Mark 5:35-43 shows how, after the woman with the hemorrhage is healed, news arrives that the synagogue official’s daughter has died before Jesus could reach her. Those bringing the message believe Jesus’s help is no longer needed. However, Jesus reassures the grieving father, proceeds to the house, and dismisses everyone but three close disciples and the girl’s parents. Then Jesus miraculously raises the girl to life. The onlookers are astonished, but Jesus instructs them not to speak of what happened. Through this miracle, He powerfully reveals His authority over life and death.
Mark 5:35-43Mark 5:35-43 commentary describes the dramatic miracle of how Jesus raised Jairus the synagogue official’s daughter back to life.
Jesus was on His way to aid the dying daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official in Capernaum (Mark 5:22-24Mark 5:22-24 commentary). But as He moved through the pressing crowds, a woman suffering from a hemorrhage quietly reached out, believing that touching His garment would heal her (Mark 5:25-27Mark 5:25-27 commentary). The moment she made contact with Jesus’s garments, she was instantly healed (Mark 5:29Mark 5:29 commentary).
Jesus paused and asked who had touched Him. When the woman came forward and confessed everything, He reassured her, affirming that her faith had made her well (Mark 5:30-33Mark 5:30-33 commentary).
In Mark 5:35-43Mark 5:35-43 commentary, commentary Mark returns to the account of Jesus’s urgent mission to Jairus’s house.
As Jesus was delivering the best news of her life to the woman of faith, Jairus was about to hear the worst news of his own.
While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” (v 35)
The phrase while He was still speaking refers to the moment when Jesus was addressing the woman of faith (Mark 5:34Mark 5:34 commentary). As Jesus was reassuring the woman that her faith had made her well, messengers arrived from Jairus’s house with devastating news.
The pronoun they refers to the messengers who came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue official. Apparently more than one person came to tell Jairus the difficult news.
The heartbreaking message they delivered to Jairus was: “Your daughter has died.” Jairus had rushed to find Jesus, hoping He could heal his daughter before it was too late.
From the messengers’ perspective, it was now too late. As Jairus struggled to process his overwhelming grief, the messenger attempted to guide him through the next logical step—dismissing Jesus. He said to Jairus: “Why trouble the Teacher anymore?”
The messenger referred to Jesus as “The Teacher,” highlighting His role as a teacher of the Law and divine wisdom. This title may have been used to respectfully downplay His miraculous healing abilities. Regardless, the messenger clearly did not believe Jesus had the power to raise the synagogue official’s daughter from the dead—otherwise, he would not have advised Jairus to dismiss Him.
Jairus had faith that Jesus could heal his daughter’s illness, as He had done for many others, including the woman with the twelve-year hemorrhage. But now that his daughter had died, the situation (from his perspective) had likely changed. He came to ask Jesus to heal her, not bring her back from the dead.
But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe” (v 36).
When Jesus overheard the heartbreaking news and the messengers’ suggestion to stop troubling Him, He encouraged the stunned Jairus: “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.”
Jesus remained unshaken by the news of the girl’s death. He was not troubled by her death because He was not bound by death’s finality. Jesus is the author of life (John 1:4John 1:4 commentary). He came to defeat death.
Jesus reassured Jairus, urging him not to fear but to believe. Despite the tragic news of his daughter’s death, Jesus promised that if Jairus had faith, his daughter would be made well.
Having just seen the power of faith through the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage, Jairus was encouraged by Jesus to believe as well. Just as faith had healed the woman, Jesus assured Jairus that his faith would bring about the healing of his daughter.
Jesus went with the distraught father back to his house (Luke 8:51aLuke 8:51a commentary). Mark continues his narration once Jesus arrived at Jairus’s home:
And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James (v 37).
Peter witnessed this miracle firsthand. He later recounted it to Mark as part of his testimony. Mark, relying on Peter’s vivid memories, recorded the event with striking detail and emphasis. This connection underscores the credibility and immediacy of the account, grounding it in the experience of an authoritative eyewitness.
