THE GIRL
Real-Life Sleeping Beauty
Real-Life Sleeping Beauty
Jesus took Jairus' daughter by the hand and said to her, "Talitha
koum!" (which means "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). Mark 5:41
How did the girl experience Jesus' powerful touch?
Jesus took her by the hand. Her hand was Lifeless. Cold. Everyone said she was dead. They had given up hope. And yet she was still a person lying there, "not dead but asleep" as Jesus ridiculously suggests. Laughter erupts. Really? Right here, right now? Weren't they just weeping and wailing? So much for the sacredness of the moment.
And yet Jesus presses on, passes through the doorway of the room where the girl was, inviting the girl's father and mother and three disciples to join him. Taking her by the hand, he speaks to her. Yes, talks directly to her and says a simple command - "Little girl, get up." "Talitha Koum." These two words of Jesus echo throughout time, speaking life to little girls of all ages...and all who love them and long for them to truly live. Certainly it captured the heart of Mark, who includes this phrase in the original Aramaic language within the Greek text of the gospel.
Immediately. (A favorite word of Mark's). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around. She was brought back to life by Jesus' powerful touch!
Jesus took her by the hand. Her hand was Lifeless. Cold. Everyone said she was dead. They had given up hope. And yet she was still a person lying there, "not dead but asleep" as Jesus ridiculously suggests. Laughter erupts. Really? Right here, right now? Weren't they just weeping and wailing? So much for the sacredness of the moment.
And yet Jesus presses on, passes through the doorway of the room where the girl was, inviting the girl's father and mother and three disciples to join him. Taking her by the hand, he speaks to her. Yes, talks directly to her and says a simple command - "Little girl, get up." "Talitha Koum." These two words of Jesus echo throughout time, speaking life to little girls of all ages...and all who love them and long for them to truly live. Certainly it captured the heart of Mark, who includes this phrase in the original Aramaic language within the Greek text of the gospel.
Immediately. (A favorite word of Mark's). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around. She was brought back to life by Jesus' powerful touch!
Who's that girl?
Jairus' daughter doesn't speak her own testimony in the scriptures. How might this 12-year-old young woman have experienced such a miracle? Consider these possibilities:
Her dad was there for her, & cared for her enough to connect her to Jesus.
In our part of the world, age 12 arrives for most of us in the middle of the most awkward of places - 7th Grade. Remember that year? Was it a walk in the park? How do you feel about your own 7th grade self...and the 7th graders you've known? Let's just say, life is difficult for 7th graders...and those who love them. (Hats off to those middle school youth ministers, spiritual advisors, confirmation sponsors, school teachers, counselors, and coaches who are there to walk with them through this challenging time.)* The physical and emotional changes of puberty are in full force, just in time for the facing of greater challenges of responsibility and independence. They need parents and other caregivers who care about them - dare I say love them - through this awkward stage. Without care from her father, this particular girl's life story would be diminished. We know her story because her dad doesn't give up on her. And at the end of his rope (and the recognition of his powerlessness, a condition familiar to parents of emerging teenagers), he reaches out to Jesus, trusting in Jesus' power to get his daughter through to new life.
People gave up on her, acting as if her life is over. But Jesus didn't, and her life goes on.
One of the more striking aspects of this story is how others in the scene give up on her, erasing hopes for recovery. "Your daughter is dead; why bother the teacher anymore?" Why? Well here's a reason: Because there's still hope when Jesus is on the scene! Jesus is the source of divine life-restoring power. If we had the eyesight to take in the lives of all 12-year-olds in our world in a single glance, I think we'd see that a lot of people are giving up on them. Do you remember being 12 (if that year is in your past)? One thing you start learning about when you're 12 is who really cares about you and who doesn't - family, friends, neighbors. When Jesus tells the people mourning her death that there's still hope that she might live, don't we expect them to grab hold of that hope and rally with stunned interest? Instead, they laugh at Jesus for suggesting such a thing. They've given up on her. People may give up on 12-year-olds, but Jesus doesn't. And to this girl he goes, right to her side, to take her by the hand and guide her into the rest of her life.
She Matters. Now. To Jesus.
It's tempting to wonder what happened to this young woman. Did she go on to do great things for God? We may never know, because the text doesn't tell us. What we do know is that she matters to THIS story. She matters now, not just for a future down the line. The 12-year-olds in our families, church, and community matter now because they are living now. One of the joys of being in a church of all generations is that we all have the opportunity to relate with 12-year-old disciples. Three cheers for seventh-graders...and all the people in the church who teach them (youth group & confirmation) and serve with them (in ministry to children and music ministry, among others). You are right there with Jesus, witnessing his power at work in 12-year-old lives!
