The Good News about Jesus – Part 8
By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
July 6, 2025, Mark 5:21-24, 35-43
I received good news a week ago. I am scheduled to go into the Heart Institute in Ottawa for my ablation on July 22nd. The procedure has a 90% success rate. If you think about it, I would appreciate prayer that the procedure would go well and be successful.
This morning, we are continuing our series on the book of Mark. As we have been doing a summer tour through the book of Mark, we have seen Jesus’ authority over sickness, the demonic, the Sabbath, sin, and the storms. This morning’s story is about Jesus’ authority over death itself.
You heard the story read, but let me remind you of it. Jarius was the head of a synagogue, which would be equivalent to Kevin Wills, who is chair of the Asbury board. He was also the father of a 12-year-old girl and a husband to that little girl’s mother. Those were the roles that were most important to him.
Jesus had just crossed over the Sea of Galilee again. Jarius had heard that he was in the area and travelled at least a little distance to find Jesus. When Jarius got to Jesus, he fell at his feet. Verse 23 records that
Mark 5:23–24 (NIV)
23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
Jarius pleads for Jesus to come and heal his daughter, and Jesus agrees to go with him.
There is a large crowd that is surrounding and following Jesus as they set off to Jarius’ house. The gospel of Mark goes on to tell this other story of how a woman who was having problems with her menstrual cycle came and touched Jesus’ robe. She believed that if she could just touch him, she would be healed.
She was right. She touched his robe and was healed. Jesus knew what was going on and spoke to the woman.
Mark 5:34 (NIV)
34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
It is not that often in scripture where a story gets split up. You have to figure that Mark did this for a specific reason. I believe that Mark wanted to draw our attention to this issue of faith. The woman believes that Jesus can heal her. She acts on that belief. She gets close to him and touches his robe. Jesus affirms that she is healed because of her faith.
Now let’s go back to the story of Jarius. While Jesus was still speaking to this woman, Jarius received some bad news. Verse 35
Mark 5:35 (NIV)
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
You need to understand Jarius’ perspective. His little girl, that he loved, was on the brink of death. He was able to secure Jesus’ commitment to help. But Jesus was taking his time getting to Jarius’ house. The crowd was slowing him up. Doing other miracles was slowing him up. And now he sees someone, probably his main servant, from his household coming towards him. He can tell from the look on his face that something was wrong. He could probably guess what that something was.
His servant told him the worst news that a father could get. Your little girl has died. The person from Jarius’ household stated the obvious. There is no point in bringing Jesus now. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.
Mark 5:36 (NIV)
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Sometimes people think that the opposite of faith is doubt. But faith is multifaceted. In this case, Jesus points out that the opposite of faith is fear. “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”
I find this fascinating because Jesus could have said -Don’t be sad, just believe. He could have said -Don’t worry just believe. But Jesus, knowing Jarius’ heart, said, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”
He, like so many other people who have lost a loved one, must have been thinking, “What will I do without my little girl?” He may have been thinking, “I don’t think I can handle life without my little girl.” He may have thought, “I don’t know if my wife will make it with the loss of our daughter.”
Jesus, knowing what was going on in Jarius’ heart, said, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”
Faith in the face of fear is one of the most underrated spiritual benefits of following Jesus. If you are able to trust God in the face of fear, life will be more peaceful and more joyful.
I believe that this may be one of the most important spiritual disciplines to acquire to live in our world at this time.
You see if you have faith in the face of fear, you can face the unknown with grace. You can say I don’t know what is going to happen, but I can trust God will get me through whatever will happen.
We live in a time of economic uncertainty for so many people. The fear is that we will not have enough. If you can have faith in the face of fear, you can trust that God will provide. You may not see how right now, but if you know God, you can say “God’s got this.”
Some of us face uncertainty with our health. Our bodies or our minds are not working as they should. There can be a fear that comes with that. But you can trust God in the middle of the uncertainty. Faith says, “God’s got this.”
Whatever unpleasantness you are afraid of in the future, I want you to know that you can trust God with it. Because God is always, always, always, good. You and he will be able to handle whatever comes your way as long as your hand is in his.
The words of Jesus to Jarius are also Jesus’ words to you. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Memorize those five words. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Remind yourself of them in the wee hours of the morning when anxiety threatens to take hold. Remind yourself of them when you read the news. Remind yourself of them when uncertainty threatens to crush your spirit. Here once again are Jesus’ words to you. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
After Jesus spoke these words to Jarius, he dismissed the crowd.
Mark 5:37 (NIV)
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
Peter James and John went with Jesus to be witnesses of his power. They got front row seats to what God was going to do. They also learned a little about how Jesus works.
I have noticed that often times God surrounds us with just a few people to be witnesses of his grace and mercy. It might be a few close friends. It might be a very small group. I’ve had the privilege of walking with many people and witnessing God’s power. But if God calls you to walk along with him and the Jariuses of your life, then go on that journey. Peter James and John also knew that Jarius’ daughter had died. That is an uncomfortable situation to walk into.
