When the news comes that Jairus’s little girl has died, everyone assumes the story is over—everyone except Jesus. In this episode on Mark 5:35–43, we sit with the grief in that house, hear the mourners declare that death has won, and listen as Jesus quietly disagrees: “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” Together, we explore how Jesus meets us with deep tenderness in our sorrow while firmly refusing the lie that death has the final word.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- How this question fits into the larger series on Jesus’ questions in Mark and the growing evidence that he truly is the Messiah
- The moment Jairus hears, “Your daughter is dead… why bother the teacher any more?” and the tension between despair and the invitation, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
- What professional mourners were doing in that culture, and why Jesus challenges the role they play in enforcing hopeless acceptance of death
- Why Jesus calls the girl’s death “sleep,” and how Scripture uses that language to signal that death is not the end for those who belong to him
- The tenderness of Jesus toward Jairus and his wife—sending away the crowd, entering the house quietly, taking the girl by the hand, and speaking the simple words, “Talitha koum… little girl, get up.”
- The significance of Jesus touching a dead body, ignoring ritual uncleanness to draw close in compassion, and showing his authority over the “final enemy”
- How fear of death can enslave us in the present, and what it means to hear Jesus’ word, “Don’t be afraid; just believe,” in light of Hebrews 2 and 1 Thessalonians 4
- The contrast between Jesus’ gentle care for the grieving family and his firm refusal of the mourners’ hopeless verdict that death always wins
- How the promise of resurrection and the new creation (Revelation 21) reshapes the way we grieve, remember those we’ve lost, and live our own lives with courage and hope
After listening, you’ll be invited to bring your own fear of death—and the ache of losses you carry—into the presence of the One who has faced death and defeated it. You’ll gain a clearer sense of how Christians can grieve honestly without surrendering to despair, how Jesus’ words “Don’t be afraid; just believe” speak into hospital rooms and gravesides today, and how the hope of resurrection frees us to live this life with steadiness, courage, and quiet joy, even in the shadow of death.
Series: Questions Jesus Asked
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