“Jesus asked everyone but Peter, James, and John (James’s brother) to remain outside when they reached Jairus’s home. Inside the synagogue leader’s house, the mourning had already begun; the weeping and wailing carried out into the street. Jesus and His three disciples went inside. Jesus: Why are you making all this sorrowful noise? The child isn’t dead. She’s just sleeping. The mourners laughed a horrible, bitter laugh and went back to their wailing. Jesus cleared the house so that only His three disciples, Jairus and Jairus’s wife were left inside with Him…
“They all went to where the child lay. Then He took the child’s hand. Jesus: Little girl, it’s time to wake up. Immediately the 12-year-old girl opened her eyes, arose, and began to walk. Her parents could not believe their eyes…
“Jesus (to the parents): Don’t tell anybody what you’ve just seen. Why don’t you give her something to eat? I know she is hungry” (Mark 5:35-43, The Voice).
Are You Kidding?
Don’t tell anybody! You’ve got to be kidding me! Jairus and his wife had just witnessed their daughter being raised from the DEAD! Many of the people knew with certainty that Jairus’ daughter had died. Now she was alive and would be soon seeing all the others! What were her parents supposed to say about what had happened?
Very few people have ever seen someone rise from the dead! If you witnessed such a thing, the first thing you would want to do is tell someone who wasn’t there!
Why did Jesus tell them to keep quiet? Didn’t He understand human nature? Didn’t He know that His request was impossible to honor?
Riding the Wave
Jesus was riding a wave. His engagement and interaction with His growing audience were like surfing. A wave of notoriety had been building with each healing and message He shared. More eyes and ears were focused on the possibility that He could be the Messiah, but such a notion also created a lot of unwanted criticism and debate.
Healing Jairus’s daughter was like the point of no return for Jesus’ mission! Surfers will tell you when they’re in the right place at the right time, that there is a moment when they must act. Just as the wave crests, there’s no time to hesitate! Go! Push! Go!
Jesus knew raising Jairus’ daughter would transport Him to a different place—to a higher level of scrutiny by church authorities. Perhaps a part of Him wanted to dampen the publicity so He could continue to work under the radar. Yet He knew the time had come—that a huge wave was cresting, and it was time to act.
Jesus knew the news of Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead would spread like wildfire. Yet His expression to keep it quiet revealed His desire to forestall the dark clouds of trouble that were already gathering.
Tell Everyone
After healing the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes, Jesus told him to go to his family and friends and tell them what happened (Mark 5:19).
Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus told His disciples to tell everyone what they had seen and heard. Don’t hold back anything! Go to the ends of the earth and tell everyone you see!
“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20, CEV).
Sometimes this seems like an impossible request because so many aren’t interested in hearing what we have to say—which may reflect on us. Are we people-friendly or info-centric? In other words, do we really care about people, or are we mainly focused on disseminating information about Christ, heaven, and hell? Our approach can dramatically affect the outcome.
Evidentially, timing is critical when it comes to sharing the good news about Jesus. There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak. But if you’ve just been raised from the dead, it will be impossible not to tell others what happened, and who did it!
If you liked this, you might enjoy, What’s In Your Heart? | Miracles Still Happen
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California.
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