Talitha Cumi: A Meditation on Mark 5

While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, 

Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken,

 he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, 

Be not afraid, only believe.

And he suffered no man to follow him, save 

Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, 

and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

And when he was come in, he saith unto them, 

Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, 

he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, 

and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; 

which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; 

for she was of the age of twelve years. 

And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; 

and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

As the Church walks through the season of Pentecost, her people are reminded of the power of the Lord whom they serve, today in the appointed Gospel reading from Mark 5.  Among the teachings and healings Mark records of Jesus, there is this account of a young girl brought back to life.  And though Mark records this event in fast paced narrative, he leaves us some details worth slowing down to consider.

At the outset, we are told that the girl’s father is a ruler of the synagogue, which would have placed him in close company to the Sadducees and Pharisees who were actively plotting to murder Jesus.  As a father of daughters myself, I can only imagine the agony of seeing a beloved child on the brink of death, and appreciate the willingness to cross any distance or sacrifice any material good to save her.  Jairus beheld his beloved daughter dying, and despite the social ostracization he would face from his peers— perhaps the loss of his livelihood, social status, or even his life— pressed through the crowd around Jesus only to fall at His feet and beg for mercy on behalf of his child.

Jairus had no reason to expect Jesus to help him, knowing what his brood of treacherous vipers were planing to do to Him.  But Jairus knew that he could not preserve his daughter’s life, anymore than he could preserve his own.  Perhaps in panic, despairing of his own powers and might, Jairus fell on his face before Jesus and begged for what he knew deep down only God could provide:  life in the place of death.  While he and his murderously minded cohort plotted to give Jesus death in place of life, now a ruler of the synagogue pleaded with Jesus for life in place of death.

And yet, Jesus didn’t rebuke him, call him out for his hypocrisy, or make a spectacle of him before the crowd.  He told him not to fear, but to believe, even as Jairus’ servants came to tell them that girl was already dead— and then, on the way to Jairus’ house, Jesus showed him the power of faith in the healing of the woman whose incessant bleeding had left her a broken and bankrupt pariah.  Rather than crushing the broken, Jesus showed Himself as the savior of the hopeless.

At Jairus’ home, the mourners scorned and mocked Jesus, but rather than become offended, Jesus simply but them outside while He took the mother and father, Peter, James, and John, into the dead little girl’s room.  Inside, there was no magical incantation, bizarre gyrations, or long winded prayers.  Jesus knelt down, took the girl by the hand, and said, “Talitha cumi.”  Translated, it means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”  At Jesus’ Word, life returned to the child and she arose, much to the grateful amazement of her parents.  In the place of death, Jesus gave life back to Jairus’ family, and reunited them with the beloved child they had lost.

Surrounded by a world of death and evil intentions, it is easy to lose sight of the Lord of Life whom we serve.  Like Jairus, we might forget that only God Himself gives life in the place of death, until death comes close enough to us to remind us of our utter weakness before it.  No one in this world commands life on his own authority, and every person will eventually meet death as their powers of mind and body fail.  Such a reality may drive some to ignore death until it smacks them square in the face; others may live in perpetual fear of death; still others may despair and take their own lives rather than have it taken from them.  And yet, into this cacophony of delusion, panic, and despair, Jesus comes to speak His Word of life.

Sure, we are all guilty of collusion with a murderous, treacherous, and evil world— and certainly, we all deserve the death which comes inexorably to us all.  Death reminds us that there is no one righteous in this world, no one who can say to God that he is not tainted by the corruption which leads to death.  No one, from the smallest child to the most aged elder, stands pure before the holy God of life, for we are a fallen race, each conceived in sin, and twisted toward it all our days.  But like Jairus, we find in Jesus not one who has come to ridicule or destroy us, but one who comes to speak life, forgiveness, hope, and mercy to us.  Though we are the people who betrayed Him to death on a Roman cross only to see Him emerge triumphant from a tomb which could not hold Him, what we hear from Him is not condemnation, but love.  To us He speaks peace and grace, washing away our sins and evil through His innocent blood poured out for us, and for everyone who will come to Him.  To us He says, “Fear not—only believe.”

Into your broken, dying, and troubled life, Jesus comes to you this day, that He might offer to you life in the place of your death, forgiveness in the place of your sins, and mercy in the place of your judgment.  To you He speaks His healing Word of reconciliation, that you might once again be at peace with God and your neighbor, not in the virtue of your own power or righteousness, but in His.  To you He speaks His Word of resurrection so that you might not fear death, but know that even at the end of your time in this world, Jesus will speak eternal life into the reality of your death.  The Word He breaths upon you today is the Word you shall hear even as death’s sullen stream over you flows, as He calls you to arise out of darkness, and live forever in His unspeakable light.

Hear the Word of the Lord come to you this day, that He may give you eternal life in the place of your death, by grace through faith in Him alone; He alone who has conquered death for you, and He alone who can speak eternal life to you.  Hear Him today, repent, believe, and live in Him forever, shining forth as a living testament to His everlasting Gospel of life.  Amen.