While Jesus was still talking with a woman who had just been
cured of a chronic bleeding disorder, people came from the house of the leader
of the synagogue, to tell him that his sick daughter had already died. The leader had earlier implored Jesus to come
to heal his daughter, but their trip to the house had been interrupted, and now
it seemed to late for Jesus to help.
"Why trouble the teacher any further?" the messengers
asked. Undeterred, Jesus reassured the
father, "Do not fear, but only believe." He then pressed on, taking only Peter, James
and John with him. Arriving at the
house, he saw a commotion of people wailing and weeping, in the traditional
ancient Middle-Eastern manner of mourning.
As he entered the house, Jesus asked the mourners, "Why are you
making a commotion? The child is not
dead, but sleeping." Upon hearing
these words, they laughed at him.
Ignoring the laughter, Jesus put the mourners outside, and took
the mother and father inside to where the twelve-year-old child was, along with
his three accompanying disciples. Taking
the child by the hand, he said to her in Aramaic, "Talitha cum;" that
is, "Little girl, get up."
Immediately, she got up and walked around, amazing everyone. Jesus ordered everyone to keep the incident a
secret, and he told them to give the girl something to eat.
At the beginning of the chapter, the child's father had shown
great confidence in Jesus' ability to heal his daughter. How would he have felt, upon hearing the news
from the messengers? Would his
confidence in Jesus have been shaken?
Would he have assumed that it was too late for Jesus to help? Can you recall any times when it has just
seemed too late for Jesus to be of any help to you? Did you then continue to pray for help, or
choose not to trouble Jesus further? If
your own problem or illness has not eventually been taken away, in response to
your prayers, has that affected your feelings about this story? Would it seem implausible, or merely
mysterious?
Why did Jesus tell the mourners that the child was "not
dead, but only sleeping"? Was he
really suggesting that the onlookers had been mistaken in pronouncing the death
of the girl, or was he really suggesting that death was not as serious as it
appeared, but only like "sleeping"?
Why did the author make a point of indicating that the girl was twelve
years old? That was the same number of
years that the woman described earlier in the chapter had been suffering from
her bleeding disorder; could the coincidence suggest a connection between the
cases? Twelve years old was the age when
a girl typically left her father's protection for marriage. Was it significant that her father still
sought to protect her? If she was
considered an adult, why did Jesus address her as "little girl"? Was that the same sort of family-like
familiarity he was suggesting by addressing the woman he healed earlier in the
chapter as "daughter"? Why
would Jesus suggest that the parents give their daughter "something to eat"? Was it because she must have been hungry
after her ordeal? Did it indicate that
she was "really on the mend," because she was able to begin eating
normally again? Did it prove that she
was really alive, and not a ghost?
Why does Mark's Gospel place so much emphasis on Jesus' healing
ministry? Why do you think Jesus only
allowed three of his disciples to see this particular healing/resuscitation? Why would Jesus insist that "no one
should know" about such an amazing event?
How would it have been possible to keep it a secret, in any event?