Despite the large crowd following Jesus, likely since His return from the Decapolis (Mark 5:21Mark 5:21 commentary), He only allowed a select few to accompany Him into the synagogue official'shouse. In addition to the three disciples, Luke also includes the girl’s father and mother as those Jesus allowed to enter and/or remain (Luke 8:51Luke 8:51 commentary). (Mark also agrees on this point in verse 40).
Jesus chose to keep this miracle private for the time being, allowing only three of His closest disciples to enter the house with Him: Peter, James, and John. Additionally, Luke indicates how Jesus, naturally, permitted the girl’s father and mother to enter the house and/or remain there (Luke 8:51Luke 8:51 commentary).
Mark describes the scene when they arrived at the house:
They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing (v 38).
In ancient Jewish culture, it was customary to hire professional mourners who would weep and lament the dead. The fact that the girl had been dead long enough for mourners to be gathered suggests that she had been gone for a while. The scene was filled with noise and chaos, with mourners and musicians creating a loud and sorrowful atmosphere. Mark described the scene as a commotion with people loudly weeping and wailing.
Matthew adds that flute players were present, contributing to the cacophony of the mourning ritual (Matthew 9:23Matthew 9:23 commentary). The sound of lamentations and music reflected the deep despair surrounding the girl's death.
All of this commotion of weeping and wailing and flute-playing would have created a chaotic atmosphere of mourning. Jesus, however, commanded it to cease.
And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” (v 39)
Jesus told the mourners to stop weeping. He explained that the girl had notdied but was merely asleep. While it was obvious from the reports and the mourners that the girl had indeed passed away, Jesus’s statement could have been a reference to the miracle He was about to perform, or perhaps He was downplaying the situation to attract additional attention to Himself that could distract from His mission as the Messiah.
They began laughing at Him (v 40a).
The crowd of mourners broke character and laughed atJesus when He said the little girl was not dead, but asleep. Theybegan laughing at Jesus because based on their own knowledge and experience, the girl had died. Jesus’s statement that she was only asleep seemed ignorant or absurd to them, as they were certain of her death.
Their laughter was likely a mocking response, ridiculing Jesus’s claim. It also exposed the insincerity of the professional mourners, who were pretending to grieve in a situation where they knew the girl's death was a certainty.
Then Jesus told everyone in the house to leave but the three disciples He brought with Him and the girl’s parents.
But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was (v 40b).
The gospels do not provide an explicit explanation for why Jesus allowed only Peter, James, John, and the girl’s parents to be present during the miracle. They simply indicate how only these five individuals witnessed what Jesus was about to do. The reasons for this private moment will be explored later in the commentary.
With everyone else out of the house, Jesus performed a wonderful miracle—He brought the little girl back to life.
Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat (vv 41-43).
All three parallel gospels state that Jesus took her by the hand (Luke 8:54Luke 8:54 commentary; Matthew 9:25bMatthew 9:25b commentary).
Mark preserves the Aramaic words of Jesus—the language spoken at the time—as a direct and memorable quote from Peter, who was an eyewitness to this remarkable event. In Aramaic, Jesus said “Talitha kum”. Mark then translates for his Roman readers what Talitha kum means. Translated, Talitha kum means: “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
Luke simply offers the translated version of what Jesus said for his audience.
Luke, who was himself a physician (Colossians 4:4Colossians 4:4 commentary), reports what Jesus said as “Child arise!”—Jesus’s words called her dead body back to life,
“And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately…” (Luke 8:55aLuke 8:55a commentary)
Luke’s gospel is the most explicit in stating that the girl returned to life, because his account is the only one to specify that the girl’s spirit returned to her at Jesus’s command.
As a physician, Luke may have taken a professional interest in this fact.