When we first hear of her, she’s dying. It all begins with her father pleading with Jesus to come and restore his dying daughter. He's confident that if Jesus will only put his hands on her wilting frame, she will be made well. And he was right! Oh yeah, there's the small detail about how she died during the delay when Jesus was healing another "daughter," the woman with the issue of bleeding. But at the end of the day, the girl is alive and walking around, eating the food Jesus ordered be served to her.
Is she a girl, though? We're told that she's 12-years-old. In Jesus' time, as in the Jewish tradition today, this year of age functions as the doorway to adulthood. In Judaism, when a girl reaches 12-years-old she becomes a "Bat Mitzvah" (literally, "Daughter of Commandment") and is recognized as now having adult rights & responsibilities. She is now morally and ethically responsible for her decisions and actions. (Discover more about Bat-Mitzvah here).
Regardless of her age, we know that she's a daughter, defined by her relationship to her parents. But because of her age, we know that she's becoming a woman, emerging into adulthood. And that's part of the tragedy, isn't it? Just when she's ready to become her full adult self, death pulls the rug out from underneath her, and hope disappears.
What does the story look like through the girl's eyes?Is she a girl, though? We're told that she's 12-years-old. In Jesus' time, as in the Jewish tradition today, this year of age functions as the doorway to adulthood. In Judaism, when a girl reaches 12-years-old she becomes a "Bat Mitzvah" (literally, "Daughter of Commandment") and is recognized as now having adult rights & responsibilities. She is now morally and ethically responsible for her decisions and actions. (Discover more about Bat-Mitzvah here).
Regardless of her age, we know that she's a daughter, defined by her relationship to her parents. But because of her age, we know that she's becoming a woman, emerging into adulthood. And that's part of the tragedy, isn't it? Just when she's ready to become her full adult self, death pulls the rug out from underneath her, and hope disappears.
Jairus' daughter doesn't speak her own testimony in the scriptures. How might this 12-year-old young woman have experienced such a miracle? Consider these possibilities:
Her dad was there for her, & cared for her enough to connect her to Jesus.
In our part of the world, age 12 arrives for most of us in the middle of the most awkward of places - 7th Grade. Remember that year? Was it a walk in the park? How do you feel about your own 7th grade self...and the 7th graders you've known? Let's just say, life is difficult for 7th graders...and those who love them. (Hats off to those middle school youth ministers, spiritual advisors, confirmation sponsors, school teachers, counselors, and coaches who are there to walk with them through this challenging time.)* The physical and emotional changes of puberty are in full force, just in time for the facing of greater challenges of responsibility and independence. They need parents and other caregivers who care about them - dare I say love them - through this awkward stage. Without care from her father, this particular girl's life story would be diminished. We know her story because her dad doesn't give up on her. And at the end of his rope (and the recognition of his powerlessness, a condition familiar to parents of emerging teenagers), he reaches out to Jesus, trusting in Jesus' power to get his daughter through to new life.
People gave up on her, acting as if her life is over. But Jesus didn't, and her life goes on.
One of the more striking aspects of this story is how others in the scene give up on her, erasing hopes for recovery. "Your daughter is dead; why bother the teacher anymore?" Why? Well here's a reason: Because there's still hope when Jesus is on the scene! Jesus is the source of divine life-restoring power. If we had the eyesight to take in the lives of all 12-year-olds in our world in a single glance, I think we'd see that a lot of people are giving up on them. Do you remember being 12 (if that year is in your past)? One thing you start learning about when you're 12 is who really cares about you and who doesn't - family, friends, neighbors. When Jesus tells the people mourning her death that there's still hope that she might live, don't we expect them to grab hold of that hope and rally with stunned interest? Instead, they laugh at Jesus for suggesting such a thing. They've given up on her. People may give up on 12-year-olds, but Jesus doesn't. And to this girl he goes, right to her side, to take her by the hand and guide her into the rest of her life.
She Matters. Now. To Jesus.
Connection Questions
- Do you know a young person who has suffered or is suffering seriously? What was/is this experience like? Was/is Jesus a part of their story?
- Have you ever (or even now) felt like people have given up on you? How has this deflated your hopes? What kind of encouragement re-inflated hope in your life? How might you express this encouragement to someone who's struggling in life?
- Put yourself in the girl's shoes: Jesus speaks the words "Talitha Koum" to you. Repeat that phrase over and over again. What is Jesus referring to...what does he want you to get up from in order to be restored to full life?
- Pray and offer your heart to Jesus as the one who takes you by the hand and brings you to life.
In Conclusion
Jesus' powerful touch raised Jairus' daughter to new life. There's a 12-year-old in all of us that longs for life. Pay no mind to those who laugh at you in ridicule. Take Jesus' hand, and GET UP! Then, get something to eat :).
* A special tribute of thanks to a brother in Christ who within the last few years has gone to be with the Lord, Greg Metcalf. As the band teacher at Eisenhower Middle School in Everett, WA, I witnessed 12-year-olds coming alive under his skillful guidance and humor-infused care, including my two 12-year-old daughters.
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