Mark

5:21-43

The journey begins, 1:1-5:43

6. The powers defeated, 4:35-5:43

iii] Sickness - Jairus' daughter and a woman with a hemorrhage

This episode is the third of a set of three which focus on Jesus' victory over dark powers, 4:35-5:43. In this episode we see his victory over sickness and death, and are again given an insight into the interplay of faith. The story appears in all three synoptic gospels. Again it is one of those memorable occasions where the disciples could easily recall and retell the details, and from this retelling develop a set-piece oral tradition. The story goes together well, for we see a woman who evidences the touch of death and a girl who is actually dead. Both are healed and so Jesus displays his power over death.

The two stories are nicely sandwiched (intercalation), which, given the vocabulary (the episode "about Jairus is composed of short sentences dominated by the historical present, whereas the one about the women is made up of long sentences filled with participles and dominated by the aorist", Marcus, cf. Guelich) indicates that they were possibly separate pieces of tradition. For Mark, the stories further demonstrate Christ's victory over the powers that possess and enslave humanity, here both the unclean state of death and a state as good as dead. In both situations we see again the general response of "fear and amazement", which, for some, moves to "faith", and we see again that Jesus saves, 5:23, 28, 34, and that by his salvific power proclaims the dawning kingdom of God.

The episode begins with Jairus, an official in the local synagogue, confronting Jesus and pleading with him to come and heal is daughter, v21-24a.

diaperasantoV (diaperaw) aor. part. "When [Jesus] had [again] crossed over" - having crossed over. The participle forms a temporal clause. cf. v2, typical non classical grammar. "After Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side"

palin "again" - due to textual variations it is either Jesus crossed over the lake again, or a crowd gathered around him again.

sunhcqh (sunagw) aor. pas. "gathered around" - was gathered together, assembled. "Crowds of people gathered to meet him", Barclay.

twn arcisunagwgwn (oV) "the synagogue rulers" - a manager of the synagogue, a lay official responsible for the management of the synagogue programme, facilities and complex. "One of the synagogue presidents", Phillips.

onomati IairoV "named Jairus" - Omitted in some manuscripts. Possibly added for symbolic effect, given that the root meaning of the name is "he awakes."

piptei (piptw) pres. "fall" - he falls down. Given his status, falling at the feet of Jesus as a supplicant, indicates the depth of fear he has for his child. "He knelt at Jesus' feet", CEV.

parakalei (parakalew) pres. "he pleaded [earnestly] with" - he begs, asks, beseeches / exhorts, comforts. The present tense "beseeches" is usually translated as a historic present "beseeched", although some texts have an imperfect tense which may indicate that the present was mistakenly carried over from the surrounding verbs.

polla adv. "earnestly" - much. He beseeched Jesus much. Note how the alliteration parakalein polla serves to emphasize his pleading; "he persistently pleaded."

to qugatarion "little daughter" - daughter. The diminutive possible implying "dear"; "my dear little girl."

escatwV ecei (ecw) "is dying" - has finally. The adverb "finally" with "have" means to reach an extremity, to be at the last gasp, to be at death's door, so "is dying."

iJna + subj. "[please come and lay your hands on her]" - that [coming you may lay the hands on her]. This hina clause, with the verb in the subjunctive mood, probably stands in the place of an imperative infinitive. The construction is rare and not classical. So, it is more a demand driven by panic than a request, "please". "Come and lay your hands on her."

iJna + subj. "so that" - that. The second hina clause forms a final clause expressing purpose.

swqh (swzw) aor. pas. sub. "she may be healed" - she may be saved. "Save" is sometimes used in the sense of "heal".

suneqlibon (sunqlibw) imperf. "pressed around" - they were pressing closely upon, hustling, crowding in upon. At 3:9 the verb appears without the prefix, given that there it is only the danger of a crush; here it's the real thing.

Jesus' confrontation with dark powers continues in the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, v25-34.

Kai gunh ........ hJyato (aJptomai) aor. "And a woman .......... touched [his cloak]" - Between the noun and the principle verb, Mark has a string of subordinate participle clauses. The first five describe the woman and the next two describe how she touched Jesus and why. Given that she is "unclean" and has touched a Rabbi, the clauses serve to gain our sympathy before telling us that she touched Jesus.

rJusei (iV ewV) dat. "bleeding" - a flow of liquid. She suffered from constant vaginal bleeding which rendered her unclean and unable to share in normal community life, Lev.15:25-30. "Who had constant menstrual bleeding for twelve years."

paqousa (pascw) aor. "suffered" - suffer. "She had endured much under many physicians", NRSV.

dapanhsasa (dapanaw) .... panta "spent all [she] had" - having spent ... everything. Emphasizing that she spent everything she had for medical help without any benefit at all, serves to underline her desperate condition (as good as dead) in contrast to her healing.

wfelhqeisa (wfelew) aor. part. "[instead of] getting better" - having benefited [nothing]. "It had done her no good at all", Barclay.

akousasa (akouw) aor. part. "When she heard" - having heard. "Hearing about Jesus", an adverbial participle, temporal, "When she heard [the things] about Jesus."

