Luke 8:49, commentary and pictures

The report that the daughter is dead comes on the slow walk to the home of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, after Jesus returned from Gadara and at once agreed to come and lay hands on his little daughter, who lay at the point of death after the most learned physicians had given her up to die. That ready help surprised the disciples because he was a haughty ruler. Though the distance was short, progress was very slow because the people pressed on every side and Jesus stopped to pity and minister to their spiritual darkness and physical maladies.

He also stopped for the affliction of the bleeding woman, while the anxious, distressed father urged through the crowd fearful of being too late. The delay held him in deep interest yet without impatience. Seeing the healed woman sent away comforted and rejoicing made his hope stronger that Jesus could heal his own daughter and led him to urge Jesus to hasten.

While Jesus was again on the way with Jairus to heal his dying daughter, a messenger pressed through the crowd reporting that Jairus's daughter had died and saying there was no reason to trouble Jesus further. The report presented death as putting an end to the hope of healing and as making it useless to trouble the Master further. The words struck the father's heart like the death-knell of his hopes and like the death of his hope.

Jesus heard the report with a sympathizing ear, and His pity and divine compassion were drawn out toward the suffering parent. He answered with encouragement telling Jairus not to fear but to believe only. Hearing those words of hope Jairus pressed closer to Jesus and hurried with Him to the house where the child lay dead.

In the house hired mourners were making a loud outward show of grief. Jesus allowed no one to enter the room with Him except Peter, James, and John with the father and mother. He put the mourners out after declaring the girl was sleeping and not dead, and they laughed Him to scorn because they had seen death change her to a pulseless, unconscious form.

Accompanied by the parents and the three disciples, Jesus approached the bed, took the child's hand and told her in the familiar language of her home to arise. Life instantly returned with beating pulse, returning breath, opened eyes, and a smile, and she rose and walked, weak from long illness but free from disease, while the parents wept for joy. Jesus ordered that food be given her and charged the household to tell no one, yet because many had been present at her death and then saw her alive and well the news that He had raised the dead to life spread far and near.

That Jesus continued to the house and restored the girl to life shows that her death does not make it useless to seek Jesus, and her return to life reveals His power to restore the dead to life. That power stands together with the raising of the widow's son at Nain and the calling of Lazarus from the tomb after four days dead. These raisings show what will happen when Christ comes to the earth again, when His voice will pierce the tombs and the dead in Christ will rise to glorious, immortal life to ever be with the Lord.

Even while the great work of redemption weighed on Him and taxed all His mental and physical energies in teaching and healing, Christ did not overlook the necessities of the humblest. He heard every cry of need and was awake to the touch of faith. After raising Jairus's daughter from the dead He reminded her parents that she must have something to eat, giving an example of faithful, conscientious attention to little things that Christians must follow in cooperating with Him for the salvation of souls.