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23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land. ~ Matthew 9:23-26
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 9 where the Lord Jesus had just healed an unnamed woman who had struggled with an issue of blood for a period of twelve years. He did this while He was en route to touch a twelve year old girl who had died. As we mentioned in our last study, the number 12 in the Bible is a symbol of the intersection of our faith and the kingdom of God. In total, the number 12 appears 187 times in the Bible. The faith of the desperate woman intersected with the divine rule of God and she was made whole. And ironically, the death of this little twelve year old girl bore forth the same message for her father.
In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him."
Just before the Lord Jesus healed the lady with the issue of blood, news had reached Jairus that his daughter had died. The delay had proven deadly. And, at that moment Jairus was advised to not trouble the Lord Jesus anymore. However, the Lord Jesus encouraged Jairus, "Stop fearing; keep on believing." Jairus struggled with the full gamut of emotions as he chose to continue to believe that it was possible for the Lord Jesus to raise his daughter from the dead.
In Psalm 55:4-5 we read, "My heart is in anguish within me. Horror has overwhelmed me. Fear and trembling come upon me. The terrors of death have fallen upon me."
The only cure for our fears is faith in the God of the Bible. No doubt, Jairus went numb when his greatest fear was made a reality. When we are devastated like Jairus, it is always going to be a challenge to our faith in the Lord. But, when we exercise our faith in Him, our fears are to some degree kept from impairing our view of Him as our Sovereign God. It is especially during the times of our greatest pain that we discover there is purpose to all of life's experiences. And, the greatest purpose is to grow in our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
As the Lord Jesus entered Jairus house, He encountered the people mourning the death of this little girl. Preparations had been made already for her funeral which was to happen that day. The professional mourners who had been solicited were performing their duties as the first part of the mourning ceremony. The emphasis had been clearly placed on the fact that the little girl had died. But, the Lord Jesus assured them all that the little girl would live. The fear of the mourners showed up that day in the form of ridicule toward the Lord Jesus as He made that most striking announcement. Rather than celebrate, they ridiculed, because they were operating according to what they saw. That which we do not understand we are often tempted to belittle.
The contrast that day at Jairus' house was very evident between the hopelessness of the mourners and the hopefulness of Jairus. Faith in the God of the Bible is the greatest antidote to our fears. But, when we are in the middle of intense pain, it is hard to navigate in the arena of hope. Believing that God is sovereign and that He works in every detail of our lives is the only correct way to navigate our lives in this world, whether He chooses to perform a miracle or not.
Death is not what it appears when faith in the God of the Bible is present because even if death comes, there is always purpose to be found in it. Death is merely temporary, and, is nothing more serious than going to sleep. It is only on this side of the curtain that death is our enemy. Just beyond the curtain, the monster turns out to be our friend. The label death is still on the bottle, but the contents are eternal life. Death is our friend because it reminds us that heaven is as near as a stopped heartbeat.
In v.25-26 of today's passage we read, "25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land."
It was at this point that the Lord Jesus went into the room where the little girl was located. Then the Lord Jesus took the little girl by the hand and He commanded the her to stand to her feet. Like the woman before, in that moment life was restored to the little girl. It was His touch that raised her to life. This was the first time in human history that a female was raised from the dead. Death departs and never victorious in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This little girl not only had life, she had all the normal strength of a twelve-year-old. This is the way it is in every miracle of the Lord Jesus throughout the gospels. Every one of His miracles were complete miracles, not partial. And, the Lord Jesus could have healed this little girl from afar. But, had He, His personal touch of compassion would be missing in this story. And, it is obvious this is one element that He accentuates in this chapter, His touch. And, to underscore the fact that she was alive, according to Mark's account, the Lord Jesus told the people to get the little girl something to eat. That the story went out throughout the land underscores the fact that it happened because had not the story gone forth it could have been challenged and perhaps made less believable. People do not herald lies. It was a true story where God exercised His power over even death.