hJyato (aJptw) "touched" - Jesus usually does the touching, although the gospels and Acts remind us of the common belief that healing can come by touching a healer's clothing, or even by coming under their shadow. Such a belief moves toward the magical, although in this episode both the faith of the woman and its consequence is in no way derided.

elegen (legw) imperf. "she thought" - she was saying. The imperfect here really functions as a pluperfect, "she had been saying", and expresses ongoing action; "she kept saying over to herself."

swqhsomai (swzw) fut. pas. "I will be healed" - I will be saved. In the context, "healed" is certainly in the woman's mind, but the word's eschatological sense is always lurking in the background. The verb is used fourteen time by Mark and takes the sense "deliverance form the enemies of life that threaten authentic existence" and so is closely related to "gaining eternal life" and "entering the kingdom of God", cf. Boring. "I will be saved".

exhranqh (xhrainw) aor. pas. "stopped" - [the fountain of the blood] was dried up, parched. "Her flow of blood was staunched", Barclay.

egnw tw/ swmati "she felt in her body" - She experienced a sense of physical well-being.

iatai (iaomai) perf. pas. "freed" - she has been healed, cured. The Perfect is used to indicate that the healing is complete, for good, without relapse. "She was cured of her complaint", Moffatt.

mastigoV (ix igoV) "suffering" - whip, scourge, affliction. A strong word to emphasize her condition and therefore the power of the healing.

euquV "at once" - immediately. Mark is stressing the immediacy of the healing following the touch of faith, even though it is a little faith in that it is close to magic.

epignouV en eJautw/ "[Jesus] realized [that power .....]" - knowing in himself. The participle providing the verbal element of a temporal clause, "Jesus was at once conscious", Moffatt. Jesus knew in himself that power had gone out from him. The women's touch took something out of Jesus and he was aware of it.

exelqousan (exercomai) aor. part. "that [power] had gone out [from him]" - [the power] having gone out [from him]. The participle forms an object clause / a dependent clause of perception, as NIV.

epistrafeiV en tw/ oclw/ "turned around in the crowd" - turning around in the crowd. The crowd is pressing in on him and because the touch comes from behind; "Jesus turned around and asked."

exelqousan (exercomai) aor. part. "[power] had gone out from [him]" - having gone out. The participle is probably temporal, "Jesus then turned around." The Greek certainly has Jesus aware of the transfer of power immediately upon it taking place, but not before. This may imply an automatic transfer, independent of the will of Jesus, or more rightly a transfer from the Father through Jesus, which transfer Jesus senses. "That the power proceeding from him went forth", RV.

tiV mou hJyato twn iJmartiwn "who touched my clothes?" - Calvin said that Jesus already knew, while Cranfield argues he didn't know. Jesus may have wished to evidence the sign, or more likely he wanted to draw out the woman's minimal faith and reinforce it.

sunqlibonta (simqlibw) pres. part. "crowding against" - pressing against. The participle functions as an object complement. The disciples "you see the crowd pressing you and you ask `who touched me'" is less than gracious and so is softened by Luke and left out by Matthew.

perieblepeto (periblepw) imperf. "kept looking around" - looking, looking around, looking about. A verb used 7 times in the NT, mostly in the gospels and with Jesus doing the looking. "Jesus turned to see who had touched him", CEV.

fobhqeisa (fobeomai) part. "fear" - fearing [and trembling]. This participle, as with "trembling", is modal, expressing the manner of her coming to Jesus. Cranfield suggests that she is afraid because she knows a miracle has been performed on her. Gundrey agrees. France leans toward the idea that she knows she has made Jesus ritually unclean, but he does accept that Mark does not draw this conclusion.

prosepesen autw/ "fell at his feet" - fell down before him. Does this action stem from a recognition of Jesus' authority?

qugathr "daughter" - daughter, female relative. Jesus may be declaring her status in his family of faith. Vocative; "my young lady."

seswken (swzw) perf. "has healed" - has saved, healed. Possibly Mark intends both meanings, "healed" and "saved". The perfect tense indicating the completeness of her new condition, both physical and spiritual.

uJpage eiV eirhnhn "go in peace" - Go in wellbeing rather than trouble. A normal "formula for leave-taking", Cranfield. Taylor argues it carries the weight of the speaker and therefore, on Jesus' lips, is a substantial blessing.

isqi pres. imp. "be [freed from your suffering]" - be [whole from your affliction]. The present imperative of the verb to-be is durative, commanding a continuing state such that Jesus is declaring her ongoing health. "Go in peace and remain healed from your affliction", Boring.