But Jesus called them to go, so they went. What do you say to a man like Jarius on the journey? Often, there are no really good words to say. So, you offer the gift of your presence, and you walk. Sometimes it feels like you walk along time with a person. But if Jesus calls you to walk, you continue to walk.
Mark 5:38 (NIV)
38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
The word “commotion” could have been translated as loud and noisy confusion. People were crying and wailing. Matthew tells us that a flute was playing. The Misha, which was a commentary on the Old Testament and how to live the Jewish life. It was completed about 200 years after Jesus died. It quotes Rabbi Judah that for a burial “even the poorest in Israel should hire not less than two flutes and one wailing woman.”
Clamour and confusion. That is what Jesus and his disciples walked into. There was real grief happening in that household. There were also the professional grievers. When you go through hard times, you will find that there are people who share your sorrow and hardship and others who you will get the feeling that they are just saying the right words.
Jesus comes into the middle of that situation.
Mark 5:39–40 (NIV)
39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
They laughed at Jesus. After all, he has just arrived on the scene. Everybody knows better than Jesus what is going on. Everybody knows what life and death are.
There are a lot of people who still laugh at Jesus today. They figure that they know how to live life better than Jesus. They laugh at his instructions on how to live in this world. They laugh at the people who would trust him.
If Jesus experienced this, you should not be surprised if sometimes people laugh at you for your faith. I get it. Sometimes Jesus says some pretty outrageous things. “The child is not dead but asleep.” That is an outrageous thing to say at a funeral.
But Jesus says a lot of outrageous things. Love your enemies. Be holy as God is holy. Don’t be afraid; just believe. Give and it will be given to you. You will be judged in a way that you judge others. Love your neighbour as yourself. He says some outrageous things, and people will laugh.
All the way through the book of Mark, Mark has been showing us what the Kingdom of God is like. He continues to show us what the Kingdom of God is like in this story. The Kingdom of God has a different value system from this world. The values in the Kingdom of God are often laughed at. But do not be alarmed. God has got this.
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I don’t know if you have ever been to a funeral of a child. But laughter is inappropriate at best. This laughter says more about the people who were laughing than it does about Jesus. But just because he was being laughed at, Jesus did not cower in a corner.
Mark 5:40b (NIV)
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.
Jesus puts the professional wailers, the flute players, and the mockers out. Now there are just six people in the room with the body of this 12-year-old child.
Mark 5:41 (NIV)
41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
I love the fact that Jesus is thwarting the power of death, overcoming whatever sickness brought the child to this point and how he does it is to speak to this child as the little girl she was. “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” Or as one translation puts it, “little girl, it is time to get up.”
In saying that, the power of death was broken. The sickness was healed. The little girl was restored. It was all done because Jesus spoke life into this little girl.
A lot has been made of the fact that Mark keeps the Aramaic words in retelling the story. Jesus and his disciples would have known how to speak Greek because it was the language of business. They almost certainly would have conversed in their mother tongue of Aramaic.
So why did Mark leave these words in. I think it is because they made such an impression on Peter James and John. You hear the love and compassion of Jesus for this 12-year-old child. Little girl, it is time to get up.
Mark 5:42 (NIV)
42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
The people in the room were astonished. The people outside their room would be astonished. Mark has shown us that Jesus is Lord over the demonic, sickness, the Sabbath, the storm and sin. Now he is showing us that Jesus is Lord over death.
Jesus would demonstrate this in dramatic fashion when he rose from the dead on that first Easter Sunday. But if the disciples had ears to hear and eyes to see, they would know that death is not the most powerful force in the universe. They would see that death does not have the ultimate say. Death must be obedient to the words of Jesus because Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
This is one of three times when Jesus raises somebody from the dead. He also raised the son of a widow. He also called Lazarus back to life.
So when Jesus says to you, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He is saying that as one who has power over life and death. He is saying that as one who has authority overall. He is saying that as one who is Lord overall.
Mark 5:43 (NIV)
43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
There was no hiding this miracle. But Jesus instructs them not to let anybody know about this. I think it was in order for him to get away from the mocking crowd.
But then he gives us very practical instructions. Give her something to eat. People in Jesus’ day believed that it ghosts were real. But they also had the belief that ghosts could not eat. So by giving this very practical instruction, Jesus was taking into account the physical needs of the little girl and the spiritual needs of the parents. They needed to know that she was really back.
Sometimes God works in such a way where even after he’s done the work, it is hard to believe what has happened. Again, he would say to them and to you, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”
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I don’t know what you and I will face in the future, but I do know that Jesus is Lord and that we can trust him with the future.
We live in a time where the future is uncertain. If you listen to the news, a lot of it makes you wonder what is going to happen. Food insecurity is a thing for many people. The systems of our country are under severe stress. You look around the world, and you see the different hotspots, and it is not good.
If you have kids and grandkids, you wonder what kind of world they will inherit.
It is easy to look into the future and be filled with anxiety and fear. But Jesus is Lord over the storm. He is Lord over death. He is Lord over all. So when he says, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” You can trust that.
If you are facing a future that is full of unknowns, one of the best things that you can do is hear and take the words of Jesus to heart. Don’t be afraid just believe.”
Pray.