Luke 8:49-55 - Brought back to life

8:49,50

Meanwhile Jairus must have been getting increasingly agitated, wondering if Jesus was ever going to come and heal his daughter. He may also have been feeling angry that Jesus was spending so much time on this woman. This may be a wrong reaction, but it is a very human one, and one that most of us would share have. Then news comes that seems to say the game is up and all is lost, he receives news that his daughter is dead.

Jesus counters this, telling Jairus not to be afraid but to believe. In dealing with us in times of our lives when anxiety seems to take a hold we will often find that the solution will only come when we stop being afraid. The first step is often to still our souls before the Lord.

8:51,52

Jesus kept most of the people out, only His closest disciples and the mother and father. Why did He do this? The “charismatic” answer is to get rid of those with a spirit of unbelief. There may be something to this, the wailers and the mourners certainly weren’t going to help matters! However, it could also be out of concern for the girl, and simple practicality.

Jesus commands the wailers and mourners to stop their wailing and mourning. Now why did He do this? Was it because the girl was not actually dead, but just in a deep sleep or coma, or was it because she was dead but He knew that He was going to bring her back to life? The latter is the more likely in view of the next verse. What is certain is that Jesus knew what was going on and He was going to bring life to the girl.

8:53-55

The crowd laughed, being convinced that she was dead. Now we need to remember that people of those days were far more accustomed to encountering death than we are, so notions that they were a bit ignorant and gullible are wide of the mark, and in terms of recognising death they were more knowledgeable than we are.

Jesus took the girl’s hand and spoke gently but directly to her, telling her to get up. “Her spirit returned”, indicating beyond doubt that Luke thought she was dead before Jesus healed her. She got up at once. It is the word of God that gives life, as it did right back in Genesis. Jesus then takes care of her practical needs, telling them to give her something to eat. Unlike the demoniac, Jesus tells the parents to keep quiet about the matter. Given that a good few people knew she had died, it is difficult to see how this could be done.