This account from the synoptics of the raising of the twelve year old daughter of Jairus, teaches us lessons on the compassion, the wisdom and the power of our Lord.
Among commentators there are differing opinions concerning the actual physical state of the girl previous to her visit from Jesus. Was she dead? Was she in a coma? Was she deathly ill and in such a weakened condition that she, pale, emaciated and still, appeared dead to the onlooker?
It is unknown to us where Luke the physician got his information for the documentation of this account. He may have talked to Peter, James or John, or the parents, or even the girl herself, who, by the time of his writing would have been an adult. We only know for sure that the Gospel of Luke, as all other scripture, is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
With that in mind, we must take note that although the other writers did not use this phrase, Luke explicitly stated that "...her spirit returned and she rose immediately".
That is enough for me, to accept that the girl was indeed dead, at least in human terms. But the debate continues, which raises questions in the minds of Bible students. So let’s break the incident down with this question in mind, and talk about the information that IS available to us, never losing our focus on the central figure in this event and all others; the Creator of all, Christ Jesus.
Jairus has approached Jesus and begged Him to come to his house to heal his daughter, who is dying.
Now, much can and has been said concerning this account, about the faith of a leading Jew; an official of the synagogue in Capernaum, and the testing of his faith when Jesus’ journey to his house is interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood (Matt.8:43-48).
There are other facets of this account that could be addressed, but we’ll by-pass those for the sake of our focus.
Jesus has blessed the woman mentioned above, and declared that her faith has made her well. It is not presumptuous to assume that He would immediately have resumed his journey to Jairus’ house, but we’re told that while He was yet speaking to the woman someone came from the house of Jairus with the dark tidings that the girl had died.
When Jesus tells those at the house that the girl is only sleeping they begin laughing "...knowing that she had died".
We see much the same kind of misunderstanding of Jesus in John 11, when Jesus tells His desciples that Lazarus is asleep and in response they question the need to go to him at all.
There is a slight difference in the Greek root words for the translation of ’asleep’ in the two accounts. But since there is intrinsic evidence in both places that Jesus said ’asleep’ and in both cases the hearers misunderstood, there is really no use in going into those hair-splitting differences.
Let me just draw the reader’s attention to the spiritual application. The man without Christ is referred to as both, ASLEEP and DEAD, although there is ultimately no difference between the two. He is separated from God by sin and destined for eternal death apart from Christ. Whether considered ’asleep’ or ’dead’ (Eph. 5:14)however, the One who wakes, the life-giver, is the same One who gladly and compassionately set foot for the house of the synagogue official on that day.
Here is another thing to consider. The father, Jairus, who is also a leading Jew and an official of the synagogue, has put his faith in this Nazarene. We do not know if this is a faith born of desperation, or prior conviction of Jesus’ Messiahship, based on what he had heard. Let’s indulge in just a little speculation here.
Jairus’ daughter may have been a believer through faith, as a result of things she had seen and heard of Jesus in the Capernaum area on previous occasions. In fact, for all we know, Jairus may have sought Jesus out in a time of desperate need, because of things he had heard his own daughter say about the preacher/miracle worker. We just cannot know the details until we see these people in eternity.
My point in speculating about the possible circumstances though, is that if she was a beliver, as we can be sure Lazarus was a believer, then Jesus’ reference to her condition as ’sleep’ may very well be based upon the truth that those who believe on Him, though they die, yet shall live (John 11:25,26). The New Testament writers also made other references to believers falling ’asleep’. For example, Luke says so of Stephen in Acts 7, and Paul says this about Corinthian believers in his first letter.
Does this satisfactorily answer the original question? No, it does not. It is not intended to. We will not definitively answer that question here at all. But we are not done.
We are told that upon arriving at the house, the professional mourners were there, wailing and weeping. (The assumption of the professional mourners is my own, based upon what I’ve read of the customs of the day. If the reader would prefer to believe that these mourners were legitimate friends and family members, feel free; it will not change anything here). Commentators I have read point out the tenderness and consideration of Jesus in sending them out before raising the girl so that she won’t be unduly frightened by the presence of so many upon waking.