Physical death occurs when a person’s spirit becomes separated from their body. This girl had experienced physical death because her spirit departed from her body—but Jesus restored her to life when He said: “Child arise!” and her spirit returned to her body (Luke 8:55aLuke 8:55a commentary).
Her spirit returned instantly when Jesus said this. He is the Great Physician. And when her spirit returned, she immediately got up (Luke 8:55aLuke 8:55a commentary).
Mark tells us that the girl immediately got up and began to walk, and that Jesus said that something should be given her to eat. The fact that she ate food after being raised shows that Jairus’s daughter was not only brought back to life but also fully restored to health. Her eating and walking emphasize her complete recovery.
The witnesses immediately were completely astounded, but Jesus gave them strict orders that no one should know about this.
This miracle was astonishing! Not only did it restore a beloved daughter to her family, but it also demonstrated Jesus’s divine authority over death itself.
Despite the many people outside who knew of the girl’s death and would soon see that she was alive, Jesus instructed the small group of witnesses to tell no one about what had happened. This could have been a moment to publicly display His divine power, yet He chose to keep the details of the miracle private.
Even though Jesus instructed the witnesses to keep the miracle private, Matthew reported: “This news spread throughout all that land”—referring to Galilee and beyond (Matthew 9:26Matthew 9:26 commentary).
Jesus may have wanted to keep His ability to raise the dead undisclosed at this time to prevent misunderstandings about His mission. If word spread that He had power over death, many Jews might have immediately declared Him the Messiah and expected Him to lead a rebellion against Rome, aligning with their political expectations rather than His true purpose.
Jesus’s mission was not to overthrow political systems but to fulfill His Father’s will (John 4:34John 4:34 commentary, 5:305:30 commentary, 6:386:38 commentary; Luke 22:42Luke 22:42 commentary). He came to conquer sin and death, not Rome. By keeping His miracles discreet, He avoided the misplaced expectations of the people, who might have tried to divert Him from His ultimate purpose—to suffer, die, and rise again for the salvation of the world.
This miracle was a preview of the greater resurrection Jesus came to bring—eternal life for all who believe in Him.
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Mark 5:35-43 meaning
The parallel Gospel accounts for Mark 5:35-43Mark 5:35-43 commentary are Matthew 9:23-26Matthew 9:23-26 commentary and commentary Luke 8:49-56Luke 8:49-56 commentary.
Mark 5:35-43Mark 5:35-43 commentary describes the dramatic miracle of how Jesus raised Jairus the synagogue official’s daughter back to life.
Jesus was on His way to aid the dying daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official in Capernaum (Mark 5:22-24Mark 5:22-24 commentary). But as He moved through the pressing crowds, a woman suffering from a hemorrhage quietly reached out, believing that touching His garment would heal her (Mark 5:25-27Mark 5:25-27 commentary). The moment she made contact with Jesus’s garments, she was instantly healed (Mark 5:29Mark 5:29 commentary).
Jesus paused and asked who had touched Him. When the woman came forward and confessed everything, He reassured her, affirming that her faith had made her well (Mark 5:30-33Mark 5:30-33 commentary).
In Mark 5:35-43Mark 5:35-43 commentary, commentary Mark returns to the account of Jesus’s urgent mission to Jairus’s house.
As Jesus was delivering the best news of her life to the woman of faith, Jairus was about to hear the worst news of his own.
While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” (v 35)
The phrase while He was still speaking refers to the moment when Jesus was addressing the woman of faith (Mark 5:34Mark 5:34 commentary). As Jesus was reassuring the woman that her faith had made her well, messengers arrived from Jairus’s house with devastating news.
The pronoun they refers to the messengers who came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue official. Apparently more than one person came to tell Jairus the difficult news.
The heartbreaking message they delivered to Jairus was: “Your daughter has died.” Jairus had rushed to find Jesus, hoping He could heal his daughter before it was too late.
