, in and of itself, serves as proof that the girl is alive and able to function normally. And this isn't the last time Jesus will use eating as a proof of life. When He appears to the disciples after His resurrection, and they're not completely convinced that He's alive just by His appearance, He eats fish to show them He's normal (Luke 24:36-43).
APPLICATION-Before going any further, we all must agree with the basic spiritual premise that faith isn't a one-time experience but a process, a journey through life. Amen? For purposes of applying today's text, we'll examine it from the perspective of the steps of faith taken by Jairus:
1. Jairus came to Jesus: This first step of faith for anyone is to come to Jesus-to turn from trusting in yourself to trusting in Jesus. Jairus had to physically travel to Jesus' location; however, a person today can simply pray to Jesus wherever they may be.
2. Jairus humbled himself before Jesus: The next step of faith is to come to Jesus in humility in recognition of who He is-the Son of God who came in Human form with the power to grant salvation to those who believe in Him.
3. Jairus asked Jesus to help his daughter: The next step is to ask. Jairus begged Jesus in humble submission, but boldly asked Him to provide help in a personal crisis that only He could give.
4. Jairus expressed faith that Jesus could heal his daughter: Jairus was confident- because He had faith that Jesus had the power to heal his daughter when He laid hands on her.
5. Jairus waited patiently on Jesus: Jairus waited patiently when Jesus stopped to minister to the woman with the bleeding issue. Faith and patience must walk hand in hand to trust Jesus for timing.
6. Jairus showed unwavering faith in the face of bad news: Sometimes our situation in life goes from bad to worse. We experience trials when nothing seems to be going right. Faith is confidence that Jesus is with us every step of the way with the promise that we won't be tested beyond what we can bear and that He will show us the way out of it. (1 Cor. 10:13, my paraphrase.)
7. Jairus followed Jesus' leading: From start to stop, Jairus didn't ask questions or try to tell Jesus what to do but simply obeyed what Jesus told him to do.
8. Jairus showed astonishment when Jesus raised his daughter: Even with his steadfast confidence in Jesus' power from beginning to end, Jairus was still awed beyond imagination when his faith in Jesus proved itself. We show the wonder of our faith by never taking Jesus for granted.
9. Jairus followed his faith with obedience: When Jesus told him to keep silent about the raising of his daughter (an occasion for joy!), He obeyed Him without comprehending the reasons. See v. 43 above, for an explanation.
PRAYER: LORD GOD, as we come into Your presence this morning, we have many things to be thankful for. We thank you that we live in this nation in a time of peace. We thank you that we have roofs over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food to eat. We thank you that we have a church where we can worship freely and share the Good New of Jesus Christ. We thank You, Lord, that after a year of quarantine and restrictions, we are now able to resume a regular schedule of worship services. As we move forward with this plan, I pray, Dear God, that you would preserve the health and well-being and all who come here to worship, and I hope to see many new faces, as well as many familiar faces who have been unable attend church for reasons of health. Lord, I hope that everyone who heard the lesson this morning from the gospel of Mark, was uplifted by the magnificent example of real faith demonstrated by the man Jairus when he encountered Jesus. Lord, if anyone listening today needs the help that only Jesus can give, I pray that they will follow Jairus' great example, first, to come, and second, to simply ask. In the powerful name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN.