They have a very valid point, and I appreciated their insight in bringing this out as His possible reason for dismissing them. When I read this account however, I am reminded of Matthew 13:58.
"And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief".
There is no place in the Gospels where we are given any indication of Jesus doing a miracle for the purpose of inspiring belief. Yes, at one point He tells the Pharisees that if they are not willing to believe His words they should at least believe Him because of the works He was doing; but the implication is clear that He would much prefer they believe His words.
These people in the house of Jairus, rather than treating Jesus with any level of respect, dishonor Him and the faith of the girl’s father, by laughing scornfully at His effort to comfort her loved ones.
It is my understanding therefore, that He took only the parents and His closest followers into the room for these reasons:
1. They (parents/disciples) were believers.
2. It was not time in the Father’s ’schedule’ for knowledge of this type of miracle to be widely known.
3. This was not a simple healing of a sick girl,-a rescusitation-, but a resurrection.
The next thing I want to point out is that these were people who were not unaccustomed to death. The traditions of our culture have been sculpted to protect us from the realities of death. In any controllable circumstance, the dying person is protected from onlookers and attended only by those closest to him, if anyone. As soon as clinical death is pronounced, the corpse is covered, shipped off to a funeral home, and out of sight until a professional can make it look like it’s all dressed up for church.
Even in the case of a tragic accident, first responders to the scene, after determining death, cover the victim with a tarp to discourage rubber-necking and to preserve the dignity of the deceased.
Not so in the culture of Biblical times. Death was common and the sights,sounds and smells of death were not masked or hidden, even from children. Death was as much a matter of fact as birth, and was a common experience to all; ESPECIALLY professional mourners.
These synoptic accounts tell us that the girl was confirmed dead by numerous people. So confident of their diagnosis were they, that when Jesus announced she was only sleeping they ignored the family’s grief and the solemnity of the moment to outwardly laugh at His assessment.
As you may have surmised by now, I for one am convinced that this girl was dead, and that Jesus raised her from the dead, just as surely as He did the widow’s son near Nain, and His dear friend Lazarus at the Bethany graveyard.
Having said all of the above then, let me appeal to common sense. Does it really matter whether she was dead, or not dead?
There is a movie entitled, "Paint Your Wagon", starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. At the very beginning of the movie a wagon is shown rolling uncontrolled down a steep mountain; supplies and riders being thrown at is crashes into the trees. Lee Marvin’s character climbs down to investigate. As he is looking at the bodies of the two men who had been on the wagon (one of them Clint Eastwood, who turns out later to be injured but alive), an onlooker from the top of the hill shouts down, "Is they dead?" To which Lee Marvin’s character replies, shouting, "They better be, ’cause I’m gonna bury ’em!"
My point is, argue as we may whether the girl was really dead, or only appeared dead, if Jesus hadn’t shown up she would have been buried. They ’knew she was dead’, and after He raised her, ’everyone was astonished’. Yep, she was headed for the tomb no matter what clinical condition we armchair-quarterbacks ascribe to her.
Does it matter whether she was healed of terrible sickness or raised from the dead? She was ministered to by the Lord of the universe, Who in the beginning spoke all things into existence and now holds all things together by the word of His power.
What we must realize and remember is the divine purpose of the scriptures (II Tim. 3:16,17), and never forget that while we were dead in trespasses and sins we were visited by the One whose compassion reaches all the way to meet our need. His response to saving faith is always ’Yes’ and ’Amen’. He has power to heal to the uttermost; not just a casting away of symptoms, but total restoration of the soul and spirit before the Father’s throne. Not a limping forth in meager survival, but in heartiness of life that is ready to partake of the Bread that comes down from Heaven.
"I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger..."
Are you praying for someone who is dead in their sins? Have you implored Jesus to come and give them His life? That is a prayer He is always willing to answer in the affirmative.
You’d better stand at the ready to give them something to eat.
