Jesus Raises Jairus' Daughter from the Dead
Heinrich Hofmann — Bible Illustrations
Scripture
What Was Said or Done
Historical and Cultural Context
Death brought ritual impurity under the Mosaic law, and touching a corpse ordinarily made a person unclean. Mark's paired stories of the bleeding woman and Jairus' daughter emphasize Jesus entering situations of impurity without being overcome by them.
The report of death is explicit before Jesus arrives, and the mourning confirms the household understands the child to have died.
Old Testament Background
Elijah and Elisha provide important Old Testament precedents for raising the dead. Elijah cries to the LORD for the child's life, and Elisha prays to the LORD before the Shunammite's son revives.
Those precedents prevent the simplistic argument that raising the dead automatically proves deity. Mark's distinctive emphasis is Jesus' direct authority: he speaks to the dead girl himself.
Exposition
When messengers announce the girl's death, Jesus tells Jairus not to fear but to believe. At the house he takes the child by the hand and commands, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise.'
She immediately rises and walks. Jesus' word is presented as effective over death itself.
Why This Points to His Divinity
The miracle is strong cumulative evidence rather than an isolated proof of deity. Prophets were instruments in resurrection miracles.
Yet Mark portrays Jesus with an immediacy of life-giving authority different from the prophetic petitions of Elijah and Elisha. Death responds to Jesus' own word, fitting the Gospel's expanding picture of his sovereign authority.
Response of the Hearers
The mourners laugh at Jesus; after the girl rises, those present are overcome with amazement.