From the messengers’ perspective, it was now too late. As Jairus struggled to process his overwhelming grief, the messenger attempted to guide him through the next logical step—dismissing Jesus. He said to Jairus: “Why trouble the Teacher anymore?”
The messenger referred to Jesus as “The Teacher,” highlighting His role as a teacher of the Law and divine wisdom. This title may have been used to respectfully downplay His miraculous healing abilities. Regardless, the messenger clearly did not believe Jesus had the power to raise the synagogue official’s daughter from the dead—otherwise, he would not have advised Jairus to dismiss Him.
Jairus had faith that Jesus could heal his daughter’s illness, as He had done for many others, including the woman with the twelve-year hemorrhage. But now that his daughter had died, the situation (from his perspective) had likely changed. He came to ask Jesus to heal her, not bring her back from the dead.
But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe” (v 36).
When Jesus overheard the heartbreaking news and the messengers’ suggestion to stop troubling Him, He encouraged the stunned Jairus: “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.”
Jesus remained unshaken by the news of the girl’s death. He was not troubled by her death because He was not bound by death’s finality. Jesus is the author of life (John 1:4John 1:4 commentary). He came to defeat death.
Jesus reassured Jairus, urging him not to fear but to believe. Despite the tragic news of his daughter’s death, Jesus promised that if Jairus had faith, his daughter would be made well.
Having just seen the power of faith through the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage, Jairus was encouraged by Jesus to believe as well. Just as faith had healed the woman, Jesus assured Jairus that his faith would bring about the healing of his daughter.
Jesus went with the distraught father back to his house (Luke 8:51aLuke 8:51a commentary). Mark continues his narration once Jesus arrived at Jairus’s home:
And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James (v 37).
Peter witnessed this miracle firsthand. He later recounted it to Mark as part of his testimony. Mark, relying on Peter’s vivid memories, recorded the event with striking detail and emphasis. This connection underscores the credibility and immediacy of the account, grounding it in the experience of an authoritative eyewitness.
Despite the large crowd following Jesus, likely since His return from the Decapolis (Mark 5:21Mark 5:21 commentary), He only allowed a select few to accompany Him into the synagogue official's house. In addition to the three disciples, Luke also includes the girl’s father and mother as those Jesus allowed to enter and/or remain (Luke 8:51Luke 8:51 commentary). (Mark also agrees on this point in verse 40).
Jesus chose to keep this miracle private for the time being, allowing only three of His closest disciples to enter the house with Him: Peter, James, and John. Additionally, Luke indicates how Jesus, naturally, permitted the girl’s father and mother to enter the house and/or remain there (Luke 8:51Luke 8:51 commentary).
Mark describes the scene when they arrived at the house:
They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing (v 38).
In ancient Jewish culture, it was customary to hire professional mourners who would weep and lament the dead. The fact that the girl had been dead long enough for mourners to be gathered suggests that she had been gone for a while. The scene was filled with noise and chaos, with mourners and musicians creating a loud and sorrowful atmosphere. Mark described the scene as a commotion with people loudly weeping and wailing.
Matthew adds that flute players were present, contributing to the cacophony of the mourning ritual (Matthew 9:23Matthew 9:23 commentary). The sound of lamentations and music reflected the deep despair surrounding the girl's death.
All of this commotion of weeping and wailing and flute-playing would have created a chaotic atmosphere of mourning. Jesus, however, commanded it to cease.
And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” (v 39)
Jesus told the mourners to stop weeping. He explained that the girl had not died but was merely asleep. While it was obvious from the reports and the mourners that the girl had indeed passed away, Jesus’s statement could have been a reference to the miracle He was about to perform, or perhaps He was downplaying the situation to attract additional attention to Himself that could distract from His mission as the Messiah.
They began laughing at Him (v 40a).
The crowd of mourners broke character and laughed at Jesus when He said the little girl was not dead, but asleep. They began laughing at Jesus because based on their own knowledge and experience, the girl had died. Jesus’s statement that she was only asleep seemed ignorant or absurd to them, as they were certain of her death.
