Chapter # 5 Paragraph # 2 Study # 3
February 22, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(208)
1901 ASV
22 And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet,
23 and beseecheth him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death: [I pray thee], that thou come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live.
24 And he went with him; and a great multitude followed him, and they thronged him.
25 And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 having heard the things concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague.
30 And straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power [proceeding] from him had gone forth, turned him about in the crowd, and said, Who touched my garments?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
35 While he yet spake, they come from the ruler of the synagogue's [house] saying, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Teacher any further?
36 But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe.
37 And he suffered no man to follow with him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
38 And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he beholdeth a tumult, and [many] weeping and wailing greatly.
39 And when he was entered in, he saith unto them, Why make ye a tumult, and weep? the child is not dead, but sleepeth.
40 And they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth, taketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with him, and goeth in where the child was.
41 And taking the child by the hand, he saith unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise.
42 And straightway the damsel rose up, and walked; for she was twelve years old. And they were amazed straightway with a great amazement.
43 And he charged them much that no man should know this: and he commanded that [something] should be given her to eat.
- I. The Description of Jairus' Appeal.
- A. The appeal was made by Jairus who had fallen at the feet of Jesus. Mark's last reference to someone "falling" is to Jesus' "falling to the ground to pray" because of the prospect of what was about to come (14:35).
- B. The appeal described a "little daughter" (12 years old) who "is having a final ending".
- 1. Mark alone used the word translated "little daughter", but uses the regular "daughter" on five other occasions.
- a. The "little daughter" is a diminutive form of "daughter".
- 1. In this text, the father uses this term while the bearers of the bad news, that the "daughter" has died, use the regular term that is applied in this text also to the woman with the issue of blood ("Daughter, your faith has made you well...").
- 2. This diminutive form shows up one more time in Mark's record (7:25) when the woman who is not Jewish, falls at the feet of Jesus, and pleads for an exorcism for her "little daughter". With Mark's trademark thesis in view (physical-healing powers/spiritual-forces powers makes Jesus, "Yahweh, The Mighty One"), it is not hard to see that he is, once again, using words that draw our attention to this thesis.
- a) Jairus is a man, ruler of a synagogue, with a "little daughter".
- b) The Syrophoenician is a woman, non-Jewish, with a "little daughter".
- c) The woman is so significantly different from the man that the difference could not be greater: she accepts the characterization of a "dog" who is totally unworthy of the favor she seeks, and counters with the allowance of "dogs" under the tables of the children who are notoriously sloppy eaters who drop portions of food to the floor. Her "answer" got her what she sought: her "faith" was like to that of the centurion of Matthew 8:10 fame and Matthew does not hesitate to compare this woman's "faith" to that of the centurion in Matthew 15:28. This is a strong contrast to Jairus' "faith" which needs to be supported by Jesus in order for him to "keep on believing". The difference: the woman did not have the guilty conscience Jairus had.
- b. The "regular" term for 'daughter' is used in this text also at the point of 5:34 wherein Jesus calls the woman whose faith brought about her healing, "Daughter", but it is also used in by those who were bearers of the "bad news" in 5:35, as well as in 6:22 (regarding Herod's wife's "exotic-dancer daughter"), in 7:26 where Mark uses the term in contrast with the mother's "little daughter", and in 7:29 where Jesus prefers "your daughter" to "your little daughter").
- c. The point is that "little daughter" is "daughter", invested with strong emotional attachment that considers a "daughter" "little" for, probably, greater sympathy in the appeal, but also for a testament to the degree of desperation of the parents.
- 2. Mark also is totally alone in his use of "eschatos", probably because he was quoting Jairus who actually said that word to refer to how close to death his "little daughter" was. Interestingly, Matthew 9:18 translates "just now came to the end" as "just died" (NASB) in direct contradiction to Mark's account. The translators dropped this ball big time.
- 3. In respect to his "summons" (parakaleo)...
- a. It is another "present tense in historical narrative" (emphatic creation of a mental image).
- b. It is altogether in harmony with the uses of "summons" because people in dire straits are unreserved in "telling" God what to do rather than "asking". Jairus did not "ask, please"; he "told" Jesus "lay Your hands on her".
- c. It is multiplied in some way.
- 1) The NASB translates "earnestly", a word typically used for 'large numbers'. "Greatly", probably does involve "earnestness", but the point is that Jairus is "summoning" as if he saw a hint of reluctance in Jesus' demeanor. The text does not indicate that Jesus actually was reluctant, but a guilty man often sees what is not there because of his recognition of his own unworthiness. Jairus was an "Archon" of the very synagogue that stood against Jesus, and he could hardly have not realized that he had already forfeited any rational basis for "summoning" Jesus, but he could not help himself by reason of his attachment to his "little daughter".
- 2) Jairus was, likely, on the very verge of hysteria, with all 'reason' cast aside and desperation in the driver's seat.
- II. Mark's "Point".
- A. The uses of "little daughter" are evidences of extreme desperation.
- B. The use of "falling" in respect to Jairus (not the word used of the woman's posture) is significantly repeated when Jesus "falls to the ground" in His extremity.
- C. There is no escape from the realization that Mark is deliberately tying "extreme desperation" to the issues of "faith" and "appeal for relief".
- 1. This, with its focus upon the "non-negotiable" ("faith") as a discipleship truism, is Mark's way of illustrating the absolute nature of "repentance" as initially given by his record of John as the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:1-3, and its link to this "non-negotiable". If anyone actually turns to God for relief, but does not "believe", he has not yet "repented". If, however, one turns to God and "believes" Him, that one will receive what he/she actually needs more than anything else: forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with the God of Life.
- 2. Mark is showing what those who proclaim Jesus' Gospel need to see: their preaching needs to double-down upon the "attitudes of repentant faith": humility mixed with confidence in God.