Jesus says: “Talitha kum!” Get up.

Mark 5:21-43 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

²¹ When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. ²² One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet ²³ and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” ²⁴ And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

²⁵ A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, ²⁶ and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— ²⁷ after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ²⁸ For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” ²⁹ Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰ Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” ³¹ And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” ³² And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. ³³ But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

³⁵ While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” ³⁶ But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” ³⁷ And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. ³⁹ And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” ⁴⁰ They began laughing at Him. 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. ⁴¹ Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. ⁴³ And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

As we read the Gospel accounts of the miraculous healings of Jesus earthly ministry we see there was no single method Jesus used in healing. Sometimes He would touch people, sometimes He would command the sickness to be gone or health to come. In John 9, Jesus healed a man born blind:  He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, ⁷ and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”   In Mark 7:33-35 we see an account of Jesus healing a man who was deaf and mute:  Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!"  35And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.…      There is no model, no method or powerful incantation we can learn from studying Jesus acts of healing. The only things that are consistent in every act of healing we read about Jesus doing are Jesus Himself and faith.

In the beginning of today’s text we see:   One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet ²³ and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” ²⁴ And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.    There was no question in the mind of Jarius, he believed that Jesus was the answer to his daughter’s dire need. He said “so that she will get well and live”. He had faith in Jesus and Jesus responded to his faith. Along the way another person with a need and faith in Jesus comes along:  ²⁵ A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, ²⁶ and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— ²⁷ after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ²⁸ For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” ²⁹ Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.    This woman had faith in Jesus power to heal, to the extent that she believed if she just touched His garment she would be healed. Jesus responded to her faith:  He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”        Her faith made her well, her faith in Jesus power to heal.   

The situation then changes for Jarius and his daughter:  While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” ³⁶ But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” ³⁷ And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.       The faith of Jarius was affected by the words of the people. Jesus encouraged his faith, telling him not to be afraid, to believe. Jesus continued to speak words of faith, even through the mockery of those who did not believe, He said:   “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” ⁴⁰ They began laughing at Him. 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.  Then with no farther fanfare or drama Jesus speaks words of life to the child:     Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.       Although Jarius had faith in the beginning that Jesus could heal his daughter, he was astounded that Jesus was able to actually give her life from death.

In Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus says:   "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. 22"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."    Jesus responds to our faith. Now please let me be clear. I am not saying that those who have not received the answer to their prayers, in particular those who have not received healing, are responsible themselves because they do not have enough faith. God is sovereign, there are some things we don’t know and understand from our earthly perspective of the way He is using things to impact our lives and the lives of others. Romans 8:28-29 says: we know that ^[a]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren      While God doesn’t cause things, sickness, disease and deformity, He will use those things, causing them to work for good in our lives as we become conformed to the image of Christ. Sometimes it is the healing action in our lives which restores us to the way God created and intended us to be. Other times there are things which must die in us so that we can be raised up with Christ. Again please believe there is no condemnation for those who have not received an answer, their healing. Romans 8:1-2 says:  Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

If I had the mystical key to have every prayer answered, every healing complete, I would give it to you free of charge, because this much I do know: there is no method or a model, there is no formula that works every time,  it is not mine or any other persons to have or to give. The answer to every prayer, the answer to every need is in Christ. The reason some prayers go unanswered and some healings are not manifested here on earth is never that Christ is not able. Jesus responds to our faith. When our faith is not strong enough He will encourage our faith if we remain in His presence. When we don’t have enough faith then let us be like the father in Mark 9:24, who:    cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. I know and believe that You, Lord Jesus, have the power to heal every sickness, disease and deformity, both in my life and in the lives of those I love and those I interact with. I know and I believe that You completed all the work of redemption, reconciliation and restoration on the cross. It is finished. It is complete and settled in heaven. My prayer is the prayer You Lord Jesus taught us to pray; Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I want to see the fullness of the manifestation of the power and glory of the kingdom of heaven, here on earth.  I believe.     Amen.