A FUNERAL THAT ISN’T
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus’ reply pointed to the miracles that the Messiah would do, which were spoken of in Isaiah: “the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear.” Then Jesus added one more: “the dead are raised up.”
This is a sign that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, the Son of God: that at His word, someone who has died comes to life again. We’ll hear now about Jesus doing this for a 12-year-old girl.
Sermon Text, St. Mark 5:21-24, 35-43. Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. … While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
Lord, this is Your Word, and these are Your words. Sanctify us by the truth. Your Word is truth. In Your Word, You promise that because You live, we will have eternal life also. Establish in us the certain hope that we shall not die, but peacefully sleep, and be raised on the last day to eternal life and salvation. Amen!
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ, through whom death is only a sleep for all who only believe: Grace, mercy and peace be with you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The disciples have been following Jesus in Capernaum and the surrounding area. They’ve just seen Jesus calm a storm on the lake. After they landed on the shore, Jesus healed a man possessed by demons. They got back in the boat and soon landed on the Capernaum side. Again, there’s a crowd waiting.
Now we meet Jairus, one of the elders in the Capernaum synagogue. Jesus and His disciples had probably already seen him. Jairus certainly had seen Jesus. As a presiding elder, Jairus was responsible for who could teach in the service. Twice when Jesus was teaching there, big things happened: once He cast out a demon; another time he healed a man on the Sabbath. Only recently, a centurion, who contributed to the building of this synagogue, had a servant who was near death. The city elders – probably including Jairus – asked Jesus to heal him.
But now Jairus doesn’t come on official business. He makes his way through the crowd and falls in the dust at Jesus’ feet. He looks up with tear-streaked cheeks. His first words are: “My daughter …” – did his voice break, or did his words come haltingly? “My daughter lies at the point of death!” He asks Jesus to come. “Lay your hands on her that she may be healed.”
But the crowd isn’t making it easy for Jesus. He stops to help a diseased woman. (We’ll hear about her next week.) But in the time Jesus takes to help her, people from Jairus’ house come and say, “Your daughter is dead.” Those words are powerful enough to make the flickering flame of Jairus’ faith go all the way out, make it go dark. Death is a “dark valley of shadow” not just for the person dying, but especially for the ones left behind. It’s dark for Jairus.
Think of his sleepless nights; his worry and anxiety for his daughter; how he’d rather he were the one sick and dying, not her; how he hurt for his wife, who stayed behind at the bedside; how nothing matters now, not his great job or nice home, nothing, he can’t enjoy it if his darling girl is dead, her adult life unlived. Jairus saw everyone else helped by Jesus, but when it was his turn everything got in the way. There was no quick response, and his child died.
But there is one immediate response. “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken [to Jairus], He said to him, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe.’ ” Jesus speaks, interrupts the darkness, floods the darkness with His light.
As they approach Jairus’ house, they hear the hired musicians, hired mourners and wailing women. These are sounds that go with a funeral. Then Jesus says, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” The onlookers mock Jesus. He orders everyone out but Jairus’ wife. He takes James, John and Peter in, with Jairus. What will they see, other than death?
Jesus goes up to the girl. She’s dead. If a person touches the dead, according to Jewish law he’s ritually unclean, can’t go in to worship, or into Jairus’ synagogue, without a cleansing ritual. But Jesus not only touches the dead girl, He grasps her hand. They hold their breath. They might worry that Jesus will become unclean. Ordinarily Jairus the synagogue official might say something. But not now.
They hear Jesus say, “Talitha, cumi” – so memorable, Peter has Mark write the very words Jesus said in the language He spoke them. Instead of “little girl, arise,” it’s actually “little lamb, arise.”This is the Good Shepherd speaking. “Immediately” she gets up and walks. So Jesus didn’t become corrupted by death. He took away death’s decay and corruption. He poured life into her. She truly had been dead. But by Jesus’ power it was only like sleeping. She woke up.
Jesus’ one little word, “Arise,” is more powerful than the word Jairus heard, “she is dead.” The people who saw it – Jairus, his wife, also Peter, James and John – “were overcome with great amazement.” It was the funeral that wasn’t.
We’ve seen this through the disciples’ eyes. There’s a lot that we see with our own eyes. You may have watched death take someone you love, and you still grieve; it hurts. Or you know it’s in your future. You’ve had sleepless nights and worries about losing those dear to you. You dread that incurable wound.
Through these three eyewitnesses, the Lord is showing us something that is hidden from our eyes. He’s teaching you to see with the eyes of faith.
When you see Jesus take the hand of Jairus’ daughter, you’re seeing that in the moment of a Christian’s death – no matter if anyone else is at the bedside – Jesus is there, He comes and takes the Christian by the hand.
And when the coroner pronounces a Christian dead, and there’s a funeral, and at the grave, it’s hard for you to leave the cemetery or go on in life without that person, this miracle tells us that Jesus says something different: “This child is not dead, but sleeping,” and why is that true? Because at the moment of death, Jesus says: “Little one, arise!” The words we keep hearing at the time of death that make us so sad are not as powerful as Jesus’ words: “Little lamb, arise!”
Jesus’ words, “This child is not dead, but sleeping,” and “Little one, I say to you, arise!” are true, first, because of something the disciples would see later: that Jesus Himself died, He went into the valley of the shadow of death, He went to be swallowed up by death, but on the third day He rose. Death couldn’t hold Him. Ahead of time He said what to think of it: “Because I live, you shall live also.”
He also put it in these terms of being the Good Shepherd: “I lay down My life for the sheep. … I lay down my life that I may take it [up] again. No one take it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (Jn 10:15, 17-18). Jesus actually spoke thesewords to the Jews who did not believe in Him (yet). He says not only to those who believe in Him, but also if you don’t believe in Him yet, or if you doubt Him, even to the mockers, that this is true. He has power over death. He raises the dead. He gives eternal life.
His words are powerful not only to raise your loved one to life; they also bring you to believe, and lift your spirits. For everyone who “only believes,” this is what happens. We don’t see Jesus take the dying Christian into His keeping. We don’t see our loved ones go with Him into heaven. But through His Word we learn to see, with eyes of faith, that this happens for us.
Even if it’s not death we’re talking about, this is important. For there are times in your life when it seems Jesus is dawdling. Are other things getting in the way of His answering your prayer? Other people are being blessed in ways you aren’t. Things look dark for you. You can’t see the light at the end of your tunnel. To you too Jesus says: “Do not be afraid; only believe!”
As He did with Jairus, it’s through His Word that He floods your darkness with His light. Through His Word, He says to you: “Little lamb!” and He takes you by the hand and lifts you up by His Gospel. As you hear His promises about His power over death and devil, His promises that He will never leave you and will give you all things according to your need, He is making it bright for you.
This is a story about death and resurrection, but it’s also about believing what we can’t see. It’s about seeing all things with the eyes of faith. He’s doing things for you that you can’t see now, but you will. Like Jairus’ daughter, you too will “immediately” – when Jesus’ voice raises you – walk and skip, rejoice, laugh and sing in the heavenly kingdom. Like Jairus’ daughter, you’ll be given not earthly food but the marriage supper of the Lamb that lasts forever. Amen!