Their laughter was likely a mocking response, ridiculing Jesus’s claim. It also exposed the insincerity of the professional mourners, who were pretending to grieve in a situation where they knew the girl's death was a certainty.
Then Jesus told everyone in the house to leave but the three disciples He brought with Him and the girl’s parents.
But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was (v 40b).
The gospels do not provide an explicit explanation for why Jesus allowed only Peter, James, John, and the girl’s parents to be present during the miracle. They simply indicate how only these five individuals witnessed what Jesus was about to do. The reasons for this private moment will be explored later in the commentary.
With everyone else out of the house, Jesus performed a wonderful miracle—He brought the little girl back to life.
Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat (vv 41-43).
All three parallel gospels state that Jesus took her by the hand (Luke 8:54Luke 8:54 commentary; Matthew 9:25bMatthew 9:25b commentary).
Mark preserves the Aramaic words of Jesus—the language spoken at the time—as a direct and memorable quote from Peter, who was an eyewitness to this remarkable event. In Aramaic, Jesus said “Talitha kum”. Mark then translates for his Roman readers what Talitha kum means. Translated, Talitha kum means: “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
Luke simply offers the translated version of what Jesus said for his audience.
Luke, who was himself a physician (Colossians 4:4Colossians 4:4 commentary), reports what Jesus said as “Child arise!”—Jesus’s words called her dead body back to life,
“And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately…”
(Luke 8:55aLuke 8:55a commentary)
Luke’s gospel is the most explicit in stating that the girl returned to life, because his account is the only one to specify that the girl’s spirit returned to her at Jesus’s command.
As a physician, Luke may have taken a professional interest in this fact.
Physical death occurs when a person’s spirit becomes separated from their body. This girl had experienced physical death because her spirit departed from her body—but Jesus restored her to life when He said: “Child arise!” and her spirit returned to her body (Luke 8:55aLuke 8:55a commentary).
Her spirit returned instantly when Jesus said this. He is the Great Physician. And when her spirit returned, she immediately got up (Luke 8:55aLuke 8:55a commentary).
Mark tells us that the girl immediately got up and began to walk, and that Jesus said that something should be given her to eat. The fact that she ate food after being raised shows that Jairus’s daughter was not only brought back to life but also fully restored to health. Her eating and walking emphasize her complete recovery.
The witnesses immediately were completely astounded, but Jesus gave them strict orders that no one should know about this.
This miracle was astonishing! Not only did it restore a beloved daughter to her family, but it also demonstrated Jesus’s divine authority over death itself.
Despite the many people outside who knew of the girl’s death and would soon see that she was alive, Jesus instructed the small group of witnesses to tell no one about what had happened. This could have been a moment to publicly display His divine power, yet He chose to keep the details of the miracle private.
Even though Jesus instructed the witnesses to keep the miracle private, Matthew reported: “This news spread throughout all that land”—referring to Galilee and beyond (Matthew 9:26Matthew 9:26 commentary).
Jesus may have wanted to keep His ability to raise the dead undisclosed at this time to prevent misunderstandings about His mission. If word spread that He had power over death, many Jews might have immediately declared Him the Messiah and expected Him to lead a rebellion against Rome, aligning with their political expectations rather than His true purpose.
Jesus’s mission was not to overthrow political systems but to fulfill His Father’s will (John 4:34John 4:34 commentary, 5:305:30 commentary, 6:386:38 commentary; Luke 22:42Luke 22:42 commentary). He came to conquer sin and death, not Rome. By keeping His miracles discreet, He avoided the misplaced expectations of the people, who might have tried to divert Him from His ultimate purpose—to suffer, die, and rise again for the salvation of the world.
This miracle was a preview of the greater resurrection Jesus came to bring—eternal life for all who believe in Him.