The journey home was difficult. A large crowd followed, and those who met Jesus along the road joined in, pressing close around Him. The situation was urgent, but the crowd wouldn’t let Him go easily. Making matters worse, some Pharisees—who knew Jairus—stood by the roadside, watching him with condemning eyes. Jairus wondered if it might be better to give up and admit this had all been a mistake. His worry for his daughter tangled with his thoughts, waging a battle in his heart. What was truly the right thing to do? Could his daughter survive if he didn’t bring Jesus? If so, he could keep his position as synagogue leader without trouble.
Jairus’s heart grew troubled again. Just then, Jesus’s voice broke through.
“Who touched me? Who touched my clothes?”
Jairus looked at Jesus in surprise.
“Master, you see the multitudes pressing against and jostling you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
The disciples’ answer seemed reasonable. With so many people crowding around, surely many had brushed against Him. Jairus thought so too, but Jesus kept asking, looking around intently. What did He mean?
“Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me.”
Jairus’s anxiety grew. His daughter was dying—how could Jesus stop now, all because of one person? Who could that one person possibly be, that Jesus would make such a fuss at a time like this? Yet, regardless of Jairus’s feelings, Jesus paused and searched the crowd. Jairus silently wished that whoever it was would come forward quickly.
He glanced around, wondering if others shared his impatience. People murmured as they searched for the one who had caused the interruption. Then, a woman stepped forward timidly. She looked unfamiliar, her face filled with fear. As she glanced around, as if she had committed a grave sin, Jairus suddenly wondered—was his own face just like hers right now? Was it really so wrong to ask Jesus to heal his daughter? Why was he, like her, so afraid and self-conscious? What did the Pharisees’ judgment or his title as synagogue leader matter, if he was so paralyzed by fear at this moment? In that instant, he realized that her appearance mirrored his own heart. Jairus bit his lip, trying to hold back the wave of sadness that suddenly welled up inside him.
The woman fell at Jesus’s feet and began to explain.
“I have suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years. I have seen many doctors, suffered greatly, and spent all my wealth, but my condition only grew worse. Then I heard about you. People said that if I came to you, all my illnesses would be healed.”
Her voice trembled.
“So I walked a long way to Capernaum. This morning, I heard you were at the seashore and went there. When I saw you coming, I joined the crowd and touched the fringe of your garment. I thought, ‘If I just touch his garment, I will be made well.’ And then…”
Her voice broke with tears.
“When I touched your garment… immediately… my illness was healed. After twelve years of suffering, it was completely gone…”
Her tears soaked the ground. She wept so sorrowfully that everyone around her grew solemn. All around, people turned away and wiped their eyes, moved by her pain. Was there anyone here who was not suffering? Was there a single person in this crowd untouched by hardship? Her pain was everyone’s pain, and her sorrow was everyone’s sorrow. They had all come to Him, carrying their own burdens of weakness and affliction. It was as if He was there to bear all their frailty and sickness. Jesus approached her and gently laid His hand on her back.
He said,
“Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”
His voice, warmer than spring sunlight, comforted every heart. Where else could one find someone who understood pain so deeply? With Him, any suffering could be endured.
* * *
Just then, people approached and brought devastating news.
“Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher. Why bother the Teacher any more?”
Jairus felt as if the sky had collapsed. He even began to resent God. For a moment, anger toward Jesus, who hadn’t gone straight to his house, welled up inside him—if only they had left without delay, maybe his daughter could have been saved. But when he saw the woman weeping on the ground, Jairus realized the fault was his own. His daughter had wanted to meet Jesus, and his wife had wanted to bring her to Him, but Jairus had stopped them. It was because of him that his daughter had died—not because Jesus was late.
Jairus buried his face in his hands, swallowing his tears as regret for the past filled his heart. At that moment, as if someone truly understood his pain, a gentle voice broke through the silence.
“Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed.”
Before he knew it, Jesus was beside him, gently placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. In that moment, Jairus realized that Jesus’s presence was not meaningless. He wasn’t coming just to witness his daughter’s death—He was coming to bring her back to life. Even if his daughter had already died, perhaps Jesus, the one truly sent by God, could still raise her. Filled with an unexplainable conviction, Jairus fell to his knees before Him.
“My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
With a gentle smile, Jesus helped Jairus to his feet.
* * *
As they approached the house, the sound of flutes and mourners’ wailing filled the air. Fear swept over Jairus, but Jesus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, as if to say, “Don’t be afraid.” Seeing Jesus’s calm expression, Jairus found renewed strength. As long as Jesus was with him, he was not alone. Gathering his courage, Jairus opened the door.
The house was already crowded with mourners. Through the throng of weeping and grieving, five people entered: Jesus, who had come to give life to a world already dead, and Jairus, Peter, James, and John.
Jesus said,
“Why are you making an uproar and weeping? Don’t weep. Make room, because the girl isn’t dead but is sleeping.”
At His words, the people laughed bitterly. They all knew the child was dead. For this man to say otherwise seemed absurd. Even in their sorrow, mocking laughter echoed through the house. But Jesus said nothing more until everyone had left. When only Jairus, his wife, Peter, James, and John remained, Jesus went into the room and took the cold, lifeless hand of the girl.
He said,
“Young lady, I tell you, get up! Talitha cumi!”
At His words, strength returned to the girl’s body. Life returned to her flesh, and she opened her eyes as if waking from sleep. Before her stood Jesus, whom she had longed to see, and her beloved parents—Jesus smiling, her parents weeping. The girl didn’t know why they were crying, but for now, she focused on the warmth of the hand holding hers.
As she got up and began to walk, Jairus and his wife embraced her, weeping with joy. Jairus’s weeping was especially loud and intense—anyone who knew his usual demeanor would have found it hard to believe.
Jesus instructed them,
“Give her something to eat. And tell no one about this.”
Still holding his daughter, Jairus protested,
“Why must we keep this a secret? If people hear of this, even the Pharisees who oppose you will surely change their minds.”
But Jesus only shook His head, offering no explanation.
- Author's notes : Jairus📖
The passages from Matthew 9:18-25, Mark 5:24-43, Luke 8:42-56 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation.
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