Today's reading tells us about the raising of the daughter of a synagogue official named Jairus (the Gospel text calls this man a “ruler of the synagogue”). The official's role in the synagogue in those days, as today, resembled that of a churchwarden in churches where such a position exists: this person...
Today's reading tells us about the raising of the daughter of a synagogue official named Jairus (the Gospel text calls this man a “ruler of the synagogue”). The official's role in the synagogue in those days, as today, resembled that of a churchwarden in churches where such a position exists. This person did not replace the rabbi, who remained the head of the synagogue as a religious community, but he was responsible for all its administrative and practical affairs. Such an office naturally carried great responsibility, and the person who held it enjoyed universal respect.
Meanwhile, on the way to Jairus' house, the Savior encounters a sick woman suffering from a flow of blood. The description we see in the Gospel does not allow us to determine exactly what illness she had, but it is clear that no physician had been able to help her in any way (vv. 25–26). She resolves to try one last means and, with faith and hope for healing, touches Jesus' garment (vv. 27–28).
In those days, such a bold step could well have provoked the Teacher's anger. Among the Jews, a person suffering from a flow of blood was considered unclean and could not participate fully in religious life, for example in sacrifices. To be cleansed, a person first had to wait until the bleeding stopped, which meant recovery had begun, and then perform a special purifying washing with water. The Old Testament, for example the Book of Leviticus, describes in detail how this was to be done. Yet this woman's bleeding had not stopped, and by touching Him she could, as she herself apparently believed, render Him unclean as well, since contact with someone or something unclean was thought to defile the person who touched it.
This is probably why she became very frightened when Jesus began looking around for the one who had touched Him. Nevertheless, she thought it best to approach the Teacher and confess everything, even at the risk of provoking His anger (vv. 32–33). But the Lord's answer was evidently not condemning; on the contrary, it was entirely approving (v. 34). While all this was happening, Jairus' daughter died (v. 35; apparently her father sought help only when the illness was already far advanced, perhaps after every other means had been tried). But this does not stop Jesus, for He is able not only to heal but also to raise the dead (vv. 41–42).
5
5:21 Luk 8:40.
5:22 One of the rulers of the synagogue - To regulate the affairs of every synagogue, there was a council of grave men. Over these was a president, who was termed the ruler of the synagogue.Sometimes there was no more than one ruler in a synagogue. Mat 9:18; Luk 8:41.
5:25 Mat 9:20; Luk 8:43.
5:37 John, the brother of James - When St. Mark wrote, not long after our Lord's ascension, the memory of St. James, lately beheaded, was so fresh, that his name was more known than that of John himself.
5:40 Them that were with him - Peter, James, and John.
5:43 He charged them that no man should know it - That he might avoid every appearance of vain glory, might prevent too great a concourse of people, and might not farther enrage the scribes and Pharisees against him; the time for his death, and for the full manifestation of his glory, being not yet come. He commanded something should be given her to eat - So that when either natural or spiritual life is restored, even by immediate miracle, all proper means are to be used in order to preserve it.