We now return to the raising of Jairus' daughter, v35-43.

apeqanen (apoqhnhskw) aor. "is dead" - die. The perfect "has died" would be expected, but the aorist "is dead" serves to stress that she is actually dead.

skulleiV (skullw) pres. "bother" - trouble, annoy. Originally the word meant to flay, or skin, but had weakened over time. Mark is making the point that from a human perspective, the situation is now hopeless, so Jesus' aid is no longer needed.

parakousaV (parakouw) aor. part. "ignoring" - having overheard, heard carelessly, pretended to hear, refused to hear. The participle is adverbial, possibly temporal, "instantly Jesus ignored the remark", Moffatt. The base meaning of the word is "hear beside", but can mean either "overhear" or "ignore", even "disobey. The NIV follows RV "not heeding", but "overhear" is likely the intended meaning. In fact, Jesus does not ignore their words for he tells them to believe.

mh fobou (fobeomai) pres. imp. "do not be afraid" - do not fear. The negative with the present imperative serves as a command to cease doing something, so "stop being afraid."

pisteue (pisteuw) pres. imp. "believe" - believe. The present tense, both for "believe" and "afraid", is used here to make the point that Jairus is to "stop being afraid and continue to believe."

ouk afhken (afihmi) aor. "did not let" - he did not allow, permit. By allowing only three disciples and the parents to witness the miracle, Jesus is obviously keeping the sign away from the unbelieving crowd, but at the same time, by including the three disciples he is providing witnesses for, what will be, an amazing messianic sign for those with eyes to see.

eiV "[he went] in" - to, into. "Came to" the home is better than "came in" such that in v39 "went in" is not "went into" the court yard of the house from the beadroom to talk to the crowd, but rather "went into" the house and talked to the crowd."

qorubon (oV) "a commotion" - uproar, turmoil. The following clause, "weeping and wailing", explains the "uproar", and images the horror of death. It is often argued that the mourners are a professional group hired for the purpose of making loud wailings, but there has really not been time to bring in a team of local thespians and so it is likely the mourners are family and household members.

klaiontaV (klaiw) pres. part. "crying" - crying, weeping loudly. The participles "crying" and "wailing" are adjectival, modifying the noun "commotion / tumult". describing"Why are you crying and carrying on like this?", CEV.

eiselqwn (eisercomai) part. "he went in" - having gone in. The participle is possibly temporal, "when he entered."

to paidion "this child" - the little child. Often an affectionate term. Note the change from "daughter" to "little child." The terms reflect endearment, for the girl is 12 years old and not an infant, cf. v42.

kaqeudei (kaqeudw) pres. "asleep" - is sleeping. An example where the verb is in the present tense, but carries a perfect sense. The mob says she is dead, Jesus says she is alive. It is possible that Jesus is seeking to maintain the messianic secret by being less than straightforward with the crowd, but he may also be employing a euphemism for the death of a person about to be raised to life. The term is later used in the epistles to describe the state of a believer who has died (dead, not in a state of soul-sleep) and awaits the day of resurrection.

kategelwn (katagelaw) imperf. "they laughed" - they were laughing at, derided. They deride Jesus for his faulty diagnosis, presumably made without seeing the child. "They greeted him with a scornful laugh", Phillips.

ekbalwn (ekballw) aor. part. "put them [all] out" - having thrown out, cast out, put out. For Mark, this is quite a strong word taking a sense "cast out" rather than "dismiss", or "send away". The sign is not for unbelievers.

paralambanei (paralambanw) pres. "he took" - takes, receives to, receives from. The faith of the parents and disciples privileges them to see the sign.

krathsaV (kratew) aor. part. "he took her by [the hand]" - having taken hold, grasped. The participle is adverbial, temporal; "then he took the child's hand", Moffatt. A similar action to the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. "Taking the child by the hand", NJB.

oJ estin meqermhneuomenon "which means" - which being translated means. The actual words are stark and simple and so remove any sense of a magical incantation.

to korasion "little girl" - Interestingly, the word indicates that we are dealing with someone older than a young child.

euquV "immediately" - immediately. The effect of Jesus' words is immediate; "the girl got up at once", Moffatt.

anesth (anisthmi) aor. "stood up" - stood, arose. "At once she jumped to her feet and walked around the room", Phillips.

exesthsan euquV ekstasei megalh "they were completely astonished" - they were astonished immediately with a great astonishment. Such a response, particularly from the disciples, is disappointing. Faith is the proper response to such a sign. When the dead are raised then is the kingdom upon us. "They were overcome with amazement", REB.

euquV "immediately" - Placement here is awkward and has spawned a number of textual varients.

polla adv. "[he gave] strict ..." - many, much. Used to intensify the verb, "he strictly ordered them."

diesteilato (diastellw) aor. mid. "he gave [strict] orders" - divide .... but in the middle, "order, command". Here again Jesus maintains the messianic secret, that is, he hides his messianic credentials from the unbelieving crowd so that miracle-fever doesn't obstruct his preaching ministry, either directly or indirectly (riot will alert the authorities). It is of course possible to argue that he only wants the miracle hidden long enough to enable him to get away and so for this reason he tells the parents to prepare some food for their daughter, something they would have naturally done sooner or later. The "sooner" gets Jesus and the disciples away before miracle-fever gets out of hand. Gundry suggests that the crowd would inevitably get wind of the miracle once the girl is seen alive, so there is no point in keeping it secret, but Jesus has already sowed the seed of doubt by telling them she is asleep. Her being alive only shows that Jesus was right in his diagnosis.

Mark Introduction

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